Today’s returning guest deejay is Raziel Panic. You can listen to Raziel’s previous mix for Soundwave here.
Raziel’s last mix defied my expectations. I naively assumed he would share a mix much like the music Raziel records and performs as YouShriek. Einstürzende Neubauten and Kraftwerk was not a surprise. Arvo Pärt was unexpected. Kitaro caught me entirely off guard.
And yet, where we are again, Raziel has delightfully baffled me.
Today’s mix is full of hypnotic melodies, haunting atmospheres, and evocative compositions. But those are just words. You have to experience Raziel’s mix for yourself. Headphones are perfect. But if you are one of those fortunate few with a decent sound system, crank that sucker and let Raziel’s mix rattle your windowpanes.
Raziel has a few words about his mix below.
Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Cole Peters.
See you then.
Raziel Panic
Karl is from Angelspit is one of my most recent acquaintances. Drekka is one of my oldest, and Charles from Cathode Ray Tube was my randomly-selected college roommate / dorm flood survivor.
I was first introduced to Jolanda through her captivating work in Peter van Cooten’s mix for Soundwave (listen here), and I’ve been hooked ever since. I invited Jolanda to share a mix with us.
Jolanda’s mix features artists whose works are marked by their unique approach to sound and a profound sense of introspection. It is a haunting and deeply introspective exploration of the mystical power of sound.
Hailing from Italy, Jolanda has been making waves with her unique blend of organic and electronic soundscapes, drawing inspiration from her love of nature and the cosmos. Her album, Full Moon Session, was just released earlier this month, which includes live performances of songs from her Nine Spells album.
Jolanda also led the folk band She Owl, delivering two full-length albums and performing more than 300 concerts across Europe and the US. But in the past two years of isolation, Jolanda focused on a deeply personal project, one that connects her to her ancestral roots and promotes healing.
Jolanda has some words about her mix below.
Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Sanderson Dear.
See you then.
Jolanda Moletta
When I started working on my debut solo album Nine Spells, I wasn’t aware of other artists doing ambient/neoclassical/experimental music except for a few names. I didn’t know how my album would fit into these genres. I just had a vision of wanting to create something with only vocals and I imagined something meditative that was like a prayer, or an invocation. In months following the release of the first singles, it became clear that there was actually a community, and a scene, of these genres. My mix aims to put a spotlight on the many incredible women who are also creating beautiful music within this community. I am happy to now call some of these artists my friends, and others I would love to meet one day and maybe even collaborate with. So I truly do hope that you’ll warm to this mix and come to love their music as much as I have.
I met Peter through Harrold Roeland and I invited Peter to guest deejay on the show (listen to his mix here). I did not anticipate that a mix from Peter would be something of an event. Peter’s mixes are more like epic tone poems that contain both the cosmic and the mundane in one listening experience.
Cloudwatching Sequence
Furthermore, Peter meticulously crafts his mixes. Peter might use a passage once from a song or as a leitmotif. His mixes are dense and multilayered. Peter’s skill is that despite the complexity of his mixes, they are seamless and fluid. You don’t need to know the immense effort that produced the mix you are listening to appreciate its beauty and artistry.
Because Peter mixes feel like an event, it felt appropriate to release today’s show for Halloween as we celebrate the darker half of the year.
Peter has some words about his mix below.
Join us next week when out guest deejay will be Mike Lazarev.
See you then.
Cloudwatching
Most (if not all) previous Ambientblog mixes always had some dark moments; they are never “just” relaxing. You can only feel release if you also feel tension.
This time, I wanted to avoid the darkness and create a “lighter mood mix.” Not of the “Ibiza Chillout Lounge” kind, but one that can be played in the background and is still exciting enough to listen to. I hope I succeeded, but of course, you’re the one to decide about that!
With two hours, Cloudwatching is longer than usual. Only a few tracks are included in their full length, but most are heavily edited or even just short fragments. Also, they are often overlayed, so you’ll hear the music in a different context. The extensive playlist below may help you track down the original in their full-length versions.
I hope you’ll enjoy watching these -imaginary- clouds!
I met Hessel through Soundwave guest deejay Harrold Roeland (listen to Harrold’s mix here and here). I asked Harrold who he thought would share a mix on Soundwave, and he recommended Hessel. I would have extended an invitation to Hessel based solely on Harrold’s word. However, listening to Hessel’s albums on his Bandcamp page merely confirmed Harrold’s regard for Hessel’s music.
