When I first started collecting records, it was because of an interest in early hardcore stuff from around 1991 / 1992.
Not long after that, I switched to jungle / drum & bass, which was pretty ground-breaking around the mid-nineties. This mix is dedicated to the more ethereal, atmospheric sound championed by DJs like LTJ Bukem; however, I’ve tried to avoid the Good Looking back catalogue here, as it’s a well trodden path; there were plenty of other labels and artists with their own take on that sound – so here’s a mix to celebrate those unsung heroes of atmospheric drum & bass…
Well, it’s the return of the long running Sessions Podcast – a regular selection of any music I feel worthy for inclusion.
This month sees a wide range of music spanning over forty years, from the opening Bowie and Brian Eno collaboration Subterraneans, to brand new music from Djrum and Leon Vynehall.
01 David Bowie – Subterraneans – Taken from the album Low – RCA – Buy
02 Steve Reich – Variations For Vibes, Piano & Strings: Fast – Taken from the album Daniel Variations – Nonesuch – Buy
03 Worriedaboutsatan – Nice To Meet You – Taken from the album Blank Tape – This Is It Forever – Buy
04 Deep Blue & Blame – De-transitions – Moving Shadow Records – Buy
05 Kazumasa Hashimoto – Shissou – Taken from the Tokyo Sonata Soundtrack – Midi Creative – Buy
06 Leon Vinehall – Envelopes (Chapter VI) – Taken from the album Nothing Is Still – Ninja Tune – Buy
07 King Creosote & Jon Hopkins – Bats In The Attic – Taken from the album Diamond Mine – Domino – Buy
08 Seba & Manos – Etherall – Paradox Music – Buy
09 Blocks & Escher – Gulls – Taken from the album Something Blue – Metalheadz – Buy
10 Atoms For Peace – Reverse Running – Taken from the album Amok – XL – Buy
11 Djrum – Waters Rising – Taken from the album Portrait With Firewood – R&S Records – Buy
12 Xor Gate – Minor Axis – Taken from the album Conic Sections – Tresor – Buy
13 Instra:Mental – When I Dip – Nonplus Records – Buy
Ok, so here is another hour of top quality music; quite a broad range this month – some modern classical, some house, some techno, a little ambient music, and a light sprinkling of jazz (as always!). Something for everyone, I think.
1. Kiasmos – Held – Taken from the album Kiasmos – Erased Tapes – Buy
Kiasmos is a collaboration between Janus Rasmussen and Ólafur Arnalds. Their debut album appeared in 2014 and I’ve been meaning to include this for some time, but only just got around to it. It’s a lovely blend of modern classical music and techno – they’ve been touring this album, and I’m hoping I’ll get to see it some time soon.
2. Hans Zimmer & Benjamin Wallfisch -Joi – Taken from the Bladerunner 2049: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – Buy
Given that most musicians I can think of rate Vangelis’ 1982 Bladerunner soundtrack as an influence, writing a soundtrack for the sequel must have been the most daunting task that any musician could be tasked with. I gather that the personnel on this soundtrack did switch up throughout the project, but I personally think Zimmer & Wallfisch did a great job with it. I like it.
3. Pye Corner Audio – The Mirror Ball Cracked – Taken from the album Sleep Games – Ghost Box – Buy
This is a piece I heard via an Adam Curtis documentary which appeared on the BBC a couple of years ago. It’s a pretty spooky synth piece, and right up my street, musically speaking.
4. Radiohead – Spectre – Taken from the single Burn The Witch – XL – Buy
For reasons which shall remain unknown forever, Radiohead’s submitted score for the Bond movie Spectre was rejected, in favour for Sam Smith. Nevertheless, the band decided to release their title track anyway, firstly via soundcloud, and then, later, as the AA side to the opening single from A Moon Shaped Pool. It’s pretty epic and would have sounded great in the movie.
5. Anna Calvi – Papi Pacify – Taken from the Strange Weather EP – Domino – Buy
Strange Weather is a nice little collection of covers and new material, and features a great collaboration with David Byrne (not this one). This one is a cover of an FKA Twigs track, but you probably wouldn’t recognise it as that, as Anna has completely reworked it from top to bottom, and transformed it into a mysterious lynchian nightmare, full of atmosphere and intrigue….highly underrated, I think.
