SOUNDWAVE : 135 : AMBIENTBLOG

SOUNDWAVE : 135 : AMBIENTBLOG

Today’s guest deejay is Peter van Cooten, host of Ambientblog and DreamScenes on Concertzender.

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
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
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!

Cloudwatching Playlist (includes start length, artist title, album title, year, and label).

  1. Francisco López “Untitled #373”
  2. Lawrence English “Pre-Approach”
  3. William Basinski & Janek Schaefer “. . . on reflection (four)”
  4. Arve Henriksen & Eivind Aarset & Jan Bang “The Swans Bend Their Necks Backward To See God”
  5. Masayoshi Fujita “Harp”
  6. Mombi Yuleman “Mental Telepathy”
  7. ASMUS TIETCHENS “Paralelle Ebene 1”
  8. Abul Mogard “Like Water”
  9. KEDA “La Lune De Corée”
  10. Tapani Rinne & Teho Majamäki “Reflection”
  11. Radboud Mens “Convolution”
  12. Alex Haas & Michel Banabila “The Woods (ft. Bill Laswell)”
  13. Imperial Valley “Fields North Of Kane Spring, Oct 8, 1938”
  14. James Murray “Clearings”
  15. Raum “Daughter”
  16. Tierro Cosmico “Eres Nocturna”
  17. Emmanuel Holterbach “Rivage (Shore)”
  18. Holland Patent Public Library “a road I’ve passed but never taken”
  19. Thomas Ragsdale & Richard Arnold “The View”
  20. David Cordero & Kenji Kihara “Grazalema”
  21. Abul Mogard “The Rain Has Gone”
  22. Robyn Miller “Gateroom”
  23. From The Mouth of the Sun “Paint & Stories”
  24. Olga Wojciechowska “Recreating Worlds”
  25. Biosphere “Aura In The Kitchen With The Candlesticks”
  26. Jolanda Moletta “Spell II: Daydream And Nightbloom”
  27. Budhaditya Chattopadhay “Dhvani”
  28. Cell “Geiger”
  29. Clarice Jensen “Fear”
  30. Erik Wøllo “Peace Bells”
  31. Tarotplane “Auximenes”
  32. NORMAN W. LONG “Return & Recovery”
  33. Marine Eyes & Antarctic Wastelands “Enshrouded”
  34. Ryoji Ikeda “Data.Tron (2007-14)”
  35. Masayoshi Fujita “Pons”
  36. Tetsuroh Konishi “Kevaan Aania”
  37. Madeleine Cocolas “Presence”
  38. PINKCOURTESYPHONE “Comfortable Predictability”
  39. Clarice Jensen “Love”
  40. Radboud Mens “Modular”
  41. Arve Henriksen “The Farmers Of Sonic Alchemy”
  42. Daigo Hanada “Kage”
  43. Ivan Cebrian | Victor Cerdan “Snow in silence”
  44. Robert Rich and Luca Formentini “First Day”
  45. Sofie Birch & Antonina Nowacka “Outro”
  46. Sven Laux & Fione “Stay”
  47. loscil “Dub For Cascadia”
  48. Powlos & Holt “Our Shimmering Breath”
  49. Anne Chris Bakker “Johan (In Memoriam)”
  50. Glåsbird “Sirsa”
  51. Trio Ramberget “D Minor Postlude”
  52. Galya Bisengalieva “The Crash”
  53. Madeleine Cocolas “Enfold”

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

Logo by Rik Oostenbroek

SOUNDWAVE : 58 : COSMIC CHAMBO

SOUNDWAVE : 58 : DANIEL CHAMBERLIN

Today’s guest deejay is Daniel Chamberlin.

Daniel and I met on Twitter over our shared appreciation of Paleowolf (listen to the Paleowolf mix on Soundwave here). I learned he is the host of Inter-Dimensional Music, a syndicated weekly community radio broadcast of “heavy mellow, kosmische slop, and void contemplation tactics.” After enjoying a couple of his shows, I invited Daniel to guest deejay on Soundwave.

What I love about Daniel’s mix is that his segues are so seamless that I often am unaware that he’s transitioned into another track. Granted, the music featured on Soundwave lends itself to those kinds of segues, but Daniel is particularly deft at it.