Hessel is a musician, composer, and producer. In the 60s, Hessel’s fascination with electronic audio devices, in combination with a preference for writing and performing extremely idiosyncratic music, created a wide range of experimental electro-acoustic music, sound-poetry, and contemporary music radio productions.
Hessel ran a private cassette label Exart from 1982 to 1995 and released work under various pseudonyms such as Y Create, Forbidden Photographs, and Gorgonzola Legs. More recently, he has released Ymuiden, EPoX with Martijn Comes, and has a track featured in the Daredevil Meditations compilation album.
Hessel has some words about his mix below.
Join us next weekend when our guest deejay will be Survey Channel.
Musician, composer, and publisher Peter Rehberg unexpectedly passed away at 53 on 22 July 2021. Peter Rehberg was born in the UK in 1968 and returned to his family roots in Austria after growing up in Hertfordshire. He subsequently became a crucial figure in the world of contemporary electronic ‘underground’ music after making his debut in 1995. He achieved this mainly through the Viennese label Mego, renamed Editions Mego in 2005. Rehberg made his debut as Pita on the Mego label with the 12-inch Fridge, a collaboration with General Magic. A year later, his debut album Seven Tons For Free was released. The Mego label, especially after Rehberg took over as curator, grew into an influential label for new developments in electro-acoustic music. Mego became the catalyst for the musical adventures of artists such as Christian Fennesz, Jim O’Rourke, Stephen O’Malley, Russell Haswell, and Florian Hecker. Later, under Editions Mego, the label regularly released leading works by artists such as Oneohtrix Point Never, Kevin Drumm, Bruce Gilbert, Mark Fell, Oren Ambarchi, Bill Orcutt, and Emeralds. Peter Rehberg also continued to compose, produce and publish his music, often in collaboration with others. The collaboration with Stephen O’Malley under the name KTL resulted in several albums, of which KTL’s ‘VII’ from 2020 is the most recent.
Rafael Anton Irisarri “Mellified”, Peripeteia Label: DAIS. (2020)
Irisarri’s album Peripeteia fuses drone, electronic and ambient music. His immersive compositions are visual, panoramic, and cinematic as sceneries and films inspire them. Some of his music would suit artistic sci-fi or horror movies. Irisarri’s newest album, Peripeteia is based on a sudden change of circumstances in his life.
Eli Keszler “The Basement”, The Scary Of Sixty-First (OST) Label: Deeper Into Movies Records. (2021)
For the past five years, the London / NYC film collective Deeper Into Movies has been screening essential contemporary cinema, overlooked gems, and rarely seen documentaries in reparatory cinema and DIY spaces. In December 2021, they launched the new label Deeper Into Movies Records, which promises to continue Deeper’s mission into sonic form by releasing recent scores from emerging filmmakers and lost or rereleased soundtracks. This first release from the new label is Eli Keszler’s score for Dasha Nekrasova’s notorious award-winning debut feature film The Scary of Sixty-First.
Dale Cooper Quartet & The Dictaphones “Huis Chevêchette”, Astrild Astrild Label: Denovali. (2017)
The characteristics of Astrild Astrild are classic drone soundscapes mixed with deep tone saxophone parts that became Dale Cooper Quartet’s trademark since the release of their debut album in 2006. Slowly paced, the new tracks follow the Quartet’s basic structure and classical sound. The new full-length conceals more live takes, including guitars, bass, and Rhodes keys. With these new elements, the songs of Astrild Astrild are pushed further into a large tunnel of deafening rhythmic parts and field ambient textures.
Claire Rousay “Peak Chroma”, A Softer Focus Label: American Dream Records. (2021)
A Softer Focus, released on American Dreams Records, is a leap towards a neatly holistic perspective of music-making. American percussionist and sound artist Claire Rousay is an archaeologist. She digs and sifts. Different layers overlap different substrates of meaning, emotion, and compositional complexity. Dirt gets in the way, requiring a gentle brushing aside to unveil whatever unstable nugget lies beneath. “Peak Chroma” is one of the two non-instrumental tracks on the record. With its collage feel, it generates beauty in buzz.
