Spaceman’s Transmissions
Episodes
Friday Apr 20, 2012
from nightfall to first light
Friday Apr 20, 2012
Friday Apr 20, 2012
Hello! This time around, I wanted to capture a bit of a vibe from the time that one drifts off to sleep until the awakening. I started off with something from BIOSPHERE that for some reason reminds me of growing up in Daytona Beach, Florida. I lived not too far from the beach, and as the youngest of 6 spent a lot of time outside playing Frisbee in the summer. I was also not too far from the airport and Embry Riddle University. The students there often flew small prop planes for study (fun study, right?), and hearing this song from BIOSPHERE really takes me back to that time when I was young, carefree, and spending all day outside until day faded until night.
I put in the rain to transition between 2 events: the end of the evening and that time when just before sleep when your mind begins to visualize bizarre things. I wanted you to imagine you are hearing something out of the ordinary, hence the GLOBAL COMMUNICATION talking and an excerpt from JIM HALL’s Beija Flor. Beija Flor is a piece written by South American composer (can’t remember who), and this rendition from JIM HALL does it much justice. As far as jazz albums go, his album All Across the City and Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue are both my favorites (tie).
I have a lot of soundtrack material, and one day I’ll put more into use. I love everything about the soundtrack to American Beauty. Not only is it one of my all time favorite films (Kevin Spacey is an absolute hero!), but the music is dead on accurate as far as creating the right mood for the film. I’m envious of THOMAS NEWMAN. When you read his Wikipedia page, you’ll be blown away by the amount of output he’s had.
Oddly, I discovered the song Cirrus (HUGH & SATURATION) from a game created by IVORY called 4 DIFFERENCES. When the game loads, you can click a link to their website and get all of their compositions free. Not bad. Great game as well!
Again, more field recordings of a creek to break things up a little bit. The sleeping night is all about transitions.
The DAVID HELPING song comes from an album called Sleeping on the Edge of the World, which is appropriately named for our nightly passage. David shares a website with Jon Jenkins, so it’s worth checking out.
I have every album that PETER GABRIEL has released. Most people didn’t like OVO: The Millennium Show as much as his other stuff, but I love it. Peter’s not singing every song, there are a lot of cameos, but it’s him through and through. I spent a lot of consecutive days wearing the grooves out on this album, and every time I hear it, it’s like the first time that I’ve heard it again. And that’s okay. I have some more of his stuff that I’d like to use at some point, probably as excerpts.
The last 2 artists, ROBERT RICH and DAC CROWELL are both artists that I discovered via MAGNATUNE. Robert is a household name to those that like their ambient a little bit dark, somewhat like Steve Roach in feel. DAC is a bit unorthodox, and definitely has his own approach to soundscapes which are innovative and memorable.
If the ending seems abrupt, it is meant to be that way (the song honestly ends like that) as you are awakening. And who ever wakes up over the course of 30 minutes? Only in Hollywood.
Well, I enjoyed making the mix, and have even more ideas for the next one. I’ll create one for the sleepers probably next, or a soundtracks mix, or a collage of snippets from rock tunes. We’ll see. Enjoy!
Turn on, tune in, sleep...
https://www.tonepoet-music.com
https://www.facebook.com/tonepoetmusic
TRACK LISTING
“As The Sun Kissed The Horizon” by Biosphere from Substrata (Touch UK), Released January 1, 2004 (Start Time: 0:00)
“Rain” by Unknown, Released Unknown (Start Time: 0:00)
“06 0 54” by Global Communication from 76:14 (Dedicated/BMG Records/Arista/Legacy/SME), Released June 1994 (Start Time: 1:58)
“Beija Flor (Excerpt)” by The Jim Hall Quartet from All Across The City (Concord), Released May, 1989 (Start Time: 2:56)
“Any Other Name” by Thomas Newman from the American Beauty Soundtrack (Dreamworks), Released October 5, 1999 (Start Time: 5:07)
“Cirrus” by Hugh & Saturation from Unknown, (Start Time: 9:07)
“Cricket Creek” by Unknown, (Start Time: 12:12)
“All Things End” by David Helpling from Sleeping On The Edge Of The World (Spotted Peccary), Released September 14, 1999 (Start Time: 13:25)
“The Nest That Sailed The Sky” by Peter Gabriel from OVO: The Millennium Show (EMI Import), Released June 12, 2000 (Start Time: 19:40)
“Luminous Horizon” by Robert Rich from Propgation (Hearts Of Space Records), Released February 15, 1994 (Start Time: 24:03)
“Prisengracht Extensions” (Excerpt) by DAC Crowell from Red-Shifted Harmonies (Magnatune), Released October 19, 2001 (Start Time: 32:53)
Saturday Apr 14, 2012
reflection
Saturday Apr 14, 2012
Saturday Apr 14, 2012
This mix opens with the very first thing that got me into any sort of ambient music. I’m a huge admirer of VANGELIS ever since I borrowed (stole) his album Ignacio/Entends-Tu Les Chiens Aboyer. The first side (half of which is in the mix) is like a lullaby. I had the worst experience of my life at that point, and this album was played every day. VANGELIS, to me, is something of a modern classical composer more than an electronic musician. Other releases from him that I highly recommend are Heaven and Hell, Mask, Soil Festivities, The Blade Runner Soundtrack, Mythodea, Rhapsodies (w/Irene Papas), and L’Apocalypse Des Animaux (I know it’s a lot, but I’m a big fan!).
