Tag: classical

SOUNDWAVE : 118 : STEVE SWARTZ

Today’s guest deejay is Steve Swartz.

I met Steve through Jason Engling, who guest deejayed on Soundwave a couple of years ago. Steve shared a magical mix that I have listened to many times. Today’s show is no less resplendent in its emotions and sounds. It’s a journey.

Earlier this week, I was telling a friend about Soundwave and Steve’s mix. I explained that because Soundwave was created to help me cope with stress and isolation during the first few months of the pandemic, it is a touchstone to those fearful and uncertain times. For me, Soundwave has become a weekly meditative act of reflecting on those early days and the impact of the pandemic on nearly everything in our lives. While I go back to that emotional space weekly, my thoughts and feelings about those times have changed.

As I write this, it is a beautiful day in San Diego, and I can see the ocean from where I sit. I’ve seen this view many times, and while the view is the same, I’m not the person I was at the beginning of this pandemic. I’ve changed. We’ve all changed. I find myself asking who this person is I’ve become and what will I do? Where do I go from here? Steve’s mix provides the soundtrack for the journey.

Steve has some words about his mix below.

Join us again next week when our guest deejay will be Robert Farrugia, co-founder of Complex Holiday.

See you then.

 

Steve Swartz
Steve Swartz

I often feel misplaced. Out of tune with much of the goings on of the world around me. As a result, sound and nature have always been a source of refuge. As a child raised around fields and Great Lakes, I’m always drawn to music and sound that drifts, billows or breathes. And so it is with this mix of music. It’s intended as a reflection of my lack of place but also my sense of solitude, refuge and wonder. For me, these are the underscores of moments of abandon out on the road or a morning walk in my neighborhood. Moments of solitude where my mind surveys the landscape of hardships and joys. Spaces where my thoughts drift to someone I deeply miss. Or during the exhale at the end of a long day. To me, these pieces of music are boundless and internal. Drifting like a breeze or a trace of a memory. Something otherworldly but familiar. Nostalgic and grateful. The spirit of a land but not a place.

  1. William Tyler “Slow Night’s Static”
  2. Suso Saiz “Healthy Digestion”
  3. Bremer McCoy “Mit Hjerte”
  4. Hara Noda “Night Swimmer”
  5. Kenji Kihara “Flowering Quince”
  6. Björn Meyer “Provenance”
  7. Ólafur Arnalds & Nils Frahm “20:17”
  8. Carrie Carlton Quartet “City Morning Views”
  9. Benoit Pioulard “Stone In Focus”
  10. zakè “Night Shineth As The Day”
  11. Philip Wilkerson “The Edge of Being”
  12. Bark Psychosis “Pendulum Man”

Subscribe to SOUNDWAVE on iTunes, Overcast, Castro and Pocketcasts.

Logo by Rik Oostenbroek

SOUNDWAVE : 117 : NANEUM

Today’s guest deejay is Jon Solo, AKA Naneum.

Jon last guest deejayed on Soundwave a year ago. Since then, he’s released a new album entitled Autumn, and it just reached #7 on the NACC Chill charts.

I just wrapped up 45 minutes of playing Halo: Reach, and I’m playing Autumn to chill out and get me in the headspace to write today’s show notes. I’m a New Englander, and Autumn is chock full of songs titled with cities in Massachusetts, such as Boston, Salem, and Swampscott, so I’m already inclined to like this album. That I love the album is a forgone conclusion because Jon’s music never fails to evoke delicate emotions and memories intimately. But it’s also transporting me to various times spent walking along the Charles River in early fall as a young man. It’s been a magical evening revisiting those memories.

Thanks, Jon.

 

Jono Solo, AKA Naneum
Jono Solo, AKA Naneum

Jon does us the favor by opening today’s show with a track from Autum. Go to Jon’s Bandcamp page if you’d like to hear more of this music. Maybe send a few dollars and pick up a few songs or albums while you’re there.

Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Steve Swartz.

See you then.

  1. Naneum “Leaves”
  2. Frededrico Albanese “By The Deep Sea”
  3. Nils Frahm “Forever Changless”
  4. Hania Rani “Eden”
  5. Hidden Orchestra “Spoken”
  6. Javi Lobe “Lost Time”
  7. Ólafur Arnalds “Zero”
  8. Yann Tiersen “Ker Yegu”
  9. Eydís Evensen “Dagdraumur”
  10. Jacob David “Blåregn”

Subscribe to SOUNDWAVE on iTunes, Overcast, Castro and Pocketcasts.

