Once again Monolake genius Robert Henke delivers a masterpiece of tranquility: a 60 minute reworking of "Indigo", the closing track of Monolake's Cinemascope album (2001).

The original track is 8 1/2 minutes of layered sound and relaxing dripping water.
Swedish "installation artist" Fredrik Wretman contacted Robert Henke to use this track for a new installation called "Tap Tim": 'one single calm and focused work of art in a huge gallery space'.

But as expected this simple approach was not the route Henke would prefer to take. The original track simply was too short to just put on repeat.

So Robert isolated the original parts of Indigo, reworked them to three different versions on different CD's, which then were played through a multichannel system to create an endless version with infinite differentiations. Indeed: the Brian Eno installation music approach!

This album is a 'stereo mixdown of the initial state of the installation if all three CD's would be started at the same time".
(Note:I wonder why ambient installation music creators don't release the multichannel versions? Shouldn't be too difficult, since most people have access to full surround home cinema systems nowadays!
So PLEASE release multichannel surround versions next to the stereo CD versions!! Especially of CD's like this particular one!!)

The result is a 60 minutes version of refreshingly calm music, (unsurprisingly) closely resembling the best installation music of Brian Eno.
It's as if you decide to rest in a comfortingly warm and humid cave, somewhere far removed from anything hectic.
Even without the installation it was created for, this music simply works well: relaxing and enhancing your own living room environment..

Robert Henke lives up to his expectations in creating a beautiful successor to Signal to Noise and Layering Buddha.

Monolake devotees should be warned though: there's no trace of rhythm on this record other than the irregular drops of water.
You'll have to do with your heartbeat gradually slowing down.

A 30 minute excerpt from the infinitely long soundtrack can be found on the Robert Henke website:

Although ON is mostly presented as a duo, in fact it's better to say that it's a trio. A trio with a very special approach to creating the music: I guess not much musicians immediately 'kill their darlings' after recording them. ON did: by handing over the completed recordings to be remixed and deconstructed completely.

ON is a collaboration project between Sylvain Chauveau (household name of Type Records, among others), and percussionist Steven Hess (Pan American).
For their (2004) album "Your Naked Ghost Comes Back At Night'", they recorded their music and asked Helge Sten (a.k.a. Deathprod) to completely rework it.
And he did, in such a way that this is as much a Deathprod album as it is Chauveau/Hess'.

Deathprod's musical background is a very versatile one, making his name almost legendary: member of Supersilent, worked with Motorpsycho as wel as Biosphere, producing and mixing for the Rune Grammofon label... just to mention a part of his work.

When creating electronic ambient music, his production can almost instantly be recognised: it is deep, dark, haunting, intriguing - always flawlessly recorded and perfect sounding.

Sylvian Chauveau plays prepared and electric guitar, Steven Hess plays drums, percussion and piano - but the instruments are very hard to recognise in the final result. What you hear may more likely remind you of faraway machines in a strange alien environment.
"Your naked Ghost Comes Back At Night And Flies Around My Bed" (full title) is one full hour of fascinating atmospheres, and it easily ranks among the best electronic ambient drone music.

One question remains unanswered: how did the music sound when Chauveau and Hess were finished but before Deathprod reworked it?
It would be nice to compare the results, and I would have like to have seen this re-release include the original recordings.
But on the other hand: we have to respect the fact that the 'unmixed' album was never meant to be published. In this particular and unique case the 'remix' ís the 'original'!

This album was originally released in 2004 but has been very hard to find. Praise to Type Records for saving this from oblivion by re-releasing it.

Excuse me for being ignorant, but until recently Balmorhea was unknown to me.
Which is sort of remarkable, since they mention Claude Debussy, Beethoven, Rachel's, Max Richter, Arvo Pärt and John Cage as their influences, and, according to their Discogs Profile, they shared stages with Stars of the Lid, Eluvium, Helios, and many others.
Their latest album is titled 'All is Wild, All is Silent''

'All is Wild, All is Silent' is far from 'ambient electronic'. It may best be described as 'jazzy instrumental folk-prog-rock', if that is of any use. Touching themes in cleverly dynamic compositions that I'd enjoy but would not normally present on this weblog, simply because it doesn't really fit the style..(there's quite a lot of music that I thoroughly enjoy but not present here).

But: Balmorhea appears to have many friends from the contemporary electronic music scene. These friends were asked to use the album's session tapes to toy with, and came up with resulting tracks very, very different in style from the original - most of the tracks even surpassing the original recording in my opinion (but that's of course a matter of taste and depends on what angle you start from).

There's quite a lot of familiar names in this Remix Squad: how about Library Tapes, Machinefabriek, Jacaszek, Helios, Xela, Peter Broderick, Eluvium, Rafael Anton Irisarri ?
Obviously most of the remixers took their freedom to strip the original tracks down to the bare parts they could use, did not hesitate to leave out a lot of the original material and hence completely change the direction of the original composition - like for example Rafael Anton Irisarri did in the sample track presented below.
And that's how it should be: there's no need for a remix to stay close to the original!

I'm aware that I'm stretching the boundaries of this weblog a bit here, because neither the original nor most of the remixes would be classified as 'ambient'.
But I don't want to be too strict about genre-labels: this remix album will obviously appeal to many visitors listening to ambient/experimental/electronic music.

Other than the Dakota Suite companion mentioned in the previous post, this release is still available at the moment, so don't hesitate too long!

'The End of Trying' is not a 'typical' Dakota Suite Release. Unlike most Dakota Suite albums (except 1999's Navigators Yard) it is fully instrumental, with Chris Hooson, David Buxton and Colin Dunkley playing piano and David Darling playing cello.
The latter fact may indicate the mood of the music on this album: it is extremely delicate, heartbreaking melancholic music.
A 'classic' release that immediately struck me when I first heard it in the beginning of this year.

The track titles indicate the overall mood of this music: How Could You Let Me Go, Things We Lost Along The Way, All The Love I Had Was Not Enough, A Quietly Gathering Tragedy, and not forgetting "Een Langzaam Lekkende Wond' (A Slow Leaking Wound) which reminds us of the fact that Chris Hooson lived in Holland for quite a few years.
This beautiful sad music is clearly not meant to brighten up your day. But it might soothe your sadness with rays of hope shining through empathic, understanding themes and fabulous cello sounds.

'The End of Trying' is one of the most beautiful albums I have heard this year, and it even gains strength with the companion CD that was released shortly after the release of the original: "The Night Keeps Coming In".

This remix companion album exactly follows the original's tracklisting, all tracks remixed by an impressive list of familiar names from the experimental electronic scene.
Just to mention a few of the remix participants (Machinefabriek, Hauschka, Peter Broderick, Elegi, Deaf Center, Arve Henriksen, Greg Haines, Jacaszek, Loscil) may be enough to get you running to order the record, but unfortunately it was released in very limited edition and sold out quickly after it's release. (Luckily, 'The End of Trying' is still available!)

There's a distinct difference in the mood of both albums, due to its instrumentation. While the original is heartbreakingly pure in its acoustic setting, the remix album is more haunting, ghostly and, in a way, darker.

When I decided to dedicate a Folio radio show to these albums I did not know that this would in fact also be the last show I'd compile for public radio: Folio (and some other programs) was to be cancelled shortly after this broadcast, due to budget restrictions and Radio 6 deciding to focus more strictly on jazz music - leaving no place for undefinable experimental 'niche'genres.
So in a way, this show also marks the end of my contributions to dutch public radio..."The End of Trying", indeed.
For a 'last show', I cannot think of any music more appropriate than this!

Below is the link to the webstream of the radio show, from the Radio 6 / Folio website.

