isolatedmix 111 - Ian Boddy (DiN)

There aren’t many ambient labels that have been going for 20+ years, but you can count Ian Boddy’s DiN as one of the greats. An amazing musician and synthesist himself, Ian has curated one of the finest ambient synthesizer-focused labels around, with many of the genre’s greats gracing the catalog over the years. Scanner, Tetsu Inoue, Robert Rich, Nigel Mullaney, Bluetech, and Markus Reuter featuring with stunning full-lengths, and within the label’s Tone Science compilation series, the curations spreads its arms ever wider - proven with the latest edition Tone Science Module 5, featuring works by Hélène Vogelsinger, Johnny Woods and Lisa Bella Donna.

Ian also makes brilliant label-focused mixes that highlight some of the work on the label, in both mixed and individual track format, so when I proposed an isolatedmix, we went straight into discussing his own personal inspirations as a mix concept. In true OG style, Ian has dug into a selection of early ambient music, that is often presented in extended (long-form) style (as it was much more back in the day) which means these types of tracks rarely see themselves as a part of DJ mixes nowadays. Ian has taken these excerpts and seamlessly blended them into one educational look back into some of the greats of the early ambient style.

A big thanks toWendy Carroll for the isolatedmix art/image.

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ASIP - You're likely considered a veteran of the scene now, but for those new to you, can you give us a brief introduction?

IB - Well I first got into Electronic Music in the mid-1970s through bands such as Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, Vangelis & Jean Michel Jarre. In 1978 whilst at University studying Biochemistry I was introduced to an open-access sound studio at a place called Spectro where I was confronted by weird & wonderful instruments such as the VCS3 & a host of Revox reel to reel tape recorders. It didn’t take long to get hooked and in 1980 I released my first cassette album & started to play improvised concerts. In 1983 my first vinyl album The Climb was released followed by a performance at the very first UK Electronica festival.

I continued to release albums & perform concerts & hone my craft and then in the 1990s, I got into producing library music as well as sound design work. In 1999 I launched the DiN label & in 2002 after 12 years working for Akai I went full-time professional earning a living from my music. The intervening years have seen me split my time between pursuing my own releases / running the DiN label, composing library music & creating sound libraries/sound design.

Your mix contains a lot of early ambient musicians. Whether it’s Kraut-rock, Berlin-School, or Brian Eno, what's your point of view on the absolute beginnings of the ambient genre and what was your own experience?

It’s a very different experience hearing new music for the first time in your formative years - which is usually in your teens - then coming to a genre of music later in life or when said genre has already been out for quite a while. So the first two Electronic Music tracks I can distinctly remember hearing were The Mysterious Semblance at the Strand of Nightmares by Tangerine Dream from the album Phaedra & Wahnfried 1883 by Klaus Schulze from the album Timewind. I was probably about 15 or 16 and they simply blew me away. I hadn’t heard anything like this before because, well, there simply wasn’t anything else like this before. Each of these artists only had a handful of albums out so it didn’t take long to discover their back catalogues. There were no reference points. This was an incredibly inspiring time for me to hear this music and I think the many years that they have been out now & the tsunami of other music like this will diminish the effect for someone getting into this music now.

The term Ambient music is much overused and I was also around at the time when Music For Airports came out & again this was incredible to hear at that time. What both these styles have in common - the Berlin School guys and the ambient side that Eno championed was the ability to get lost in the music. To quote Julian Cope when talking about the very early Tangerine Dream album Zeit - “the music becomes the room”.

What made you start DiN in 1999?

In the 1980s my cassette & vinyl releases were on a series of small boutique labels and then in the 1990s, I started to release my own work such as The Uncertainty Principle & The Deep on CD on a label I called Something Else Records. However, it was very piecemeal and had to be fitted in & around my family life & work at Akai. There was no real plan or strategy. I’ll openly admit I really got into the Fax label and liked how the sorely missed Peter Namlook had a rotating pool of artists with lots of interesting cross-genre fertilisation of ideas.

