Tag: noise

SOUNDWAVE : 68 : ORPHAX

Today’s guest deejay is Sietse van Erve, AKA Orphax.

I discovered Sietse on Bandcamp and, through him, his music label, Moving Furniture Records. Both Sietse’s music the artists on his label focus on drones, experimental ambient, minimalist, microtonal, and field-recordings music. Their music provides yet another example of the scope of ambient music, which is precisely why I invited Sietse to join us on today’s show.

Sietse’s mix continues his fascination who those areas of ambient music. What struck me about his mix, however, was the physical sensations it invoked. I wasn’t aware of it at first, but after repeated listening, I gradually became conscious of a gentle pulse in my ears while Sietse’s mix played over my headphones. That realization was delicious. And when I played Sietse’s mix through my speakers, I slowly noticed a delicate pressure ebbing and flowing through my body.

Furthermore, what was also remarkable was that I wasn’t playing Sietse’s mix particularly loud. Even so, I felt the music. I hope you have the same experience when you listen to today’s show.

Sietse has some words about his mix below.

 

The Universal by The Penitential Station
The Universal by The Penitential Station

Before I go, I want to alert you that one of my favorite music labels, Other Forms Of Consecrated Life (listen to their mix for Soundwave here), will be releasing a new album by The Penitential Station: The Universal by The Penitential Station. Like the album before it, The Cloud of Forgetting, The Penitential Station continues to delve into the music of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. The liner notes to The Universalexplains that the “interleaving of polyphonic voices explores German mystic Eckhart von Hochheim’s pantheistic notion of a ‘Universal Soul.’” That’s a philosophically heady description of The Penitential Station’s music. Mine is much simpler: it is an extended moment of grace.

Join us next week when our guest deejays will be Kévin Séry, AKA From Overseas.

See you then!

 

Sieste van Erve, AKA Orphax
Sieste van Erve, AKA Orphax

When I am asked to make a mix, I always think about what to do. First of all, I am not a DJ. I’m a musician with a record label. And additionally, should I go for some music of the musicians on my label, should I go for some of my favorite tunes, or should I do a mix of both?

Lately, I turn more to the first, as I love the music these people do, and I think they deserve to be heard. And even with a catalogue of over 90 releases, this is a rather difficult task, especially when limited to only 60 minutes.

For this mix, I first selected from 20 of the albums that we’re released on Moving Furniture Records, followed by trying out a combination of tracks and, in such a way scrapping nine selected tracks. The mix ended up somewhere between minimalist drones and warm ambient sounds with some weird excursions to more abstract works.

I hope you enjoy listening.

And who knows, maybe next time I will do a mix with some personal (none-Moving Furniture Records releases) music. There is so much lovely work out there.

Cheers,
Sietse

  1. Ryan van Haesendonck “Sur La Plage”
  2. Richard Chartier “Conitinue 4”
  3. Gagi Petrovic “Diligence”
  4. Coen Oscar Polack “आवारा”
  5. Fani Konstantinidou “Winter”
  6. Orphax “Elisabeth (Rework)”
  7. Matthijs Kouw “Remembrance”
  8. Machinefabriek ”Dwaal (Nicola Ratti Version)”
  9. Frans de Waard, Peter Johan Nÿland, Richard Youngs “fpr_vii_fp_edit_(ext)”
  10. Bruno Duplant & Alfredo Costa Monteiro “Soleils Noirs (excerpt)
  11. Haarvöl “Small Scale And Isolated Occurrences (For Eliane)”

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Logo by Rik Oostenbroek

SOUNDWAVE : 65 : YANN NOVAK

Today’s guest deejay is Yann Novak, the founder of Dragon’s Eye Recordings.

I met Yann when I showcased his label on solipsistic NATION.

I discovered Yann’s label through Mike Lazarev’s music blog, Headphone Commute (if you enjoy Soundwave, you’re going to love Headphone Commute).

Yann curates a heady offer of music through Dragon’s Eye Recordings featuring notable artists such as Pinkcourtesyphone (Richard Chartier), Genrietta, and Lawrence English. Some of the label’s releases are whimsical, some challenging, and some so ephemeral that you might imagine you dreamt of hearing it. But all the releases on his label are lovingly selected and demands to be listened to just as Yann’s mix demands to be heard.

 

Yann Novak
Yann Novak
Photo Credit: Robert Crouch

A few highlights.

