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 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.
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!
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.
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.
Christoph is a composer and musician living and working in Berlin, focusing on chamber music and music for film. Besides releasing music on various imprints, Christoph runs his own record label Monochrome Editions. He also releases electroacoustic music as Field Rotation.
That’s all verbiage I copied and pasted from Discogs. I could use words like minimal, haunted, and mournful to describe it but you really, you need to experience Christoph’s music for yourself.
Christoph Berg
While writing this, I can tell you that I was listening to his Tape Anthology Vol. 1 album over my AirPods. My wife is asleep next to me, and I don’t want to disturb her. I was caught up in the emotions that Christoph was stirring in me when I began to be aware of the sounds of my stomach gurgling. But then it dawned on me that it wasn’t my stomach. It was gentle rumbling sounds within Christoph’s music. I’m sure that wasn’t Christoph’s intent, but for me, it gave an intimate and organic feel to his music. The experience endeared me to Christoph in an unexpected way.
Christoph’s mix, on the other hand, seems to capture the desolate spirit of our pandemic winter of 2022.
Everyone I know seems to have COVID. I have a dry, slight cough. It could be from the booster shot I received last week, a common cold I picked up, or the virus. And so, as part of my now monthly routine, I need to schedule yet another COVID test. But this is the shape of our lives now, so I square my shoulders and get on with it.
Christoph’s mix provides the soundtrack to what feels like it will be a very long winter.
Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Kazuya Nagaya.
Today’s guest deejay is Steve Targo, AKA Inner Travels.
I met Steve when Soundwave guest deejay Rhucle (listen to his mix here) who he knew who he knew would share a mix with us. He suggested Steve. After listening to today’s show, you’ll hear why.
It’s a lovely mix, and by coincidence, it paired well with the rare rainy weather we’ve been having in San Diego for the last week. There were times when I wasn’t sure if what I was hearing was the rain outdoors or Steve’s music indoors. It was a magical experience.
If you’d like to hear more music from Steve, be sure to check out his project, Nimbudala. His debut album, Universal Compassion will be released on October 22, and you can pre-order it on Bandcamp as well as listen to a few preview tracks.
Steve says while the album still fits in the New Age ambient realm, it also has more acoustic sounds and influences from kosmiche, rock, jazz, and world music. I’m playing the album as I write this, and it’s wonderful.
Steve has some words about today’s show below.
Before I leave you, I wanted to tell you about a project that I’m launching on January 1, 2022, called Genius and Soul. The show will feature a series of mixes from guest deejays from Jazz and Black Classical Music to today’s scene’s many styles and branches. Our show’s efforts will also include fundraising for the Jazz Foundation of America. Follow us on Twitter for more updates.
Join us next week when our guest deejay will be PCM.
See you then!
Steve Targo, AKA Inner Travels
Here is, I believe, an excellent primer for those interested in exploring the music of Inner Travels—four songs from four albums released between 2016 and 2019. From trance-inducing synthesizer work to an improvisation led by electric piano and singing bowls, the common theme in this mix is rain. I say “mix,” but really, this feels to me like its own album.
Thanks for listening, and Joseph, thanks for asking me to do this!
I discovered Lecu a few months ago when Soundwave guest deejay Ishmael Cormack asked folks on Twitter for musical recommendations. Lecu suggested Sebastian Mullaert and Erland Cooper. Those were both great recommendations. Who was this Lecu? I checked out how Twitter profile, which led me to his Bandcamp page and listened to his albums. I extend an invitation to join us on Soundwave, and here we are today.
It was a breath of fresh air after last week’s mix from Line Spectrum. Don’t get me wrong, last week’s show was great, but listening to it on my AIrPod Pro with transparency mode felt more like an auditory hallucination than a mix. Lecu’s mix feels whimsical by comparison but no less fantastic than Line Spectrum’s mix.
If you’d like to hear more music from Lecu, check out show on 1020 Radio, every first Thursday of every month from 10 PM – 11 PM Pacific.
Lecu has some brief words about his mix below.
Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Inner Travels.
Leo, AKA Lecu
I’m happy to share my mix with you today. Lots of nice textures, both abstract and familiar, with some lush tracks along the way — one of which is a new one from me, which feels like the start of a new record and a new direction for me as an artist.
It was really fun to make, and I’m so honoured to be in very good company with your other guests
Much love from Plymouth, England, and wishing you all the very best.
Today’s guest deejay is Crimean drone artist Tim Six, who along with his wife, Mila, run ΠΑΝΘΕΟΝ Records.
I discovered ΠΑΝΘΕΟΝ Records while searching for ambient, classical, experimental and instrumental music on Bandcamp. These days there are hundreds of ways to find new music. There’s Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, etcetera, and while I use all those services, I find myself drawn to Bandcamp more and more. Partly it’s because of the social aspects of Bandcamp. I like seeing and listening to what other Bandcamp customers have purchased. Partly because I know that Bandcamp is one of the few services that offer musicians and labels a higher percentage of money format the sales they make from music purchased on Bandcamp. In fact, on the first Friday of every month, they’ve waived their revenue share to help support the many artists who have seen their livelihoods disrupted by the pandemic.