Cortini is best known as a longtime member of Nine Inch Nails. While NIN keeps him busy, he has also developed a reputation for collaborating with luminaries from the dimmer worlds of ambient, drone, and noise. The album Scuro Chiaro centers on one specific instrument, created by Cortini himself: the Strega. It is a semi-modular synth and effects box. With bass, percussive treble, and a flute-like whisper, Nessuno is one of Scuro Chiaro’s highlights. Cortini integrated his favorite features from various cult-legendary modular systems into one small unit. He uploaded his musical consciousness into this machine and subjugated it to his will.
Loscil “Orta”, Clara Label: Kranky. (2021)
On the album, Clara composer Scott Morgan takes the source material and breaks it down to its most basic essences. With this foundation, he paints deep colored sound-beds. Morgan uses a three-minute composition performed by a 22-piece string orchestra in Budapest for this album.
The final piece mixes Sanctuary, Hessel Veldman, and Andy Stott.
Composer Jose A. Parody says: “In my mind, ‘In Absolute’ is a very visual piece. Much like a close-up shot in a film, slowly zooming out to reveal an intricate scene, ‘In Absolute’ embodies the same feeling. A simple idea ever-expanding. Without the brilliant string and woodwind ensembles we recorded in Iceland last summer, it would not have been possible.”
Ymuiden is an experimental audio sound map of IJmuiden (1876), Noord-Holland, The Netherlands; a city where Hessel grew up and still lives today. A place that has seen much happen has seen many changes, a place of hard labor and knows a short raw history. The album, comprised of seven experimental dark ambient soundscapes, is laced with industrial elements, creating a hypnotic, dark undercurrent of sound.
Andy Stott “How It Was”, Faith In Strangers Label: Modern Love. (2014)
Faith In Strangers may be body music (in the broadest sense); it invariably favors the dripping, pulpy atmosphere over the vestigial pulse of Stott’s earlier work. “How It Was” exemplifies this approach: though a small army of drums gallops beneath the surface, we only hear the rattling of the metal wall they seem to be running into. Subdued pads carry the melody, and while they’re quieter than the stomping rhythms, they have the power to dominate the mix, smothering us with sweetness. I’m glad we published this on Production because it revealed some problems that were not apparent tint he developer device emulator.
Sofia Nystrand introduced me to several fantastic musicians after sharing her Vargkvint mix on Soundwave (you can listen to it here). Jakob was one of those musicians, and after I listened to some of his releases, I invited him to guest deejay.
Jakob is an award-winning film composer based in Stockholm, Sweden. His most recent soundtrack is Ziba, a movie about an Afghan woman living in Sweden, struggling with the realisation that she has developed romantic feelings for another woman, and the consequences that will have for her marriage and family. Jakob’s soundtrack for Ziba will be released Thursday, May 12. You can listen to a single from the soundtrack here. It’s a beautiful, moving piece.
Speaking of soundtracks, I listened to Jakob’s mix while playing the Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game on Roll20. It lent atmosphere to the game and heightened the experience.
Jakob has some words about his mix below.
Before I leave you, Soundwave guest deejay Alex Haas has released his new album, STRING OF PIECES. His album has become part of my mourning routine as I start my workday. Listen to Alex’s mix for Soundwave here.
I’ve always found the duo constellation very interesting, as it’s so intimate. Whereas the solo work is the reflection of one vision, and a band can be everything from a fair democracy to a dictatorship, the duo is such a fascinating reflection of two combined minds, often resulting in a synergy effect. The mix contains some of the most inspiring duos I know (of), as well as a couple of examples where I myself have felt elevated by my collaborator.
Christoph is a composer and musician living and working in Berlin, focusing on chamber music and music for film. Besides releasing music on various imprints, Christoph runs his own record label Monochrome Editions. He also releases electroacoustic music as Field Rotation.
That’s all verbiage I copied and pasted from Discogs. I could use words like minimal, haunted, and mournful to describe it but you really, you need to experience Christoph’s music for yourself.
Christoph Berg
While writing this, I can tell you that I was listening to his Tape Anthology Vol. 1 album over my AirPods. My wife is asleep next to me, and I don’t want to disturb her. I was caught up in the emotions that Christoph was stirring in me when I began to be aware of the sounds of my stomach gurgling. But then it dawned on me that it wasn’t my stomach. It was gentle rumbling sounds within Christoph’s music. I’m sure that wasn’t Christoph’s intent, but for me, it gave an intimate and organic feel to his music. The experience endeared me to Christoph in an unexpected way.
Christoph’s mix, on the other hand, seems to capture the desolate spirit of our pandemic winter of 2022.