The hairs went up on the back of my neck when I instantly recognized Geinō Yamashirogumi’s score for the cyberpunk classic, Akira. Back in the 80s, the movie was considered as imponderable as 2001: A Space Odyssey, but Akira has influenced culture to such a degree that it seems straightforward by our current standards. Incidentally, you can purchase Kaneda’s jacket, who is the film’s protagonist.

Yann’s inclusion of Billie Eilish & ROSALÍA’s was an unexpected delight. Eilish is kind of cyberpunk herself, having sung about our anthropogenic doom and interviewed by an AI bot.

The Future Sound Of London make yet another appearance on Soundwave via Yann’s mix. So much of the electronic music that was fasionalble in the late 80s seems dated but The Future Sound of London still feel timeless.

Lloop was also a surprise. I first heard Lloop when I showcased The Agriculture label on solipsistic NATION (mumbles) 15 years ago.

I know it isn’t true but I can’t help but feel that Yann made this mix specifically for me. It’s uncanny.

Yann modestly didn’t include his own music in his mix but I wanted to mention that Friday he released his new album, Lifeblood of Light and Rapture., available through Room40 (streaming starts July 2). Yann is really proud of this album and he can’t wait for everyone to experience it! He hopes it’s just the kind of lightness… or darkness you need right now.

 

Frank Riggio’s Empreinte Musicale 3 LP
Frank Riggio’s Empreinte Musicale 3 LP

Before I wrap this up, there are two things I need to mention.

Frank Riggio just released the third and last installment of his new trilogy, Empreinte Musicale 3. It’s just as weird and wonderful as his previous two albums. Go listen to it, and then buy it, and afterwards, listen to Frank’s Soundwave mix.

Lastly, I believe I’ll wrap up Soundwave sometime in 2022. I launched Soundwave to cope with the stress and isolation of the pandemic. I told myself that once COVID-19 is no longer the threat that grinds nations to a halt that the show willhave served it’s purpose and that I’d bring it to an end. Unless the pandemic spirals out of control again or unless I change my mind, I will release all the remaining mixes our generous guest deejays have provided for us.

And on that note, please join us next week when our guest deejay will be Corey Parlamento.

See you then!

  1. Geinō Yamashirogumi “Requiem”
  2. Félicia Atkinson “Infant vampire”
  3. Tim Hecker “Arctic Lover’s Rock Pt. 2”
  4. Billie Eilish & ROSALÍA “Lo Vas A Olvidar”
  5. The Future Sound Of London “Domain”
  6. Braulio Lam “Dream Lens (Edit)”
  7. Fortresses “Spring”
  8. Labrinth “Forever (Euphoria: Special Episode 2)”
  9. Allen Ginsberg “Pacific High Studio Mantras (feat. Arthur Russell)”
  10. Byron Westbrook “Heavy Weather”
  11. Tim Hecker “The Return Of Sam Snead”
  12. Ian Wellman “Watershed”
  13. LLOOP “Track 1”
  14. Geinō Yamashirogumi “Requiem”

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Logo by Rik Oostenbroek

SOUNDWAVE : 60 : NATE HEARD

Today’s guest deejay is Nate Heard.

Fitz Gitler introduced me to Nate after I asked him who would be interested in doing a mix for Soundwave (listen to Fitz’s mix here). If Fitz recommends anything then I’m going to listen because that guy has excellent taste in music, so invited Nate to guest deejay on Soundwave without hesitation.

Nate did not disappoint. I’ve listened to his mix many times, usually with a cup of coffee while I’m starting my workday. Despite each listen, Nate’s mix sounds fresh even as it’s burnished with another lacquer of familiarity.

Nature said that today’s mix inspired him to dust off his Ableton and begin composing again. I look forward to whatever he decides to share.

Nate is a medical geographer who uses maps to support health programs around the world. When I asked him if there was anything I should mention on today’s show notes, he said he wanted to promote efforts such as 80,000 Hours (a London-based organization that conducts research on which careers have the most significant positive social impact and provides career advice based on that research), GiveWell (an American non-profit charity assessment and effective altruism-focused organization, focusing primarily on the cost-effectiveness of the organizations that it evaluates, rather than traditional metrics such as the percentage of the organization’s budget that is spent on overhead), and Animal Charity Evaluators (a US-based non-profit charity evaluator and effective altruism-focused organization that finds and promotes the most effective ways to help animals).

Nate was some words about his mix below.

