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
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.
Each track from Sanderson’s mix carries its distinct tone and texture, yet they all resonate with a shared melancholy and longing.
Sanderson has over a decade of experience pushing the boundaries of electronic music. His productions are like a carefully crafted time machine, transporting the listener to otherworldly realms of sound and sensation. At least, that’s what my experience is like.
If you enjoy today’s mix, as I’m sure you will, and want to hear more music from Stasis Recodings, you can look forward to an album from Glo Phase this Where We At…, the label’s third compilation, will be released this May. Don’t want to wait that long? SubDan’s 12” EP, They Shine, is fresh off the presses.
Sanderson has some words about his mix below.
Join us next week when for our Excursions in Ambience compilation retrospective.
See you then.
Sanderson Dear
It’s often difficult to distill the ethos and mantra of an imprint into 60mins while still maintaining a purposed ebb and flow. That was my challenge with this mix. My name is Sanderson Dear. I’m the label manager for Stasis Recordings, a Canadian electronic label operating out of Toronto with an international cast of musicians lending their talents to shape our sonic character. We’ve been releasing music since 2010. This mix highlights and focuses heavily on the chilled-out side of the music ledger. Most of the tracks are from our catalog, but I’ve also snuck in a couple of gems from the crew on other labels I am a fan of.
“After” is one of those pieces by Louis which never fails to leave me speechless. The strings, the spatial dynamics, and just the overall emotional tone. Appears on his vinyl release for Indigo Aera, in my opinion it is the standout track.
“Breathing-In” is Louis’ contribution to our 2020 7” box compilation. The compilation is a decade celebration of releasing music. It’s a project we took 4yrs to organize, and it’s the release I’m most proud of us realizing.
“Entwine (reprise)” is from our upcoming 2023 vinyl LP by Glo Phase.
“Rising Tide” to this day, Urenga’s “Floating Island” release is my favourite out of all the titles we’ve released by him on Stasis Recordings.
“Caju (extended version)” is part of a special vinyl companion to our Time Capsule compilation we’re organizing and planning to calendar soon. It’s a tune by Adriano Mirabile which describes his downtempo chillin’ sound.
“Mistpouffers” a new Off Land jam, appears on our next label compilation hitting digital shops this May.
“Flow” is from our recent vinyl release by SubDan. a 4-track EP bonding 90s D&B elements with ambient chillage vibes.
“Ambrosia” label debut by Mellonius One. Best way to describe his sound, ambient scapes, and soundtrack composing meets downtempo breaks.
“Horizons” by Diahgonal. The production alias of Ruben Alonso Tamayo.. super proud to have some Mexicali techno representation on our little international imprint.
“The Detective” is a jazzy, downtempo track from my first long player.
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
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.
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 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!
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 guest deejay is Mike Cadoo, the founder of n5MD, a much loved and respected independent record label based out of Oakland, California. n5MD focuses on ambient, modern composition, post-rock, and experimental electronic music.
As a long-time fan of n5MD, I showcased Mike’s label on solipsistic NATION, my electronic music show, years ago. Mike guest deejayed on Soundwave in 2021 and returns today with a much-needed mix for me.
I can’t go into the details, but last week I nearly died. You’d never know it by looking at me. Physically I’m fine. But I’m shaken. I find that I quickly get emotional about things. Sometimes I have a profound respect for life, all lives. Sometimes I’m filled with existential despair. I’m told this will pass in a few months. In the meantime, I’m having these overwhelming experiences.
Mike doesn’t know this, but his mix helped get me through the week.
Mike has some words about today’s mix below.
Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Giulio Aldinucci.
See you then.
My song, “Sunrise at Ironhorse Trail,” included in today’s mix, is from a release that I will be releasing on my personal Bandcamp page on World Alzheimer’s Day. My father passed this January in what can best be described as complications due to mixed dementia. All proceeds will be donated to Hope Hospice, which was very integral in the comfort of my father in the last days of his life, as well as, and maybe even more importantly, my mother’s grief counseling after his passing.
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 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.
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 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.
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.
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.
