SOUNDWAVE : 135 : AMBIENTBLOG

Today’s guest deejay is Peter van Cooten, host of Ambientblog and DreamScenes on Concertzender.

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
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
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!

Cloudwatching Playlist (includes start length, artist title, album title, year, and label).

  1. Francisco López “Untitled #373”
  2. Lawrence English “Pre-Approach”
  3. William Basinski & Janek Schaefer “. . . on reflection (four)”
  4. Arve Henriksen & Eivind Aarset & Jan Bang “The Swans Bend Their Necks Backward To See God”
  5. Masayoshi Fujita “Harp”
  6. Mombi Yuleman “Mental Telepathy”
  7. ASMUS TIETCHENS “Paralelle Ebene 1”
  8. Abul Mogard “Like Water”
  9. KEDA “La Lune De Corée”
  10. Tapani Rinne & Teho Majamäki “Reflection”
  11. Radboud Mens “Convolution”
  12. Alex Haas & Michel Banabila “The Woods (ft. Bill Laswell)”
  13. Imperial Valley “Fields North Of Kane Spring, Oct 8, 1938”
  14. James Murray “Clearings”
  15. Raum “Daughter”
  16. Tierro Cosmico “Eres Nocturna”
  17. Emmanuel Holterbach “Rivage (Shore)”
  18. Holland Patent Public Library “a road I’ve passed but never taken”
  19. Thomas Ragsdale & Richard Arnold “The View”
  20. David Cordero & Kenji Kihara “Grazalema”
  21. Abul Mogard “The Rain Has Gone”
  22. Robyn Miller “Gateroom”
  23. From The Mouth of the Sun “Paint & Stories”
  24. Olga Wojciechowska “Recreating Worlds”
  25. Biosphere “Aura In The Kitchen With The Candlesticks”
  26. Jolanda Moletta “Spell II: Daydream And Nightbloom”
  27. Budhaditya Chattopadhay “Dhvani”
  28. Cell “Geiger”
  29. Clarice Jensen “Fear”
  30. Erik Wøllo “Peace Bells”
  31. Tarotplane “Auximenes”
  32. NORMAN W. LONG “Return & Recovery”
  33. Marine Eyes & Antarctic Wastelands “Enshrouded”
  34. Ryoji Ikeda “Data.Tron (2007-14)”
  35. Masayoshi Fujita “Pons”
  36. Tetsuroh Konishi “Kevaan Aania”
  37. Madeleine Cocolas “Presence”
  38. PINKCOURTESYPHONE “Comfortable Predictability”
  39. Clarice Jensen “Love”
  40. Radboud Mens “Modular”
  41. Arve Henriksen “The Farmers Of Sonic Alchemy”
  42. Daigo Hanada “Kage”
  43. Ivan Cebrian | Victor Cerdan “Snow in silence”
  44. Robert Rich and Luca Formentini “First Day”
  45. Sofie Birch & Antonina Nowacka “Outro”
  46. Sven Laux & Fione “Stay”
  47. loscil “Dub For Cascadia”
  48. Powlos & Holt “Our Shimmering Breath”
  49. Anne Chris Bakker “Johan (In Memoriam)”
  50. Glåsbird “Sirsa”
  51. Trio Ramberget “D Minor Postlude”
  52. Galya Bisengalieva “The Crash”
  53. Madeleine Cocolas “Enfold”

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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”