Ian is another fantastic musician I was introduced to through Yann Novak (listen to his mixes for Soundwave here and here). Every artist Yann has turned me on to has been outstanding. Oh, I’ll still listen to the releases of the musicians he recommends before inviting the person to guest deejay on Soundwave, but it’s perfunctory at this point. I know anyone Yann suggests is going worthwhile.
Take today’s mix.
Ian begins his playlists with a lovely tune by Cosmo Sheldrake. Wherever Ian is going to take me on this mix, I’m happy to be along for the ride. And it’s an emotional journey, full of meditations and reflections, not all of it gentle. Appropriate enough for the time of year.
Ian Wellman
Ian recently released Sedge, which he calls “a little tape of sandhill crane recordings,” available through Luminous Drift. I’m listening to the album as I write this. It’s quite nice and a great way to wind down this post.
Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Joshua Bruner.
Thomas’s music kept popping up on Soundwave mixes. It wasn’t until I asked Andrew Tasselmyer whom he knew, who might share a mix on the show, and he said Thomas that I understood the universe was trying to send me a message: get Thomas on Soundwave. At least, that’s how I interpret it.
Thomas’s music is warm and intimate. I’m listening to the Communiqué album he recorded with Jogging House as I write this, and it’s perfect listening for a crisp winter night. I was curious to hear who’d include in his mix. When I saw Jason Corder’s offthesky project in his playlist, I knew I was in good hands. Whereas Thomas’s music is warm fire to rub your hands to, his mix feels like stepping out to a bracing day with magical side quests. Again, my subjective interpretation.
I’m glad I listened to the universe.
Speaking of Thomas’s music, he has a new vocal album called Eidetic coming out on Morr Music in March 2023. He also has a Bandcamp subscription with lots of exclusive music, and it is constantly evolving.
Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Ian Wellman.
I met Rubén through Yann Novak (listen to Yann’s mixes for Soundwave here and here). Yann’s a great guy with exquisite taste in music. Yann turned me on to Rosalía, who, according to Spotify, I listen to a lot. When I asked Yann who he thought would share a mix on Soundwave, he recommended Rubén. I spent an afternoon listing to music from Rubén’s label for form’s sake, but it was a foregone conclusion. I already knew I would have Rubén on the show solely based on Yann’s opinion. I was not wrong, as Rubén’s mix proves.
Rubén A. Tamayo
I can feel winter coming to San Diego. The mornings are just a little bit chillier. Rubén’s mix has been my companion for the last few weeks as I start my day. Supersadfish + Reptile’s “Daybreak” provides a nice jolt as I make a cup of coffee, review email and review my tasks for the day. Rubén’s mix has been the soundtrack for my mornings, and by the time we arrive at Subxet’s “Blastoise,” I’ve been on an epic sonic journey. It’s a great way to start the day. I highly recommend the experience.
Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Benoît Pioulard.
Last month I shared a retrospective mix from the Ambient Dub compilation series. It was a fantastic experience revisiting those albums, which also served as a touchstone to some beautiful times. Inspired, I reached out to as many of the musicians on the compilation album as possible, leading me to Glyn, whom I’ve always known as one-half of Original Rockers.
Glyn’s mix re-introduced me to gems from Durutti Column and Faust and introduced me to new favorites such as Chassol and Khotin. And Glyn’s mix is chock full of his music projects, such as Biggabush.
Glyn has some words about his mix below.
Join us next weekend when our guest deejay will be Rubén Tamayo.
See you then.
Glyn Bush
It was really nice to be asked to do an ambient mix as it’s a genre I always enjoy even if I don’t normally listen to it that much.
With Original Rockers/Rockers Hi-Fi, we were asked to do an “ambient dub” track by Mike Barnet from Beyond Records around 1992. We just went with our gut and very quickly produced “Sexy Selector.” I suppose we defined ambient dub as being quite lush, with deep chords, lots of space, sequences, and odd bits of vocal. At the time I was listening to The Orb’s Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld and going to a club called Oscillate in Birmingham and hearing quite a bit of what you might call ambient electronica, seeing people like Autechre play live, Alex Paterson on the decks and of course the Higher Intelligence Agency who ran the night.
So I’ve delved back into that era a bit in my mix and checked out some more contemporary stuff with tips from my daughter, re:ni, plus an ambient track we made together a couple of years ago using the sounds of glaciers crumbling, rainfall, and suchlike.
The opener by Richie Hawtin alias F.U.S.E. is one of my all-time fave tracks, just a slowly unfurling 303 looping over and over in its inimitable way.