As of Monday, I am fully vaccinated. Outwardly, you’d never know that being vaccinated has changed my life. I still wear my mask when I go out into the world. I still keep my distance from people. I don’t want to pass on the virus even though I may be immune to it, and I certainly don’t want to risk catching one of the variants. Inwardly, I feel like a weight has been lifted. I feel a little bit invincible.

Before the pandemic, I purchased tickets to see Swans perform in Los Angeles. The concert was rescheduled, rescheduled again, and finally canceled. I’m hoping that once enough people have been vaccinated that I’ll finally get to see them.

This week I’ve been putting my CDs in storage. While packing, I came across fantastic music by C – Schulz, Coil, Zoviet France, Techno Animal, Z’EV , and others that I plan to share on a future mix.

Okay, that’s it for me.

Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Jon Solo, AKA Naneum.

See you then!

 

Photo of Nate Heard taken by Miles Heard at Battleground National Cemetery, which was established after The Battle of Fort Stevens where President Abraham Lincoln came under direct fire from Confederate troops.
Nate Heard
Photo Credit: Miles Heard

Like many mixes that appear on Soundwave, this one captures a specific moment, even though these selections come together from a span of about 50 years. I received Joseph’s kind invitation to be a guest deejay the day after seditious white supremacists stormed the Capitol building. I was a mess. I happen to live in Washington, D.C., and have spent some time in those office buildings. Terre Thaemlitz’s “D.C. D.O.A.” (1997) came to mind and ended up anchoring this mix.

“I got a phone call. He wants us to join him.”

“In Washington.”

“Some kind of big demonstration.”

“They think they’ve finally got a shot.”

“I can’t go to Washington. I can’t even get out of bed!”

Julianna Barwick goes straight for catharsis with “Inspirit” (2020). It’s a purification. Listening to it feels like participating in a rite. Like “Inspirit,” Haruomi Hosono and Bill Laswell’s “Unfinished Screams” (1996) washes over you, but in alternating waves of drum & bass and ambient synth & insect passages. The outro forms a bridge to the musique concrète and collage pieces that compose the mix’s core.

The one electronic music class I’ve taken focused primarily on tape processing and the studio techniques Delia Derbyshire used, such as cutting and splicing magnetic tape with a razor. This excerpt of “Circle of Light” (1969) is a nod to Derbyshire’s brilliance with this medium and, like other excerpts in the mix, encourages seeking out the complete pieces.

“Espace/Escape” (1989) is one of the most tonally rich pieces of musique concrète I know and endlessly rewarding on repeated listening. Holger Czukay’s “Träum Mal Wieder” (1984), roughly “dream again,” is also built from ethereal, dreamlike sources but is held together by driving percussion and has much more structure than its name suggests.

The album “Pan De Sonic – Iso,” which includes the track “Evening Night fall – Fire, cricket, wine glass etc” (2021), will be available by the time this mix appears on Soundwave. Ai Yamamoto composed it entirely of “domestic field recordings” from the artist’s COVID lockdown in Melbourne. It promises to be an extraordinary release.

Chris Burke’s “Everything I Need” (1995) is at once jagged and tender, much like Joe Cocker’s source vocals. To my ear, Burke captures the essence of Cocker’s song with only variations on a four-second sample.

“Avril 14th” (Aphex Twin) is recognizable from the opening bar of loscil’s remix of Wagner and Murcof’s cover (2017). But unlike the original or the cover, the melody doesn’t hit until 2:03, which for me, was one of the biggest payoffs in music I’d heard in a long time. It’s patient and brilliantly arranged.

The opening track on Pauline Oliveros, Stuart Dempster & Panaiotis‘s “Deep Listening” is “Lear” (1993) which, the more I thought about it, evoked the 45th president. The greed. The king’s solicitation of flattery. King Lear does not want the responsibility of power. Only the benefits. Shakespeare’s tragedies typically end with a restoration of order after chaos. Maybe less so with Lear.

I’d wanted to end this mix on an up note but settled for something absurd. Negativland’s “Time Zones” fit the moment and make for a clear bookend to Thaemlitz. The madness of Lear and the brain worms of conservative political talk radio. Some kind of big demonstration? “It’s not even funny.” Eleven tracks. “It’s ridiculous.”

