Tag: folk

SOUNDWAVE : 128 : STEFAN BECK

Today’s guest deejay is Stefan Beck, AKA Golden Brown.

I met Stefan through Steve Targo from Inner Islands after he guest deejayed on Soundwave. I asked Steve, whom he knew would share a mix on the show, and he recommended Stefan. I listened to Stefan’s music and lost myself in his gentle guitar playing, swathes of warm sounds, and field recordings. So we have Steve to thank for today’s gorgeous mix.

As is my habit, I reacquaint myself with the mixes sent my way two weeks before I share them with you. Stefan provided the soundtrack for hurricane Kay which hit Mexico this week. In the evenings, when it was cooler, I’d go for an hour-long walk and listen to Stefan’s mix. Wednesday was a very sensual night. There was a moment as I was walking past a canyon when a rivulet of sweat ran from my temple and behind my right ear. It cooled and evaporated immediately. There was a hint of sage in the air. And Stefan’s mix played over my AirPods. Delicious.

Friday, San Diego was awash with the rain from hurricane Kay. It was very dramatic. The sky was gloomy, the wind gusted from my patio door, and occasionally raindrops would land on my shoulders from my skylight window above me, all while Stefan’s mix playing in the background.

I hope Stefan’s mix provides an equally wonderful experience.

Stefan has a few words about his mix below.

Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Serge Timmers.

See you then.

 

Stefan Beck
Stefan Beck

The songs selected here don’t have any unifying theme apart from that they inspire me and put me in a certain 🌀zone🌀

I think they all have a lot of heart in them and make elegant use of space. Jerry Garcia appears here twice under the radar as well. I can’t resist.

I hope you enjoy!

  1. Mickey Hart “Sky Water”
  2. Stein Urheim “Water-part I”
  3. William Parker & Hamid Drake “Earth”
  4. Joyce Moreno with Nana Vasconcelos and Mauricio Maestro “Chegada”
  5. Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté “ Warbé”
  6. Bill Frisell “Outlaw”
  7. Collin Walcott “Jewel Ornament”
  8. David Crosby “Kids and Dogs”
  9. Alice Coltrane “Er Ra”
  10. Laraaji “Through Luminous Eyes 2”
  11. Hailu Mergia “Yefikir Engurguro”

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

Logo by Rik Oostenbroek

SOUNDWAVE : 123 : SURVEY CHANNEL

Today’s guest deejay is Matt Donatelli, AKA Survey Channel.

I met through Francisco Dominguez. After Francisco shared his fantastic mix earlier this year, I asked him who he thought would want guest deejay on Soundwave. Francisco recommended Matt, and after doing a deep dive on Matt’s music, I wholeheartedly agreed.

If you love today’s mix, and you will, then you’ll be happy to know that Matt spins on CAMP Radio. His show is called Aural Dogma. Tune in!

Matt has some words about his mix below.

I am increasingly grateful for Soundwave. I initially launched the show to help cope with the stress and isolation of the first months of the quarantine lockdown. I told myself that I would wrap the show up once the pandemic was reasonably under control: Soundwave would have severed its purpose. But the pandemic is not done with us. Over the last few months, I’ve seen more and more people who are frayed and exhausted. I’m a bit worn out myself, and Soundwave continues offering respite and delight. I hope you feel the same.

 

The Metallic Ratio by Eva Kierten
The Metallic Ratio by Eva Kierten

Before I go, I want to let you know that Other Forms of Consecrated Life (listen to their mix for Soundwave here) just released Eva Kierten’s new album, The Metallic Ratio. Kierten continues to gently plumb emotional depths.

Join us next week when our guest deejay will be John de Reybekill.

See you then.

 

Matt Donatelli, AKA Survey Channel
Matt Donatelli, AKA Survey Channel

Lately, I’ve been seeking out a variety of cleansing soundwaves in countless flavors. From the oddly contemporary sounds of “early” electronic group Syrinx, the the folksy-pivot of ex-Sneaker Pimps vocalist Kelli Ali, to the wonderfully weird Iasos. I find myself constantly visiting old favorites, as well. This mix is a snapshot in time of the tunes that spoke to me; working through me as I built it. I’ve added a few minor soundbytes to a couple of the tracks — I find the mixes with a personal touch that can tell a story to be the most successful.

Overall, I hope this mix acts as an inspiration for listeners to continue to seek out music in any genre; there is always something waiting to be heard.

  1. Ela Orleans “Beatrice”
  2. oldboy “Sun Behind the Clouds”
  3. Kelpe “Panpipe Dreams (Goodbye)”
  4. Five Nine Alaska “Calos One”
  5. Kelli Ali “Throw It to the Dogs”
  6. Ciaran Byrne “Audry Hugo”
  7. Pye Corner Audio “Sleep Chamber”
  8. Seefeel “Rupt”
  9. Casino Vs Japan “Stolen”
  10. Syrinx “Father of Light”
  11. Autechre “Slip”
  12. Jessy Lanza “Giddy”
  13. Iasos “Siren Shallows”
  14. Thom Yorke & Robert del Naja “Dead Editors”
  15. Bibio “Vidiconia I”
  16. arovane “windy wish trees”
  17. Amon Tobin / Two Fingers “Wooden Toy (Bibio Rework)”
  18. Violent Age “Alone at Noon

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

Logo by Rik Oostenbroek

SOUNDWAVE : 120 : RIZ MASLEN

Today’s guest deejay is Riz Maslen.