I dropped a couple of bits from Chassol who makes really beautiful music, not necessarily defined as “ambient” but lush and interesting and full of surprises. He does incredible stuff with recordings of voices where he literally turns all the inflections of speech into musical notes. Check out his Barack Obama track too.
I included a track from my Sunken Foal Stories album, possibly my favourite release and unlike anything I’ve done before or since, with lots of random juxtapositions and happy accidents.
re:ni recommended a lovely track by MLO called ”Sleeper”, which didn’t make the cut, but I used a nice Wagon Christ remix of one of his tracks which I’d not heard before. I’m always happy to crowbar a Luke Vibert track into any mix.
Ghost Power is a collab between Tim Gane of Stereolab and Jeremy Novak of Dymaxion who do some really interesting stuff, mostly nothing like the track I used but all good.
Neotropic is Riz Maslen, who made lovely stuff in the early 90s. This was a fave on cassette back in the day.
Beak> is a Geoff Barrow from Portishead side project, doing a mix of krautrock-ish, motorik beats, plus some excellent synth work, quite soundtrack-y vibes.
Durutti Column was making ambient guitar stuff in the early 80s, of which this is a fine example and always makes me think of sunshine.
PLO Man and C3D-E are on the coveted Acting Press label, which I’d not heard of before re:ni gave me a tip, but it’s high-quality stuff. Likewise, Khotin – is a Canadian producer doing some lovely things on Bandcamp.
Faust was a bunch of crazy German guys who lived in their studio, recorded shedloads of improvisations, and wrote some beautiful songs. The two Faust tracks are from the The Faust Tapes, another all-time fave album of mine compiled from their unreleased tapes from the early 70s.
A couple of Bigga Bush tracks, one called “The Bells,” written in the mid-90s, and the collab mentioned above with re:ni, which was written for a DJs for Climate Action campaign using natural found sounds.
I met Bulut well over a decade ago while producing Solipsistic Nation, my electronic music podcast. I was a fan of his New Turkish Beat podcast, and we started an acquaintanceship on Twitter.
I’ve been reflecting on that time for the last few days. It was during Solipsistic Nation that I enjoyed Twitter the most. The network was becoming large enough that I could strike up great conversations and meet interesting people but still small enough that things didn’t get lost in the noise. I still love Twitter, but I admit that the number of genuine interactions I’ve had in the last few years has dwindled.
As I write this, Twitter seems like it might crash and burn. Something will emerge out of the wreckage, but it might not be anything we recognize as Twitter. But maybe that’s okay. Perhaps Twitter has served its purpose. I’m glad I met people like Bulut while it was still vibrant.
Bulut has some words about his mix below.
Join us next weekend when out guest deejay will be Glyn Bush.
See you then.
My idea while recording this podcast was that the listener would pay some attention to the music at the beginning of the podcast. Then they would gradually let the sound disappear into the background after the second half. I call this mix “Relax” because I selected some tracks that I believe are relaxing from the beginning. The podcast gets dreamier toward the second half. The second half is super easy to ignore. I recommend starting with a volume that you consider medium or even louder. The podcast intentionally gets very quiet toward the end, so you may barely hear it. I thought this podcast could provide an hour-long atmosphere where you can ignore the sound towards the end by focusing on reading, studying, or falling asleep.
“Funky Zena” by Mickey Hart
Mickey Heart is the legendary drummer of Grateful Dead. There is definitely magic on this entire album. This is a surprisingly relaxing percussion album that is also good for dancing. I play the hand drums myself and I enjoy the meditational aspect of repetitive beats. There is magic in this track for sure.
“Big Man Cry” by Banco de Gaia
An English electronic musician named TobyMarks. This is one of my favorite tracks by Banco de Gaia.This sound sends your soul to a faraway place.
“Selig Sind, Die Da HierWeinen” by Popol Vuh
Popol Vuh was aGerman musical collective founded by Florian Fricke and FrankFiedler. Some say that Popol Vuh is a Krautrock band. I enjoy their relaxing psychedelic tracks and the good news is that they have a lot of good ones. This is what I call "comfortably numb ":)
“Letting Go of This Radiant Hive” by Vir Unis
Vir Unis is an American New Age Musician. The New Age music radiates positive energy. This track is exactly what we needed in this spot.
“Ancient Anatolia” by DJ.Bulut
The only instrument on this track is my electric guitar. I processed the sound to give this a slow and ambient vibe. There is repetition in this which should help us lose track of time very quickly. I believe that my track sounds relaxing at low volumes. It is a long track. In fact, it turned the volume down on the podcast recording so that the listeners can enjoy it quietly. Too quiet for you at this point? Feel free to turn it up 🙂
I invited Sam to guest deejay on Soundwave because he is the founder of Projekt Records. I didn’t ask Sam because Projekt explores genres of music I love, such as ambient, darkwave, and goth, although that’s part of it. No, it’s because Sam has been running Projekt and releasing breathtaking music for nearly 40 years!