  1. Terre Thaemlitz “D.C. D.O.A.”
  2. Julianna Barwick “Inspirit”
  3. 細野晴臣 & Bill Laswell “Unfinished Screams”
  4. Delia Derbyshire & Elsa Stansfield “Circle of Light – Part Two, excerpt”
  5. Francis Dhomont “Espace/Escape, excerpt”
  6. Holger Czukay “Traum Mal Wieder”
  7. Ai Yamamoto “Evening Night fall – Fire, cricket, wine glass etc”
  8. Chris Burke “Everything I Need”
  9. Vanessa Wagner x Murcof “Avril 14th – Loscil remix”
  10. Pauline Oliveros, Stuart Dempster, and Panaiotis “Lear, excerpt”
  11. Negativland “Times Zones, excerpt”

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Logo by Rik Oostenbroek

SOUNDWAVE : 59 : HAITEKU

Today’s guest deejay is Mauricio Sotelo, AKA Haiteku.

I met Mauricio through Axel Arturo Barceló, our guest deejay, last October (listen to Axel’s mix here). After Axel’s mix went out, I asked him who he knew that would be interested in guest deejaying on Soundwave, and he recommended Mauricio. And here we are.

Mauricio is an excellent deejay, and his mix is fantastic. His mix included music from several projects that he’s part of.

Mauricio is an audiovisual artist from the suburbs of Mexico City suburbs. Haiteku is his Techno project since 2010. He publishes works on labels like Blaq Records (Mexico-Berlin), Nova Fund Recordings (Mexico), and the now defunct PCCL.

Mauricio is also part of the WOS Colectivo, a label for for national and international producers of electronic music, sound experimentation, plastic, and visual arts. The WOS Colectivo promotes producers who are not a part of the mainstream and support their local scene. In addition to the WOS Colectivo, Mauricio is also a member of Abolipop Records, a label that producers, and we’re open to new platforms and formats. Suplex publishes EPs, unreleased tracks, live sessions, oddities, and reissues.

Mauricio has some words about his mix below.

Before we hear from Mauricio, I wanted to share how my feelings about Soundwave have changed.

When I launched Soundwave, it was my way of coping with the stress and isolation of the pandemic. My wife’s job took her away from San Diego, and my kids were with their bio dad. It was just my dog and me. I was sad, lonely, and wondered if every time I left the house, I would contract COVID-19 and die. Grim times.

A year later, living with the pandemic has become a routine. As of Monday, I will be fully vaccinated and live in the world without fear of getting ill or dying. I work remotely so I visit my wife and kids regularly, and in a few months, we’ll all be under the same roof again. During that time, Soundwave changed from a source of succor to a font of delight. The music is wonderful, and the relationships I’ve formed through the show are dear to me.

 

Gert De Meester's Die Geschwächten Kinder Von Empain EPGert De Meester’s Die Geschwächten Kinder Von Empain EP

Speaking of delight, guest deejay Gert De Meester of Distant Fires Burning has released a pay-what-you-want single on Bandcamp called Die Geschwächten Kinder Von Empain. Gert will donate the profits from his single to Dokters van de Wereld (Doctors of the World). Want to hear more music from Gert? Listen to his mix for Soundwave here.

Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Nate Heard.

See you then!

 

Mauricio Sotelo, AKA Haiteku
Mauricio Sotelo, AKA Haiteku

Altiplano is a short mixtape about contemporary Mexican electronic artists.

The “Altiplano” (the plateau region) is the zone of the center of Mexico, shaped for various states. From this zone, are the electronic artists that participate on this mixtape, all of them, independent producers.

The music of this material came from the independent label WOS Colectivo and Abolipop Records, on different releases and years.

  1. PCCL “Base Bells (Huixtralizer opposite blur structure remix)”
  2. Kiiote “Que desangraron los magueyes”
  3. Totore “Milagro”
  4. Broadband Star “Cereal Boreal”
  5. Antena “Alberca”
  6. The Hovering Cube “Windwalker”
  7. Undead Machine “Inchewe”
  8. José Soberanes “Disperso”

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Logo by Rik Oostenbroek

SOUNDWAVE : 51 : RHUCLE

Today’s guest deejay is Rhucle.

Rhucle is yet another amazing talent I discovered on Bandcamp.

Typically I’ll do a deep dive on Spotify to discover musicians who explore ambient, classical, experimental, and instrumental music. The last few months, I’ve been searching for new music on Bandcamp. The original reason was that I know Bandcamp is one of the platforms where musicians and labels can get a more significant percentage of money from sales of songs and albums (nearly all the tracks on today’s show can be purchased on Bandcamp, by the way). While I stream my share of music through Spotify, I still purchase music to support the artists, so I decided that as long as I’m buying music on Bandcamp, I should see what they have to offer.

