SOUNDWAVE : 158 : TIM DWYER

Today’s guest deejay is Tim Dwyer.

I met Tim through Sanderson Dear, who get deejayed on Soundwave a few months ago (listen to Sanderson’s mix here). As is my want, I asked Sanderon who he thought would share a mix on Soundwave and he highly recommended Tim.

As it happens, both Tim and I are fellow devotees of the Excursions in Ambience compilation album series (listen to my Excursions in Ambience compilation retrospective here). That may explain why Tim’s mix, which features songs completely new to me, feels so familiar. It’s a delight to share Tim’s mix with you.

Tim has words about his mix below.

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

See you then.

 

Tim Dwyer
Tim Dwyer
Photo by Omari Spears

My 2021 album Excursion was a release born through influence. It was inspired by improvised live electronics, a deep love of electronic music from the 1990’s, and even the compilation series Excursions in Ambience, of which the album was named after. I wanted to revisit those influences for this mix, crafting a similar sonic tapestry, through a different lens. I’ve included the inspiring music that influenced me to start making music, as well as some new works that elicit that same emotional frequency. Enjoy the journey.

  1. Aural Imbalance “Sixth Sense”
  2. Ishq Music “Bhakti”
  3. Inhmost “Beautiful Eyes”
  4. Belief “Art of Love”
  5. Obliquity “Meloside”
  6. Off Land “Granular Shore”
  7. The Future Sound of London “Sophies Path”
  8. Inhmost “Suspension”
  9. Jacob Newman “Two Phases”
  10. Amorphous Androgynous “In Mind”
  11. woob mono “Planet (Remastered Edit)”
  12. woob mono “Latneiro (Sunrise Dub) [Remastered]”
  13. Off Land “Fraction Of Shade”

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SOUNDWAVE : 157 : zakè

Today’s guest deejay is Zach Frizzell, AKA zakè.

I was introduced to zakè's captivating music by the talented Luke Entelis (listen to Luke’s mix four Soundwave here), and I'm excited to share his unique sonic tapestries with you.

Zach is the stateside label boss of the Past Inside the Present record label. Zach is also a multi-talented musician, composer, and sound artist. With a deep passion for exploring the intersection of sound and emotion, zakè weaves intricate sonic landscapes that transport listeners to ethereal realms. His musical journey began at a young age, as he discovered his love for experimenting with various instruments and sound manipulation techniques.

 

Zach Frizzell, AKA zakè
Zach Frizzell, AKA zakè

The songs in this collection share a common thread of introspection, contemplation, and a sense of profound emotional depth. Each composition invites the listener into a world of deep reflection, where silence and subtle nuances create powerful moments of introspection. Zach’s mix has been my companion during grey mornings. With my cup of coffee in hand, his music eases me into my work day, infusing even the most mundane tasks with intrigue.

Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Tim Dwyer.

See you then.

  1. T.R. Jordan “Unsaid”
  2. Pausal “Truth Symbol – False Idolatry”
  3. Dustin O’Halloran “Quartet N.2”
  4. Arvo Pärt “Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten”
  5. Eluvium “Indoor Swimming at the Space Station”
  6. willamette “Buried Presidents”
  7. William Basinski “Melancholia II”
  8. Rafael Anton Irisarri “Watching As She Reels”
  9. Stars of the Lid “Even If You're Never Awake”

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SOUNDWAVE : 148 : JOLANDA MOLETTA

Today’s guest deejay is Jolanda Moletta.

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
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.

  1. Karen Vogt “cloud thirty-seven”
  2. Francesca Heart “Stella Rugiada”
  3. Patricia Wolf “A Conversation With My Innocence”
  4. Julia Kent “Drops”
  5. Jolanda Moletta “Spell VIII”
  6. Sarah Davachi “Canyon Walls”
  7. Mary Lattimore “Your Glossy Camry”
  8. Francesca Guccione “Utopia III”
  9. Nailah Hunter “Talk Show Host”
  10. lucy gooch “Ash and Orange”
  11. marine eyes + IKSRE “San Francisquito Moonrise”
  12. Anna Phoebe “Beyond Horizons”
  13. Vargkvint “Stormen Kommer”

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SOUNDWAVE : 145 : RHUCLE

Today’s guest deejay is Rhucle.

Rhucle appeared on Soundwave in March of 2021 with a mix became the soundtrack to my walks with my dog. Today’s show promises to be as intimate and magical as the last.

 

Rhucle
Rhucle

Rhucle is an electronic music producer from Japan. His music is a blend of ambient, lo-fi, and field recordings featuring the sounds of nature. Rhucle’s music evokes a sense of calm and introspection and is perfect for relaxation or contemplation.

Today’s mix is like a dream of reuniting with long-lost friends and never wanting to wake from that dream.

Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Luke Entelis.

See you then.

  1. Ian Hawgood “Fractural”
  2. Jogging House “Champion”
  3. Ki Oni “Life At The End Of The World”
  4. KENJI KIHARA “Hayama Ambient 045”
  5. Gallery Six “Kodama”
  6. Zeze Wakamatsu “Coalsack Nebula”
  7. Peter Bark & fredrsngrn “melankolske ferdamenn dansar i regnet”
  8. David Cordero & Kenji Kihara “The Entrance to Segen Mountain”
  9. Rhucle “My Pace (Remix)”

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SOUNDWAVE : 140 : BENOÎT PIOULARD

Today’s guest deejay is Thomas Meluch, AKA Benoît Pioulard.

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.

Oh, and listen to Andrew’s mix here.

 

Thomas Meluch, AKA Benoît Pioulard
Thomas Meluch, AKA Benoît Pioulard

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.

