psychedelic rock – Synecdoche

SOUNDWAVE : 137 : BULUT NESIM

Today’s guest deejay is DJ Bulut.

I met Bulut well over a decade ago while producing Solipsistic Nation, my electronic music podcast. I was a fan of his New Turkish Beat podcast, and we started an acquaintanceship on Twitter.

I’ve been reflecting on that time for the last few days. It was during Solipsistic Nation that I enjoyed Twitter the most. The network was becoming large enough that I could strike up great conversations and meet interesting people but still small enough that things didn’t get lost in the noise. I still love Twitter, but I admit that the number of genuine interactions I’ve had in the last few years has dwindled.

As I write this, Twitter seems like it might crash and burn. Something will emerge out of the wreckage, but it might not be anything we recognize as Twitter. But maybe that’s okay. Perhaps Twitter has served its purpose. I’m glad I met people like Bulut while it was still vibrant.

Bulut has some words about his mix below.

Join us next weekend when out guest deejay will be Glyn Bush.

See you then.

My idea while recording this podcast was that the listener would pay some attention to the music at the beginning of the podcast. Then they would gradually let the sound disappear into the background after the second half. I call this mix “Relax” because I selected some tracks that I believe are relaxing from the beginning. The podcast gets dreamier toward the second half. The second half is super easy to ignore. I recommend starting with a volume that you consider medium or even louder. The podcast intentionally gets very quiet toward the end, so you may barely hear it. I thought this podcast could provide an hour-long atmosphere where you can ignore the sound towards the end by focusing on reading, studying, or falling asleep.

“Funky Zena” by Mickey Hart

Mickey Heart is the legendary drummer of Grateful Dead. There is definitely magic on this entire album. This is a surprisingly relaxing percussion album that is also good for dancing. I play the hand drums myself and I enjoy the meditational aspect of repetitive beats. There is magic in this track for sure.

“Big Man Cry” by Banco de Gaia

An English electronic musician named TobyMarks. This is one of my favorite tracks by Banco de Gaia.This sound sends your soul to a faraway place.

“Selig Sind, Die Da HierWeinen” by Popol Vuh

Popol Vuh was aGerman musical collective founded by Florian Fricke and FrankFiedler. Some say that Popol Vuh is a Krautrock band. I enjoy their relaxing psychedelic tracks and the good news is that they have a lot of good ones. This is what I call "comfortably numb ":)

“Letting Go of This Radiant Hive” by Vir Unis

Vir Unis is an American New Age Musician. The New Age music radiates positive energy. This track is exactly what we needed in this spot.

“Ancient Anatolia” by DJ.Bulut

The only instrument on this track is my electric guitar. I processed the sound to give this a slow and ambient vibe. There is repetition in this which should help us lose track of time very quickly. I believe that my track sounds relaxing at low volumes. It is a long track. In fact, it turned the volume down on the podcast recording so that the listeners can enjoy it quietly. Too quiet for you at this point? Feel free to turn it up 🙂

Mickey Hart “Funky Zena”
Banco de Gaia “Big Man Cry”
Popol Vuh “Selig Sind, Die Da HierWeinen”
Vir Unis “Letting Go of This Radiant Hive”
DJ.Bulut “Ancient Anatolia”

SOUNDWAVE : 121 : ROBOCAT

Today’s guest deejay is Sasha Puzan, AKA Robocat.

Sasha’s been on Soundwave twice as protoU (listen to her mixes here and here). Sasha accepted my invitation to guest deejay a third time and shared a mix celebrating Pride. No ethereal mixes on today’s show; we’re all about getting a groove on.

Last weekend I spent the day with my grandkid. We had plans to go to our favorite playground, but there was no parking to be had. I decided to take him to the beach instead. We got caught up in Pride traffic on the way there, which seemed like the perfect time to play Sasha’s mix. People dressed in rainbow gear, butterfly wings, and leather chaps darted between cars as we slowly inched forward. It was a magical afternoon.

Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Hessel Veldman.

See you then.