Logo by Rik Oostenbroek

SOUNDWAVE : 114 : RAZIEL PANIC

Today’s guest deejay is Raziel Panic.

I know Raziel from way back. We’re talking about the days when people would send cassette singles to radio stations for airplay. My memory is hazy, but I think I was aware that Raziel was part of the Boston music scene with his band You Shriek in the late 80s. Crazy.

When I say know, I mean more win the sense I knew of Raziel. The circles we traveled overlapped. I even had You Shriek perform on my show on WMFO. But we never really knew each other.

But thanks to social media, I get glimpses into Raziel’s life through his Instagram account, usually in beautiful black and white photos.

I extended Raziel an invitation to guest deejay on Soundwave and I was curious what I’d hear. Raziel is know for goth and industrial music, but that of course doesn’t encompass all the music he listens enjoys. It’s no incongruous that his mix ranges from Arvo Pärt to Einstürzende Neubauten to Kitaro. Marvelous stuff. But still a surprise.

 

Raziel Panic
Raziel Panic

The You Shriek track Raziel included in his mix was never released on digital. Contact me if you’d like a download Raziel’s track.

Raziel has a digital release in the wings, and I’ll let you know when it’s available.

I still don’t know Raziel, but I hope to hang out with him next time I’m on the East Coast.

Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Yann Novak.

See you then.

  1. Arvo Pärt “Cantus In Memory Of Benjamin Britten”
  2. zero zero island “From Pure Air… We Have Descended”
  3. Jon Hopkins “Abandon Window”
  4. Einstürzende Neubauten “Fiat Lux B) Maifestspiele”
  5. You Shriek “14: overexposure (200 Röntgens)”
  6. Takeshi Nakamura “River In The Ocean”
  7. Delia Derbyshire “Ziw-zih Ziw-zih oo-oo-oo”
  8. German and Japanese Commuter Trains, Found Sounds I
  9. Kraftwerk “Transistor”
  10. Kitaro “Aqua”
  11. German and Japanese Commuter Trains, Found Sounds II
  12. Tangerine Dream “Resurrection”
  13. Pieter Nooten & Michael Brook “Finally”

Subscribe to SOUNDWAVE on iTunes, Overcast, Castro and Pocketcasts.

Logo by Rik Oostenbroek

SOUNDWAVE : 113 : JAMES VELLA

Today’s guest deejay is James Vella.

We have Robert Farrugia from Complex Holiday to thank for James’s mix. I asked Robert who he knew who he thought would share a mix on Soundwave, and he recommended James. Oh, listen to Robert’s mix for Soundwave here.

Robert had not steered me wrong. James runs Phantom Limb, a record label, a music publishing, and touring and label management company. I dipped into his roster of artists, which ranges from everything from experimental hip hop to music inspired by Pre-Columbian Central and South American myths and folktales.

James’s mix explores a lot of terrain and includes a song he recorded under the name A Lily that’s beautiful. There’s also a track in James’s mix that is almost too painful to listen to. You’ll know when you hear it.

I know you’ll love today’s show. If you’d like to hear more music from James, you’ll be delighted to learn that he has new music coming out soon on the Bytes label.

Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Raziel Panic.

See you then.

  1. Visible Cloaks & dip in the pool “Valve (Reanimated Feat. Miyako Coda)”
  2. UCC Harlo “Lyricist of Panic”
  3. Tralala Blip “Castles of Golden Sound”
  4. Waclaw Zimpel “Lines”
  5. Nate Scheible “With Any Kind of Luck”
  6. Wayne Phoenix “I Gave You Power”
  7. Dear Laika “Ubi Sunt”
  8. A Lily “Mbira Heart”
  9. NIAGARA “Dia 1, Parte 2, Música 3”
  10. David Darling & The Wulu Bunun “Mataisah-hik Sagan”
  11. Ki Oni “Dream World”
  12. Volkan İncüvez “Black Hole”
  13. Ulla “leaves and wish”
  14. Throbbing Gristle “Still Walking”

Subscribe to SOUNDWAVE on iTunes, Overcast, Castro and Pocketcasts.

Logo by Rik Oostenbroek

SOUNDWAVE : 110 : JAKOB LINDHAGEN

Today’s guest deejay is Jakob Lindhagen.

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.

Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Andrew Tasslemyer.

 

Jakob Lindhagen
Jakob Lindhagen

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.