So in 1998, I started to formulate my own ideas for a label. I wanted to combine my own Berlin School synth heritage with other styles of electronic music. I’ve never been one to do the same thing over & over again. I also wanted to more actively pursue musical collaborations with a range of artists. I also wanted the label to have an identifiable visual aesthetic and to be released as collectible limited editions. Thus DiN launched in 1999 & to date (May 2001) has 66 physical releases on the main DiN label, 5 volumes of the Tone Science series & 26 digital-only albums - with plenty more to follow.

The label has a rotation of very consistent artists, but what do you look for in any new artist demos that come your way?

Two things really - a certain, almost indefinable “quality” & a musicality which catches my ear. It’s just one of those things - you “just know” when something is good - trust your instincts. I mean I’m not running DiN as some huge multi-national corporation where profit is the only driver of your business. I have other forms of musical earnings from the more commercial worlds of library music & sound design so in a way I can afford to indulge myself with DiN. It’s a reflection of my musical personality.

What's been your proudest moment running the DiN label to date?

I wouldn’t say I have a proudest moment more than I’m very proud of DiN in its entirety. I can’t quite believe it’s been going for over 20 years now and that there have been almost 100 releases in total. I’d like to think that for someone new discovering DiN it would be like “Wow” what is this label and then the joy of working through the catalogue. Sure not every release is going to appeal to everyone but I can remember having that experience with Fax & it was quite a ride.

Your partner’s (Wendy’s) art features heavily on the label and on this mix - are there any creative differences when it comes to choosing art or working together?

Yes, Wendy & I have been together for almost 8 years now. She’s a very talented photographer & artist who is just now later in her life finding the time to spread her creative wings. I’ve always had a certain aesthetic for the DiN artwork which avoided the obvious cliches of space & sci-fi imagery. I like the ambiguity of Wendys work - they’re often familiar things such as rock, tree bark or rust but presented in such a way that they go beneath the surface and show the whole amazing world of detail & texture that many folk often don’t even notice.

Your career has undoubtedly seen many chapters of synthesizer music over the years. What's your point of view on the future for this style? Do you feel like this type of music will become even more accessible with the advent of software and cheaper versions of classic synths?

Well, certainly when I first started out in 1978 it was very expensive to buy these instruments. I think my first synth was a Jen string machine in 1980 and then shortly after a single case of Roland System 100-M modular which I still have. This was pre-MIDI & computer software but it doesn’t really matter. The technological side of electronic music has always been a driving force for how it sounded but musically a composer will always find a way of expressing themselves whatever the tools they have available. Now of course it’s so much easier in so many ways to record & release music in all genres let alone electronic music.

However what hasn’t changed is that you as the composer has to have a musical idea, there has to be some form of a creative spark of what you are trying to achieve musically. The whole renaissance in the use of modular synths is very refreshing. I mean during the 1990s folk were throwing these things away but I never gave up on my use of modular. But the last few years have seen an explosion in the use of these systems. I think this is great as it’s brought a new generation of musicians in who are finding new & evolving ways of expressing their own musical personalities which I for one find fascinating.

Can you tell us about the mix you have prepared for us and the inspiration behind it?

I wanted to showcase my musical heritage - there’s no reason why I should hide away from it, so much of the music is what inspired me when I was a teenager & into my twenties. So there are tracks from Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze (part of Wahnfried 1883 which I mentioned above), Vangelis, Ashra & Popul Vuh. Also connecting to other artists I’ve talked about & which are important to me is part of Discreet Music by Brian Eno which uses tape looping that I used to experiment with whilst at Spectro as well as a piece by Peter Namlook.

I’m also very much into classical music too which for me often has crossover with some styles of Electronic Music especially those pieces that have an impressionistic feel. I couldn’t resist using a piece by Ligeti - probably made famous by its use in the film 2001 crossing over into Rubycon by Tangerine Dream.

The set closes with one of my favourite composers Arvo Pärt with this incredible piece that comes out of a track by Biosphere - such lovely juxtapositions. I’ve done a lot of these mixes on DiN with the six iNDEX compilations as well as the two DiN mixes and Tone Science albums so I’m always looking to take the listener on a musical journey with highs & lows, points for reflection and emotional intensity.