The other remarkable thing about Daniel’s mix, for me at least, is that he selected songs that feel very familiar to me. Except that I’ve never heard them before. They feel intimate and worn in.

Finally, Daniel’s mix took me on a sonic and emotional journey. I’d get lost in his mix. When it ended, I was satisfied but would have been just as happy to have it continue indefinitely.

You can find Daniel on InstagramMixcloud, Twitter, YouTube, Bandcamp and his blog, Into the Green.

Before I wrap up today’s show notes, there a couple of things I want to mention.

 

My second Moderna vaccination.
My second Moderna vaccination.

Monday I got my second dose of the Moderna vaccination. I was prepared for the worst: a very sore arm, chills, fevers, body aches, etc. I experienced none of that. I did sleep for over 24 hours, though.

 

Hans-Joachim Roedelis
Hans-Joachim Roedelis

Michael Donaldson was inspired by mix from Krautrock legend Hans-Joachim Roedelius to write a post on Roedelius’s musical career on his blog. It’s a good overview of Roedelius, so please read it if you’d like to learn more about the man.

 

Back to Beyond and Cycle
Back to Beyond and Cycle

Guest deejay protoU has released a new album, Back to Beyond with Alphaxone. Listen to protoU’s mix for Soundwave here. Rhucle, who has also guest deejayed on Soundwave, has released his new album, Cycle. Both albums are fantastic and unique to each artist.

Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Mauricio Sotelo, AKA Haiteku.

See you then!

 

Daniel Chamberlin
Daniel Chamberlin

Here’s an hour of heavy mellow meditation.

Cosmic Chambo presents a heavy mellow ritual soundtrack for meditation, yoga, and other mindfulness practices in the service of transcending false binaries and dismantling white supremacy. Listen for hypnotic choral music, metal-informed jazz drone, heavyweight ambient dub, and organic industrial rhythms.

  1. Wife Signs “Void Contemplation Tactic”
  2. With Great Care “Bloodflow”
  3. Anna von Hausswolff “Dolore di Orsini”
  4. David Hykes and the Harmonic Choir “Solstice Kyrie”
  5. itta “Moonlight”
  6. Kevin Richard Martin “Back to where i belong”
  7. Divide and Dissolve “We Are Really Worried About You”
  8. DEAFKIDS & PETBRICK “O Antropoceno”
  9. Azu Tiwaline “Terremer”
  10. KMRU “behind there”
  11. Ancestral Duo “Trajesty”
  12. Dedekind Cut “The Crossing Guard”
  13. Jamire Williams “God’s Morning Invitation (featuring Chassol & Carlos Niño)”
  14. Path of the Sun “Aquatic Sun”

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

Logo by Rik Oostenbroek

SOUNDWAVE : 53 : AMBIENTBLOG

SOUNDWAVE : 53 : AMBIENTBLOG

Today’s guest deejay is Peter van Cooten, host of Ambientblog and DreamScenes on Concertzender.

I ask each guest to deejay who they know who would be interested in participating in the show with a mix. Harrold Roeland, who was a guest deejay on Soundwave back in December, suggested Peter. I’ve known about Ambientblog for years and have listened to many of Peter’s mixes on Mixcloud. I’m thankful that Harrold made the introduction because Peter’s mix is exceptional.

 

Peter’s Soundwave mix.
Peter’s Soundwave mix.

Mix is not the word for what Peter does on today’s show.

It’s more accurate to say that Peter composed a concept album masterfully weaved from a multitude of sampled material. Take a look at the “playlist” below to get an idea of the scope of today’s show. It’s a work of art you get to immerse yourself in for the next hour.

Peter’s mix, like all of his Ambientblog shows, is an experience. Follow Ambientblog on Mixcloud to hear more of his work.

I’ve included an excerpt about today’s show from Peter’s website below.

Today’s show is special because it’s also Soundwave’s one-year anniversary.

I launched Soundwave to help me cope with the stress and isolation of COVID-19.

This close to what we all hope is the finish line of the pandemic its easy to forget that we were all white-knuckling it for the first couple of months. Every day was filled with existential dread. Would this trip to the grocery store kill me or someone I love? It’s exhausting to live that way.

During that time, I could not watch tv or movies or listen to music because they were not speaking to the truth of our new reality. I’d watch a tv show and fret how there was no social distancing and why the cast wasn’t wearing masks. Pop music was particularly difficult to listen to because it was so painfully vapid. How am I supposed to enjoy a love song when I might be a patient or a vector in this pandemic?