  1. Aaron Martin & Dag Rosenqvist “Opening”
  2. CEEYS_Brueder Selke “Hiddensee”
  3. Jakob Lindhagen & Dag Rosenqvist “Östersjön”
  4. Hoshiko Yamane & Mikael Lind “Beyond The Hidden”
  5. AVAWAVES “Waves”
  6. Kinbrae “The River Awakens”
  7. Hydras Dream “The Little Match Girl”
  8. Jakob Lindhagen & Vargkvint “Bäckahäst”
  9. Ben Frost & Daníel Bjarnason “Simulacra II”
  10. Klangriket and Sjors Mans “Prinsengracht”
  11. Olec Mün and Michael Sarian “Manaas”
  12. John Hayes & Maxy Dutcher “Arrival”

Subscribe to SOUNDWAVE on iTunes, Overcast, Castro and Pocketcasts.

Logo by Rik Oostenbroek

SOUNDWAVE : 97 : ROBOT KOCH

Today’s guest deejay is Robert Koch, AKA Robot Koch.

Robert Koch is a German, Los Angeles-based artist, composer, and record producer. Koch made a name for himself as a member of the band Jahcoozi before launching a solo artist. His electronic music sound has been called “Wonderful and strange – pop music from the future” by John Peel.

Robert has woven a gorgeous mix that includes music from artists such as the late Harold Budd; Berlin-based musician, composer, and producer Midori Hirano; and Canadian instrumental music producer Jay Cliffen and select tracks from Robert’s new project Foam and Sand.

Foam and Sand is an ambient soundscape and visual endeavor inspired by Robert’s daily meditation habit.

The project took shape during the pandemic lockdown of 2020. Robert used tape recordings of slowed-down pianos, modular synths, and other sonic sources. The signature sound is created with loops that magnify the irregularities and imperfections of cassette recordings and that are then shaped by Robert into hazy meditative journeys. Through the process, the grainy subtleties of sound give way to vast and lush atmospheric soundscapes, making audible the complex interplay of micro and macro and highlighting the interconnectedness of these two spheres in life.

 

Robert Koch, AKA Robot Koch
Robert Koch, AKA Robot Koch

You can listen to Foam and Sand on Spotify.

You can find Robert on Instagram . You can also find his Foam and Sand project on Instagram.

Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Forest Robots.

See you then.

  1. Harold Budd “Rosetti Noise”
  2. J Foerster / N Kramer “Entrance”
  3. Foam and Sand “Circle 26”
  4. Midori Hirano “Patterns (Foam and Sand Remix)”
  5. Foam and Sand “Circle 20”
  6. Rosales “Nest”
  7. Robot Koch “Movement I with Julien Marchal”
  8. Diskret “Dazed (Foam and Sand Remix)”
  9. Foam and Sand “Circle 7”
  10. Foam and Sand “Circle 5”
  11. Foam and Sand “Circle 6”
  12. Jay Cliffen “Inure“

Subscribe to SOUNDWAVE on iTunes, Overcast, Castro and Pocketcasts.

Logo by Rik Oostenbroek

SOUNDWAVE : 94 : KAZUYA NAGAYA

Today’s guest deejay is Kazuya Nagaya.

Kazuya is a Japanese artist who creates immersive, ritualized compositions through bronze bells, gongs, and singing bowls. Kazuya’s music is rooted in Buddhist (Zenzhu) philosophy and sensibilities unique to Japan. Kazuya’s work and interests are also contemporary and span many cultures. Kazuya is also an award-winning writer and a connoisseur of Japanese Literature, Buddhist Folktales, and Zen Philosophical Works.

I came across Kazuya’s music at the beginning of the pandemic. At the time, my attention span had been whittled down to a blunt end. I could not read or watch anything. I couldn’t find escape in music because none of the lyrics of the songs I listened to spoke to the new reality in which we all found ourselves. The only thing that provided solace was ambient, classical, instrumental, and experimental music. The kind of music that was essentially free of lyrics. The kind of music you could project your own meaning on or lose yourself in.

I launched Soundwave to cope with the stress and isolation Brough about by the pandemic. I clutched at it like a drowning man grasps a life preserver. Soundwave gave me solace and succor in the months ahead that were far more challenging and heartbreaking than I could have imagined.

 

Kazuya Nagaya
Kazuya Nagaya

Kazuya was one of the first musicians I invited to participate in Soundwave (listen to Kazuya on the second episode of Soundwave). He could not have known when he recorded “Thanatos” from his Dream Interpretation album that I would play that song repeatedly for days. It seemed to sum up everything I was feeling in those early days of the pandemic. It was crucial to me to have Kazuya on Soundwave. It took over a year for Kazuya to find time to prepare his mix, and it took six months before Kazuya’s mix was scheduled to arrive in your ears. But here we are.

