Today’s guest deejay is Michael Jakucs, AKA Sunwarper.
After hearing Michael’s music in both Brian Sangmeister and Forest Robots’s mixes for Soundwave, I invited Michael to share a mix. Based on Michael’s music, I knew we were in good hands. But I did not anticipate the surprising directions he took his mix and yet felt utterly familiar.
Let me explain.
The focus of Soundwave is ambient, classical, experimental, and instrumental music, with an emphasis on the ambient. And that’s fine. I’m all about that ambient life. But for me, it’s always a delight when a guest shares a mix that leans into the show’s classical, experimental, and instrumental aspects. Christian Sager’s doom metal/math rock/hip hop mix comes to mind. As does Charles Hazlewood’s mimimalist/modern classical/free jazz mix.
What makes today’s show special, for me, is that it’s very much steeped in shoegaze and dream pop. So while I only know several of the artists in Michael’s mix, I already feel well acquainted with the music I’m unfamiliar with. It’s very déjà vu. I keep asking myself, “Isn’t this a 4AD release?”
Michael Jakucs, AKA Sunwarper
Michael just released a track composed for the season finale of the webcomic The Eagle and the Snake called “Forever Becoming.” He also has a full-length album, Radiant Visage, that will be released on October 14 and available for pre-order on September 9.
Join us next week when our guest deejay will be n5MD founder Mike Cadoo.
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.
Sasha Puzan, AKA Robocat
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.
Today’s guest deejay is Robert Farrugia, co-founder of Complex Holiday, an itinerant label for inside-out ambient and sound art tomfoolery.
Robert was our guest deejay last fall, and he returns to Soundwave sharing another lustrous mix.
For me, Robert’s mix captures the essence of ambient music, as explained by Brian Eno, who compared ambient music to a painting. You can enjoy a painting on two levels. On one level, you engage with the painting, looking at it, studying it, and reacting to it. But on another level, the same painting is on the periphery of your consciousness. But it’s still there, subtly affecting you.
I’d find myself immersed in Robert’s mix and then be distracted by an email or text message, lost in thought, and slowly becoming aware that Robert had shifted the territory in his sonic landscape. And then the cycle began again.
Robert Farrugia, Photograph by Chris Vella / Storbju
Robert has included a few releases from Complex Holiday on today’s show. Ben Mifsud Joslin album, New Life (Robert was involved in the recording process and performed additional instrumentation on Ben’s album), and Daniel Vujcic’s album, Palinopsia, will be released later this year. Robert himself makes an appearance with “Iota.”
Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Riz Maslen.
We have Robert Farrugia from Complex Holiday to thank for James’s mix. I asked Robert who he knew who he thought would share a mix on Soundwave, and he recommended James. Oh, listen to Robert’s mix for Soundwave here.
James’s mix explores a lot of terrain and includes a song he recorded under the name A Lily that’s beautiful. There’s also a track in James’s mix that is almost too painful to listen to. You’ll know when you hear it.
I know you’ll love today’s show. If you’d like to hear more music from James, you’ll be delighted to learn that he has new music coming out soon on the Bytes label.
Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Raziel Panic.
Today’s guest deejay is Dan Haines Cohen, founder of Machine Records.
Last year Machine Records celebrated 20 years of releasing new electronic/experimental music, mostly from Wales. Described as “Cardiff’s number one underground electronic imprint” (Buzz Magazine), Machine was the winner of Best Label at the Welsh Music Awards in 2005.
Dan Haines Cohen
Dan also records as Stereo Minus One since 2001 and currently based in Wellington, New Zealand. As well as recent mixes and remixes, his eighth album will be released in June 2022.
I met Dan on Twitter. After he turned me on to new releases from his label, I asked if he’d be interested in sharing a mix on Soundwave. Happily, he said yes.
Dan’s mix showcases some recent releases and includes exclusive, as-yet-unreleased tracks. Dan’s mix also includes a new, never before heard remix by Cape Canaveral of Dan’s 2001 track “Alarums’ which features on Lodestone, as well as an exclusive track from Cape Canaveral’s upcoming new release in 2022 (“Far”).
Every morning this week, I’ve listened to Dan’s mix while drinking coffee and beginning my workday. And every morning, while Dan’s mix plays, a squirrel will sit on the railing of my roof deck, munching on nuts. Later, a blackbird will swoop down and peck through the succulents in their flower pots. We have a nice routine going.