6. En – Secret Samba – Taken from the album City Of Brides – Students Of Decay – Buy
En is a collaboration between Maxwell August Croy and James Devane, who cropped up on many of the early episodes of this podcast. James and Maxwell create ambient soundscapes by apparently bowing guitars and feeding the signal through various pedals and effects.
To be honest, I don’t really care how it’s made, only that it’s really beautiful music. I recommend getting as much of the JD and En back catalogue as you can possibly find, as it’s all utterly wonderful.
7. Pharoah Sanders – Greeting to Saud (Brother McCoy Tyner) – Taken from the album Elevation – Universal Sound – Buy
A lovely little jazz interlude. This is just crying out to be sampled and turned into a summery drum & bass workout – I would put a small wager on the possibility that someone like Calibre may have already done so.
8. Gacha Bakradze – Knowledge – Taken from the We Must Be Woods EP – Apollo – Buy
A great example of emotive electronic music. This has a kind of Bonobo vibe about it, and I like it a lot. Another great release from the excellent Apollo label, which I understand is part of the legendary R&S label.
9. Theory Of Movement – Far Reach – Taken from the album Theory Of Movement – Dukes Distribution – Buy
Contrary to popular belief, I am not paid to include tracks by the mysterious Grant on this podcast, but his material only appears on vinyl, and sells out so fast that I tend to snap it all up as soon as it comes out. This LP is a collaboration between Grant and Dan Piu, and it’s a great old school deep house record. Very enjoyable.
10. Four Tet – SW9 9SL – Taken from the album New Energy – Text – Buy
Four Tet has been in the game for quite some time, and he’s had incredible success as an electronic music artist, without having to sell out in any way, I think. He’s had some major label releases through Domino, but has opted to release this LP, at the tail end of last year, through his own label, Text. New Energy is a great album, his best release since There Is Love In You, many tracks of which appeared on this podcast, many years ago. It’s great to have Four Tet back on the Sessions Podcast!
11. Shedbug – Recovery – Taken from the Afterglow EP – Flux – Buy
Another vinyl only release here, from Shedbug, who I’m afraid to say, I know nothing about, other than he produces very melodic techno which ticks all the right boxes for me. This is a very mellow track that closes off the Afterglow EP. I can imagine that Shedbug will be featuring many more times on this podcast, if this is a taste of things to come.
12. Sandwell District – Falling The Same Way – Taken from the digital edition of Feed Forward – Buy
Sometimes you don’t forget a record, especially if you don’t own it. The Feed Forward vinyl album was released in 2010, on vinyl only. I don’t know how, but I stumbled across it, and liked it, but I hesitated to buy it. It has since vanished in it’s physical format.
It made me laugh when I read that ASC had exactly the same experience as me. So you’re probably wondering how this has ended up here if I don’t own it – Well, there’s a digital version of the album, but it’s totally different to the LP. There’s also a CD version which is different again.
I gather that Sandwell District toured the album a bit, so created some alternative mixes to the LP, and this is from that set, but the vinyl is still very much on my wishlist.
I have been kicking myself ever since about this. Hopefully, at some point, they’ll re-master and reissue the vinyl version of the album, because it’s truly excellent.
Kiyoko is a collaboration between Synkro and Bering Strait. This is a fantastic, synth-heavy, slow paced electronic piece which I stumbled across accidentally a few weeks ago. The Samurai Music Group release a lot of very interesting music across various genres, and it looks like I have a lot of catching up to do.
14. Telefon Tel Aviv – Introductory Nomenclature – Taken from the album Fahrenheit Fair Enough – Ghostly International – Buy
Telefon Tel Aviv appeared on a much earlier podcast with their terrific Depeche Mode-esque track The Birds, and also, more recently, the loud and brooding Something Akin To Lust, which appeared on Episode 049.
So I’m going back through their back catalogue, and this one really stood out to me – it has a slight Steve Reich Electric Counterpoint vibe to it, but with excellent drum machine rhythms. The whole album (their debut), which originally appeared in 2001, is fantastic.