Everyone I know seems to have COVID. I have a dry, slight cough. It could be from the booster shot I received last week, a common cold I picked up, or the virus. And so, as part of my now monthly routine, I need to schedule yet another COVID test. But this is the shape of our lives now, so I square my shoulders and get on with it.
Christoph’s mix provides the soundtrack to what feels like it will be a very long winter.
Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Kazuya Nagaya.
daniel’s mix is important to me for several reasons.
One reason is that I meant daniel through Soundwave guest deejay Michael Donaldson (listen to Michael’s mix here) when he posted an interview with daniel on his Micro.blog. Initially, I read the interview simply because it was on Micro.blog, a cool social media network I am a member of. But what hooked me was the interview itself and daniel’s exploration of sound through this music.
The other reason today’s show is important to me is that while I love all the mixes on Soundwave, and I mean that, daniel’s mix hit me in all the right places. He included some familiar and precious tracks from the likes of Miles Davis, This Mortal Coil and Skinny Puppy. This is stuff I immersed myself in the 80s and 90s, so it felt like putting on a well-worn sweater. But daniel’s mix included a lot of stuff I had never heard of before, like Oliver Coates, Besombes & Rizet, and Angelo Badalamenti. It was a perfect blend of the familiar and unfamiliar that his mix provided just under an hour’s with of dopamine hits.
The final reason is that I listened to daniel’s mix many places (while working, walking my dog, doing the dishes, etc.), but the place that had the most significance was in my car while driving my grandkid to day school. The experience is already special because I enjoy watching all the adults delivering their most precious of cargos and seeing the love and concern on their faces. daniel’s mix heightened and already tender experience.
daniel has words of his own regarding today’s mix below.
Join us next weekend when our guest deejay will be Sean Slight.
See you then!
danielfuzztone
Like much of the ambient-drone music I produce, this mix was born from a live performance and then manipulated in the digital domain via Audacity. Nothing beats the hardware-software hybrid.
While I’ve DJed for three decades years — including two long stretches of college radio — my skills were a bit rusty, to say the least. I wanted to showcase some of my long-time favorite artists — Brian Eno, Boards of Canada, Spacemen 3, Jean-Michel Jarre — along with several newer ones (and maybe even a few you wouldn’t necessarily think of in the ambient realm).
I performed the set in real time using two MacBooks as playback decks, connected to a cheapo RadioShack DJ mixer from the ’90s.* Recorded in Audacity. Numerous field recordings and samples were also added at this stage — including a mix-long drone of processed shortwave static.
The result is a dark, noisy vibe with bursts of melody, strands of light, and even occasional beats. It’s mysterious and romantic, a droning, pulsing soundtrack from the past 50 years. Enjoy and #DroneOn
— danielfuzztone
POST-SCRIPT: Look for several back-to-back releases in early 2022 via Bandcamp, as well as a live performance in January.
*Due to the lo-fi-meets-hi-fi nature of the recording, you’ll occasionally hear pops and ticks from some of the aging gear. Relax. It’s all part of the ride.
A couple of months ago, Soundwave guest deejay Ishmael Cormack (listen to his mix here) asked for musical recommendations from his followers on Twitter.
Ismael got a lot of responses, and I listened to every suggestion on Spotify. If I heard something I liked, I’d invite the musician to guest deejay on Soundwave. Anthéne, for example, appeared on the show back in August. And today’s show, of course, features Triplicate Records.
Triplicate Records
I remember back in the 80’s listening to the soundtrack to Birdy by Peter Gabriel and wishing some musicians would record music for imaginary soundtracks. Such music existed, but I wasn’t aware of it until the following year when I was turned on to Brian Eno’s Ambient 4: On Land and Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks. Finding Eno, and musicians like him, was everything I hoped for and more.
Over the decades, I’ve seen more and more record labels dedicated to ambient, modern classical, experimental and instrumental music. 12k comes to mind, as does n5MD and Ultimae Records.
Music from Triplicate Records was already popping up on my Spotify Discover Weekly playlist and music I was discovering on Bandcamp. When Triplicate Records was recommended to Ishmael on Twitter, it felt like the universe was telling me to invite them on the show.
Triplicate Records is a boutique record label working primarily with instrumental electronic music. They are 100% artist-run, by producers Michael Southard (Time Rival), Bryan Kraft (BVSMV), and George Ernst (Suncastle). Despite the pandemic, they have gained a following with their unique musical tastes, striking artwork, and consistent output.