Join us next week when our guest deejay will be James Vella.
I met Andrew through Robert Farrugia, co-founder of Complex Holiday. After Robert guest deejayed on Soundwave (listen to his mix here) I asked him who he thought would share a mix on the show and he suggested Andrew. I listened to some Andrew’s many releases and extended an invitation immediately.
Andrew is a musician from Baltimore currently living in Philadelphia. He utilizes samplers, field recordings, and lo-fi recording techniques to make textured and tactile sounds. In addition to his solo catalog on labels such as Laaps, Seil Records, Eilean Recs, Constellation Tatsu, Home Normal, and more, he is a member of Hotel Neon, Gray Acres, and Mordançage.
Andrew’s mix for today’s show has everything I love to hear on Soundwave. However, what surprised me was his inclusion of Julie Byrne’s “Wisdom Teeth Song” in his mix. Julie’s appearance in his mix isn’t incongruous. It feels inevitable.
I was so delighted to hear Julie’s music in Andrew’s mix that I was inspired to put together my own mix, which includes one of Julie’s songs. You can listen to that mix here.
Andrew has some words about his mix below.
Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Dan Haines Cohen, founder of Machine Records.
Andrew Tasslemyer
“Music for walking through piles of dead leaves.”
For this mix, I was inspired to focus on the specific time and place I was in: the peak of autumn in the northeastern US.
I love this time of year when mornings are cold, but not brutally so… just enough to smack you with a jolt of heightened awareness when you step outside. And for some reason, the sunshine feels better when it’s filtered through the exploding colors of the leaves. I have no scientific basis for saying this but trust me, it’s a fact. It also seems that the calendar has progressed far enough at this point in the year that people start to reflect on months past and look forward to the new year ahead. Everyone feels a little more thoughtful, I suppose.
For this mix, I chose songs that could accompany someone on a wooded walk through the forest (or a nap in bed, whatever), with lots of textural analog sounds like hissing tape and shaky vibrato. The idea is that cracking leaves and snapping twigs can enhance the character of these recordings, which all feature a healthy dose of guitar (acoustic and electric), lo-fi beats and rhythms, and nostalgic timbres. I would encourage listening while walking and using earbuds/headphones that don’t completely isolate you from the world… let it filter in a bit.
Robert Koch is a German, Los Angeles-based artist, composer, and record producer. Koch made a name for himself as a member of the band Jahcoozi before launching a solo artist. His electronic music sound has been called “Wonderful and strange – pop music from the future” by John Peel.
Robert has woven a gorgeous mix that includes music from artists such as the late Harold Budd; Berlin-based musician, composer, and producer Midori Hirano; and Canadian instrumental music producer Jay Cliffen and select tracks from Robert’s new project Foam and Sand.
Foam and Sand is an ambient soundscape and visual endeavor inspired by Robert’s daily meditation habit.
The project took shape during the pandemic lockdown of 2020. Robert used tape recordings of slowed-down pianos, modular synths, and other sonic sources. The signature sound is created with loops that magnify the irregularities and imperfections of cassette recordings and that are then shaped by Robert into hazy meditative journeys. Through the process, the grainy subtleties of sound give way to vast and lush atmospheric soundscapes, making audible the complex interplay of micro and macro and highlighting the interconnectedness of these two spheres in life.
I’ve been a fan of Alex’s music since the last century. It feels strange to write that, but it’s true.
I discovered Alex on his Cypher 7 album, Decoder that he recorded with Jeff Bova. Decoder came in all all-back CD jewel case. Very mysterious and very sexy. Decoder was released on Strata, Bill Laswell’s sub-label of Subharmonic Records, and that was all I needed to know in my decision-making process to purchase the album. I was not disappointed. Decoder was as mysterious and sexy as its CD case. The music was minimal, sinuous, and entrancing.
Alex Haas
I’ve been listening to Alex’s music over the decades. When his album, The Woods, recorded with Michel Banabila and Bill Laswell, popped up on my Spotify Discover Weekly playlist, I immediately invited Alex to guest deejay on Soundwave.
Alex’s mix is exactly what I expected and delights with music from unexpected sources. You’re in for a treat.
Before I get out of here, I want to wish everyone happy holidays.