The only music that I could tolerate and gave me solace was ambient, classical, experimental, and instrumental music. It was the soundtrack for my stay-at-home lockdown. And if I found some relief with this music, why not share it with others? Any why not ask people I respect to share their mixes?

I’m humbled by everyone’s gift of generosity of time and effort. We’re all going through this together, each in our way. I’m grateful that during this pandemic that each guest deejay lovingly crafted mixes to share with us.

 

My first vaccination shot.
My first vaccination shot.

Today’s show is also special because today, I also got my first shot for the COVID-19 vaccination.

I was shopping for groceries when the Mercy Plaza Pharmacy called me and told me they had extra doses. Could I stop by for a vaccination? Most definitely.

My cilantro stymied the woman who was ringing up my items at the grocery store: were they regular cilantro or organic? She was about to do a price check when I explained that I needed to get the hell out of there to be vaccinated. I didn’t care about the cilantro’s cost; ring me up so I can leave! She understood.

The folks at Mercy Plaza Pharmacy couldn’t be nicer. They’re a family-owned business, and the owner checked up on me after my shot to see how I was feeling. We talked about San Diego, Sacramento, and our kids. This is going to sound weird, but I had such a great time that I can’t wait to go back.

So here we are a year later. We’re almost at the finish line. Hopefully, next year, this will be behind us, and we can all enjoy each other’s company. I’m looking forward to meeting some of you in person. Maybe I’ll even get to meet Peter.

Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Michał Milczarek.

See you then!

 

Ambientblog album art.
Ambientblog album art.

It’s my honour to open the second year of this series with my contribution. Of course, we can only hope that the series will continue for musical reasons, not because of the pandemic.

Clicking through the list of contributions, you’ll find that most of them are what I call mixtape-style compilations: a head-tail-mix of (full) tracks. Traditionally, my (Ambientblog) mixes are different (which does not mean necessarily ‘better’, by the way) in that they incorporate many sampled parts of tracks (a full-length track is either an exception or a very short track itself), mixed in a layered collage-style. I always try to shuffle the collage’s fragments so that they seem to melt together and thus start telling a different story.

Whether this is successful or not can only be determined by the listener.

This mix is simply named after the podcast Soundwave. It is a happy coincidence that it literally starts with waves—sonically manipulated by Jos Smolders—and ends with the same waves morphing into the sound of a cheering crowd.

Different kinds of soundwaves are all around us, every moment. Sometimes we’re aware; most of the time, we are not. This mix (hopefully) shows that it can be rewarding to take a moment’s rest to really listen and let the sounds affect you.

Thanks to Joseph Aleo for inviting me!

  1. Jos Smolders “Plate 7”
  2. Mia Zabelka & Icostech “The Final Stop”
  3. Robert Scott Thompson “Still The Syllables Of Water Whisper”
  4. Charley van Veldhoven & Túrion “Hemellichaam IV (Henrik Meierkord Recycle)”
  5. FM Einheit & Susie Green “Joyful Pleasure”
  6. Joey Largent “Below Diorite Waters”
  7. Barbara Ellison “De Auflaan de Pussychat”
  8. Jana Winderen “The Listener”
  9. Grace Ferguson “Barnumbirr”
  10. C-drík “An Imaginary Place Inhabited By Those Who Are Asleep”
  11. James Osland & Finn Kelvin “Things That Have Form Will Alway Disappear”
  12. Daniel Thomas Freeman “Crawling Out Of The Void”
  13. William Basinski “For Whom The Bell Tolls”
  14. Morgen Würde “Mittsommer”
  15. Biosphere “Stordjupta”
  16. Randal Collier-Ford “Eyes Of The Temple (feat. Northumbria)”
  17. Merope “Alma”
  18. Space Whisper “Park Date”
  19. Innesti “Dark Describes An Arc”
  20. Joost Lijbaart “Twinkling Night”
  21. Pinkcourtesyphone “Another Interior”
  22. f5point6 “Natural Selection”
  23. Andrew Heath “I Sleep Above The Forest”
  24. Lustmord “Journey Of The Dead Man”
  25. Bow Quintet feat. Aidan Baker “Bryanbaum Variation”
  26. Aase Frejadóttir “Saying It”
  27. James Rushford “Musica Callada, Book I – Angelico”
  28. Nick Luscombe “Tokyo Spring Birdsong”
  29. Akropolis Reed Quintet “Homage to Paradise Valley: I. Ghosts of Black Bottom”
  30. Kate Carr “I Spotted Some Backyard Dancing”
  31. Olivier Alary “Khaltoum”
  32. Kazuya Nagaya “the Book Of Sunken Memory”
  33. Jos Smolders “Plate 5”
  34. A Winged Victory For The Sullen “Every Solstice & Equinox”

