Tag: neo-classical

SOUNDWAVE : 94 : KAZUYA NAGAYA

Today’s guest deejay is Kazuya Nagaya.

Kazuya is a Japanese artist who creates immersive, ritualized compositions through bronze bells, gongs, and singing bowls. Kazuya’s music is rooted in Buddhist (Zenzhu) philosophy and sensibilities unique to Japan. Kazuya’s work and interests are also contemporary and span many cultures. Kazuya is also an award-winning writer and a connoisseur of Japanese Literature, Buddhist Folktales, and Zen Philosophical Works.

I came across Kazuya’s music at the beginning of the pandemic. At the time, my attention span had been whittled down to a blunt end. I could not read or watch anything. I couldn’t find escape in music because none of the lyrics of the songs I listened to spoke to the new reality in which we all found ourselves. The only thing that provided solace was ambient, classical, instrumental, and experimental music. The kind of music that was essentially free of lyrics. The kind of music you could project your own meaning on or lose yourself in.

I launched Soundwave to cope with the stress and isolation Brough about by the pandemic. I clutched at it like a drowning man grasps a life preserver. Soundwave gave me solace and succor in the months ahead that were far more challenging and heartbreaking than I could have imagined.

 

Kazuya Nagaya
Kazuya Nagaya

Kazuya was one of the first musicians I invited to participate in Soundwave (listen to Kazuya on the second episode of Soundwave). He could not have known when he recorded “Thanatos” from his Dream Interpretation album that I would play that song repeatedly for days. It seemed to sum up everything I was feeling in those early days of the pandemic. It was crucial to me to have Kazuya on Soundwave. It took over a year for Kazuya to find time to prepare his mix, and it took six months before Kazuya’s mix was scheduled to arrive in your ears. But here we are.

Nearly two years into the pandemic, I am in a very different place than I was initially. But Kazuya’s “Thanatos” and today’s mix ia a touchstone to those painful times. At the same time, the way out is through, and Kazuya’s music also served as a form of catharsis.

Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Kim Cascone.

  1. Kazuya Nagaya “Mother Wading In The River”
  2. Jóhann Jóhannsson “A Sparrow Alighted Upon Our Shoulder”
  3. Arvo Pärt “My Heart’s In The Highlands”
  4. Jóhann Jóhannsson “A Deal With Chaos”
  5. John Cage “In a Landscape”
  6. Jóhann Jóhannsson “A Song For Europe”
  7. Kazuya Nagaya “Thanatos”




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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”

SOUNDWAVE : 87 : TEXTERE ORIS

Today’s guest deejay is Ilya Fursov, AKA Textere Oris.

Ilya is yet another guest deejay that comes to us by way of the Cryo Chamber music label. I’m sometimes reluctant to feature musicians from Cryo Chamber because I showcase artists from their roster a lot. But that’s because the label’s releases are so good that why would I not invite them on Soundwave?

I was introduced to Ilya after listening to Reflections at the Sea, an album he released with Vladislav Sikach, AKA SiJ. Like most albums on Cryo Chamber, I was immersed in the world they unfolded through their music. I often listen to music while working or doing chores, but I often found myself pausing what I was doing as I got lost in Reflections. Ilya’s mix for today’s show is equally mysterious and magical.

 

Ilya Fursov, AKA Textere Oris
Ilya Fursov, AKA Textere Oris

Here in the States, we celebrated Thanksgiving. As I write this, I’m in Boston. This is the first time my father, uncle, brother, and sister have been under the same roof in decades. It wasn’t without family drama, but I suspect that’s part of the Thanksgiving tradition. I also got to spend time with some of my oldest and dearest friends.

I admit to being reluctant to travel to Boston. Mingling with people at the airport and flying with more people in a metal tube with people for five hours was unsettling. I certainly don’t want to catch the virus, and I wouldn’t want to pass the virus on to my family. My father and uncle are in their seventies, and I’m all too aware that my time with them shortens each year.

Like most people, I was able to put the pandemic out of my mind for a while and enjoy myself. But the Coronavirus is not done with us, and now we have to Omicron variant to contend with. Soundwave is my way of coping with the pandemic, and each time I think the show has served its purpose, there is yet another reason to continue sharing mixes with you. And here we are.

Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Dead Melodies.

See you then!