Charli XCX “Boom Clap (Cahil Remix)”
Dua Lipa “Don’t Start Now”
Domo Wilson “Bisexual Anthem”
P!nk “So What”
Taylor Swift “You Need To Calm Down”
Jefferson Airplane “Somebody To Love (Remix)”
Suvo “Go_A (Shum-) (Suvo Remix)”
Russya “Don’t Stand By My Window”
Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande “Rain On Me”
Kazka “Cry”
Britney Spears “Gimme More”
Madonna “Hung Up”
Icona Pop “I Love It (feat. Charli XCX)”
Britney Spears “Toxic”
Cher “Believe”
Gloria Gaynor “I Will Survive”

SOUNDWAVE : 120 : RIZ MASLEN

Today’s guest deejay is Riz Maslen.

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.

See you then.

Freddie Philips “Opening Music from Camberwick Green”
Peter Schickele “The Space Fleet”
John Berberiam and The Missile Eastern Ensemble “The Oud and the Fuzz”
Digital Bled “Jo”
Daniele Principato Arne Hiorth “Cuckoo Clock”
Mike Lazarev “Where You Are”
Alieno de Bootes “Sending the Clouds”
Pole “Weit”
Anne Garner & Mike Lazarev “Dust Devil (Mike Lazarev Pent Up Rework)”
D Rothon & O Cherer “Silver Haze Dusk”
Mark Beazley “Four Thirty Six”
Alfred Deller & Elizabeth Harwood & Choirs Of Downside And Emanuel Schools & London Symphony Orchestra & Benjamin Britten “A Midsummer Night’s Dream / Act 2 – A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act 2: ‘On The Ground, Sleep Sound’”
Ryuichi Sakamoto “Dolphins”
Ekki Hugsa “Amsterdam”

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Logo by Rik Oostenbroek

SOUNDWAVE : 95 : KIM CASCONE

Today’s guest deejay is Kim Cascone.

I know Kim through his label, Silent Records.

Some of the earliest releases on Silent Records can instantly transport me back to the end of the last century. The From Here To Tranquility compilation series simultaneously turned me on to so many great musicians and blew my mind (check out my interview with Kim for solipsistic NATION here). The 50 Years Of Sunshine compilation album was a delightful celebration of the 50th anniversary of the discovery of LSD. And albums from Psychic TV, Zoviet•France*, Vuemorph, and Heavenly Music Corporation expanded my consciousness and my musical horizons.

When I invited Kim to guest deejay on Soundwave I didn’t expect him to play select tracks from his label, but I was surprised at how much he learned into guitar and instrumental music, which, as of the recording of today’s mix, Kim was immersed in. And it was a welcome surprise because although we celebrate ambient music on Soundwave, the show’s format is ambient and classical, instrumental and experimental. I’m thrilled when guests deejay explores other music forms on the show.

Kim has some words about his mix below.

Before we get to Kim’s mix, I wanted to share that nearly two years into the pandemic, I finally caught COVID. I don’t know if it was because I’ve been vaccinated and received my booster, and I caught the omicron variant, but I was barely sick. I was congested and tired. That was it, thankfully.

I launched Soundwave in the early days of the pandemic to help cope with the stress and isolation of self-quarantine. I spent the last two years moving from dread of the virus to grim acceptance, and once I caught the virus, I barely noticed it.

Of course, I don’t want to suffer from long COVID. Bit if this is the worst of it, I count myself as very lucky.

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

See you then.

After many years of programming acousmatic laptop music, I’ve shifted my creative focus to the electric guitar again. This mix is a small sampling of avant-guitar work that has inspired me of late and includes a new work of mine.

Earth “Thrones and Dominions”
Boris “Dronevil 2”
Jozef Van Wissem and Jim Jarmusch “Flowing Light of the Godhead (Bonus Version)”
Tony Conrad “April 1965”
Hash Jar Tempo “Untitled 1“
Khem One “Lunadronus”
Macuinas Ensemble “Long String Choir”

Subscribe to SOUNDWAVE on iTunes, Overcast, Castro and Pocketcasts.

Logo by Rik Oostenbroek

Your Dream

I’ve been a deejay for more than half my life.

I don’t hear music the way you hear music.

When I listen to a song, there’s always a part of me thinking how that song would work in a mix. What song would go before it? What would go after it? What would be the shape of the mix?

