We start with a subtle, delicate and intimate song by french multi-instrumentalist Christine Ott. Taken from her 2021 album Time to Die, the mixtape opening track is a quiet and cinematic meditation on the theme of death. Its lush arrangements are reminiscing of a star glowing right before dying, expressing striking feelings, touching the listener in a visceral, primitive way.
Monolake (a project by Robert Henke) became one of the key icons of electronic club culture emerging in Berlin in 1989. His first album Honkong was compiled from tracks created between 1995 and 1997 and enriched with field recordings captured in Hong Kong and Guangzhou. The album’s outro 'Mass Transit Railway' is an atmospheric piece that invites the listener to hop on a train and travel.
Phaedra, Tangerine Dream’s international breakthrough album, was the first ever commercial album to feature sequencers back in 1974. It is a unique voyage of sound and art, that is still as influential today as it was back in the 70s. On this track, let yourself drift away on a cerebral journey through sounds, genres and worlds.
I’m always on the lookout for new sonic textures I haven't heard before. Weird associations and contrasts between sounds of a different nature with a freshness and originality that trigger a strong emotional response in me. 'Waves Future' has a bit of that. It’s featured on დე / DE, a compilation of music from artists of different backgrounds who got together to showcase the dynamic influences within the Georgian underground electronic scene.
Wild collage of dense sonic textures, shifting rhythms and experimental music on Mira Calix’s latest album absent origin. The UK-based composer experiments with blended brittle, distorted beats and obscured vocals to translate the visual techniques of collage into an auditory assemblage of fractured but rhythmic sounds.
Next is a floaty low tempo track from Brooklyn record producer and DJ Joaquin "Joe" Claussell. The track is taken from his 2021 album Raw Tones, a deeply personal audio time capsule that captures both his spirit and the emotions that he experienced during the lockdown period. Sensual and intimate recordings made solely with a drum machine, sequencer, microphone and a four track portable cassette recorder.
In the wake of the 2019 Australian wildfires, Impermanence/Disintegration was conceived as a meditation on the “fleeting transience of life.” Led by Bryce Dessner (The National), the Australian String Quartet's energy captures the agitation that must have occurred during this tragedy that took the life of 34 people. ‘Pulsing’ is rapid, frantic and fierce. It’s a track of violent beauty, where sensations of delight and horror braid and unravel very rapidly.
Akhnaten is one of Philip Glass’s three large-scale operas based on a “big idea,” in this case monotheism. It is a meditation on the tumultuous rule of the Egyptian pharaoh Akhnaten, who is said to have pioneered monotheism and been overthrown for that blasphemy. The score is lyrical, elegiac, and while clearly a product of its famous composer, is among the most easily appreciated of his creation.
Hal Wilner, the American music producer and longtime music supervisor for Saturday Night Live, died this month from COVID-19. He left behind a number of recordings, like the weird and wonderful Disney compilation Stay Awake. Even if you know nothing about Willner, a quick glance at the Stay Awake’s tracklist offers insight into his eclecticism. A spellbinding listen, the compilation pays a tribute to the Disney songbook.
The final album from Tomaga (Tom Relleen and Valentina Magaletti / November 2021 mixtape) will forever be colored by the untimely death of Relleen last August; and the color is blue. Blue is loss and sadness, sea and sky, inspiration and wisdom, and finally, acceptance. Contrary to expectations, the album is suffused with joy and giddy enthusiasm. The single vocal piece on this album, 'Very Never (My Mind Extends)' is nearly ebullient, thanks to a hypnotic groove and the voice of Cathy Lucas. The duo were aware of Relleen’s diagnosis but this is not an album that feels like it is facing the final curtain. It’s a worthy tribute to Relleen and arguably sees the duo bow out with their finest work.
The legendary Suzanne Ciani (also featured on the Sept 2020 mixtape) recorded her first album Seven Waves between 1979 and 1981. The atmosphere is dense, gentle and floaty. The synthetic sounds pleasant, warm and full of life.
On ‘Replay’ by Alain Kingler, the cassette recording of an answering machine reveals an intimate exchange between French people. Centered around seduction, lust, patience and doubt, it takes you on a delightful journey that slowly unravels as you listen to human voices leaving short messages to each other.
Poetry, sax and piano on the charming 'Trilogie Omaya' composed by French musician Babx. He is accompanied by Archie Shepp’s gentle sax and Dorothée Munyaneza’s voice. This painfully beautiful 3-part song is dedicated to Omaya Al-Jbara, a fearless 40-year old Iraqi national hero who fiercely fought ISIS, was killed in 2014 by a sniper and rose to become a symbol of resistance and inspiration for all Iraqi women.
We start to wind down with Ben Lukas Boysen’s reinterpretation of Niel Cowley’s 'Prayer'. Cowley’s debut solo album Hall of Mirrors merges sounds and influences from ambient, electronic, improvisational and contemporary classical music. It is a highly personal account of Neil's relationship with his old friend the piano. Hall of Mirrors (Reflected) is a companion piece that remixes and reworks the original album.
We conclude with Joseph Shabason’s new solo LP The Fellowship, a sublime, expertly crafted journey through his upbringing in a dual-faith household. On this autobiographical instrumental experience, the Toronto musician digs deeply into religion and childhood, delivering rich and emotionally engaging ambient jazz.