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

Logo by Rik Oostenbroek

SOUNDWAVE : 52 : ROBIN RIMBAUD

Today’s guest deejay is Robin Rimbaud, AKA Scanner.

I discovered Robin last century on a compilation album. At the time, Robin was snatching phone conversations from the ether and incorporating them into his music. It was at once intimate and troubling because the very act of listening to Robin’s music made you complicit in his eavesdropping.

Those tracks, however, are just one area he explores in his music. If you delved into his work, you’d find that it is not incongruous to find him straddling minimalism, classical music, soundtracks and more.

When I showcased Robin’s music and featured one of his performances on solipsistic NATION I was as giddy as a fanboy. I had been listening to his releases since the ‘90s, and I was thrilled to have him on my show. It was only natural that I invited him to be a guest deejay on SOUNDWAVE, and I’m just excited about today’s show as when he was my guest on solipsistic NATION many years ago.

Robin has some words about his mix, which you can read below.

In pandemic news, California, like the rest of the U.S., has stepped up vaccinations. I know people who have been highly diligent regarding COVID-19 safety protocol and were still waylaid by the virus. I’m currently staying in Sacramento, and anecdotally, I can tell you that a lot of people here have stopped giving a fuck. I don’t want to catch the virus when we’re this close to the finish line, so I hope to be vaccinated within the next week or two.

Hopefully, this summer, I will be able to hug some of you who listen to SOUNDWAVE. Who knows, maybe I’ll throw a SOUNDWAVE festival. Wouldn’t that be a hoot?

Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Peter van Cooten, host of Ambientblog.net and DreamScenes on Concertzender.

See you then!

 

Robin Rimbaud, AKA Scanner
Robin Rimbaud, AKA Scanner

I always find it challenging to know how to begin to choose music from literally hundreds of thousands of pieces of music that I own. Music lives with me from the moment I wake up early in the morning until I go to bed at night (at a very reasonable time). So, I thought it might be of interest to simply make a collage of a few of the many pieces of music that have accompanied me in the last seven days. These are playing as I work on emails, administration, accounts, and so on through my day. A brief picture of a moment in a day for my ears.

  1. Ø “Otava”
  2. Roméo Poirier “Thalassocratie”
  3. Stephen Vitiello “Light Readings”
  4. Nurse with Wound “Echo Poeme Sequence N° 2”
  5. Blank Gloss “Of a Vessel”
  6. Brian Eno “Top Boy”
  7. Disjecta “Are You an Echo”
  8. Benjamin Britten “Variations On A Theme Of Frank Bridge, Op. 10 – Chant”
  9. John Cage “Dream”
  10. strië “Hallilaul”
  11. Mark Pritchard “Beautiful People (feat. Thom Yorke)”
  12. Bersarin Quartett “Oktober”

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

Logo by Rik Oostenbroek

SOUNDWAVE : 51 : RHUCLE

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”

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

Logo by Rik Oostenbroek

SOUNDWAVE : 44 : ISHMAEL CORMACK

SOUNDWAVE : 44 : ISHMAEL CORMACK

Today’s guest deejay is Ishmael Cormack.

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.

See you then!