15. Synkro – Vanishing Point – Taken from the Hand In Hand EP – Apollo – Buy
….and so we finish with Synkro, a regular artist for this podcast. Synkro just always seems to deliver musically in anything he writes, and this one has a really nice, vintage Boards Of Canada vibe to it, but with much more punchy drums than you’d normally get from a BoC release. Another sublime piece, from an excellent EP.
Almost ten years ago, I started a regular podcast series. Typically a one hour mixtape featuring any and all styles of music.
Initially it was about getting my favourite records and CDs into a place where I could listen to them online and in some kind of mixed format; however, as time went on, it’s spurred me into a perpetually rewarding routine of tracking down new and old music that I can include in each mix.
1. Brian Eno – Becalmed – Taken from the album “Another Green World” – Buy
Everyone I know who’s enthusiastic about music loves Brian Eno. Eno has had an epic career from the days of Roxy Music, working with Bowie through his Berlin trilogy, U2, Coldplay, right up to the current day. I was always aware of him, but it was my mate Geoff, who featured as a guest in earlier episodes of this podcast, who leant me a huge handful of Eno’s back catalogue, and I’ve been hooked from that point forward.
I’ve overdubbed an interview with Eno himself, taken from a highly dubious bootleg called Ghosts, which contains early mixes from the “My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts” sessions.
When I first heard the album, I was so obsessed with In Dark Trees that I didn’t give the rest of the album enough of my attention, but the album as a whole is absolutely terrific; It’s cited by many as his best and I’m inclined to agree.
2. Hammock – In The Shape Of Longing – Taken from the compilation Disquiet Volume 1 – Unseen Music – Buy
Hammock are a duo from Nashville, US. I hadn’t heard their music before this compilation came out on Keith Kenniff’s Unseen label; It’s simply dreamy, epic stuff.
I caught this one through Mary Anne Hobbs’ fantastic weekend 6Music radio show. Mary Anne & I seem to have very similar tastes. Erland Cooper is an award winning, multi-instrumentalist and producer who was born and raised on the archipelago of Orkney, Scotland.
4. Stars Of The Lid – Even (Out) – Taken from the album And Their Refinement of the Decline – Kranky – Buy
Kranky are one of my favourite record labels, and this is very film-score esque, and reminds me of the incredible Upstream Color soundtrack which, if you check this blog, you’ll know I am fairly obsessed with.
5. Mr YT – Morning – Taken from the compilation Brand New Day – Apollo / R&S – Buy
During the 90s, I bought more drum & bass records than anything else. Frustratingly, in hindsight, I think I should have been buying more techno records, because it was clearly an amazing scene that I still know very little about.
The Apollo (R&S) label re-issued Yuji Takenouchi’s various EPs as a compilation late last year, and it is a fantastic snapshot of the ingenuity of that era.
A lot of my favourite records don’t necessarily have much of a following, and it’s clear that i’m often on my own in some cases. This is not the case with “2 Deep”; I first heard it via a Somerset-based pirate radio station, Shockwave, who had a weekly jungle show hosted by the Chaos & Julia Set, also known as Warp Records artist Mark Pritchard and fellow cohort Dom Fripp.
Unlike a lot of records from the same era, I feel this one still stands the test of time, and is probably the most treasured item in my collection. This is confirmed by the absolutely staggering price that this record now demands on the 2nd hand market. I’m very lucky to own a copy.
7. Kate Bush – Snowflake – Taken from the album 50 Words For Snow – Fish People – Buy
50 Words For Snow is the tenth Kate Bush album, first released 21 November 2011. Her piano playing throughout is incredible, and the production is first class.
8. Julie Murphy – Lips No Longer Wet With Wine – Taken from the Lips No Longer Wet With Wine EP – Bandcamp – Buy
Julie Murphy is a singer songwriter and member of Welsh folk innovators Fernhill. She writes songs at the piano at home in the Welsh countryside.
9. Cliff Martinez – Rubber Head – Taken from the Drive Soundtrack – Buy
The Solaris soundtrack is one of my all time favourite albums; I lose count of the times I’ve listened to it, as it’s totally perfect headphone music. I’m ashamed to say that I slept on the Drive soundtrack, mainly, I think, because I really didn’t enjoy the film. However, it cropped up in an Adam Curtis documentary for the BBC, and really caught my attention. It’s an incredible album of music.