  1. Mayer Julcsa “Szundikál”
  2. Atrium Carceri, Cities Last Broadcast, God Body Disconnect “Quiet Days On Earth”
  3. Textere Oris & Montren “Warehouse”
  4. Runar Blesvik “Window”
  5. kj “Caro”
  6. Claustrum “Penitential”
  7. Textere Oris “Temple of Insomnia”
  8. Atrium Carceri “Reborn”
  9. Textere Oris “Encased (tribute version)”
  10. SiJ & Textere Oris “The City That Fell Asleep in the Fog”
  11. Textere Oris “New Hope”

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Logo by Rik Oostenbroek

SOUNDWAVE : 70 : BRUEDER SELKE (CEEYS)

Today’s guest deejays are Potsdam-based Brueder Selke, brothers Sebastian and Daniel Selke (CEEYS).

Over the years, I’ve gotten quite good at jotting down notes on how I meet people. But sometimes, I forget to capture that information, and in this case, I don’t recall how I met Sebastian and Daniel. If I had to guess, I believe I discovered them while perusing Bandcamp for new music.

CEEYS’s albums explore and combine experimental, minimalist, avant-garde, pop, jazz, ambient, and classical chamber music. I love all that stuff, and Sebastian and Daniel distill all those forms of music into a heady listening experience, something you can lose yourself in. I’ve had “Yes, Brick By Brick” on repeat for few hours, for example.

Their mix for today’s show was a surprise. I trusted they would craft a mix worth hearing, and while it captures their musical sensibilities, it also subverted my expectations. And the mix is dense. In the space of 40+ minutes, you’re going to hear music from 28 different artists.

Sebastian and Daniel have some words about their mix below.

 

Paleowolfs Cenozoic alnum
Paleowolf’s Cenozoic album

Before I wrap things up, I want to mention that Paleowolf has released a new album, Cenozoic. Paleowolf continues to create music inspired by totems of prehistoric animals and describes Cenozoic as the spiritual successor to Megafauna Rituals. It’s impressive how much material Paleowolf has churned up within his self-created genre. Listen to the Soundwave Paleomix here.

Joins us next week when our guest deejay will be Roel Funcken.

See you then!

 

Brueder Selke (CEEYS)
Brueder Selke (CEEYS)

For us, two brothers coming from beyond the Iron Curtain, the Wall, with a strikingly serene sense of modesty and humility, rooted in the daily improvisation to manage and resolve shortcomings during Communist-era GDR times and the later reunion of Germany, the most intrinsic part of being a musician is the encounter with like-minded friends and fellows.

Collaboration has become an essential element of our musical approach manifesting itself in the 2020 EP, THESIS 17, alongside CONSTANT PRESENCE, the project between Peter Broderick and Daniel O’Sullivan, on Gregory Euclide’s Thesis Project.

In fact, it was musicians like these and collaborations with others like Ólafur Arnalds, Masayoshi Fujita, Carlos Cipa , and Martyn Heyne (who mixed and mastered almost the entire CEEYS catalogue) that inspired us to found Q3AMBIENTFEST.

The aim of this handpicked list of talent is to blend established and emerging artists from diverse genres and origins. Some even shared already the stage with us while others are invited to come over to our little filmtown Potsdam, in the future.

Thanks to Joseph, who gave us the opportunity to curate this cozy playlist.

  1. Otto Lindholm “Lehena”
  2. Jakob Lindhagen “Tema”
  3. Anna von Hausswolff “The Miraculous”
  4. Midori Hirano “Night Traveling”
  5. Oneohtrix Point Never “Transmat Memories”
  6. David Allred “For Catherine E. Coulson (Solo Piano)”
  7. Sarah Neufeld “Where The Light Comes In”
  8. Shida Shahabi “Main Theme (Piano Version)”
  9. Matt Stewart-Evans “Horizon”
  10. Galya Bisengalieva “Kantubek”
  11. Takeshi Nishimoto “Straßenlaterne”
  12. Nils Frahm “Über”
  13. Brueder Selke x Eric Maltz “Crossing”
  14. Peter Broderick “Eyes Closed And Traveling”
  15. Library Tapes “Silhouettes”
  16. Aidan Baker “The Sea Swells A Bit 2006 (Full Album)”
  17. Mary Lattimore “II”
  18. Anne Müller “Heliopause”
  19. A-Sun Amissa “Out Past the Dark”
  20. Marie Awadis “Lounas Waltz”
  21. Hoshiko Yamane “Threads”
  22. Vargkvint “Utåt”
  23. Diane Barbé “Terra Sonus”
  24. Kinbrae “Isolated Sketch”
  25. Grand River “All There Now”
  26. Rauelsson “Hourglass I”
  27. Julia Kent “Heavy Eyes”
  28. Rone “Tempelhof”

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Logo by Rik Oostenbroek

SOUNDWAVE : 63 : PIERRE LAPLACE

Today’s guest deejay is Pierre Laplace.