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Listen on Soundcloud, Mixcloud, or the ASIP Podcast.

astrangelyisolatedplace · isolatedmix 111 - Ian Boddy (DiN)

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Tracklist*:

01. Vangelis - Creation Du Monde
02. György Ligeti - Atmosphères
03. Tangerine Dream - Rubycon Part One
04. Ashra - Nightdust
05. Klaus Schulze - Wahnfried 1883
06. Brian Eno - Discreet Music
07. Popul Vuh - In Den Gärten Pharaos
08. Pete Namlook - Trip 1
09. Wendy Carlos - Fall
10. Biosphere - Kobresia
11. Arvo Pärt - Cantus In Memory Of Benjamin Britten

*Many of these tracks are extended / long tracks, so you could consider these as excerpts.

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Ian Boddy | DiN | Web | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

isolatedmix 110 - Marius Bø (Ute.Rec)

It’s no secret I’m a Trance music fan. We could debate forever, what, when or why Trance was good, but for me, it was one of my many gateways into ambient music growing up. Be it via Pete Namlook, proggy mix CDs, or 90’s pioneers such as B12 and Global Communication, where many began to blur the divide; there’s an unwritten relationship between the two genres which is hard to actually pin down. Maybe one day I will do due diligence and try and trace this connection a bit closer, but until then, I am busy unearthing the brilliant sounds emitting from UTE.REC - a label collective from Norway that manages to bridge the divide between expansive, meandering Ambient Trance, and full-on (what I may consider, proper) Trance music.

For our next isolatedmix, I invited UTE.REC and one of the founders, Marius Bø to prepare a mix that reflected the label and of course, Marius’ own personal identity as it relates to the collective. Evidently, and as many ASIP label followers may soon find out (hint!) the collective is sitting on a treasure-trove of music as their inspiration and productivity hits new highs, and alongside some classic cuts from Global Communication, James Bernard, Pete Namlook and Gas, we’re treated to a wealth of unreleased/upcoming music from UTE related artists…

I sent a few questions Mario’s way to get a bit more detail on the label and inspiration.

Can you tell us a bit about UTE, how it came about and the sub-labels?

We are a group of friends where some of us grew up together, and some of us went to high school together. We started out hosting forest raves in Oslo, which later grew into club nights, and now we also do a small intimate festival. A couple of years ago we started Ute.Rec. We had a lot of music we wanted to release, and we felt it made sense if we did it ourselves on our own platform. Starting up the sub-labels came to our minds later, when we felt that we wanted to release more music that couldn't fit or come through on Ute.Rec. The releases are more short-term, and from in-house artists. We all love the whole spectrum of trance, ranging from goa trance to hard Trance, to ambient trance, so having different imprints where we release all these kinds makes sense to us. Sinensis is an ambient plattform where we release CDs. Every release consists of a one, hour-long ambient track to really get you to trance away. The hour-long tracks are paired with a clubbier B-side, but in the psychedelic and dreamy vibe as well. Translusid on the other hand is a digital platform where we do releases with a lot of collabs and aliases. This is a platform with more room for the artist to experiment and do things they don't always do.

The labels are run by Teo Bachs, Filip Storsveen (Oprofessionell) and myself. In the Ute crew as whole there are also Mikkel Rev, Haider and Carl Fuck and Marilao.

What was your introduction to Trance music?

For my musical development Filter Musikk in Oslo has played a big role. Run by the local legend Roland Lifjell. Digging in the second-hand boxes in the back of his store really introduced me to the 90s trance and techno. Ranging from techno, hard trance, progressive and goa trance. Roland Lifjell was a trance DJ back in the 90s with a huge collection, and he regularly put parts of it out in the store for us trance heads to hunt. Sharing and playing music with the Ute guys is also very inspiring and educating.

Trance definitely seems to be a trendy genre for some people nowadays with many techno DJs diving into the classics. Do you think Trance gets an unfair rap nowadays?