See you then.

  1. Clever Austin “A11”
  2. zaké & T.R. Jordan “Shoreline”
  3. marine eyes “cedarwood”
  4. SYMBOL “Hyperballad”
  5. Freescha “Kid Brother”
  6. Jogging House “Renewal”
  7. Offthesky & The Humble Bee “We Were The Hum of Dreams”
  8. Otto A. Totland “Grow”
  9. Raum “Walk Together”
  10. Henrik Lindstrand “Syrsor”

SOUNDWAVE : 133 : KMRU

Today’s guest deejay is Joseph Kamaru, AKA KMRU.

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
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.

  1. Tenka “Nutrition ~ Microorganisms In The Darkness Of Life ~”
  2. Gylden “Bug light”
  3. Emily A. Sprague “Water Memory 2”
  4. Félicia Atkinson “Our Tides”
  5. Julia Reidy “World in World”
  6. anthéne “Cedar Point II”
  7. Emilía “Layover II”
  8. naemi “rast”
  9. LB Marszalek “Sorrow”
  10. Hiroki Takahashi “Seed”
  11. Belong “Vowel (Digital Bonus)”

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SOUNDWAVE : 125 : SUNWARPER

Today’s guest deejay is Michael Jakucs, AKA Sunwarper.

After hearing Michael’s music in both Brian Sangmeister and Forest Robots’s mixes for Soundwave, I invited Michael to share a mix. Based on Michael’s music, I knew we were in good hands. But I did not anticipate the surprising directions he took his mix and yet felt utterly familiar.

Let me explain.

The focus of Soundwave is ambient, classical, experimental, and instrumental music, with an emphasis on the ambient. And that’s fine. I’m all about that ambient life. But for me, it’s always a delight when a guest shares a mix that leans into the show’s classical, experimental, and instrumental aspects. Christian Sager’s doom metal/math rock/hip hop mix comes to mind. As does Charles Hazlewood’s mimimalist/modern classical/free jazz mix.

What makes today’s show special, for me, is that it’s very much steeped in shoegaze and dream pop. So while I only know several of the artists in Michael’s mix, I already feel well acquainted with the music I’m unfamiliar with. It’s very déjà vu. I keep asking myself, “Isn’t this a 4AD release?”

 

Michael Jakucs, AKA Sunwarper
Michael Jakucs, AKA Sunwarper

Michael just released a track composed for the season finale of the webcomic The Eagle and the Snake called “Forever Becoming.” He also has a full-length album, Radiant Visage, that will be released on October 14 and available for pre-order on September 9.

Join us next week when our guest deejay will be n5MD founder Mike Cadoo.

See you then.

  1. Kh3rtis & Willebrant “Calm Complete”
  2. Frequency Control Centre “Ventral Tegmental”
  3. Sunwarper “Farther”
  4. jesu “We All Faulter”
  5. Maureen’s Friend “R.P.O.W.”
  6. Cloudkicker “We Were All Scared”
  7. Cities of Earth “Sundog”
  8. christ. “Pylonesque”
  9. Eonlake “Retcon”
  10. Boards of Canada “Constants Are Changing”

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SOUNDWAVE : 126 : JOHAN DE REYBEKILL

Today’s guest deejay is Johan de Reybekill, AKA Phaedrus.

I discovered Johan through Quasi, the album collaborated on with Dronny Darko (listen to Dronny’s mix for Soundwave here). I was swept away by the experience and listened to Johan’s projects and concerts. Of course, I invited Johan to guest deejay on Soundwave, and he’s shared something wonderful with us.

I have a routine for my four-year-old grandkid when it’s time to sleep. I tell him a story that includes events from his day and his friends, the Little Old Mouse and Purple Monster. Then I play some ambient music for him to drift away to, usually Brian Eno, whom we call Uncle Eno. My go-to’s are Eno’s Ambient 4: On Land and The Pearl, an album he recorded with the late Harold Budd. I’ve listed to a lot of Brian Eno since becoming a Dziadzia (that’s Polish for “grandpa”), and as much as I love Eno’s music, sometimes that means switching things up. Johan doesn’t know it, but I’ve used today’s mix to send my grandkid off to Sleepytime on more than one occasion.

Johan has words about today’s mix below.

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

See you then.

 

Johan de Reybekill, AKA Phaedrus
Johan de Reybekill, AKA Phaedrus

In this mix I have worked with subtle contrasts like: “noisy / minimalistic”, “melodic / droning”, “dark / gentle”, “static / volatile”. A majority of the pieces on the mix is from some of my favourite Scandinavian artists.

The process of creating the mix made me realise just how much I love listening to music in that special way, where I am actively listening to the music in depth; its composition, qualities and details.

I found myself going for long walks just to listen to the mix in its entirety, go home and make adjustments, go for another walk, and so on. I loved the process of working with my own and others’ music as an integral part of what came to be the mix. It was a pleasure and an honour to contribute to Soundwave.

Thanks, Joseph.

  1. Deru “1979 (On a Snowy February Day)”
  2. Badun “SP​-​0 (Space Leslie Lovers)”
  3. Maulex & Phaedrus “Ouatim”
  4. Phaedrus “Lnog”
  5. Fieldhead “Sky Peals”
  6. Sofie Birch “Begin Sync End”
  7. Kiloton “Disarray”
  8. Signelykke “Wetlands”
  9. ROSYAN “Retaw”
  10. Maulex “Reijka”
  11. Dronny Darko & Phaedrus “Ptolemy’s Parable”
  12. Phaedrus “Rooibos”

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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”

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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”

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