You’re going to love today’s mix. If you want to hear more from Triplicate Records, listen to their Spotify playlist here.
Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Oleg Puzan of Line Spectrum.
Today’s guest deejay is Sofia Nystrand, AKA Vargkvint.
For months, Sofia’s music kept appearing on my Spotify Discover Weekly playlists. If I didn’t find Sofia’s music there, she’d pop up on someone else’s playlist. Or I’d find her music on Bandcamp. In fact, Brueder Selke (CEEYS), played Sofia’s “Utåt” on their mix for Soundwave a few weeks ago.
There’s a reason for this, of course. Sofia has that magical ability to trasnport you to a world that is uniquely hers yet utterly familiar though her songs. Sofia deftly weaves folk, contemporary classical, pop, experimental music, and ambient. It’s a gorgeous thing to experience and I’m delighted to share her mix with you on today’s show.
If you’d like to hear more music from Sofia, she is featured on the Realismo Mágico compilation album from piano and coffee records. Some of the artists you’ll find on Sofia’s mix can also be found on the album (Klangriket, Sjors Mans, Jakob Lindhagen, Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, Simeon Walker, Ceeys). Sofia has also just released a rework of the first track, “Pomegranate,” by Sergio Diaz de Rojas.
Sofia has some words about her mix below.
Before I get out of Dodge, I’m happy to report that this weekend I briefly had my wife and kids in the same house. It was short lived, though. My wife headed back to work Sunday evening, and the kids will be visiting their dad next week. But after months and months of being apart, it was a small blessing.
Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Jonathan Ammons.
See you then!
Sofia Nyland, AKA Vargkvint
When I was working on this mixtape, I wanted it to be centered around collaboration and how music can change when being transformed by another person’s creativity. I’ve just released a rework album where people have reimagined my songs from the album Hav (I have two of them included in the mixtape), and it made me inspired to find other remixes or reworks to include. One of my favorite songs of this year is the rework that Alexandra Hamilton-Ayes have made of Frances Shelley’s ”Evening Star”. Apart from the amazing reworks, I have included a few newly released songs, and a couple of my personal favorites from artists who I really admire.
I met Brian on Twitter, but I’m not sure how. I’m sure it had something to do with our mutual love for guitars, ambient music, and horror. I recall listening to and enjoying his music but other than that, I don’t know much about Brian, which is why I’m going to interview him briefly on Instagram today. If that goes well, you can expect to watch more interviews with guest deejays on Soundwave on Instagram.
You’re going to dig Brian’s mix. It’s of the caliber you’ve come to expect from Soundwave. There are some surprises, like a track from the Pat Metheny Group, and a track from guest deejay Roedelius’s Cluster project with Brian Eno (listen to Roedelius’s Soundwave mix here). You’re in good hands.
If you want to hear more music from Brian, he has a new song that is included in a charity album available on June 21, 2021, on Bandcamp from Audionautic Records. The label will donate all proceeds to Project Hope, which sends relief to South Asia and people worldwide. Several of the artists in today’s mix will also be on the compilation.
Brian has some words below about today’s music.
Before I leave you, I have a few things I want to mention.
Frank Riggio’s Empreinte Musicale 2 album
Firstly, Frank Riggio recently released Empreinte Musicale 2, which is part of his ongoing trilogy. I’ve been listening to Frank’s music for years, and listening to his evolution as a musician has been a delight. I’m listening to Empreinte as I write today’s show notes, and I’m enjoying the sonic territory he’s trailblazing. Be sure to also listen to Frank’s mix for Soundwave here.
Secondly, Friday, my wife and I took our 11-year-old cousin to see Cruella. I had low expectations for Cruella, but the movie was surprisingly good and a whole lot of fun. Honestly, it wouldn’t have mattered if it was trash; I was just excited to go to a movie theater for the first time in over a year.
Okay, it’s time for me to head out.
Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Pierre Laplace.
See you then!
Brian Sangmeister
For me, music has always been about a journey. It transports you through time and space like nothing else can. Listening to music is like listening to your life story. It is full of peaks and valleys, personal moments and reflections. And above all else, emotions. I created this mix as a soundtrack to that journey. The best part is that you, the listener, will embark on your own unique voyage. A voyage that will take you through your imagination, and your soul. Each individual will experience something different. So I hope you enjoy these pieces of music, that when tied together, tell a bigger story. Your story.