Playlist:

1. Arve Henriksen - The End of Trying (2)
2. Dakota Suite - The End of Trying part I (1)
3. Dakota Suite - How Could You Let Me Go (1)
4. Jacaszek - How Could You Let Me Go (2)
5. Loscil - Things We Lost Along the Way (2)
6. Dakota Suite - Things We Lost Along the Way (1)
7. Elegi - All The Love I Had Was Not Enough (2)
8. Dakota Suite - All The Love I Had Was Not Enough(1)
9. Dakota Suite - The End of Trying Part III (1)
10. Hannu - The End of Trying Part III (2)
11. Peter Broderick - This Failing Sea (2)
12. Dakota Suite - This Failing Sea (1)
13. Dakota Suite - A Quietly Gathering Tragedy (1)
14. Hauschka - A Quietly Gathering Tragedy (2)
15. Dakota Suite - Very Early One Morning on Old Road (1)
16. Deaf Center - Very Early One Morning on Old Road (2)
17. Machinefabriek - One day without harming You (2)
18. Dakota Suite - One day without harming You (1)

(1) - Dakota Suite - The End of Trying
2009; Karaoke Kalk CD 49

(2) - Various Artists - The Night Keeps Coming In
2009; Navigators Yard NY001

"Mantra of Walls and Wiring" is the first of a set of three one hour mixes created in 2005.
The other two are "The Hum in the Room" and "Acoustical Illusion" (will follow later).

As you can read from the titles, these mixes thematically deal with the sound you can hear in your living environment; the 'everyday hum' surrounding you.

I got inspired for this theme when I listened to a slowly fading ambient-cd...and finally realised the cd had already stopped for quite a while and I was oviously listening to (and enjoying) the hum of my own refrigerator!
Since then the household environmental sounds do not disturb me anymore...they became part of the music I'm playing.

Starting point of these programs is the text Paul Simon wrote for Philip Glass's 'Changing Opinion' ('Songs from Liquid Days'), featured here in an extremely 'deconstructed' version (full text below).

Compared to the previous mixes these mixes are less accessible for listeners not used to 'ambient drone music'.
These are the most 'minimal' mixes, containing some very strange combinations: the David Darling recording with the Wulu Bunun for example (which may give the feeling you are lifted into the sky) flowing into the sound of eternal rest of Eliane Radigue, followed by Herbert's sound of home-cooking bringing you back to your own private home.

As in all mixes, there are some dark and tense parts. This is not meant to be 'new age happiness' at all.
But in fact its serene timelessness never fails to amaze me.

MANTRA OF WALLS AND WIRING PLAYLIST:

• Philips Cellulite Remover
  - private collection
• Evil Jon - fc4004
  - Wein, Weib und Gesang, 2004, Kikapu KPU 072
• Philip Glass - Changing Opinion (deconstructed)
  - Music from Liquid Days, 1986, CBS DIDC 10217
• Stephen Phillips - Drone 2
  - Drone Download Project 2003
• Scanner - Spyder
  - X-Rated, the Electronic Files, 2002, Boudisque BOU 8
• Sleep Research Facility - Nostromo – A Deck
  - Nostromo, 2001, Cold Spring csr34cd
• Alp Fridge - Freezer
  - At home with Alp, 1999, Soleilmoon 01863
• Igneous Flame - Cyclical
  - unreleased, 2004
• Arve Henriksen - Breathing
  - Sakuteiki, 2001, Rune Grammofon 2021
• Alan Howarth - Sailing Ship Creaks
  - Real Hollywood Sound Effects, 1997, GNP crescendo 8054
• Annette van de Gorne - Terre
  - Storm of Drones, 1996, Asphodel 966
• Christopher Hobbs - McGrimmon will never return
  - Ensemble Pieces, 1975, Obscure OBS2
• Austere - Whainer
  - Drone Download Project 2003
• Stars of the Lid - Down 3
  - The Tired Sounds of, 2001, Kranky KRANK 050
• Alvin Lucier - Music on a long thin wire
  - Ohm, the Electric Gurus of Electronic Music 2000, Ellipsis CD3270
• Darrin Verhagen - As X-rays
  - Black Frost, 2004, Dorobo 020
• Rumble, low frequency
  - private collection
• Arno Peeters - The Clothing Room Sphere
  - private collection
• Arno Peeters - Shaftsphere
  - private collection
• Sleep Research Facility - Dead Weather Machine
  - Dead Weather Machine, 2004, manifold MANCD042
• Johann Johannson - Virgulegu Forsetar, second movement
  - Virgulegu Forsetar, 2004, Touch TO:64
• Richard Bone - Stillness Repeating
  - Ambienism, 2004, Spiralight Recordings
• Grandma's Fussbuster - How Dry I Am / Rub-a-dub-dub, I can't believe it's a tub
  - Grandma's Fussbuster, CDBABY, 1996
• Boyd Rice (Non) - Extract 12
  - Terra Incognita, 2004, Mute Records 9256
• David Darling & the Wulu Bunun - Pasibutbut (Prayer for a rich millet harvest)
  - Mudanin Kata, 2004, Riverboat, TUGCD 1032
• Elaine Radigue - Kailasha
  - Trilogie de la Mort, 1998, XI records, XI 119
• Herbert - In the Kitchen
  - Around the House, 2002, !K7, !K7105CD
• Alp - Microwave Oven / Electric Oven / Pan of Boiling Water
  - At home with Alp, 1999, Soleilmoon 01863

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---

Part 2 of the 2-part mix called 'S.A.D. Sounds (Voorjaarsmoe)' (from april 2004).

The first part can be found here. (Please listen in sequence...)

"S.A.D." is an acronym of 'Seasonal Affective Disorder', otherwise known as 'Spring Fatigue' (and also for the other season's equivalents, like 'Winter Depression').

In Part 2, this theme is reflected in the closing part, a recording of a Kathleen Ferrier's performance of Handel's "Spring is Coming" (From 'Ottone'):
Why should I alone be silent, when all nature awakes to life?"

Voorjaarsmoe 2 Playlist:

• Michael Fahres - The Tubes
  - The Tubes 1995-2003, unreleased, private collection (released in 2006 on Cold Blue Music, CB0024)
• Michael Fahres - Fram (2002) für Grossen Brummkreisel
  - Frames, 2002, Rachel Haferkamp RH CD 001
• Biosphere – Heatleak
  - Shenzhou, 2002, Touch 2002
• Christina Kubisch - Sechs Spiegel
  - Sechs Spiegel, 1995, Parallelle 3
• Leif Inge - bs932
  - 9Beetstretch, www.notam02.no/9/
• Christina Kubisch - Sechs Spiegel
  - Sechs Spiegel, 1995, Parallelle 3
• Arve Henriksen - Viewing Infinite Space
  - Sakuteiki, 2001, Rune Grammofon RCD2021
• Michel Redolfi / Jon Hassell – Vents d'Automne
  - Riviera Roulette – Un Roman Acoustique sur Nice, 2000, private collection
• Tarentel – Adonai
  - The Order of Things, 2001, Neurot Recordings NR010
• Crooked Crow - Closeup of Cricket at Sutter Creek
  - Replacement Sponge, 2001, Crooked Crow Records
• Matthew Florianz – Dageraad
  - Grijsgebied, 2001, H/S Recordings HSCD1
• Biff Johnson - The Other Side of What
  - Reading the Bones, 1998, Broad Vista Music
• Sarah Peebles - Tomoe (Revolving Life)
  – Rebirth - Suspended in Amber, 1994, Deep Listening, PS-CD-1
• David Hayden - Natural Bridges 1
  - The Dark Night of the Soul, 1999, MP3.com
• Sara Ayers - Winter and the Sound of Nothing
  - Sylvatica preview, 2000, MP3.com
• Alio Die - The Hidden Spring
  - The Hidden Spring, 1997, Crowd Control, Crowded 004
• Max Richter - On the Nature of Daylight
  - The Blue Notebooks, 2004, 130701 Records CD 13-04p
• Walter Carlos – Spring
  - Sonic Seasonings, 1972, CBS S67267
• Myst Uru Game Soundtrack - Teledahn Age
  - Uru, Ages beyond Myst, Ubisoft, 2003
• Thomas Köner - Unerforschtes Gebiet
  - Unerforschtes Gebiet, 2003, Mille Plateaux MP118
• Michel Redolfi - Mata Pau (Mara and the Bird)
  - Detours, 1995, Mirage Musical Records
• A Produce - Inner Sanctum
  - Inner Sanctum, 1999, MP3.com
• David Darling - Light
  - Dark Wood, 1995, ECM Records, ECM 1519
• Rothko - blk. with Bear - Dream for an End to Sorrow
  - Wish for a World Without Hurt, 2003, Trace Recordings TRACECD001
• Higher Intelligence Agency - Cannon Hill
  - Birmingham Frequencies, 1998, Headphone h002
• Kelvin L. Smith – Freshwater
  - Reclining Music, 2003, Farfield records
• Gilles Reaves - Sacred Space
  - Sacred Space, 2000, MP3.com
• Matthew Florianz, Stan Linders, Ivo Selder - Open Stage 20 april unmastered
  - Open Stage, 2002, www.matthewflorianz.com
• Echoes of Nature – Twilight Bayou: the Natural Sounds
  - Echoes of Nature, Delta, #12252
• Kathleen Ferrier - Spring is Coming (Ottone - Handel)
  - What is Life? Songs, Arias and Sacred Pieces, Memoir Classics UK
• Thomas Gerwin - Air
  - Wattenmeer Suite , 1996, Integral Art Project IAP011