Ishmael Cormack
Ishmael Cormack

  1. Andrew Chalk “The Flood”
  2. Taylor Deupree & Marcus Fischer “On Branches”
  3. Richard Ginns “Faded From The Winter”
  4. Tom Scott “Ribbon Glass”
  5. Jens Pauly “Licht”
  6. Cyril Secq “Huitiéme Branche”
  7. Morimoto Naoki “Nod”
  8. Suda Norihito “The Weather Of The Day Was To Calm Almost As If Nothing Had Happened”
  9. Melissa Pons “Screeching Dawn”
  10. Jodi Cave “For Sine And Breath Tones”
  11. Federico Durand “IIu Wouter”
  12. Van Veldhoven “First Lullaby”

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

Logo by Rik Oostenbroek

SOUNDWAVE : 11 : DRONNY DARKO

SOUNDWAVE : 11

I’m writing this from a hotel room in Phoenix, Arizona. I’m wearing a N95 mask because we’re still in a pandemic, although Arizonans don’t seen to be taking it seriously because maybe 25% of the people I see are wearing masks and observing social distancing. That probably explains why Arizona is seeing a spike in infections. Anyway, I’m wearing a mask and it is clear that I should have brushed my teeth before sitting down to write today’s show notes because I’m basically inhaling the contents of my lungs. Gross.

Let me take care of that. Be right back.

So why am I in Arizona if it is a COVID-19 hotspot you might be asking yourself? I’m here to pick up my kid and his grandmother and bring them back with me to California.

The weekend before California shutdown my wife and I made the decision to take our kids to Arizona to be with their bio dad. They were going to spend spring break with him anyhow and it seemed prudent to leave them with him a few weeks early. I was going to be working from home and it was likely my wife was going to be relocated to help deal with COVID-19. But or boy is done with Arizona and wants to come home and his grandmother will be living with us.

It’s pretty much been me and my dog for the last three months and I’ve fallen into bachelor-like routines (staying up far too late, walking around all day in pajamas, eating breakfast for dinner, etc) so this will take a bit of readjustment for me. For all three of us, really.

So that’s why I’m in Arizona. And from what I’m seeing around here and from what I’ve been hearing from friends scattered about the U.S. it seems we’re going to be living with COVID-19 for quite a while. Which means SOUNDWAVE will continue indefinitely.

Today’s guest deejay is Dronny Darko and he’s got a mix of marvelous dark ambient music for us to enjoy.

When I launched SOUNDWAVE I reached out to friends and acquaintances to guest deejay on the show but I also reached out to folks whose music I’ve been enjoying for the last few years. There’s a net label out of Oregon called Cryo Chamber I discovered when I got back into role playing games. (RPGs) Seems music from Cryo Chamber is the default soundtrack for many horror RPGs. And for good reason, the music is atmospheric and often tinged with dread.

Most people unfamiliar with ambient music often mistake it for swaths of pretty sounds and while that’s true, it’s so much more than that. Ambient music has many moods and its the reason I was drawn to it when we were all under the stay-at-home self-quarantine. Pop music seemed inane and didn’t speak the truth of our new reality. But there are no lyrics in ambient music, just moods and sounds, and that I could listen to. Ambient, classical, experimental and instrumental music spoke to me in ways pop music could not. The dark ambient music from Cryo Chamber was the soundtrack to my existential dread, which helped my process everything I was experience in and come to some sort of terms with it.

One of the artists on Cryo Chamber that I particularly enjoy is Dronny Darko. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve listened to his album, Origin. He was the first artists from Cryo Chamber I reached out to when I began SOUNDWAVE because his music had the most impact on me. It’s darkly lush, quietly epic, and strangely beautiful. If you enjoy Dronny’s mix, and I know you will, I highly encourage you to purchase his album.

Speaking of purchasing music, if you dig any of the songs on today’s show, purchase them, too, if you have the means. As we’re all learning, we need art to help get us through the most trying of times. Musicians pour their heart and soul into their music, spending hours, days, weeks and months for something we listen to in minutes. And for most musicians are already working full time job on top of perfecting their craft. And as writer Bruce Sterling often says, “whatever happens to musicians will happen to all of us.” So out of solidarity, spend some cash on their music. They deserve it and need it.

Join us again next week when our guest deejay will be Jaime Irles. See you then!

Dronny Darko
Dronny Darko

  1. Red Fog “Arboria Institute”
  2. Dronny Darko “Noumenon”
  3. Line Spectrum “Unreleased”
  4. Richard Chartier “Sketch For Winter”
  5. protoU “Transparent Clusters”
  6. Cryogenic Weekend “Unreleased”
  7. Red Fog & Dronny Darko “Unreleased”
  8. Sleeping On Lotus Ashes “Failure of the Material”
  9. Ajna & Dronny Darko “Mutated DNA”

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

Logo by Rik Oostenbroek