It’s been a rewarding experience because I’ve spent many hours listening to fantastic music. Bandcamp seems to attract musicians and labels who offer a higher caliber of releases. I don’t know why that is so, but in general, it appears to be true.

As I delved into Bandcamp, I came across Rhucle and his lovely music.

Rhucle’s albums will forever feel like a Sunday winter afternoon walking my dog in Sacramento because that’s how I first experienced his music.

There’s a bike path not far from where I’m living. One Sunday, I took my dog, Blossom, for a walk down the path so we could play ball. I listened to Rhucle’s albums on my phone, and his music became the soundtrack for our stroll. We went through fields, saw ducks and egrets in the stream and turtles sunning themselves. At some point, I stopped being aware of Rhucle’s music, it was simply part of the environment.

Naturally, I invited Rhucle to guest deejay on SOUNDWAVE. It’s beautiful and taps into the same magic I got listening to Rhucle’s album that Sunday spent walking my dog. I hope you’ll have a delightfully similar experience when you listen to it.

Rhucle had a few words about his mix below.

Before I wrap things up, I wanted to share my last weekend with you.

My wife and I met some friends in Napa Valley to celebrate her birthday. We ate some great food and drank some spectacular wine. Everyone was having such a great time. It was undoubtedly due to the wine and the beauty of Napa Valley. I can’t help but think that there was a certain buoyancy because we all know we’re turning the corner on this pandemic.

The last year has been long and hard. Some of us were ill. Some of us lost family and friends to the virus. But we’re close to the end. While we can’t yet congregate and be with our loved ones, that day is near.

Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Robin Rimbaud AKA Scanner.

See you then!

 

Rhucle
Rhucle

These tracks get close to my feelings recently. When I am tired of my work and any bad news, these sounds help me with my stress. I think that ambient music is more important for people than ever. This mix applies to a contemporary person.

  1. Loris S. Sarid “Orizzontale verticale”
  2. Inner Travels “Sirao”
  3. Chie Otomi “Cardamom”
  4. Gallery Six “Her Gentle Smile”
  5. Kyle Bobby Dunn “Grab (And It’s Lost Legacies)”
  6. Harold Budd “Campanile”
  7. Bålsam “You’ll Be Safe Here (Long Version)”
  8. Rhucle “Gardenia”

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Logo by Rik Oostenbroek

SOUNDWAVE : 50 : EMIL ZAPFFE

Today’s guest deejay is João Guimarães, AKA Emil Zapffe.

If you’ve been listening to SOUNDWAVE for the last few weeks, then it will come as no surprise that I discovered João on Bandcamp.

When SOUNDWAVE comes up in conversation with those unfamiliar with ambient music, I sometimes have to explain that not all ambient music is swathes of pretty sounds. Ambient can be haunting and discordant. Or, in João’s case, it’s grand in scope. If you want to experience it yourself, go to João’s Bandcamp page and play any of his songs with the volume cranked to 11. His music will shake your windows and vibrate dishes off your table. You’ve been warned.

But if you’re expecting that kind of experience on today’s show, then you’ll be just as surprised as I was. João’s mix covers quite the gamut. Yes, there is that big sound, but it’s also delicate, mournful, and lovely. It’s precisely the kind of mix I’d share with people I have to explain the depth and complexity ambient music offers.

Oh, and I also appreciate that João and I appreciate Peter Wessel Zapffe’s nihilist essay, “The Last Messiah” (listen to an excerpt from the essay on my October 2020 mix). I usually embrace Nietzche’s existential exuberance, but it’s easy to waffle and settle into existential dread, something Zapffe (Peter Wessel, not Emil) explores in his essay. As long as I don’t fall into Emil Cioran’s existential disgust, I guess I’m doing okay.

João has some words regarding his mix below.

Before I wrap this up, I feel the need to mention that it was this time last year that California went under lockdown. Like most people, I’ve gotten along with my life. I work from home, I rarely go out, and when I do, I wear a mask even when I don’t need to. Vaccinations for the entire U.S. are just around the corner. But a year ago, we were all white-knuckling it, and every day was filled with angst. I’m relieved that we’re about to turn the corner.

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

See you then!