There are definitely some not-so-good takes on the term “trance music”. But having people digging and educating themselves in trance is of course good. I understand that people seem to have some bad connotations if they only associate it with the Millenium trance era or superstar DJs dropping trance classics. The millennium era was a period with a huge lack of creativity and the music became super generic. There still are some takes on trance that have these similarities, but there will always be good and bad music of every genre I think... But for me, trance can be a kind of music filled with unique emotions, innovation and creativity instead of formula-based music for the masses.

Your label releases range from ambient to hard-trance across the 3 sublabels - is there a particular criteria you try to stick to?

I wouldn't say that there's a specific criteria when seeking out tracks and releases, more of a feeling and mood. It's not so easy to put our finger on what we are looking for. We all have quite the same taste of music, so we tend to collectively know it when we hear it. When our artists are sending us tracks for releases, it often can be harder choosing which tracks to exclude rather than choosing which ones to include. With that said, we are trying to keep consistency in our releases as well as diversity.

How would you describe the Trance scene today? And specifically in Norway?

The Trance scene in Norway is absolutely growing, but not something big. The club scene, pre-pandemic, was mostly dominated by deep house and tech-house. But the scene is in progress, not just trance, but other cool genres as well, with acts like OT2, Suvatne, Snorre Magnar Solberg and Fakethias. Pre-pandemic, the bookers became more and more open-minded, opening up for a broader and better club scene. Across the Norwegian borders, the Trance scene is absolutely growing, and the Scandinavian scene as a whole is blooming. With Copenhagen and Malmø doing great things, and all over the world there are collectives doing great things in Europe, Asia and Australia.

Where else would you point people to who are looking for similar music as what they might find on UTE?

Malmø and Copenhagen as mentioned. The Copenhagen labels Amniote, VALIS, Bunkerbauer, Kengu and Kulør, and the Malmø labels Morph and Bodycount are all putting out so much great music. We actually have a fundraiser co-release with Mama Snake’s Amniote coming really soon, filled with trance, ambient and techno.

DJ wise there are acts like Lund&Rønde, Lasse Vind, Mama Snake, Ibon, DJ Tool, Ezy, Peachlyfe, Araknyl, Omniself and Courtesy really pushing it and doing great things, all of them involved in the labels above. In Malmø there is a faster and harder take on trance. They are all so skillful and the tracks are super well-produced, with so many great DJs. There is also a very exciting scene in Hague doing more experimental, tribal and psychedelic trance, with artists like Spekki Webu, Woody92 and Jeans. They have a very unique approach that I really love. And finally, the legend Alpha Tracks, who was really one of the first producers sparking trance back to life some years ago. One of the best out there...

And looking back, who is the king/queen of Trance music in your opinion?

Haha, difficult question. It's impossible to pick out only one. But some of the artists from the early days that have influenced me a lot are Ollie Olsen, Robert Leiner, Ramin (RIP) and Pete Namlook. They all had a huge and wide output, releasing under so many different, great aliases. Just an adventure going through their catalogues... Goa trance legends like Orichalcum, The Infinity Project, Technossomy and Blue Planet Corporation are also top-tier legends for me.

And lastly, your isolatedmix, what inspired it?

The original photo (which is beautifully re-worked by Woody92) is from one of our forest parties a couple of years ago. Deep in the woods of Oslo, at the end of a long and intense party, after a beautiful sunrise. I wanted to capture a little bit of that energy into this mix. Optimism and happiness for the summer and the brighter times to come. The mix starts calmly, slowly and mystically, and ends more euphorically. For me it's a perfect listen for these beautiful spring days.

Listen on Soundcloud, Mixcloud, or the ASIP Podcast.

astrangelyisolatedplace · isolatedmix 110 - Marius Bø

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Tracklist:

01. Mikkel Rev - Unreleased
02. Suso Saiz - Dulce
03. DJ Ibon - Sorgpad
04. Mikkel Rev - Unreleased
05. Gas - Microscopic
06. Joey Beltram - Across The Hemisphere
07. 2030 - Intermissions
08. Alpha Tracks - L'amore Innocente
09. Ra - Light Receiver
10. Mikkel Rev - Unreleased
11. Global Communication - 5:23
12. James Bernard - Lost In It
13. Eliza Michel - Eli's Exodus
14. Oprofessionell - Unreleased
15. Naone & S.O.N.S - Separate Ways
16. Mikkel Rev - Unreleased
17. Omformer - Unreleased
18. Mikkel Rev - Unreleased
19. Pete Namlook - Subharmonic Interference (Excerpt From Namlook VII)
20. Mikkel Rev - Unreleased