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The joys of springtime usually get the most attention, but the season has a dark side, too: “Spring Fatique”.
The need to eat and to sleep more than usual, inexplicable mood changes, the difficulty to be able to concentrate, etc.

These feelings are not strictly limited to the spring season, however. Comparable feelings are also known in Winter and Fall. About 60% of all people will probably recognise these symptoms. About 2% suffer from the more serious “Seasonal Affective Disorder’ (S.A.D.), also known as ‘Winter Depression’.

The symptoms described can almost be heard in the strange soundscapes of this mix: not only in the titles of the tracks, but also in the atmosphere. Dark sounds, mostly, especially in the beginning. Luckily, the keynote of the pieces used gets lighter when time progresses: it is as if you hear the sun struggling to break through the sky.. Besides being an auditive impression of the tiredness of spring, this program may hopefully also be a remedy against it.

This mix was created in 2004.

The classic Peter Hammill track ‘The Birds’ in the beginning of Part 1 defines the theme:

'Spring came far too early this year: Mayflowers blooming in February.
Should I be sad for the months, or glad for the sky?
The birds don’t know which way to sing, and, my friends, neither do I.'

(Part 2 of this mix can be found here)

• Echoes of Nature – Birdsong
  - Rainforest: The Natural Sounds, 1993, Delta 12251
• Peter Hammill - The Birds
  - The Love Songs, 1971, Virgin CAS 1166
• Dallas Simpson - Bottle Disposal
  - Binaural Performances, Farfield Records
• Falling You - Inside the Whale
  - internet download, 2000, MP3.com
• A Produce – Overground
  - Altara, 2001, MP3.com
• Einóma – Brot Undir
  - Feilnótum, 2002, Vertical Form VFORM019CD
• Biosphere - As the Sun Kissed the Horizon
  - Substrata (remastered), 2001, touch to:50
• Brian Eno & J. Peter Schwalm - Two Voices
  - Drawn from Life, 2001, Virgin Venture CDVEDJX954
• Aaron Ximm - Deep Creatures
  - The Quiet American, http://www.quietamerican.org
• Lull - Lonely Shelter
  - Cold Summer, 1995, Subharmonic, SD 7013
• Michel Redolfi - Crysalis
  - Deep Sleep - Detours, 1995, Mirage Musical Records
• Paul Schutze - Born by Clouds
  - Regard: Music by Film, 1997, Tone Casualties 610743971927
• Matthew Florianz – Duisternis
  - Sprook, 2003, H/S Recordings
• The Innocence Mission - No Storms Come
  - Befriended, 2003, Badman Recording
• Scott Smallwood – Debris
  - Desert Winds: Six Windblown Pieces, 2002, Deep Listening DL 17
• Deeplab Audioscapes – Chaak
  - Deeplab Audioscapes, 1999, mp3.com
• Brian Eno - Emphasizing Harmonic Partials
  - January 07003, Bell Studies for the Clock of the Long Now, 2003, Opal CD02
• Esa Ruoho - Departure (18-02-01)
  - Spaces, 2001, U-Cover 005
• Pete Namlook - Je Suis Triste et Seul Ici
  - Ambient Compilation 4, 1993, Fax +49-69/450464
• Michael Fahres - Mercury Sound Escape Shore
  - Hain, 1996, Trikont US-0232
• Vor der Flut - excerpt
  - Various Artists: Vor der Flut, Hommage an einem Wasserspeicher, EIGELSTEIN 2025/26
• Boxhead Ensemble – One
  - Quartets, 2003, Atavistic 567203
• Thomas Köner - Nuuk (Night)
  - Driftworks, 1997, Big Cat ABB1000CD
• Nils Petter Molvaer - Kakonita-Deathprod Mix
  - Recoloured, the remix album, 2001, Emarcy 013 591-2
• Biosphere - Poa Alpina
  - Substrata (remastered), 2001, Touch 2001
• Pete Namlook - Spring-from April to May
  - Seasons Greeting – Spring, Fax +49-69/450464 sea02
• Andy Mellwig - Coloured Grey
  - Various Artists – Modulation & Transformation 4, 1999, MP 061 3CD
• Dhafer Youssef – Diaphanes
  - Digital Prophecy, 2003, Sony CD / 22.04.03
• Alan Howarth - Interdimensional Vortex
  - Real Hollywood Sound Effects, 1997, GNP Crescendo 052824805422
• Cypher 7 - Falling Backwards
  - Security, 2001, Subharmonic SUB7017
• Brannan Lane - Relaxing Effect of Water
  - Relaxing Effects of Water, 2002, Brannanlane Music BLM503CD
• Greyworld - Studio 5
  - Sonic Boom, 2000, Hayward Gallery, ISBN 1-85332-208-3
• Hildegard Westerkamp - Beneath the Forest Floor
  - Transformations, 1996, Empreintes Digitales, IMED 9631
• A Silver Mt. Zion - For Wanda
  - He Has Left Us Alone…, 2000, Constellation #9
• Hildegard Westerkamp - Beneath the Forest Floor
  - Transformations, 1996, Empreintes Digitales, IMED 9631
• Michel Redolfi - Sons Frisson Cue 3
  - Sons Frisson, 1998, Private Collection
• Susumu Yokota – Beans
  - The Boy and the Tree, 2002, Leaf BAY25CD
• David Sylvian - Darkest Dreaming
  - Dead Bees on a Cake, 1999, Virgin CDV 2471

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---

Peter Hammill - The Birds

Spring came far too early this year:
May flowers blooming in February.
Should I be sad for the months,
or glad for the sky?
The birds don't know which way to sing and, my friends,
neither do I.

Two days ago, a girl I truly thought I loved
suddenly didn't seem to matter at all.
Should I sing sad farewell to things
I'm really glad I've left behind?
The birds don't know which way to sing and, my friends,
neither do I.

In another day, heavy snow will lie upon the ground,
and buds prematurely bloom shall fail;
And every creature living now, then will
surely die...
The birds don't know which way to sing and, my friends,
neither do I.
The birds don't know if it's time yet to fly,
and they don't know which way to go and, my friend,
neither do I.
Neither do I.
Neither do I.
Neither do I.

