SOUNDWAVE : 111 : ANDREW TASSELMYER

Today’s guest deejay is Andrew Tasselmyer.

I met Andrew through Robert Farrugia, co-founder of Complex Holiday. After Robert guest deejayed on Soundwave (listen to his mix here) I asked him who he thought would share a mix on the show and he suggested Andrew. I listened to some Andrew’s many releases and extended an invitation immediately.

Andrew is a musician from Baltimore currently living in Philadelphia. He utilizes samplers, field recordings, and lo-fi recording techniques to make textured and tactile sounds. In addition to his solo catalog on labels such as Laaps, Seil Records, Eilean Recs, Constellation Tatsu, Home Normal, and more, he is a member of Hotel Neon, Gray Acres, and Mordançage.

Andrew has a new album coming on June 17 called Music for Nonexistent Films on Somewherecold Records.

Andrew’s mix for today’s show has everything I love to hear on Soundwave. However, what surprised me was his inclusion of Julie Byrne’s “Wisdom Teeth Song” in his mix. Julie’s appearance in his mix isn’t incongruous. It feels inevitable.

I was so delighted to hear Julie’s music in Andrew’s mix that I was inspired to put together my own mix, which includes one of Julie’s songs. You can listen to that mix here.

Andrew has some words about his mix below.

Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Dan Haines Cohen, founder of Machine Records.

Andrew Tasslemyer

“Music for walking through piles of dead leaves.”

For this mix, I was inspired to focus on the specific time and place I was in: the peak of autumn in the northeastern US.

I love this time of year when mornings are cold, but not brutally so… just enough to smack you with a jolt of heightened awareness when you step outside. And for some reason, the sunshine feels better when it’s filtered through the exploding colors of the leaves. I have no scientific basis for saying this but trust me, it’s a fact. It also seems that the calendar has progressed far enough at this point in the year that people start to reflect on months past and look forward to the new year ahead. Everyone feels a little more thoughtful, I suppose.

For this mix, I chose songs that could accompany someone on a wooded walk through the forest (or a nap in bed, whatever), with lots of textural analog sounds like hissing tape and shaky vibrato. The idea is that cracking leaves and snapping twigs can enhance the character of these recordings, which all feature a healthy dose of guitar (acoustic and electric), lo-fi beats and rhythms, and nostalgic timbres. I would encourage listening while walking and using earbuds/headphones that don’t completely isolate you from the world… let it filter in a bit.

The Humble Bee & Benoît Pioulard “Honest”

Kane Ikin “Slow Waves”

borealism “forged by the water”

loess “Brumal”

Casino Versus Japan “Dielectric Saints”

The Remote Viewer “Last Night You Said Goodbye, Now It Seems Years”

Earthen Sea “Shallow, Shadowless”

Perila “Fallin Into Space”

Julie Byrne “Wisdom Teeth Song”

Shuttle358 “Scrapbook”

Janek Schaefer “Coda (for Sir John Dankworth)”

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