For a lot of us, Projekt has become an institution. It feels like it’s always been a part of our lives. Incredibly, I’ve been listening to music released by Projekt for nearly half my life. Sam’s Black Tape for a Blue Girl has always been a favorite. Steve Roach, of course, who makes an appearance on today’s mix. And I’ve been listening to Anji Bee and Ryan Lum’s Lovespirals for years. And so many compilation albums.
I fully expect Sam will be releasing more music from Projekt well into the middle of the 21st century. And Sam will be the house deejay at my funeral. Wow, that got dark. Sam, I hope you took that in the spirit that was intended.
Sam has some words about his mix below.
Join us next week when our guest deejay will be DJ Bulut.
See you then.
Sam Rosenthal, founder of Projekt Records
I put together a mix of tracks selected from the 600+ electronic/ambient/drone albums released on Projekt over the last 39 years (founded in 1983!) Three are my collaborations with label artists; for the other four, rather than selecting “hits” I programmed deep tracks that I quite enjoy. With over 50 releases on Projekt in 2022 there is an abundance of wonderful music to chose from. My intention for Soundwave was to create an hour flow of the mood of Projekt — an exploration and overview for listeners discovering the label for the first time.
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!
Sasha is the closest thing Soundwave has to an in-house deejay. I was introduced to her through Dronny Darko (listen to his mix for Soundwave here). Sasha’s first mix was elemental and cosmic. Her second mix was cozy and intimate. Sasha, as Robocat, shared anthemic bangers to celebrate Pride on her third mix for Soundwave.
Sasha Puzan, AKA protoU
Sasha returns with a mix that is, for the most part, a compilation of select tracks from Tehnofonika Records. It’s been my soundtrack as San Diego transitions from summer to fall. It’s dark, rhythmic, atmospheric, and sexy.
Sasha’s new album, Untitledcloud, will be released next month on her birthday, November 10th, through ECOUL SND. If you enjoy Sasha’s music and mixes, consider purchasing her album as a gift to her and yourself. More importantly, she asks that you support Ukraine.
Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Peter van Cooten.
Having Joseph on the show is a bit of synchronicity. I became aware of Joseph’s music a few years ago while searching for music on Bandcamp. What immediately struck me was the sense of intimacy I experienced while listening to his music. Yes, I’m aware that the genres Joseph expresses himself through lend themselves to that kind of feeling. And I’m also aware that this is a complete projection, but I got the sense that a movement of thoughts and emotions conveyed in his music.
Joseph Kamaru, AKA KMRU
Shortly after conning across Joseph, guest deejays on Soundwave began including tracks from his album in their mixes. So, of course, I reached out to him to share select tracks on the show.
Joseph’s mix, like his releases, has that sense of interplay between thoughts and emotions. And, perhaps, sympathetically, Joseph’s mix stirred up thoughts and feelings in me, which is the whole point.
Join sun next week when our guest deejay will be protoU.
See you then.
Tenka “Nutrition ~ Microorganisms In The Darkness Of Life ~”
Today’s show features a retrospective mix of the Ambient Dub compilation albums from the ’90s.
A couple of months ago, I realized I had an open slot in the Soundwave schedule. I could have quickly filled that slot, but since I rarely get to deejay on my own show, I save those available slots for myself. As it happens, I had just finished a mix featuring music from the Ambient Dub compilation albums.
If you’re unfamiliar with Ambient Dub, they were a series of compilation albums released through the Beyond label. Electronic music was mutating at a furious pace, and it was only a matter of time before ambient and dub would intertwine and become its own genre.
As I recall, I first came across the Ambient Dub Volume 3: Aqua album while digging through the racks at Newbury Comics in Harvard Square. The album cover caught my imagination. It was a minimalist take on the techno/rave flyer album covers at the time.
I’ve had these albums on rotation for decades. I’ve included songs from these cherished albums when I was a deejay at WMFO, often winding down 5 am set with Insanity Sect’s “Choctaw Ridge.” This mix came together from muscle memory. It was effortless. It was so much fun that whenever a slot opens up in the next few months, I’ll showcase retrospective mixes featuring music from the Excursions in Ambience and From Here to Tranquility compilation series.
Join us next week when our guest deejay will be returning guest deejay Pierre Laplace.