UTE.REC | Discogs | Bandcamp | Soundcloud (Marius) | Soundcloud UTE

isolatedmix 109 - Andy Green / Verdant Recordings

Back when I used to post a lot more mixes here on ASIP, Andy Green and his Verdant Recordings alias was featured quite a few times on the site. It’s a reminder of the magical small worlds we operated in as we stumbled across similar Soundcloud profiles or even personal websites with nothing but MP3 links and text docs with tracklists. It seems like a minefield nowadays to hunt down something special - so much choice - in both good and bad ways. So seeing Andy contribute to the isolatedmix series all these years later and being able to follow his progress with the Verdant Recordings label is a nice reminder of the early years.

Andy seems to have organically progressed through the years in a similar path to me, in fact. From a pure-music fan to compiling mixes across a variety of styles and now, curating a label, Andy’s always been in and amongst our small world and it’s a delight to finally invite him here to curate an isolatedmix.

Hi Andy. It looks like you've been running Verdant Recordings for about five years now. I notice you state that the label is unconstrained by genre, which is something I admire and try to uphold with ASIP too. What filters do you apply when looking for a label release?

Yes, it’s nearly 5 years and only 10 records released so I am rather selective and the projects take shape very slowly. I’m essentially trying to build a catalog that reflects my own evolving and diverse tastes by reaching out to established producers I really admire or new producers whose talents need a place to be heard. It is personally enriching to have had a handful of previously unreleased artists being heard for the 1st time via the label. The next record will feature the wonderful Jo Johnson as part of an ambient double 12. Our collaboration was first discussed at the inception of the label back in 2016 and in some respects, the music she has composed has benefitted from the time taken since then. The project's working title is ‘Less Popular Than Cats’ and also includes Reedale Rise, Outlier and !nterject!on…... if enough folk are keen to own a copy it should be available by the summer.

As a fellow label-head, what do you find most challenging about running a label?

I find promoting a mystery and difficult and it’s not in my nature to push the label on social media (which seems to be essential for smaller labels in current times). I also struggle telling people that I’m not able to release some of the wonderful music they are generous enough to send me….. and especially if they are somebody I know.

You're based in the UK so how do you see Brexit impacting your label operations? If at all?

I’m running the label purely for my own pleasure and quite a rubbish label manager when it comes to the business side. Brexit is a total shit-show and I’m (not) dealing with it by moaning and sticking my head in the sand. I see the impact now principally through the eyes of a collector, noticing that record prices from Europe have increased by 25% in recent months and shipping has become ridiculously expensive with an extra dose of extortion to add salt to the wound. I know that I cannot collect as much music now, so I fear sales will decline for everyone… I hear from vinyl die-hards that they’ll be buying digital music in the future.

You recently released 'Changing Seasons' on your Vertex label Project which I managed to pick up over here in the US and it features an ASC ‘Grey Area’ remix which sounds very much like his Comit output. I didn’t know the track was on there at the time, until I asked the store to give it a spin whilst I was browsing, and then shouted "hey this sounds like Comit?!" How did you go about choosing remixes for this project?

Jamie (Exalt) and I really are very proud of this Vertex project and it’s been a pleasure getting to know and work with Jonas over the last couple of years. The original was ostensibly a dub techno album but aimed at home listening and so the remix project was our attempt to toughen up some tracks but avoid doing straight-up dub techno remixes. We discussed remixers and between us reached out to some admired and favorite producers. I’ve probably collected more records of James (ASC) than anyone else in recent times so I was thrilled to secure his talents and that remix IS sublime. Similarly, having Mike Schommer onboard fulfilled another ambition. It's only just to acknowledge GRIT’s chunky take and of course, Bjarnar’s (Ohm) charming ‘Morning Glory’ who is a long-standing friend of Jonas and chuffed to say of mine now too. Coming back to the ASC remix there’s a good back story about the composition. The closing ambient section wasn't there initially and I had the nerve to ask James to develop what was a great remix already. It turns out he’d already had the identical idea and so the longer track became the remix he really wanted to make for us from the start and the one I really wanted to hear. He's also mentioned to us that it’s one his favorite remixes he’s recorded in recent times.