Innocence Mission - No Storms Come
adapted from a poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins
HEAVEN-HAVEN (a nun takes the veil)

I have desired to go
Where springs not fail,
To fields where flies no sharp and sided hail
And a few lilies blow.

And I have asked to be
Where no storms come,
Where the green swell is in the havens dumb,
And out of the swing of the sea.

David Sylvian - Darkest Dreaming

Stay tonight
We'll watch the full moon rising
Hold on tight
The sky is breaking
I don't ever want to be alone
With all my darkest dreaming
Hold me close
The sky is breaking

I don't ever want to be alone
With all my darkest dreaming
Hold me close
The sky is breaking

Peinzing - Part 2 (2003) is of course the second part of Peinzing (Pondering; Muse-ing).

Since both parts are meant to be listened to as one, please download part 1 first and listen to them sequentially.

You can find the full comments with Peinzing - Part 1, so for this edition I'll just stick to the playlist..

Peinzing - Part 2 Playlist:

• Brannan Lane - Mouth
  - Lost Caverns of Thera - World Circle Records - 2000
• John Zorn - Mysteries
  - IAO - Music In Sacred Light - Tzadik TZ 7338- 2002
• Thom Brennan - Mist
  - Mist - TMB Music TB1034 - 2000
• Roger Eno - Where the Rock Fish Feeds
  - Night Garden - La Cooka Ratcha Records CD-16714 - 2000
• Tim Gerwing - Stars
  - Being to Being - MAPL (no number) - 2002
• Banabila/Vloeimans - Roofscape
  - Voiznoiz III - Javaanse Jongens/Challenge JJT 77009 - 2002
• Silent Watcher of Dark Matter - Toward the Infinite
  - Hempmachine Music - 2001
• Aphex Twin - 11
  - Selected Ambient Works II - Warp 021 LP - 1994
• Yves Daoust - Suite Baroque: l'Extase
  - Excitations - Empreintes Digitales - 2000
• Jon Hassell - Rising Thermal 14-16N;32-28E
  - Fourth World: Possible Musics - Editions E.G. EGED7 - 1980
• Jamuud - Sayan
  Niskala - Konstellations, 769490111152/SSeyo CDRom - 1999
• Bono/Eno/Hassell/Lanois - Bathtub
  - The Million Dollar Hotel - Interscope 542395- 2000
• Bono/Eno Hassell/Lanois - The First Time
  - The Million Dollar Hotel - Interscope 542395- 2000
• Echoes of Nature - Hoots and Howls
  - Jungle Talk: The Natural Sounds Of The Wilderness - Delta B000001V4S - 1993
• Akira Rabelais - [....] edit
  - Full Swing Edits - Orthlong Musork orth 05- 2002
• Alio Die - In Mean Time
  - The Hidden Spring - Crowd Control Crowded 004 - 1997
• Alan Howarth - Blue Light Constant
  - Real Hollywood Sound Effects - GNP Crescendo GNPD 8054 - 1997
• Dino Pacifici - Timeshift (edit)
  - Hallowed Ground - Dance Plant Records/Farfield Records - 1999
• Tosca - Schwimmer.session 4
  - Dehli9 - G-Stone/!K7 140cd - 2003
• Justin Bennett - The Mosques of Tanger 1 + 2
  - The Mosques of Tanger - Staalplaat STmCD 010 - 1994
• Holger Czukay - Mirage
  - Good Morning Story - Tone Casualties tccd 9944 - 1999
• Barry Truax - Fog (Pacific Region), part 2
  - Fog - Cambridge Street Records, CSR CD 9101 - 1990
• Humpback Whale
  - NOAA Ocean Explorer Archive
• Beth Gibbons - Mysteries
  - Out of Season - Polydor 066 574-2 - 2002
• Humpback Whale / Slowdown
  NOAA Ocean Explorer Archive
• Stephan Micus - Adela (edit)
  - Desert Poems - ECM 1757 - 2002
• Arno Peeters - Blindside
  - Soundscape Jabotek 2001* radio recording - 2001
• Banabila - Steam
  - Spherics II - Boudisque Recording BOU 8 - 2003
• Brannan Lane - Cavern V: Circle of Darkness
  - Lost Caverns of Thera - World Circle Records - 2000
• Plenum - GSD
  - Various Artists: Communication Problems - Vibragun VIN 003 - 2002
• Harmonic Choir - Rainbow Voice
  - Hearing Solar Winds - Ocora c. 558607 - 1988
• Arvo Pärt - Für Aline
  - Alina - ECM 1591 - 2000
• AV911 - Rain Storm one + two
  - mp3.com

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---

Mysteries
(Words & Music by Beth Gibbons)

God knows how I adore life
When the wind turns on the shores lies another day
I cannot ask for more

When the time bell blows my heart
And I have scored a better day
Well nobody made this war of mine

And the moments that I enjoy
A place of love and mystery
I'll be there anytime

Oh mysteries of love
Where war is no more
I'll be there anytime

"Peinzing" (pondering, muse-ing) (2003) is the name of the musical collage in which the difference between 'music' and 'sound' will not always be clear to the listener.

Over time, this has proven to be one of the most popular mix, especially with listeners that were not exactly familiar to ambient/electronic music.
It is indeed one of the more accessible - which does nót necessarily mean this is 'easy listening'.

Do nót expect 'New Age' music, despite some whale-, cricket- and other sounds of nature. At times the layers of sounds are dark and threatening, maybe even confronting.
There's always the dynamic range between tension and release. The quiet piano sounds of John Cage and Arvo Pärt surround a broad spectrum of auditive landscapes. Inbetween, sometimes 'ordinary' pop-songs define the theme, like Paul Simon's 'Quiet':"I am heading for a time of quiet / When my restlessness is past / And I can lie down on my blanket / And release my fists at last".

This particular sequence (Arno Peeter's collage of hectic life's answering machines, Paul Simon's detaching Zen-like song 'Quiet', and Jon Hassell seemingly rephrasing Paul Simon's last vocal line) is one of my all time favourite sequences.
Because for me this part expresses what most mixes are about: Tension...Release...and then again: dark clouds gathering above strange landscapes...

Please note that this 2-part mix is meant to be listened as one.
Peinzing (Part 2) can be found here

Peinzing (Part 1) playlist:

• Alexei Lubimov - John Cage: In a Landscape
  Der Bote - ECM New Series 1771 461812-2 - 2002
• DNTel - Pillowcase
  Life is Full of Possibilities - Plug Research PR320106CD - 2001
• Autopoieses - c[] edit
  Full Swing Edits - Orthlong Musork orth 05- 2002
• Arno Peeters - Audentity II
  Aeroson - Mille Plateaux MP031 CD - 1996
• Paul Simon - Quiet
  You're the One - Warner Bros 47844 - 2000
• Jon Hassell - These Times...
  Dream Theory in Malaya - Editions EG EEGCD13 - 1981
• Thomas Köner - Daikan I + IV
  Daikan - Mille Plateaux MP 107 - 2002
• Christina Kubisch - Oase 2000
  Sonic Boom - Sonic Boom - 2000
• Biosphere - Green Reflections
  Cirque - Touch TO:55 - 2001
• Arno Peeters - Audentity - extended
  Aeroson - Mille Plateaux MP031 CD - 1996
• Echoes of Nature - Turkey Talk
• Jungle Talk: The Natural Sounds Of The Wilderness - Delta B000001V4S - 1993
• Eleni Karaindrou - Lament I
  Trojan Women - ECM New Series 1810 - 2002
• Nigel Ayers/John Everall/Mick Harris - Mesmeric Enabling Device part 2
  Mesmeric Enabling Device - Soleilmoon 01923 - 1997
• A Produce - Midnight Pond
  The Other World- Hypnos hyp 1804 - 1998
• Bass Communion - A Grapefruit in the World of Park
  Where Stalks the Sandman - Noh Poetry NPR 003 - 2001
• Kent Sparling - In a Mumbling Sky
  Under New Manna - Farfield Records - 2000
• Susumu Yokota - Grass, Tree and Stone
  The Boy and the Tree - Leaf Label bay25cd - 2002
• Clint Mansell & Kronos Quartet - Coney Island Low
  Requiem for a Dream - Nonesuch 79611-2 - 2000
• Dhafer Youssef - La Priere de l'Absent
  Electric Sufi - Enja 9412-2 - 2002
• Jah Wobble - The Compound
  Umbra Sumus - 30Hertz cd 5 - 1998
• Jah Wobble - Chela
  Umbra Sumus - 30Hertz cd 5 - 1998
• Alan Howarth - Storm on Ceti Beta VII
  Real Hollywood Sound Effects - GNP Crescendo GNPD 8054 - 1997
• Fred Szymanski - It's Hard to Know
  Various Artists: A Storm of Drones - Asphodel ASP 0966 - 1996
• Thomas Köner - Ilira
  Teimo - Barooni BAR05cd - 1991
• Thomas Köner - Foutu
  Various Artists: Communication Problems - Vibragun VIN 003 - 2002
• Rothko - Bloodtied
  A Continual Search for Origins- Too Pure - 2002
• Liquid Morphine - Droom
  (not on album) - 2000
• Arve Henriksen - Path around the Pond
  Sakuteiki - Rune Grammofon 2021 - 2001
• Leif Inge - 9Beetstretch 3.2 (partial)
  9Beetstretch - EX FIELD X 24H 9B - 2002
• John Taverner - Funeral Ikos
  Byzantia - Virgin Classics 7243 5 45352 2 2 - 1999
• AV911 - Rain Storm 2
  mp3.com

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Quiet
(Words & Music by Paul Simon)

I am heading for a time of quiet
When my restlessness is past
And I can lie down on my blanket
And release my fists at last

I am heading for a time of solitude
Of peace without illusions
When the perfect circle
Marries all beginnings and conclusions

And when they say
That you're not good enough
Well the answer is
You're not
But who are they
Or what is it
That eats at what you've got
With the hunger of ambition
For the change inside the purse
They are handcuffs on the soul, my friends
Handcuffs on the soul
And worse

I am heading for a place of quiet
Where the sage and sweetgrass grow
By a lake of sacred water
From the mountain's melted snow

Funeral Ikos
From the Order for the Burial of Dead Priests,
translated from the Greek by Isabel Hapgood.

Why these bitter words of the dying, O brethren,
which they utter as they go hence?
I am parted from my brethren.
All my friends do I abandon, and go hence.
But whither I go, that understand I not,
neither what shall become of me yonder;
only God who hath summoned me knoweth.
But make commemoration of me with the song:
Alleluia.

But whither now go the souls?
How dwell they now together there?
This mystery have I desired to learn,
but none can impart aright.
Do they call to mind their own people, as we do them?
Or have they forgotten all those who mourn them
and make the song:
Alleluia.

We go forth on the path eternal,
and as condemned, with downcast faces,
present ourselves before the only God eternal.
Where then is comeliness? Where then is wealth?
Where then is the glory of this world?
There shall none of these things aid us,
but only to say oft the psalm:
Alleluia.

If thou hast shown mercy unto man, O man,
that same mercy shall be shown thee there;
and if on an orphan thou hast shown compassion,
the same shall there deliver thee from want,
If in this life the naked thou hast clothed,
the same shall give thee shelter there,
and sing the psalm:
Alleluia.

Youth and the beauty of the body
fade at the hour of death,
and the tongue then burneth fiercely,
and the parched throat is inflamed.
The beauty of the eyes is quenched then,
the comeliness of the face all altered,
the shapeliness of the neck destroyed;
and the other parts have become numb,
nor often say:
Alleluia.

With ecstacy are we inflamed if we but hear
that there is light eternal yonder;
that there is Paradise,
wherein every soul of Righteous Ones rejoiceth.
Let us all, also, Enter into Christ,
that all we may cry aloud thus unto God:
Alleluia.

Because these three mixes were broadcast in one 'go' on dutch radio in 2002, I like to refer to them as the "Polderlicht Trilogy".

To me, good drone/ambient music always has a feeling of timelessness. This mix (like most of my others) combines some of the deepest drones (Thomas Köner, Alio Die, Stars of the Lid) with music that is not even remotely considered 'ambient', yet has a similar feeling (Calexico, David Darling, Kimmo Pohjonen).

The sequence image (below) shows the way the tracks are superimposed and combined.

Vergeten Tijd: Mix Sequence

Vergeten Tijd Playlist:

• Kimmo Pohjonen - Avanto - Kluster - 2002
• Alio Die - The Hidden Spring - The Hidden Spring -1999
• Kit Clayton - Untitled 7 - Lateral Forces (Surface Fault) - 2001
• Stars of the Lid - Gasfarming - The Tired Sounds of...- 2001
• Toshinori Kondo & Bill Laswell - Untitled Track - Life Space Death - 2001
• Tom Heasley - Ground Zero - Where the Earth Meets the Sky - 2001
• 310 - Persian Wolf - Downtown and Brooklyn Only - 2001
• 310 - Prewar Doorman - Downtown and Brooklyn Only - 2001
• David Darling - Lament - Cello - 1993
• Silent Watcher of Dark Matters- Deep Space - Toward the Infinite - 2001
• Peter Schaefer - Gulf Savannah - The Mynah - 1996
• Austere - Thanatos - Monodia- 1999
• Loop Guru - Saboda - Catalogue of Desires, vol. 3: the Clear White Variation - 1996
• Thomas Köner - Meta Incognita - Permafrost - 1997
• Jochem Paap - Un-klkkn - Vrs-Mbnt-Pcs 9598 I - 1998
• Falling Water - Bamboo Rainsticks - Bamboo Rainsticks - 1999
• Arve Henriksen - White Gravel - Sakuteiki - 2001
• David Tollefson - Exqoor (illusive mix) - The Other World - 1998
• Kimmo Pohjonen - Alla - Kluster - 2002
• Calexico - Untitled II - Hot Rail - 2000
• Egghatcher - Sweep - The Other World - 1998
• Lull - Travels - Dreamt about Dreaming - 1992
• LLIPS vs. Starfish Pool - Mouthful - Sweetwater - 2000
• Steve Roach - Midnight Loom - Midnight Moon - 1998
• Solitaire - Runes - Ritual Ground - 1993
• Air Liquide - Tinitus - rauschen gefährdet ihre gesundheit - Abuse your Illusions - 1995
• Paul Giger - Zauerli 3 - Alpstein - 1991
• Piano Magic - Untitled III - Son de Mar - 2001

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This is the second one: "Eindpunt (End of the Line)"

The first one was "Klanksluis" (SoundLock, as in 'Airlock').

"Eindpunt" (End of the Line) was created for use in an old deserted public transport depot at the Oranje Vrijstaatkade in Amsterdam.

The speakers were hidden in the old wreck of a bus (pictured above, with a light installation by Willem Marijs), reminiscing of days gone by: it includes some old recordings of a horse-tram in Amsterdam and other transport sounds.

This mix should've stopped playing at eleven o'clock in the evening, but due to human error the timer clock failed and the mix kept playing all night...seemingly louder and louder white the city went to sleep.
The people living at the other side of the water MUST have heard fragments of this mix in their sleep. Some of them must've had some really weird dreams that night.
But no-one complained!!