Alisú included Riz Maslen in her mix for Soundwave last fall, which led to me spending hours re-visiting the music Riz recorded as Neotropic, as well as her work with 4hero and The Future Sound of London. I invited Riz to share a mix with us, and it’s something else.

 

Riz Maslen
Riz Maslen. Photo by Rebecca Brooker Photography.

Riz mix begins with a piece by Freddie Philips, a British composer known for his work on television music, particularly the theme for Camberwick Green. It’s what I imagine a mix from Wes Anderson might sound like, and I would have been completely satisfied if Riz stayed within that genre. But Riz pivots to Egyptian jazz-inspired psychedelic rock, shifts to trip-hop, and never looks back. And yet, Riz’s mix never feels incongruous. Each track seamlessly blends into the next.

You’re in for quite the journey.

Each mix shared on Soundwave is special. When I say that, I’m not equivocating; they are unique. But some resonate with me more than others, and Riz’s mix is one of those mixes. As the pandemic continues to disrupt our lives, I’ve found Riz’s mix to sometimes act as a balm and other times a needed distraction.

I envy you. I wish I could hear Riz’s mix again for the first time.

Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Robocat.

See you then.

  1. Freddie Philips “Opening Music from Camberwick Green”
  2. Peter Schickele “The Space Fleet”
  3. John Berberiam and The Missile Eastern Ensemble “The Oud and the Fuzz”
  4. Digital Bled “Jo”
  5. Daniele Principato Arne Hiorth “Cuckoo Clock”
  6. Mike Lazarev “Where You Are”
  7. Alieno de Bootes “Sending the Clouds”
  8. Pole “Weit”
  9. Anne Garner & Mike Lazarev “Dust Devil (Mike Lazarev Pent Up Rework)”
  10. D Rothon & O Cherer “Silver Haze Dusk”
  11. Mark Beazley “Four Thirty Six”
  12. Alfred Deller & Elizabeth Harwood & Choirs Of Downside And Emanuel Schools & London Symphony Orchestra & Benjamin Britten “A Midsummer Night’s Dream / Act 2 – A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act 2: ‘On The Ground, Sleep Sound’”
  13. Ryuichi Sakamoto “Dolphins”
  14. Ekki Hugsa “Amsterdam”

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

Logo by Rik Oostenbroek

SOUNDWAVE : 119 : COMPLEX HOLIDAY

Today’s guest deejay is Robert Farrugia, co-founder of Complex Holiday, an itinerant label for inside-out ambient and sound art tomfoolery.

Robert was our guest deejay last fall, and he returns to Soundwave sharing another lustrous mix.

For me, Robert’s mix captures the essence of ambient music, as explained by Brian Eno, who compared ambient music to a painting. You can enjoy a painting on two levels. On one level, you engage with the painting, looking at it, studying it, and reacting to it. But on another level, the same painting is on the periphery of your consciousness. But it’s still there, subtly affecting you.

I’d find myself immersed in Robert’s mix and then be distracted by an email or text message, lost in thought, and slowly becoming aware that Robert had shifted the territory in his sonic landscape. And then the cycle began again.

 

Robert Farrugia, Photograph by Chris Vella / Storbju
Robert Farrugia, Photograph by Chris Vella / Storbju

Robert has included a few releases from Complex Holiday on today’s show. Ben Mifsud Joslin album, New Life (Robert was involved in the recording process and performed additional instrumentation on Ben’s album), and Daniel Vujcic’s album, Palinopsia, will be released later this year. Robert himself makes an appearance with “Iota.”

Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Riz Maslen.

See you then.

  1. Warmth “Guiding Light”
  2. Robert Farrugia “Iota”
  3. Tone Color “Half-Remembered, Half-Forgotten”
  4. Ben Mifsud Joslin “New Life”
  5. Taylor Deupree “Twirl”
  6. Robert Farrugia “Digital Droplets”
  7. Daniel Vujcic “Quiblis Ark”
  8. Andrew Tasselmyer “Our Own Private Libraries”
  9. Daniel Vujcic “Volovod”
  10. David Allred “Potato”

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

Logo by Rik Oostenbroek

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 : 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 : 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
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.

  1. The Humble Bee & Benoît Pioulard “Honest”
  2. Kane Ikin “Slow Waves”
  3. borealism “forged by the water”
  4. loess “Brumal”
  5. Casino Versus Japan “Dielectric Saints”
  6. The Remote Viewer “Last Night You Said Goodbye, Now It Seems Years”
  7. Earthen Sea “Shallow, Shadowless”
  8. Perila “Fallin Into Space”
  9. Julie Byrne “Wisdom Teeth Song”
  10. Shuttle358 “Scrapbook”
  11. Janek Schaefer “Coda (for Sir John Dankworth)”

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

Logo by Rik Oostenbroek

Call The Days As They Were Known

Today’s mix is inspired by Andrew Tasslemyer’s mix for Soundwave, my weekly ambient/classical/experimental/instrumentals show.