I discovered Pierre while listening to his 2019 album, You Disappeared, recorded under the monicker Beyond the Ghost. You Disappeared felt like a soundtrack to a China Miéville novel. In fact, Miéville’s definition of weird fiction perfectly describes Pierre’s music; it “evokes a sense of the numinous.” His follow-up albums, Eternal Drift and his recently released The Last Resort continue to induce feelings of mystery and awe.

Inviting Pierre to be a guest deejay on Soundwave was a no-brainer. I was surprised, however, to hear his selections for today’s show.

When I extend invitations for guest deejays to participate in the show, I allow them latitude to explore the format of ambient, classical, experimental and instrumental music. Some of the guest deejays will play tracks of their own music, and that’s perfectly fine, but what I’m hoping for is a mix of songs from other musicians they love.

 

Pierre Laplace
Pierre Laplace

I expected Pierre’s mix to feature songs that are much like his own in feeling and tone. I was delighted to find his mix explored a different sonic landscape.

To begin with, he opens his mix with a track from Deru. I knew immediately that Pierre had something unusual in store for us. I’ve been a fan of Deru for over a decade (hear my interview with Deru and his live set for solipsistic NATION), so I was eager to go whatever journey Pierre was going to take me on.

There are many twists and turns.

Pierre’s inclusion of Morphine caught me by surprise but in context completely makes sense. Brian Eno and David Byrne’s My Life in the Bush of Ghosts is one of my favorite albums, and I was thrilled to hear a track from it included in Pierre’s mix. The appearance of Ennio Morricone was also a welcome surprise. I’m also a fan of The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble and The Mount Fuji Doommjazz Corporation and have wondered when someone would play them on Soundwave. The Cinematic Orchestra makes perfect sense within Pierre’s mix, and David Bowie pops up once again on Soundwave, making him the show’s perhaps most featured artist.

Stock up on provisions because Pierre is about to take you on a dark vision quest.

Join us again next week when our guest deejay will be Sean Hocking.

See you then!

  1. Deru “Light The Pyre”
  2. Antonymes “A Fragile Acceptance”
  3. Atrium Carceri “Sheol”
  4. Morphine “Miles Davis’ Funeral”
  5. Brian Eno/David Byrne “A Secret Life”
  6. The Cinematic Orchestra “All Things”
  7. Ennio Morricone “El Castillo Encantado”
  8. Trigg & Gusset “Black Ocean”
  9. The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble “Cotard Delusion”
  10. Deaf Center “White Lake”
  11. Bohren und der Club der Gore “Maximum Black”
  12. The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation “The Admirals Game”
  13. David Bowie “Warszawa”
  14. Esbjörn Svensson Trio “Seven Days of Falling”

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Logo by Rik Oostenbroek

SOUNDWAVE : 61 : NANEUM

Today’s guest deejay is Jon Solo, AKA Naneum.

Carmen Rizzo introduced me to Naneum when he was a guest deejay on Soundwave. Carmen’s mix was gorgeous and I invited each musician he featured on his mix to guest deejay on Soundwave as well.

Jon’s mix is equally gorgeous. Whenever I listen to it I’m transported from sunny San Diego to a snow morning in the woods of Massachusetts when I was a boy. I can’t explain why but there is something about the delicacy of the music Jon selected that evokes that experience. That’s the beauty of the mixes on Soundwave, they take you on a journey. I’m curious to know where Jon’s mix takes you.

 

Naneum: solo piano
Naneum: solo piano

If you want to hear more music from Jon, you can begin with his January 2021 release, Solo Piano. You can hear more of his music here.

I’m going to keep today’s show notes brief. I just drove over eight hours to Sacramento to spend the next few weeks with my wife. I’m looking forward to catching up, having a nice meal, and getting some shuteye. I want to get up early so we can go kayaking.

Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Brian Sangmeister.

See you then!

 

Jon Solo, AKA Naneum
Jon Solo, AKA Naneum

  1. Goldmund “Sometimes”
  2. Islands Of Light “Goerde”
  3. Abby Gundersen “Stratus”
  4. Carmen Rizzo “Stratification (Naneum Remix)”
  5. Ólafur Arnalds “Saman”
  6. Slow Meadow “Ships Along The Harbor”
  7. Lars Jakob Rudjord “Mothersong”
  8. Joel Shearer “Sunday”
  9. Alan Ellis “Soothe”
  10. Poppy Ackroyd “Feathers”

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Logo by Rik Oostenbroek