I also encourage you to followGenius and Soul on your favorite podcast app. 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 deejay will be legendary composer, pianist, singer, and flautist Brian Jackson. Genius and Soul launches on January 1, 2022.
Join us next week when our guest deejay will be iu takahashi.
daniel’s mix is important to me for several reasons.
One reason is that I meant daniel through Soundwave guest deejay Michael Donaldson (listen to Michael’s mix here) when he posted an interview with daniel on his Micro.blog. Initially, I read the interview simply because it was on Micro.blog, a cool social media network I am a member of. But what hooked me was the interview itself and daniel’s exploration of sound through this music.
The other reason today’s show is important to me is that while I love all the mixes on Soundwave, and I mean that, daniel’s mix hit me in all the right places. He included some familiar and precious tracks from the likes of Miles Davis, This Mortal Coil and Skinny Puppy. This is stuff I immersed myself in the 80s and 90s, so it felt like putting on a well-worn sweater. But daniel’s mix included a lot of stuff I had never heard of before, like Oliver Coates, Besombes & Rizet, and Angelo Badalamenti. It was a perfect blend of the familiar and unfamiliar that his mix provided just under an hour’s with of dopamine hits.
The final reason is that I listened to daniel’s mix many places (while working, walking my dog, doing the dishes, etc.), but the place that had the most significance was in my car while driving my grandkid to day school. The experience is already special because I enjoy watching all the adults delivering their most precious of cargos and seeing the love and concern on their faces. daniel’s mix heightened and already tender experience.
daniel has words of his own regarding today’s mix below.
Join us next weekend when our guest deejay will be Sean Slight.
See you then!
danielfuzztone
Like much of the ambient-drone music I produce, this mix was born from a live performance and then manipulated in the digital domain via Audacity. Nothing beats the hardware-software hybrid.
While I’ve DJed for three decades years — including two long stretches of college radio — my skills were a bit rusty, to say the least. I wanted to showcase some of my long-time favorite artists — Brian Eno, Boards of Canada, Spacemen 3, Jean-Michel Jarre — along with several newer ones (and maybe even a few you wouldn’t necessarily think of in the ambient realm).
I performed the set in real time using two MacBooks as playback decks, connected to a cheapo RadioShack DJ mixer from the ’90s.* Recorded in Audacity. Numerous field recordings and samples were also added at this stage — including a mix-long drone of processed shortwave static.
The result is a dark, noisy vibe with bursts of melody, strands of light, and even occasional beats. It’s mysterious and romantic, a droning, pulsing soundtrack from the past 50 years. Enjoy and #DroneOn
— danielfuzztone
POST-SCRIPT: Look for several back-to-back releases in early 2022 via Bandcamp, as well as a live performance in January.
*Due to the lo-fi-meets-hi-fi nature of the recording, you’ll occasionally hear pops and ticks from some of the aging gear. Relax. It’s all part of the ride.
Today’s guest deejay is Jessica Campos de la Paz, AKA Alisú.
Alisú is yet another musician that Soundwave guest deejay Axel Arturo Barceló introduced me to (listen to Axel’s mix here).
Jessica is a Chilean producer and graphic designer and Alisú is her electronic project. She began her career in 1998 performing live sets of dub, techno, IDM and experimental sounds, not only as Alisú but also in the project Manziping with Rodrigo Rivera and Antonio Díaz, performing at many South American festivals. On her first release for Bottom Forty, she composed three beautiful, purely hardware based tracks for her Rompiente EP with rhythmic vibes that take you from resonant underwater depths up into reflective cosmic atmospheres.
Jessica Campos de la Paz, AKA Alisú
Alisú’s mix for today’s show is sexy and a little bit dangerous. Her mix also demonstrates the versatility of ambient and instrumental music. If you listen to these genres of music or listen to Soundwave, you alrready know what I’m talking about. But to the layperson, ambient and instrumental music conjures up swathes of pretty sounds. When I encounter such notions, I point them to the music from artists like Alisú.
I’m going to wrap this entry up because tonight I will be taking the reedy to to Boston. It will be the first time in several decades that my dad, brother, sister and I will be under the same roof. I’m pretty busy, but hit me up and maybe we can meet for some socially distanced coffee.
Join us next week when our guest deejay will be Textere Oris.