I’ve come across so much beautiful music on Bandcamp that I extended invitations to musicians and labels to guest deejay on SOUNDWAVE. Ishmael Cormack curated last week’s show, and in the future, we’ll hear mixes from Out of Hell, Less Bells, Emil Zapffe, and more. I noticed that many of the albums that struck me deeply were all releases from ΠΑΝΘΕΟΝ Records. I reached out to Tim, and he was generous enough to put together today’s mix. You’ll find it gentle, mysterious, and at times, sublime.
I encourage you to spend a few dollars on any of the songs you hear on today’s show mix to support the artists.
Tim has a few words about his label and today’s mix below.
Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Ivan Somov.
See you then!
Tim Six
ΠΑΝΘΕΟΝ Records / Pantheon is an independent D.I.Y. music label from St. Petersburg, Russia, releasing various kinds of lesser-known artist from all around the globe. Our label specializes in limited editions of cassettes and CDs in handcrafted packaging and releasing digital-only albums.
All tracks for today’s show are from albums released on ΠΑΝΘΕΟΝ Records (2014-2020).
All tracks for today’s show are from albums released on ΠΑΝΘΕΟΝ Records (2014-2020).
To date, nearly all the guest deejays on SOUNDWAVE are people I have relationships with or introduced to me through the guest deejays. Ishmael is different.
These days I purchase nearly all my music on Bandcamp. Yes, I said purchase. I’m old fashioned that way. Oh, I do more than my fair share of streaming, but if I find music I genuinely love, I’m happy to spend money on it. Bandcamp is my favorite platform to purchase music because the artists and labels are treated fairly, and they receive a higher percentage of money from sales than most other platforms. So I’m on Bandcamp a lot. And because of SOUNDWAVE, I tend to peruse releases from ambient, classical, experimental, and instrumental musicians.
If you enjoy music from any of those genres, you know from experience that most of it are dreck. The music tends to be bland or outright terrible. It isn’t easy to compose music in those genres that’s engaging and take you on an emotional journey. It’s refreshing to find musicians who do it well, and Ishmael is one of those artists.
I'm not a musician myself, so it’s difficult for me not to fall into clichés to describe Ishmael’s music using words like delicate, pretty, or sonorous. I’m reminded of an interview I once heard with Ben Frost where he complained of this very thing. I believe he said something to the effect that sommeliers have many metaphors to describe wines’ taste, but we lack the same when talking about music.
It’s almost a shame, then, that today’s mix from Ishmael does not feature his music. Almost, because Ishmael has lovingly selected tracks that are, sigh, delicate, pretty, and sonorous, but it’s true. It’s a wonderful mix.
If you enjoy today’s show, and I have no doubt you will, then support the artists by following my example and purchasing their music. And while you’re at it, listen to Ishmael’s releases on Bandcamp, and if you hear something like it, show him your appreciation by spending some money on his music.
Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Tim Six, founder of ΠΑΝΘΕΟΝ Records.
Some months ago, Jason Engling was a guest deejay on SOUNDWAVE (you can hear his mix here). After Jason’s show I asked who he thought might be interested in contributing to SOUNDWAVE, and he recommended Steve.
I’ve been a fan of Jason’s music since discovering him through my electronic music show, solipsistic NATION. If Jason recommended Steve, then as far as I was concerned, it was a done deal. I’m not disappointed with Steve’s mix, and neither will you. It’s a thing of beauty. It’s also a perfect way to wind down four years of a corrupt and inept presidency and an attempted coup. Whew!
Steve has some words about his mix below.
I want to note that Steve included a lovely track from Brian Eno. That’s not anything remarkable, given that Eno practically invented the ambient genre. What is impressive is that Eno pitch-shifted his voice, creating a vocoder-like effect. I usually hate that sort of thing, but Eno being Eno, the song gave me goosebumps. And when I looked over Steve’s playlist and saw that the track was by Eno, I thought to m myself, “That makes sense.”I thank Steve for introducing me to an Eno track I had not heard before.
W. David Oliphant’s Remote Listening: Rag Dun vs Life Garden album
Before we get to Steve, I want to share with you the latest release from W. David Oliphant, who guest deejayed on SOUNDWAVE in September. The album is called Remote Listening: Rag Dun vs Life Garden. Oliphant describes remote listening as “the practice of seeking impressions about a distant or unseen target, purportedly ‘sensing’ with the mind.” Like everything else I’ve heard from Oliphant, his music is stepping into someone’s fever dream.
Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Ishmael Cormack.
See you then!
Steve Swartz
I don’t know anyone who escaped the intense gravity of 2020. In addition to a pandemic, this year also saw the unexpected passing of my father. A loss I’m still trying to process. I’ve spent a great deal of time contemplating death, disease, and division over the last several months. Music has always been my primary outlet of expression. As a result, I made a lot of music in 2020. (Four releases!) But as I land on the other side of them, I find myself increasingly feeling lost and out of place. I am often daydreaming about being somewhere else and unreachable. This sense has carried over into my music listening habits as well. I’ve desired quieter sounds that feel less tethered to a place or time. Fewer words. More feeling. To, perhaps, communicate something words cannot yet find. And that is what I have found in these songs over the last several months. To me, each of these pieces feels like rivers that drift or breeze stirring trees in a geography I would prefer to dwell. So I sit in these songs and let them fill my house throughout the days and evenings until, hopefully, I embody the spirit of their imagined origins.