 

João Guimarães, AKA Emil Zapffe
João Guimarães, AKA Emil Zapffe

For this mixtape, I tried to make a selection of compositions that touched me this past year and permitted me to escape reality for a while. Our world outside changed, but our inner world changed too, with lots of questions about the nature of existence, the fabric of society, our strengths, and our deepest fears. Through these sounds, I could cope with reality and dream outside its claw, making my mind and spirit expand beyond self-imposed barriers. I hope the listeners can expand their senses and spirits, and for a while, inhabit their inner world, free of any form of limitation or weakness. In times of fear, all we have is our imagination.

Thanks to Joseph Aleo for this invitation, it’s an honor.

  1. Giulio Aldinucci “Phoenix”
  2. Emil Zapffe “Fragmented Anchors”
  3. SVLBRD “The Void”
  4. Mono Tape “Origin”
  5. Mount Shrine & Alphaxone “The Realms of Madmen”
  6. David Cordero “Tras la tormenta (feat. Carles Guajardo)”

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Logo by Rik Oostenbroek

SOUNDWAVE : 47 : OUT OF HELL

Today’s guest deejay is Boris Tyurin, AKA Out of Hell.

Out of Hell continues my exploration of musicians who mine the ores of ambient, classical, experimental, and instrumental on Bandcamp. It’s been a successful endeavor, and previous Bandcamp artists who have been guest deejays on SOUNDWAVE are Ishmael Cormack, Tim Six of ΠΑΝΘΕΟΝ Records, and Ivan Somov, AKA Notnotice.

I’ll be honest, what made me listen to Out of Hell’s was the influence of horror writer H.P. Lovecraft on his music.

It’s interesting because Lovecraft’s books are in the public domain Lovecraft permeates popular culture. In particular, his Cthulhu mythos. You can find Lovecraft’s tentacled Elder God in the form of crochet toys, tiki mugs, and pajamas. The sublime terror of Cthulhu has been diminished into a safe, consumer item. The only people who tap into the nihilistic horror of Cthulhu are comic book writer Alan Moore, role-playing game creators, and bands such as Rudimentary Peni and Skinny Puppy.

Not everything Out of Hell records is touched by the tentacles of Cthulhu, but the influence is there. Out of Hell explores the realm of dark ambient. His music can be just as delicate and pretty as a lot of ambient music, but it’s mysterious and often tinged with dream and anxiety. His mix is more than a selection of some of his best work. It’s an experience to be had.

Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Dani, founder of Kloob Music.

See you then!

 

Boris Tyurin, AKA Out of Hell
Boris Tyurin, AKA Out of Hell

  1. Out of Hell “The Dark”
  2. Ouy of Hell “Symphony in Moonlight and Nightmares”
  3. Out of Hell “The Temple”
  4. Out of Hell “The Whisperer in Darkness”
  5. Out of Hell “The Voice of the Night”
  6. Out of Hell “The Ruins”
  7. Out of Hell “Introspection”

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Logo by Rik Oostenbroek

SOUNDWAVE : 46 : IVAN SOMOV

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Today’s guest deejay is Ivan Somov, AKA Notnotice.

While I stream music like everyone else, I’m also old fashioned and still purchase songs and albums. Bandcamp is my preferred vendor because they give the music labels and artists a generous share of the money generated from Bandcamp sales.

I spend an hour at least an hour a week exploring Bandcamp and listened to great music. If I came across someone I thought would be a good fit for SOUNDWAVE, I’d invite them to be a guest deejay. It’s a no-brainer, really, and we’ve heard great mixed from folks such as Tim Six, who runs ΠΑΝΘΕΟΝ Records with his wife, Mila, and Ishmael Cormack . Next week’s show will feature Out of Hell, and in the weeks to come our guest deejays will be Less Bells, Emil Zapffe, and Rhucle.

Ivan is yet another talented musician I discovered after searching Bandcamp for ambient, classical, experimental, and instrumental music to listen to. These are difficult genres. It’s easy to record music in those genres that are awful, hard to do mediocre, hard still to record something great, and a challenge to create something great. When I find something great, as I said, I am compelled to reach out to the artist and invite them to be a guest deejay on SOUNDWAVE. And that brings us to today’s show, which I’m listening to as I write this.

Ivan’s mix is going to take you on a journey. To me, that is the point of art. It’s not enough to craft a pretty or catching sound. Evoking emotion is one thing, but if the music can transport you to somewhere else and spur your imagination, that’s magic. And Ivan’s mix is magic and will be your soundscape for today’s sonic safari. The mix is the map. Your destination will be your own for you to discover.