10. Christopher Tignor – The Blue Road – Taken from the compilation Disquiet Volume 2 – Unseen Music – Buy
Christopher Tignor is a composer, violinist, lecturer, and software engineer. His emotionally charged scores and unique focus on live, performance-based electroacoustic practice has won acclaim within both the classical and experimental communities across 8 x LPs on the Western Vinyl and New Albion record labels.
11. King Moot – Mustard – Taken from the album It Just Fell – Moot Point – Buy
King Moot is a Dorset-based duo who reside in my home town. The album was released on 1st January and is available as a free download. You can watch a mini-video with an edited version of Mustard via this link.
12. Cliff Martinez – Where’s The Deluxe Version? – Taken from the Drive Soundtrack – Buy
Another piece from the breathtaking Drive soundtrack by Cliff Martinez.
13. Composite – Coherence – Taken from the New Mind EP – Context Audio – Buy
I love any drum & bass that adopts unusual time signatures. This 7/8 piece has a complete disregard for current styles and dance floor viability. This tiny side of the scene is the only reason I still follow it. A fantastic piece of music.
Darkestral was the label that brought us Instra:Mental’s groundbreaking drum & bass singles around 2008. This is taken from what appears to be, at present, the final release from the label. Transportation AAD is a pseudonym of Alex Green, who was one half of Instra:Mental.
15. Blu Mar Ten feat. Kite – Forest Fire (Feat. Kite) – taken from the album Empire State – Buy
Empire State is the 6th LP from London-based Blu Mar Ten, who have been part of the drum& bass scene since 1996. It’s without doubt their strongest d&b album yet.
A collection of remixes of the Empire State album is due to drop imminently, and can be pre-ordered here.
<Coney Island field recording interval>
16. John Cage & Margaret Leng Tan – In a Landscape – taken from the album Daughters Of The Lonesome Isle – Buy
Photek – Aura (Overdubbed) – taken from the album Solaris – Science – Buy
I’ve always been of the opinion that there is no good music that pre-dates the early 1970s. However, this piano piece from 1948 has proven me wrong.
I’ve overdubbed it with the track Aura, by Photek, one of my favourite ever producers. The track Aura is taken from the album Solaris, which I now own three copies of. A vinyl copy that I bought when it came out in 2000, a signed vinyl copy which appears to have been won through a Radio 1 competition, and a CD copy. It’s an incredible album of electronic, atmospheric music.
An eclectic mix of the finest ambient, house, techno and drum & bass music. Hope you enjoy it.
The first track, a demo version of the Bibio & Goyte collaboration The Way You Talk was previously available on soundcloud, but is no longer available – however I have included a link to the full album, which is wonderful.
King Moot is a music project I’ve been working on. The single, which features on this podcast, came out 1st August. The debut album comes out on 1st September 2017.
Track Listing:
01. King Moot – Crushed Elms – Moot Point – Free Download
02. Deru – Let The Silence Float (Taken from the album 1979) – Friends Of Friends – Buy
03. Manual – Crystal Pier (Taken from the album Intelligent Toys 2) – Free Download
04. Victrola – Maritime Tatami – Strut – Buy
05. Jane Weaver – Slow Motion (Taken from the album Modern Kosmology) – Fire Records – Buy
06. Kate Bush – Little Light (Taken from the album Before The Dawn) – Fish People – Buy
07. In Love With a Ghost – we’ve never met but, can we have a coffee or something (Taken from the EP Let’s Go) – Bandcamp – Buy
08. Joni Mitchell – My Old Man (Taken from the album Blue) – Buy
09. Julia Holter – Sea Calls Me Home (Taken from the album Have You In My Wilderness) – Buy
10. Galaktlan – Personal Space (Taken from the album Draumar Um Kalt Sumar) – Sutemos – Free Download
11. Frederic Robinson – Shut (Taken from the album Mixed Signals) – BMTM – Buy
12. Kara Lis Coverdale – Grafts (Excerpt) – Boomkat – Buy
13. Begin – Elate – Bandcamp Buy
14. Feist Feat. Jarvis Cocker – Century (Taken from the album Pleasure) – Buy
15. King Moot – The Parma Directive – Moot Point – Free Download
This month’s podcast has a vast range of music, and I thought, for a change, I’d write a bit about how each song ended up in this episode…
1. Wax Stag – The Greatest Grace (Taken from the album ii) – Old Habits Buy
This album has been out for a while, and over time, I’ve become more & more obsessed with it. Although it’s mostly comprised entirely of synthesizers, it’s so strong musically that it probably wouldn’t have mattered what it was composed with. This particular track starts off a little strange but builds to a beautiful crescendo. I cannot stop listening to this at the moment.