Eindpunt (End of the Line) Playlist:

• Brian Eno - Old Brompton Road, feb 20 - Music for White Cube - 1997
• Brian Eno - The Oval, feb 24 - Music for White Cube - 1997
• tramrit a'dam 50's - - Library of vanished sounds
• Sara Ayers - Interiors - Interiors - 2001
• Lost Time Accident - Cave - Age 2 Wonder at - 2001
• paardentram - Library of vanished sounds
• Banabila - Primitive Lab - Spherics - 2001
• Crooked Crow - Bakersfield Station - Replacement Sponge - 2001
• Fluxion - Unechoic Dream - [Spaces] - 2001
• DJ Jizello - Hwok_pur - unknown - 2001
• The East CourtYard - Live Ambient Vibes - 2001
• Biosphere - Moistened & Dried - Cirque - 2000
• Francis Dhomont - Espace-escape - Excitations - 2000
• Jeff Greinke - Harbor Island 2 - Cities in Fog 2 - 1997
• oude tram interieur - Library of vanished sounds
• Brian Eno - Camden Town, feb 24 - Music for White Cube - 1997
• Aphex Trim - 11 - Selected Ambient Works, vol II - 1994
• tramrit a'dam 50's - Library of vanished sounds
• Robyn Schulkowsky / Nils Petter Molvaer- VII - Hastening Westward - 1995
• Thomas Köner - Nuuk - Aubrite - 1995
• Bill Fontana - Köln-Kyoto Sound Bridge - ?
• Vladislav Delay - Ranta - Multila - 2000
• Richard Chartier - Filer - Clicks and Cuts 2 - 2000
• Biosphere - Proem - Insomnia-No Peace for the Wicked - 1997
• Stephen Philips - Drone Symphony in E - Cycles 3 - 2000
• paardentram - Library of vanished sounds
• oude tram interieur - Library of vanished sounds
• Sutekh - 19xx - Clicks and Cuts 2 - 2000
• Brian Eno - Lavender Hill, feb 14 - Music for White Cube - 1997

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This is the first one: "Klanksluis" (SoundLock, as in 'Airlock').
The other one is "Eindpunt (End of the Line)", which will be published next.

The Polderlicht project (consisting mainly of video art and light sculptures) created a different view on the area around the Polderweg, which was to be demolished to make place for a new shopping mall. Klanksluis was especially designed to use in the Beyersweg: a small street that was one of the entries to the Polderlicht Area, stretching over a few 100 metres.

One side filled with green bushes covering an old school building (now vanished), the other side stone brick walls.
Multiple speakers were located over the full length of the street, hiding in the bushes. Everyone entering the Area had to pass the 'soundlock' (hence the name 'Klanksluis').

Some visitors may hardly have noticed the sound installations (playing continously), because by walking through it, they only heard a small fragment of it.
Unless, of course, they realised that the sound of croaking frogs was quite unusual in this part of town - just to name an example...

Mixing and merging this music with more acoustical passages, like Gorecki composition, the trumpet of Nils Petter Molvaer, or the accordeon of Calexico, these mixes offer new emotional intensity, different compared to the original recordings.

KlankSluis Playlist:

• zomers platteland in Nederland (dutch flatlands in summer) - Library of vanished sounds
• Michel Redolfi - Palm Canyon - Swarm of Drones - 1995
• Austere - Retouched Preview/Crystil - Austere remix - Falling You - 2000
• Max Corbacho - Predawn Darkness - Far Beyond The Immobile Point - 2000
• Steve Reich - Interior of the Cave - The Cave - 1995
• Steve Roach - Early Dawn - Early Man - 2000
• Boulding/ Bollman / Wolff - Invocationes - Vor der Flut; Hommage an einen Wasserspeicher - ?
• Laraaji - Kalimba - Music for Films III - 1988
• AV911 Multimedia - Rain Storm One - - Soundscape: Rain Storm One - 1999
• Final - Hide - Ambient, vol. 4: Isolationism - 1995
• Robert Rich - Electric Fish - Somnium DVD (excerpt) - 2001
• Thomas Köner - Ilira - Teimo - 1992
• Kit Clayton - Nuchu -Nek Salanet - 1999
• Hildegard Westerkamp - Breathing Room - Excitations - 2000
• Hildegard Westerkamp - Cricket Voice - Transformations - 1996
• Esa Ruoho - Space (29.11.99.1) - Spaces - 2001
• Dreamstate - White Winter Moon - ambient01@hyperreal - 1999
• David Hayden - Calling the Spirit of the Canyon Wind - Natural Bridges - 2001
• Andy Mellwig - Coloured Grey - Modulation & Transformation, Vol. 4 - 1999
• Kim Cascone - nb2e_vortex.aiff - Modulation & Transformation, Vol. 4 - 1999
• Silent Watcher of Dark Matter - Through space & time - Deep Space - 2001
• Balanescu Quartet - Mother - Luminitza - 1994
• Ryoji Ikeda - 0-Zero Degrees - Sonic Boom - 2000
• Alvin Lucier- Music on a long thin wire - Ohm - 2000
• Thomas Köner & TT Wipp - Mesurait la Force - Modulation & Transformation, Vol. 4- 1999
• Christian Calon - Portrait d'un Visiteur - Excitations - 2000
• Natasha Barrett - Racing Unseen - Excitations - 2000
• Neotropic - Rote - La Prochaine Fois - 2001
• Random Inc - Jerusalem 22 - Jerusalem; Tales outside the Framework of Orthodoxy - 2001
• Random Inc - Jerusalem 17 - Jerusalem; Tales outside the Framework of Orthodoxy - 2001
• Thomas Köner - Firn - Permafrost - 1997
• H.M. Gorecki - Wislo Moja, Wislo Szara - Miserere - 1999
• zomers platteland in Nederland (dutch flatlands in summer) - Library of vanished sounds

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Part 4 of the 4-part mix from 2001..

Notes on this mixes can be found with Dreamscenes - Part 1.
Read more for the complete playlist:

• Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Sea of Vapours - Mustt Mustt
• Zero Ohms - Power of Nothingness - [MP3.com]
• Bill Laswell / Michael J. Harris - Distal Sonority - Ambient Compendium
• DreamState - PM Landscape 1 - [MP3.com]
• Tim Gerwing - Chikatetsu - [MP3.com]
• SAO - Grassland - [MP3.com]
• Thomas Koener - Permafrost - Permafrost
• Christina Kubisch - Oase 2000 - Sonic Boom
• Vidna Obmana - Evening Chorus (gamelan 2) - Anthology Part One 1992-1994
• Ronu Majumdar - A Day for Trade Winds - Hollow Bamboo
• Brian Eno - Kentish Town, jan 29 - White Cube
• Brian Eno - Barbican Station, feb 24 - White Cube
• David Hayden - Calling the Spirit of the Canyon - [MP3.com]
• Zero Ohms - Radha Shabda - [MP3.com]
• Russell Mills - Heaven Dips - Pearl + Umbra
• Faultline - Mystery Track - Closer Colder
• David Darling - Dawn - Dark Wood
• Godspeed You Black Emperor - The Buildings they are sleeping - Raise your hands…
• Sara Ayers - Night Hounds - [MP3.com]
• Olivier Messiaen - Oraison (1937) - OHM - Gurus of Electronic Music
• Steve Reich - Interior of the Cave - The Cave

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Part 3 of the 4-part mix from 2001..