Quick note: Ivan begins today’s mix with a track from Symphocat, a Russian musician and label owner. Tim Six also featured Symphocat on last week’s show. I’m taking that as a sign that I need to extend an invitation to guest deejay on the show.

Ivan has some words about Notice that he’d like to share with you below.

Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Out of Hell.

See you then!

 

Ivan Somov, AKA Notnotice
Ivan Somov, AKA Notnotice

Notnotice – a project created to implement the ambient and not only the mood of the author. Originally was written only dark ambient, but later decided not limited by the rigid framework, but at the same time, the music has not lost the original dark and cold, Notnotice tries to embody in their tracks the idea of loneliness and alienation.

  1. Symphocat “Svifa I Himininn”
  2. Forest Management “Fill In The Blank”
  3. unknown “Way number 3”
  4. Notnotice “Stockholm Syndrome”
  5. Acronym “Rails”
  6. очень длинный кот “v parallelnih mirah”
  7. Bad Sector & Tommaso Lisa “Untitled”
  8. kmerl “Constellation”
  9. Stanislav Tolkachev “Borderland”
  10. Canadian Rifles “1812”
  11. FH HF “Seconds Remain As Abstract Strokes”
  12. gacha bakradze “Broken Keyboard”
  13. Jeremiah M. Carter & Chelsea Bridges “White Rose Royale”
  14. Appropriate Savagery “Makeup & Ketamine, During a Quiet Evening”
  15. Christian Michael Filardo “Charm Syndicate”
  16. Concrete Fantasies “stealth2 (Agadez Magi)”
  17. Varg2™ “600 Lives To Become Nothing But A Memory (ft. Soho Rezanejad)”
  18. Cio D’Or “Triplet”
  19. EyeScream “(A)(ny)(thing)(ll)”

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Logo by Rik Oostenbroek

SOUNDWAVE : 37 : CHRISTIAN SAGER

Today’s guest deejay is Christian Sager, co-host Supercontext, a podcast autopsy of media: how we consume it and how it informs our everyday culture.

Christian Sager
Christian Sager

I loved Supercontext. It felt like a podcast that was produced exclusively for me. For example, some of the topics they covered have been the anime Akira, Roy Scranton’s book, Learning to Die in the Anthropocene: Reflections on the End of a Civilization and Bruce Sterling’s state of the world address at SXSW 2016. All those things are in my nerd wheelhouse. Even the shows that discussed topics I knew nothing about were gems.

Sadly Supercontext is now defunct although Christian and co-host Charlie Bennet still release a monthly podcast for Patreon supporters where they chat about the media they’ve been consuming. I highly recommend you go through their archives and listen to shows you think might strike your fancy.

I respect Christian and Charlie’s taste in music and invited them to guest deejay on SOUNDWAVE. Christian has delivered a mix that ranges from prog to math to dirge rock with a dollop of hip hop. Not your usual SOUNDWAVE fare but for me, at least, it was the perfect soundtrack to this week. 300,000+ dead from COIVD-19 and a President and his supporters who seemingly want to upend democracy. Christian’s mix is the blast of sound and fury I needed to propel me though the week.

Special thanks go out to Taylor Shechet for sequencing this week’s mix. Christian didn’t have the original tracks and when I offered to assemble the mix GarageBand refused to import the audio files. Taylor did me a solid by putting the mix together. And if you love today’s show then you’re definitely going to love Taylor’s mix for SOUNDWAVE that I’ll release in the next month or so.

CORRIDOR Magazine
CORRIDOR Magazine

Before I go, I want to mention that Christian and David Moore are launching a project called CORRIDOR Magazine, a new horror magazine bringing the weird worlds of short fiction, art, comics, and essays together under one roof. I’m helping fund it and so should you if this sort of thing is your bag.

Jonathan Ammon's American Splendor album
Jonathan Ammon’s American Splendor album

I also wanted to share Jonathan Ammons’s new release, “Living Proof,” from his forthcoming album, American Splendor. I’m looking forward to the album. If you want to hear more music from Jonathan, listen to his mix for SOUNDWAVE here.

Harrold Budd
Harold Budd

Lastly, some sad news. Ambient composer Harold Budd died December 7. Just the day before I was listening to The Pearl, an album he recorded with Brian Eno, the day before he passed and was thinking how much I enjoyed his music. Harold was a pioneer in ambient music. He will be missed and my condolences go out to his family and friends.

And on that somber note, it’s time for me to say goodbye.

Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Harrold Roeland.

See you then!

  1. Aspects of Physics “Level 3”
  2. Battles “Tonto”
  3. Atomsmasher “Thunderspit”
  4. Sannhet “Invisible Wounds”
  5. DJ/rupture “A04 Untitled from ‘Nubus’”
  6. Run The Jewels “Don't Get Captured (Instrumental)”
  7. MONO “After You Comes the Flood”
  8. Thrones “Ephraim”
  9. Russian Circles “309”
  10. Sunn O))) & Boris “Akuma No Kuma”
  11. OXES “Bees Won”
  12. The Fucking Champs “What's A Little Reign?”
  13. Orthrelm “rdd 1+2”
  14. Heilung “Norupo”
  15. Earth “Crooked Axis for String Quartet”

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Logo by Rik Oostenbroek

SOUNDWAVE : 32 : DANIEL MCCAGH

Today on SOUNDWAVE our guest deejay is n5MD recording artist, Daniel McCagh. I’ll talk about Daniel’s mix shortly but first let me tell you about the election that just took place in the U.S.

As I write this Joe Biden has been declared the president-elect of the United States. The vice president-elect is Kamala Harris is the first Indian-American, the first African-American, and the first female vice president in U.S. history. It is so long overdue that someone like Harris becomes a vice president that it took a while for me to recognize the significance of this accomplishment. This should have been the norm a very long time ago. Of course a woman should be a vice president. Of course a woman of color should be vice president. There shouldn’t be anything remarkable about this at all. But here we are at long last.

Here in San Diego the mood is ebullient. There are motorcades, the honking of horns and cheering. You can feel the difference; the joy and the relief. After four years of mendacity, racism, cruelty and incompetence we are ready for a change.

SOUNDWAVE was created as a coping mechanism to the isolation and stress of COVID-19. President Trump and his administration bungled the management of the crisis of COVID-19 so badly that they contributed to the spread of the virus. So badly, in fact, that the Trump administration effectively gave up. I can only hope that Biden’s administration will reign in the virus and accelerate a cure. As Americans we need to get back to our lives and loved ones and we need an economy that will work for everyone.

I’m not naive. I know this presidency will disappoint and outrage me as all other presidencies have in the past. But at least it will be a normal disappointment and outrage and not that nauseating horror show I’ve had to endure for the last four years.

Let’s take a break from politics.

Planet Boelex's new album, Connect
Planet Boelex’s new album, Connect

Planet Boelex is a previous guest deejay on SOUNDWAVE and he has just released and new album called Connect. It’s about as beautiful as you’d expect and you can find it on Bandcamp for the very affordable price of $7.

Want more of Planet Boelex? You can listen to his mix for SOUNDWAVE here or listen to his live set for solipsistic NATION here.

Daniel McCagh
Daniel McCagh

Okay, let’s talk about our guest deejay, Daniel McCagh.

Daniel describes his mix as a collection of some favourite tunes both beautiful and sometimes uncomfortable for deep and immersive listening. It’s the kind of soundscape that’s perfect for the rare rainy day we’re having this weekend in San Diego. After you are done listening to Daniel’s mix you will know that you have just experienced something profound and that you will need time to process it.

Daniel’s mix comes to us by way of Mike Cadoo, the founder of n5MD. I interviewed Mike and featured music from his label on solipsistic NATION some years ago. When I launched SOUNDWAVE I reached out to Mike to do a mix for a show. Mike was busy at the time but suggested that Daniel put together a mix for SOUNDWAVE. Great idea, Mike. Oh, and I still want you to do a mix of your own when time permits.

Daniel McCagh is an electronic music producer and sound artist currently residing in Melbourne, Australia. Daniel uses acoustic instruments and digital manipulation to create powerful emotive and cinematic music. Daniel is also the sole composer and sound designer behind Gutterbox Audio, having composed music and designed sound for global companies such as Polestar, Huawei, Acura and Volkswagen.

You’re in good hands. Enjoy today’s mix!

Join us next week when we’ll listen to a mix featuring Cryo Chamber recording artist Paleowolf.

See you then!

  1. Proem “As They Go”
  2. Roly Porter “Known Space”
  3. Abul Mogard “Flooding Tide”
  4. Yair Elazar Glotman & Mats Erlandsson “Procession”
  5. Deru “Undertow”
  6. Martin Stig Andersen “City”
  7. Tim Hecker “In The Fog”

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Logo by Rik Oostenbroek