Andrew’s mix goes live tomorrow and includes Julie Byrne’s song, “Wisdom Teeth Song.” Julie is an amazing artist whose music is sometimes so heartfelt that it’s almost painful to listen to. If that wasn’t enough, Julie’s voice evokes memories of listening to songs of love and loss late at night on my AM radio in the 70s. Julie’s music hits me hard on many levels.

I’ve been sitting on a clutch of songs in a playlist for the last few years, and Andrew’s mix inspired me to share this mix with you. Expect to have a lot of feelings.

  1. Nadia Reid “Call The Days (as they were known)”
  2. Aldous Harding “Two Bitten Hands”
  3. Julie Byrne “Follow My Voice”
  4. Joan Shelley “Wild Indifference”
  5. Cat Power “Say”

SOUNDWAVE : 104 : MUNKNÖRR

Today’s guest deejay is Damián Schneider, one-half of Munknörr.

I discovered Munknörr by way of Heilung.

In the beforetimes, a friend posted a link to Heilung’s new album, Futha, on Facebook. I listened to a few songs and scoffed that Heilung was a Nordic version of Enya. But Heilung’s costumes captured my imagination, and I went back and listened to their album in its entirety and became a fan. So much so that I went to perform when they were in Los Angeles.

Heilung we’re excellent! I was transported to an age undreamt of for the next hour or so. Heilung looked like Nordic shamans and cheiftans. Aside from the band, there were a dozen warriors and shield maidens. Antlers adorned microphone stands. Some of the audience dressed almost as provocatively as I saw on stage.

Spotify started to serve up music much like Heilung on my Discover Weekly playlist within a few weeks. It dawned on me that what Heilung called amplified history was a genre.

 

Munknörr
Munknörr

And that’s how I came across Munknörr.

Munknörr means “the ship of the mind,” and this music on today’s show will transport you to other worlds and times. If you’re new to Munknörr, today’s show is an excellent place to start. Damián’s mix explores their many singles and albums.

Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Darren McClure.

See you then.

  1. Munknörr “Sigel”
  2. Munknörr “Laguz”
  3. Munknörr “Uruz”
  4. Munknörr “Deyja”
  5. Munknörr “Andi (feat Sigurboði)”
  6. Munknörr “Huginn and Muninn”
  7. Munknörr “Heimdallr”
  8. Munknörr “Othila”
  9. Munknörr “Wolf Spirit”
  10. Munknörr “Thurisaz”

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

Logo by Rik Oostenbroek

SOUNDWAVE : 85 : JOSÉ SOBRANES

Today’s guest deejay is José Sobranes.

I met José through Mauricio Sotelo, AKA Haiteku, who I met through Axel Arturo Barceló, who guest deejayed on Soundwave here and here. Soundwave has been around just long enough that it is beginning to form a rhizome-like network. I like that.

I also like José’s mix. I’m never quite sure where one song ends, and the next begins. The only boundary is the start and end of his mix. It exists in some liminal space that is akin to being awake and being asleep. I’m doing my best to describe José’s mix, but really, you need to let it wash over you and take you where it may.

José is a self-taught composer and recordist based in Mexico. His compositions explore the balance between electronics and environmental sounds, chaining narratives, context, and movement, all based on the felt of direct presence.

He is the current label manager and founder of Nova Fund Recordings an independent label focused on contemporary arts and music. All his productions was released in many countries around the globe for mention some: Whitelabrecs (UK), Faint (ES), Ediciones Éter (CO), Blaq Records (MX), WOS Colectivo (MX), Frente Pulquero (MX), Shimmering Moods Records (NL), USON (ES) and more…

José has some words about his mix below.

Because Soundwave was borne out of the isolation and stress of the pandemic, I feel obligated to mention it on the show. But what is there to say? The pandemic has become part of our lives, and we’ve come to expect the peaks and valleys of infections and deaths. We go about our days trying to maintain some semblance of normality while at the same time incorporating the disruption across the world as part of our new routine. We simultaneously desire to return to our lives before the pandemic while re-evaluating what’s important in our lives and where we want to go next. What will happen?

Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Alisú.

See you then!

 

José Sobranes
José Sobranes

Thanks to Joseph for the invitation, Mauricio Sotelo for trusting in my project, and all my listeners and artists friends who encourage me every day to keep going. Thanks to my girlfriend Brenda for inspiring me every day to keep going ahead on this path.

  1. José Soberanes feat. Kiiote “Fallaos”
  2. Dzyan “Orquídeae”
  3. Alex Bober “Shielded”
  4. Darren McClure “Smooth Manifold”
  5. Francesco Giannico “Litania”
  6. Kate Carr “Under An Ancient Fort”
  7. Machinefabriek “Entrance ”
  8. PCCL + Through “Ehécatl”
  9. William Ryan Fritch “Floats feat. Powerdove”
  10. Booka Shade “Moonstruck”
  11. Brett Nauke “Executable Dreamtime”
  12. Pepo Galán & Lee Yi “Zaragoza Rosa”