Nearly two years into the pandemic, I am in a very different place than I was initially. But Kazuya’s “Thanatos” and today’s mix ia a touchstone to those painful times. At the same time, the way out is through, and Kazuya’s music also served as a form of catharsis.

Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Kim Cascone.

  1. Kazuya Nagaya “Mother Wading In The River”
  2. Jóhann Jóhannsson “A Sparrow Alighted Upon Our Shoulder”
  3. Arvo Pärt “My Heart’s In The Highlands”
  4. Jóhann Jóhannsson “A Deal With Chaos”
  5. John Cage “In a Landscape”
  6. Jóhann Jóhannsson “A Song For Europe”
  7. Kazuya Nagaya “Thanatos”




Subscribe to SOUNDWAVE on iTunes, Overcast, Castro and Pocketcasts.

Logo by Rik Oostenbroek

SOUNDWAVE : 92 : IU TAKAHASHI

Today’s guest deejay is Iu Takahashi.

Last May, I discovered Iu on Bandcamp’s The Best Ambient Music blog post and instantly became a fan. Iu’s songs delicately unfold as you listen to them. It feels that her music might immediately unravel with any sudden movement. Calmness and patience are required, which reinforces the experience of Iu’s gentle songs.

 

Iu Takahashi
Iu Takahashi

Iu herself does not appear in her mix, but I encourage you to listen to her new releases, both of which were released in December.

One release is her “Stay” EP from A RED THREAD. Iu made this work thinking about her grandparents, who have dementia. Both of them are now living in a facility. She stayed for a few days at their house, where no one lived, and was inspired by the clothing, dishes, and plants left there. For the sound source, she used environmental sounds coming from the house’s windows and an old electronic organ that she used to play when she was a kid. In the midst of realizing the changes in her daily life, the sounds of construction, cars, and crows cawing that may otherwise sound like noise make it feel as if time has stopped only in this house.

Iu’s second release is her “Interspace” EP from The Slow Music Movement. In these three tracks, she intentionally created gaps by reducing the number of notes, and she wanted to enjoy the coincidence and awareness with the outside sounds.

I can’t think of a better way to be in the New Year than listening to Iu’s music. And today’s mix, of course.

Before I go, I also ask that you listen to Genius and Soul, a new show that I launched with Soundwave guest deejays Fitz Gitler and Jason Smith.

Genius and Soul is a weekly show featuring jazz, Black classical music, and more, with mixes lovingly selected by our guest deejays. Our first guest is Brian Jackson, an American keyboardist, flautist, singer, composer, and producer. Brian has recorded and performed with everyone from Gil Scott-Heron to Stevie Wonder, and recently released an album with Jazz Is Dead’s Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad.

You can listen to our first episode on your favorite podcast app or listen here.

Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Christoph Berg.

See you then.

  1. Grotta Veterano “Bleiweisova Cesta i (as the snow falls)”
  2. Sarah Davachi “Third Hour”
  3. Stijn Hüwels + Tomoyoshi Date Featuring Tadahito Ichinoseki “A Distant Fire, A Distant Cloud (遠き火、遠き雲)”
  4. Masayoshi Fujita “Anakreon”
  5. baechulgi “the breath of the moon”
  6. Satoshi Ashikawa “Still Space”
  7. Emily A. Sprague “Water Memory 1”
  8. Yumiko Morioka “Moon Road”

SOUNDWAVE : 90 : SEAN SLEIGHT

Today’s guest deejay is Sean Sleight.

A year ago, while perusing Boing Boing I read a post about Hollow Earth Radio, a Low Power FM (LPFM) non-commercial DIY radio station based out of Seattle. I was intrigued about the station’s promise of “local music, found sound, paranormal encounters, crank calls, dreams, etc.! 24 hours a day!” and tuned it. The station is a delight, and I became Sean’s show, Aquanautic Frequencies, and invited him to guest deejay on Soundwave.

Aquanautic Frequencies broadcasts every Wednesday from 11 am-1 pm PST. Spinning strange and groovy and tunes from the deep. Featuring clangy krautrock and kosmische musik, brain-melting prog, afrobeat, and jazz from Saturn, pulsing psych, weird Bungley rock, Pacific Northwest favorites, outsider music from Finland and beyond, turntable experiments, avant-metal, random radio transmissions, and even the occasional jangled pop number as long as it fits the mood. His shows are broadcasted live at the station with vinyl only, programmed from his music collection, or home recorded with two turntables and mixer fed into a recording console.