Following releases for The Lauren Bacall and Merck, Grant has launched his own imprint. This first EP contains four very strong deep house tracks; it was hard to pick a favourite, but “Hommage” has a great vocal, so I went with it. This has sold out everywhere from what I can see.
3. Gigi Masin – Stella Maris (Taken from the compilation Talk To The Sea) – Music From Memory Buy
This compilation of Gigi Masin from a body of work spanning the 80s and 90s showcases a great selection of music from the Italian master of the keyboards. It’s a pretty timeless collection. Well worth tracking down.
4. Boards Of Canada – Split Your Infinities (Taken from the album All Tomorrow’s Harvest) – Warp Buy
Like a lot of people, my friends got into BoC when the Music Has The Right To Children album came out. I always found that album a bit too “stoner” for my tastes; however, All Tomorrow’s Harvest is like a very high-concept 80s sci-fi soundtrack; the whole album is just a lot stronger, and I particularly love this track.
Comit is a pseudonym of ASC, long time atmospheric drum & bass producer, who has in more recent years, moved on to produce fantastic ambient and techno material. The nice synth work reminds me a little of the classic At Les by Carl Craig, one of my favourite techno records from many moons ago.
6. Dold – Dispens (Taken from the album Gryning) – Intimate Silence Buy
A lovely piece of beatless, synth-pad ambience from a criminally under-rated Swedish producer.
7. Eluvium – Windmills (Taken from the compilation Disquiet Volume 1) – Unseen Music Buy
I could have really picked any song from this fabulous compilation, which was released recently on Keith Kenniff’s (aka Helios) label Unseen. All proceeds from the sale of this compilation are being donated to non-profit organizations that support the environment, investigative journalism, women and minorities.
8. Shane Carruth – As if It Would Have a Universal and Memorable Ending (Taken from the soundtrack to the film Upstream Color) – ERPB –Buy
I am pretty obsessed with this soundtrack; I don’t think it’s left my ipod since I first heard it approximately 2 years ago. You’re likely to hear more from it in future podcasts.
9. ASC – The Sounding Furrows (Taken from the album Fervent Dream) – Silent Season Buy
I am hurriedly trying to catch up with ASCs prolific output from the last few years, and this album in particular struck a chord with me. Another lovely, beatless, atmospheric piece.
10. Etherwood – Caption – Med School (Taken from the album Blue Leaves) – Med School Buy
Etherwood is a very talented drum & bass producer, with a great ear for melody and also, a pretty good voice. This is my favourite track from his 2nd Album, Blue Leaves.
11. Blu Mar Ten – Delerium (feat. Kite) (Taken from the album Empire State) – BMTM Buy
Blu Mar Ten are now twenty years into the game; Empire State is their fourth drum & bass album, and for me, it’s their best yet. The tracks with Kite, in particular, are all magnificent.
12. Bop – So Unloved (Taken from Not Your Cup Of Tea EP) – Med School Buy
Russia’s premier drum & bass producer is back with a new EP on Med School which is pretty exquisite…and a bit of a growler. I particularly liked the melody in this one.
13. Ruxpin – Too Much (Taken from the compilation Intelligent Toys 2) – Sutemos Free Download
This is quite an old track which I picked up via another podcast fairly recently. It’s from a Lithuanian label. Nice electronic synth work. The entire compilation has almost vanished from the internet, but the link above worked when I last tried it. Grab it while you still can.