Notes on this mixes can be found with Dreamscenes - Part 1.
Read more for the complete playlist:

• Biosphere - Le Grand Dôme - Cirque
• Fred Szymansky - It's Hard to Know - A Storm of Drones
• Giles Reaves - Toward the One - [MP3.com]
• Michel Redolfi - Palm Canyon - A Swarm of Drones
• Umlaut Soundscapes - The Sarcophagus part One - [MP3.com]
• Eliane Radigue - Mila's Journey - Inspired by a Dream
• Kudsi Erguner - Suheyla
• Steve Roach / Thupten Pema Lama - Prayers to the Protector(instrumental) - Prayer to the Protector
• Sara Ayers - Strand of Pearls - [MP3.com]
• Startled Insects - Lifepulse - Lifepulse
• Laurie Anderson - Tightrope - Bright Red / Tightrope
• Laswell / Hosono / Harris - Main Dream - Alien Ambient Galaxy
• A Silver Mt. Zion - 13 Angels Standing Guard around the Side - He has left us alone
• Brian Eno - Camden Town, feb 24 - White Cube
• Hector Zazou - Notte - Les Nouvelles Polyphonies Corses

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Part 2 of the 4-part mix from 2001..

Notes on this mixes can be found with Dreamscenes - Part 1.
Read more for the complete playlist:

DreamScenes - Part 2 Playlist:

• Hassell / Arreguin / Muhoberac / Freeman - Amsterdam Blue (Cortege) - Million Dollar Hotel OST
• Bill Laswell - Broken Dream - Ambient Compendium
• Paul Lansky - 6 Fantasies on a poem by Thomas Campion: Her Song (1978) - OHM - Gurus of Electronic Music
• Rachel's Handwriting - Full on Night, Full on Night Obscurio - Flow - [MP3.com]
• Russell Mills - A Swoon in Amber - Pearl + Umbra
• Rothko - Suddenly Becomes Light - [MP3.com]
• Steve Roach - Begins Looking Skyward - Early Man
• Scanner - Ground Veil - [MP3.com]
• John Surman - A Monastic Calling - Absalom Dawe
• SAO - Evening Fire on Mimosa Ridge - [MP3.com]
• Robert Ashley - Automatic Writing (1979) - OHM - Gurus of Electronic Music
• Thomas Koener / Max Eastley - In Concert - Sonic Boom
• Robyn Schulkowsky / Nils Petter Molvaer - Hastening Westward VII - Hastening Westward
• Maryanne Amacher - Living Sound, Patent Pending (1979) - OHM - Gurus of Electronic Music
• Jamuud - Sayan - Niskala
• Paul Bowles / Bill Laswell - Baptism of Solitude - Baptism of Solitude
• Sheila Chandra - AboneCroneDrone 1 - AboneCroneDrone
• Stuart Dempster - Melodic Communion - Underground Overlays in the Cistern Chapel

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DreamScenes was originally created in 2001 for dutch radio. It consists of four one-hour parts that were broadcasted uninterrupted.
To my surprise it led to quite a few reactions, some people even listened to the the full 4 hours in one radio session.

This mix actually was the second in the series: in april 2001 the first one, called 'Ambient Mix' was broadcast (also 4 hours).
That one was in fact more of a 'live mix' (I had no good setup to pre-listen to the tracks), so I find this mix a bit too messy to publish here.

Quite a few of these mixes would follow in later years. I will gradually publish them all on this podcast weblog
I will of course publish full playlist details here too. Hope you'll enjoy them and hope to find you here again in the future...

(Read more for Playlist Details and download link)

Original Notes:
In society today, sometimes we're very busy chillin' out. The non-stop "DreamScenes" collage might be helpful: without the proper (relaxed) state of mind you probably will not be able to appreciate the continuous 4 hour long audiomix. It is difficult to distinguish one track from another in this mix. It's a continuous mix, four hours long, without spoken comment (apart from the computerized instruction telling you how to do a reality check when needed). "Dreams" are the main theme of this collage. There is a remarkable cadence in the program, resembling the sleep cycle. Sometimes only distorted signals of the outer reality seem to enter your consciousness, while at other moments you seem to be awake - bright, clear and lucid. Never too long however: within short, any impression differs from the moment before.

Please don't let the phrase 'chill out' distract you: this collage has nothing to do with the New Age music usually associated with it. The feverish whispering of Robert Ashley's 'Automatic Writing', for example, (at about 1'35" from the beginning of the program) sounds like someone talking in his sleep but unable to find the right words. Sounds like waking up in sweat. Anyone receptive enough may experience a lot of different atmospheres in this 'four hour virtual night', and finally will wake up unable to grasp the memories of all of them. Here's a last suggestion: listen to this broadcast in solitude. Presence of others probably only will distract you.

DreamScenes part - 1 Playlist:

(Note: The mix starts with a computerized vocal instruction on how to induce 'lucid dreaming', which is in dutch - so be patient for a while)

• Biosphere - Chamber - Insomnia
• Laurie Anderson - Bright Red - Bright Red / Tightrope
• Laswell / Hosono / Harris - Main Dream - Alien Ambient Galaxy
• Steve Roach - Early Dawn - Early Man
• Sara Ayers - A Moment Passing - MP3.com
• DreamState - Floating/Dreaming - Linger [MP3.com]
• Jocelyn Montgomery / David Lynch - Flame and Vision - Lux Vivens
• Kit Clayton - Nuchu - ~scape,
• Arvo Pärt - Spiegel im Spiegel - Alina
• Brian Eno - Old Brompton Road, feb. 20 - Music for the White Cube
• Luc Ferrari - Music Promenade (1969) - Ohm - Gurus of Electronic Music
• Jon Hassell - Dream Theory - Dream Theory (in Malay)
• Farfield - Ascent - Glastonbury 2000 - [MP3.com]
• Dave Stafford - Willing Participation in the Dream - [MP3.com]
• Thomas Koener / TT Wipp - Measurait la Force - Sonic Boom
• Russell Mills / Ian Walton - Mantle - Sonic Boom
• Stina Nordenstamm - Come to Me - People are Strange
• AV911 - Evening Rain Storm - [MP3.com]
• Christina Kubisch - Sechs Spiegel, Sechs Spiegel
• Yonderboi - Sinking Slowly - Shallow and Profound

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In the past, I've been looking for a good platform for the ambient mixes I have created. Though the oldest these mixes are nine year sold, I think they still deserve to be heard.

Since the Folio radio show I co-compiled will be terminated in november 2009, it became obvious that public local radio is not the best place to promote ambient music.
So I finally started working on something I had in mind for a long time: a podcast featuring the ambient collages/mixes/montages I created in the past, and to host the mixes I will create in the future!

This means this weblog will proudly present ambient mixes to listen, or to download to your computer/portable player for later listening.
Apart from listening or downloading from this weblog, you can also subscribe to the podcast in your favorite player, such as iTunes.
You'll never miss another mix, and you'll be able to listen to it in high quality, on a time that fits you... No need to stay up late to record the radio show

All mixes will be presented as high quality VBR MP3's, which means good sound quality (but of course also a bit longer download time).

Starting july, I will post all mixes in chronological order, starting from 2001 and working way up until now. This means that ultimately this weblog/podcast will contain quite a collection of ambient collages: more than 24 hours to start with. After completing these uploads, I will regularly post another new mix.

Of course, all mixes will feature full details of the music involved.

Ambientblog.net will, from now on, feature different kinds of entries:

• the reviews (as until now), will contain a single sample track to listen as a webstream,
• the podcast entries, which will feature a webstream as well as a download link.
  When you subscribe to the podcast using iTunes or any other podcast player, you will of course receive only the mix entries (not the reviews).

I really hope you will enjoy these mixes as much as I do. Of course: any comment will be greatly appreciated.

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You may have noticed the name of this weblog has changed from 'DreamScenes' to 'AmbientBlog.Net'.

Nothing else has changed, all other links/locations/entries remain as they were.

The new name is, of course, the same as the starting URL: http://www.ambientblog.net.
You may want to bookmark that link if you're interested.

Why this change?