I can’t turn that part of me off.

Today, on a whim, I listened to my Liked Songs playlists on Spotify while running errands. I dug what I was listening to (I did like the songs, after all). And as is my way, I heard songs in the playlist that just felt right together. It’d be a shame not to share it.

So here it is. I hope you like it.

Oh, and you can also find the playlist for today’s show here on Spotify.

Kim Jung Mi “Your Dream”
Yamasuki Singers “Yamamoto Kakapote”
Gaye Su Akyol “Laziko”
Flo Morrissey & Matthew E. White “Govindam”
El Michels Affair “Zaharila”
Kelly Lee Owens “8”
Don Cherry “Malkauns”

Weekly Mix 13: April 2, 2017

Before we got to today’s show I want to welcome Blumenkraft from the pnut social media platform to the show. I actually know Blumenkraft from App.Net, which was a great social media platform that was ad free but unforutnately shut down last month. Anyway, I promoted my recent show on Pnut and Blumenkraft really enjoyed it and went back to download prevous episodes of The Weekly Mix. Blumenkraft, if you’re listening, welcome aboard and I hope you dig today’s show.

The other thing I wanted to chat about is the trip my girlfriend and I made to Los Angeles last Thursday to see The Firesign Theatre. You probably don’t know who they are but they are extremely important to me. The Firesign Theatre was a comedy group from the 60s who recorded these really complex concept albums. When I was a boy, about four years old, my dad would play them all the time. The Firesign Theatre had a lot of TV and radio commercial skits that confused me because at that age I was still struggling to distinguish reality from fantasy. They sounded like commercials but I knew something was not quite right. The Firesign Theatre shaped my own sense of humor and when I got into radio I would insert bits from their albums into my shows.

Last Wednesday I was talking to my friend Taylor about working on another show I produce called Pop Culture Intelligentsia. We were catching up with each other when he mentioned that he was going to provide sound effect for a life performance from The Firesign Theatre. Taylor only had a vague idea who they were and cetainly had no idea how important those guys are to me. I asked Taylor if he could get me into the show because those guys are senior citizens now, in fact, there are only two members still alive. I’d regret it if I didn’t see them. Taylor was kind enough to get me into the show and I even got to ask Phil Proctor, one of the founding members a question!

Okay, enough out of me. Enjoy today’s show.

Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweat “I Need Never Get Old”
Shirley Bassey “Spinning Wheel”
Portugal. The Man “Feel It Still”
Lauren Sanderson “Alotta Me”
Yaeji “New York 93”
Naadei “Not Nice”
o k h o “Hey The House Is On Fire”

Weekly Mix 10: March 12, 2017

I tend to ramble a bit at the beginning of each show but not today. I’ve got too much to do. I have to take my puppy, Blossom, to a manners class first thing in the morning. In the afternoon I have to take my boy to Little League practice and then in the evening I’m taking Blossom to yet another class. She’s a little crazy so we’re training her as much as possible so she doesn’t grow up to be an unmanageable dog. If there’s time, I hope to take my kids to see the The Lego Batman Movie. If I’m being honest, I’m going to see The Lego Batman Movie and bringing the kids along for the ride. Fortunately for all of us, I know they’re going to love the movie.

If you like today’s show, share it with a friend. Don’t keep it to yourself. Oh, and as of last week, The Weekly Mix is now available as a podcast. Click the here to subscribe to The Weekly Mix or go to iTunes to subscribe.

You can listen to The Weekly Mix every Sunday on KAOS Radio Austin at 6PM Central and every Friday on Bondfire Radio out of Brooklyn at 11:30 AM Eastern Standard Time.

You can find me online on Twitter at @josephaleo. If you happen to like any of the songs on today’s show, click on the links on today’s show notes to purchase and download the songs you dug. Show the bands and musicians some love with a little bit of your hard earned cash.

Okay, time for me to make like a tree and leave. See you next week!

The Incredible Moses Leroy “Fuzzy”
D.R.A.M. “Cute”
Siya “Lil Baby”
Kidswaste “Wild (feat. Khai)”
Animal Collective “Kinda Bonkers”
Dungen “Andarnas Krig”
Baast “Teleportation”