14. Wild Beasts – New Life (Taken from the album Present Tense) – Domino Buy
I like Wild Beasts in particular because they have two lead singers. Hayden takes the back seat on this one, to allow Tom to front it. I especially like the pads and arrangement in this one.
15. The Duke Spirit – Serenade (Taken from Serenade EP) – Exvoto Records Buy
The Duke Spirit follow up their 2016 Kin album with an EP of all new songs. Nice growling synths and vocal harmonies; Sleek and sexy synth pop.
16. Woman’s Hour – The Day That Needs Defending (Taken from the album Conversations) – Secretly Canadian – Buy
I’ve been listening to this album constantly since it was released, and we saw them perform in Bristol at the time it came out. Rumour has it, they are back in the studio writing the follow up to Conversations at the moment.
17. Grouper – Headache (Taken from the single Paradise Valley) – Kranky Buy
This is the first glimpse of new music from Grouper post the fantastic Ruins album. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you again how obsessed I am with Ruins, but if you haven’t heard Ruins, you really ought to drop whatever you’re doing and listen to it immediately.
Hello. It seemed like the right time to push another podcast out. This one has quite a bit of piano in it. The finest of instruments, I rate it above the guitar, and I think it’ll outlive it.
Tracklisting:
1. Shane Carruth – A Sullen Rush and Roar – Taken from the Upstream Color Motion Picture Soundtrack- Buy
2. Liife – Lunar – CNVX – Buy
3. IN-IS – Opus Einn (Tom Adams Remix) – NW1 Records – Buy
4. Grouper – Lighthouse – Taken from the album Ruins – Kranky – Buy
5. Radiohead – Glass Eye – Taken from the album A Moon Shaped Pool – XL – Buy
6. Grant – The Difference – The Lauren Bacall – Buy
7. Grant – Doris Day (Feat. Natalie Galpern) – Taken from the album The Acrobat – The Lauren Bacall – Buy
8. Shinichi Atobe – The Red Line – Taken from the Ship Scope EP – DDS – Buy
9. Jesse Bru – Roach Fingers – Egoplanet – Buy
10. Deezy & Embee – Phases – Party Like Us – Buy 11. Rupture – Excerpt from Israel Suite – Creole Stream Music – Buy
12. Jessica Lauren Four – White Mountain – Taken from the album Happiness Train – Freestyle Records – Buy
Over the last six months or so I’ve been hunting down some deep house music with a distinctly slower tempo…This is a bumper mix of these tracks that I’ve been collecting, which all sit around the 115 bpm mark….There’s a few tracks here from the excellent Instruments Of Rapture label…Discogs suggests that the label is no more…sad times…RIP!!
Tracklisting:
1. New World Aquarium – Avon Sparkle – NWAQ – Buy
2. Theo Parrish – Chemistry – Sound Signature – Buy
3. Floating Points – King Bromeliad – Eglo – Buy
4. Session Victim – The Most Beautiful Divorce Ever – Delusions Of Grandeur – Buy
5. Andy Hart – The Same For Me – Heist – Buy
6. Willie Graff & Tuccillo – Set Me Free – Freerange – Buy
7. Detroit Swindle Feat. Mayer Hawthorne – 64 Ways – Dirt Crew – Buy
8. Floating Points – Marilyn – Eglo – Buy
9. Kira Neris – Kira Neris Theme – Futuristica Music
10. Detroit Swindle – Me, Myself & You – Dirt Crew – Buy
11. Mezman – Le Deepend – Paper Disco – Buy
12. Riff Clitchard – Through With Love (Taken from the Four’s a Crowd EP) – Foto Recordings – Buy
13. Genius Of Time – Science Fiction – Aniara – Buy
14. Luvless – Motion Clapture – (Taken from The Pitch Down Jamz EP) – Foto Recordings – Buy
15. Tornado Wallace – Rainbow Road (Lewi’s Bowser Castle Remix) – Instruments Of Rapture – Buy
16. Ooft – Make You Mine – Instruments Of Rapture – Buy
17. Ooft – This Sound – Instruments Of Rapture – Buy
18. The Tortoise – Last Night (Genius Of Time Remix) – Kolour Recordings – Buy