When I chose the name 'DreamScenes' for this weblog, it referred to one of the first ambient mixes I created for dutch radio broadcasting organisation NPS, way back in 2002.
I did not realise then that is also would become the name of a Windows Ultimate Screensaver Utility later.
This may have caused some unwanted search results in either case.
That's one reason.

But another reason is the fact that FOLIO, the radio show on which I could compile this kind of music, will cease to exist in november 2009.
This sad fact marks the end of 10 years of creating ambient mixes for dutch NPS.

At this moment I don't know what and I don't know how yet, but I'm sure the end of Folio will not be the end of my 'passion' for ambient electronic music.
It's probably gonna find another way out...

Maybe I will start publishing audio podcasts aside this weblog...
Maybe new ambient mixes may find another home online...
I'll just see what interesting opportunities may pop up in the near future...
(If you have got any suggestions: please let me know).

But for now I thought this was a good moment to change the name of this weblog. So it's AmbientBlog.net from now on.
The name will hopefully also make it a bit easier to remember the home page address.

There are not too may live-recordings in ambient music. With obvious reason: most of it is recorded in (home) studios and is optimized for use in private spaces and/or exhibition rooms.
The noisy live club environment is not the best place to consume ambient music.
Apart from that, ambient gigs and laptop concerts are not noted for their intense live experience. At most gigs, the performing musician might as well be checking his mail after starting the pre-recorded sequence.…the public wouldn't really notice.

I remember watching a Biosphere live gig in Amsterdam Paradiso, way back in 2002.
Paradiso, like any club in Holland, is noted for it's noisy crowd, chatting and twittering all through the concert. That's the effect of having a bar INSIDE the concert hall (and of people coming to a Festival instead of devotees coming to a single concert).

Geir 'Biosphere' Jenssen was confident enough to react in the same way teachers do in noisy classrooms: he turned DOWN the volume instead of cranking it up. At some parts the sound of the crowd was even louder than the music itself.
This annoyed me at first, but soon I realised that that was the spirit of ambient music: just incorporate the sound of the environment instead of trying to eliminate it.
At that point, the sound of the crowd became part of the gig and made it unique.

The new Biosphere release on Touch, 'Wireless (Live at the Arnolfini, Bristol)' is a live recording. It was recorded on the occasion of the Touch 25 Live concerts in 2007.
Don't be afraid: there's no audience sound to be heard on this recording. The sound is deeply organic, which can probably be credited to Chris Watson mixing the desk recording with his own Nagra P11 Flash card recorder (and of course to BJ Nilsen mixing, editing and mastering).

'Wireless' could be listened to as a sort of 'Best of Biosphere'. There are tracks from various titles (Shenzou, Dropsonde, Substrata), and they get their new dynamic being carefully blended like this.
There's also some new work, like the trombone performances by Anders Karlskås in the opening and closing track, Pneuma I and II.

As with all live recordings the additional value compared to the original releases may be questioned. But this recording proves that in some special cases ambient music also "works" very well in a live setting.

Geir Biosphere Jenssen once again proves he's one of the few Great Masters of the genre.

If there is a link between Kraftwerk and Latin Music, it can be pin-pointed down to one man: Uwe Schmidt, aka Senor Coconut.
His CD 'El Baile Aleman' (2003) was full of a stunning arrangements of Kraftwerk tunes in a latin big band fashion - gotta hear it to believe it.

The music and sounds on Liedgut, recorded under the Atom TM monniker, is the complete musical opposite of this hot-blooded latin Senor Coconut sound.

If one thing is clear after listening to Liedgut, it is that Uwe Schmidt is one of the very few people that can claim understanding everything that Kraftwerk stands for.
It's not only in the crystal electronic sounds, but it's also the tongue-in-cheek humour and in compositional detail.

Unsurprisingly, most compositions are manipulated White Noise. The synthetic sound diametrically opposes the compositional themes like 'Wellen Und Felder' (Springs and Fields) and 'Berge und Täler' (Mountain and Valleys).
On the other hand, a track like Interferenz I will immediately appeal to anyone who ever left their mobile phone too close to their unshielded computer speakers.

In retrospect, Kraftwerk proved to appeal to a dance audience and helped creating hip-hop music (which still is one of the most unimaginable facts of musical history).
Atom TM's sound is too slow for that, it's less dance-oriented than Kraftwerk proved to be. But this release oozes respect to Kraftwerk from every single digital bit.
And though this is serious shit to listen to, it's also good, clean fun. Uwe 'Coconut' Schmidt's sense of humour is never far away. Just be sure to check the closing track 'Schlusswort' for an example.

None of the sounds heard in this album is 'typical 2009 electronics'.
But I don't think this album could have been made years ago.
It's electronic genius, disguised as innocent fun.
Amazing.

Quite some time ago, I wrote some entries about the fascinating concept of Generative Music: music that is different every time you play it - the missing link between recorded and live music.
SSeyo Music introduced their fascinating concept as KOAN software - a brilliant package that was released about fifteen years ahead of it's time.
Brian Eno was on of the first to pick up on this concepts, because it fitted perfectly to his multi-CD installations.
Read more about this here and here, but be sure to get back to read on.

(Side Note: this software still exists: it's called Noatikl now. )

So the concept of Generative Music is as fascinating as ever. Enter Parallel Music, or PMusic - (as opposed to RMusic: Recorded Music).

"Imagine buying a new album, and everytime you play this album the music will be different. There will be no definitive version. The music will change and grow with you. This is Parallel Music: a new musical system that generates original performances from pre-recorded material."
The concept is not new: this is Generative Music in the original definition. But the system created to generate the music is a new one, and in fact constructed very ingenuously.

Among other projects, Paul Ramsay is the curator of the "Consemble" project - which features compositions based on the 'open source' concept.
In this case, contributors contribute sound snippets as part of a thematic compositions. The snippets are organised and played randomly through the Son-Net system:

Sons are sounds (or sound sources) which are gathered, worked and preselected by the composer; they are represented visually by a red circle.
Nets are a skein of rules which determine, by random methods, choice of Son, its volume, number of simultaneous Sons etc. as well as aspects such as panning and overall duration; they are represented visually by a green square."

Sounds difficult? Then head to the website immediately and start playing around with some of the Consemble Pieces. It's really worth investigating.

There are Open and Closed Consembles. The open consembles are works in progress - you can still contribute to them if you have some interesting sound ideas.
The closed Consembles are finished pieces that can be played and listened to.
Paul has given a great deal of attention to the details of presenting the pieces. Clicking a label leads to the details of the composition - clicking the label again opens a (shockwave) player page to start the composition.
You can listen to this Consemble a few times to hear the differences in every instance. But by clicking the right button you can remix the composition yourself using only the samples you like and entering any duration you wish.

It's probably because of the thematic descriptions (the 'brief') that all compositions sound remarkably coherent.
Due to web restrictions, the samples have to be compressed to be enjopyed this way. This makes me hope there will be a Consemble (software, not sound only) CD-release some times, presenting the same compositions with uncompressed audio.
I've said it before about Koan, and I can repeat it about Consemble: this is a revolutionary way of presenting music and collaborational music projects - a new interface to the musical 'chain letter'

Well, if this doesn't get you interested, I guess you're stuck to your dull record/CD collection for the rest of your life. But remember they sound the same every time you hit the replay button

By the Way: there's much more interesting projects found this website:
Apart from the Consemble 'Open Music' compositions, Paul Ramsay's own Singles (started in 2006) are very much worth playing too.
In fact, the sample track below is "Our Devonian Lagoon" as composed by Paul Ramsay.

And there's more: be sure to read "Motile - A Mini Essay in Three Rollovers" while you're listening to the music.

The sample track presented here below is a recording of a single instance as played on the website, so it will sound the same every time you play it. For the Generative version, visit the Pmusic pages. And be sure to take some time to listen to all that's found there.