The next song comes from the album 76:14 (the duration of the album) by GLOBAL COMMUNICATION. HERE’S the Wikipedia page on the album, there are some interesting facts about it worth reading. Their other release (Pentamerous Metamorphosis) is also great, and I’ll do a mix with some stuff from that at some point.
One thing that I love about STARS OF THE LID is that they use a real guitar (!). They, like Paul Avgerinos, are a thinking man’s ambient. Their music for me is not so easily ignored. I can’t unconsciously listen to them, they draw me it with their organic amalgamation. I like this particular song because of the violins and the warm analog sound of the entire thing.
Once again, I have to use the opportunity to inject some PAUL AVGERINOS (of course). Not too much to elaborate on, this one is also from Words Touch. This piece is very compositional (Paul holds a degree from Peabody Conservatory and plays bass. I actually got all of my stuff of his from MAGNATUNE, which is a great (and affordable) source for independent music.
BIOSPHERE (real name: Geir Jennsen) is an artist from Norway that considers his music to be ‘arctic ambient’. He sometimes uses field recordings in his works. Like most of my favorites, he definitely has his own compositional style. There is another song from this same release that will be on the next mix.
Okay, I put in a thunderstorm to break things up a bit, sorry!
The last track on here is another VANGELIS tune from the Blade Runner Soundtrack played on an out of tune piano (or maybe is just an effect, hard to say). Very beautiful composition, if somewhat sad.
Okay, thanks for listening/downloading!
Turn on, tune in, sleep...
https://www.tonepoet-music.com
https://www.facebook.com/tonepoetmusic
TRACK LISTING
"Ignacio" by Vangelis from Ignacio/Entends-Tu Les Chiens Aboyer (Egg/Barclay) Released 1975 (Start Time: 0:00)
"10 12 18" by Global Communication from 76:14 (Dedicated/BMG Records/Arista/Legacy/SME) Released June 1994 (Start Time: 4:10)
"Requiem For Dying Mothers Part 1" by Stars Of The Lid from (Kranky) Released October 29, 2001 (Start Time: 16:15)
"Always With You" by Paul Avgerinos from Words Touch (Round Sky Music) Released November 21, 2001 (Start Time: 22:52)
"Kobresia" by Biosphere from Substrata (Touch UK) Released January 1, 2004 (Start Time: 34:33)
"Thunderstorm" By Unknown from Unknown (Start Time 41:14)
"Memories Of Green" by Vangelis from the Blade Runner Soundtrack (Atlantic/Wea) Released June 21, 1994 (Start Time: 42:55)
Saturday Apr 14, 2012
melancholy
Saturday Apr 14, 2012
Saturday Apr 14, 2012
I didn't pick songs that put me in a melancholic mood, but rather songs (or songs from releases that I admire) that represent periods in my life.
I wanted to pick some of my favorite (very difficult task!) songs for my first mix. I can definitely say that BETWEEN INTERVAL's Autumn Continent is in my top 3 for ambient releases.
So it had to be the first song. The entire CD is very solid from the first sweeping entrance to the last dying ember of drone. I have to say that PAUL AVGERINOS' Words Touch is an absolute must-have for those who like a thinking man's ambient. Paul is a more of a composer than the average brick-on-keyboard noodler, and Words Touch (along with Love, which can be a perfect sequel) is rather deep. I have an MP3 disc player that has played both of these releases every night for years now (in my son's room as well). The next song, I Shall Be Removed from KEN (I don't have much information on this artist) is something that I discovered from sifting through people's suggestions for ambient music. Oddly, the rest of the artist's music is indie rock.
#19 by APHEX TWIN is a bit of departure for this artist, although he has released a couple of ambient works. I made a mix for a friend, who had never heard of APHEX TWIN, and he loved it. I then sent him a link to the videos WINDOWLICKER, COME TO DADDY, and RUBBER JOHNNY. Kind of blew his mind. The last song is a great one from WILLIAM BASINSKI. I love what he did with loops, he is a pioneer of sonic decay. Hopefully, these songs will lift you up, and ease anything that weighs you down.
Turn on, tune in, sleep...
https://www.tonepoet-music.com
https://www.facebook.com/tonepoetmusic
TRACK LISTING
"Autumn Continent 1" by Between Interval from Autumn Continent (Spotted Peccary), Released August 8, 2006 (Start Time: 0:00)
"Weightless You Are" by Paul Avgerinos from Words Touch (Round Sky Music), Released November 21, 2001 (Start Time: 7:24)
"I Shall Be Removed" by Ken from Stop! Look! Sing Songs Of Revolutions! (Metropolis Records), Released February 21, 2006 (Start Time: 18:38)
"#19" by Aphex Twin from Selected Ambient Works, Vol. II (Sire), Released April 12, 1994 (Start Time: 23:44)
"dlp 2" by William Basinski from Disintergration Loops (Musex), Released 2001 (Start Time: 33:36)