In addition to the radio show, Sean is a scientist and has made music a creative outlet for about 20 years. He is the co-founder of Fringe Biology Recordings (fringebiologyrecords.com), a Seattle-based record label of outsider/self-educated recording artists specializing in experimental rock, avant-electronic music, sci-fi soundtracks, kosmische musik, and science-inspired music.

What I love about Sean’s mix is that it took Soundwave’s instrumental aspect and ran with it. And Sean’s mix obviously showcases some of his obsessions in music. I always welcome music from Secret Chiefs, Sun City Girls, Can, and Sun Ra, and I was happy to be introduced to artists like Bo Hansson, Thomas Dinger, and Diminished Men.

Sean has some words about his mix below.

Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Alex Haas.

See you then.

 

Sean Sleight
Sean Sleight

Many thanks for the invitation to contribute a mix. I wanted it to have a positive vibe in these weird times and thought of Winter Solstice when daylight is at its minimum. Now that it’s almost the darkest time of the year, I thought maybe it was time to reverse polarity and share some warmth for the days ahead.

  1. Secret Chiefs 3 “Book T: Exodus”
  2. Sun City Girls “The Shining Path”
  3. Diminished Men “Hoarding Light”
  4. Bo Hansson “Excursion With Complications”
  5. Grumbling Fur “Acid Ali Khan”
  6. Cavern of Anti-Matter “Echolalia”
  7. Brian Eno “Golden Hours”
  8. Daniel Brandt “Chaparral Mesa”
  9. Can “Sing Swan Song”
  10. Thomas Dinger “Fur Mich (Excerpt)”
  11. Neu! “Euphoria”
  12. Sun Ra “Sun Song”
  13. Ulver “Shadows of the Sun”

Subscribe to SOUNDWAVE on iTunes, Overcast, Castro and Pocketcasts.

Logo by Rik Oostenbroek

SOUNDWAVE : 87 : TEXTERE ORIS

Today’s guest deejay is Ilya Fursov, AKA Textere Oris.

Ilya is yet another guest deejay that comes to us by way of the Cryo Chamber music label. I’m sometimes reluctant to feature musicians from Cryo Chamber because I showcase artists from their roster a lot. But that’s because the label’s releases are so good that why would I not invite them on Soundwave?

I was introduced to Ilya after listening to Reflections at the Sea, an album he released with Vladislav Sikach, AKA SiJ. Like most albums on Cryo Chamber, I was immersed in the world they unfolded through their music. I often listen to music while working or doing chores, but I often found myself pausing what I was doing as I got lost in Reflections. Ilya’s mix for today’s show is equally mysterious and magical.

 

Ilya Fursov, AKA Textere Oris
Ilya Fursov, AKA Textere Oris

Here in the States, we celebrated Thanksgiving. As I write this, I’m in Boston. This is the first time my father, uncle, brother, and sister have been under the same roof in decades. It wasn’t without family drama, but I suspect that’s part of the Thanksgiving tradition. I also got to spend time with some of my oldest and dearest friends.

I admit to being reluctant to travel to Boston. Mingling with people at the airport and flying with more people in a metal tube with people for five hours was unsettling. I certainly don’t want to catch the virus, and I wouldn’t want to pass the virus on to my family. My father and uncle are in their seventies, and I’m all too aware that my time with them shortens each year.

Like most people, I was able to put the pandemic out of my mind for a while and enjoy myself. But the Coronavirus is not done with us, and now we have to Omicron variant to contend with. Soundwave is my way of coping with the pandemic, and each time I think the show has served its purpose, there is yet another reason to continue sharing mixes with you. And here we are.

Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Dead Melodies.

See you then!

  1. Mayer Julcsa “Szundikál”
  2. Atrium Carceri, Cities Last Broadcast, God Body Disconnect “Quiet Days On Earth”
  3. Textere Oris & Montren “Warehouse”
  4. Runar Blesvik “Window”
  5. kj “Caro”
  6. Claustrum “Penitential”
  7. Textere Oris “Temple of Insomnia”
  8. Atrium Carceri “Reborn”
  9. Textere Oris “Encased (tribute version)”
  10. SiJ & Textere Oris “The City That Fell Asleep in the Fog”
  11. Textere Oris “New Hope”

Subscribe to SOUNDWAVE on iTunes, Overcast, Castro and Pocketcasts.

Logo by Rik Oostenbroek