I was posting your mixes on ASIP over 10 years ago now (many are archived on the old site, unfortunately) but you've obviously been compiling mixes for a while, how did you get into it?

I was a very late starter when it came to mixing music though I have danced, listened and collected for over 3 decades now. My first few years of mixing were focused on ambient and experimental music simply because I assumed it was easier and the mix for you back then was actually one of the earlier podcasts requested. Nowadays, I record mostly beat-driven music but my passion for ambient music remains and it’s a treat to do this for ASIP again after the gap. For the record, I’ve since appreciated that a well-mixed ambient set is harder to achieve than boshing out a techno set.

Your mix, is therefore a suitably deep affair. Can you tell us a little bit more about what you had in mind putting it together?

The majority of my mixes are rather spontaneous and I don't tend to pour over track selections or plan them out too carefully (this shows!) ….. Usually I aim for a feeling and go from there and so they tend to reflect my current headspace. Like many of us over the last 12 months, I have experienced some darker days but also a few good times. I recorded this a few days after a rare day last October….(Jane Fitz' and Jade Seattle’s Day Moves actually) where I had caught up with some lovely friends for the 1st time in nearly 9 months. When it came to the mix I think I was trying to channel some of the residual glow but also contrast that with that some of the more introspective moods we have found ourselves in. Thanks again for giving me the chance to share this experience.

Listen on Soundcloud, Mixcloud, or the ASIP Podcast.

astrangelyisolatedplace · isolatedmix 109 - Andy Green / Verdant Recordings

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Tracklist:

01. Move D /The Silent Orbiter (…txt)
02. Donato Dozzy /Comfort Zone (IDO)
03. Taece /Time In Waves (unreleased)
04. Biosphere /Warmed By The Drift (Touch)
05. Ligovskoï /Mungu (Field Records)
06. Deepchord /Immersions (Astral Industries)
07. Konduku /Panorama (Mantis)
08. Radiohead /Treefinger (XL Recordings)
09. Fatih Tuter /Appreciation (Shimmering Moods Records)
10. Harold Budd & Brian Eno /Dark Eyed Sister (Editions)
11. Jock Burton /Lake Monger (Analogue Attic Recordings)
12. Marow /Inter 3 (IDO)
13. Night Sea /This Will Take Time (Silent Season)
14. Healing Force Project /Kinetic Drawing (Porn Sword Tobacco Edit) (Wicked Bass)
15. Mihail P /Jellyfish (Self Released)
16. Chapterhouse (retranslated by Global Communication /Delta Phase (Dedicated)
17. D.K. /Untitled (12th Isle)

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Verdant Recordings | Bandcamp | Soundcloud

isolatedmix 108 - Sentre

Our relationship with Quiet Places began last year and their debut album as a trio is slowly but surely becoming a favorite for anyone who likes to dive into intriguing new worlds and wide-screen ambient rabbit holes., or watch epic hour-long expanses.

The three chaps behind the Quiet Places alias: Charlie May, Dennis White and Dave Gardner are all respectable producers in their own right, and with Charlie already providing us with a marathon isolatedmix, it was only a matter of time before we got into the minds of Dennis and Dave, who also produce music as Sentre.

When they’re not making massive anthems like U&ME, or Sleep Acid, Dennis and Dave are finding inspiration from the more chilled side of electronic music and pulling from a wide spectrum of influences to inform one of their many productions - be it as Quiet Places, Sentre or putting together epic live shows for Sasha alongside Charlie (seen here on stage at The Barbican).

Sentre / Bird Up! Records · Sentre - U&ME (Radio Edit)

Stepping up as Sentre behind the controls for isolatedmix 108, we’re treated to a journey that reflects the classic multi-faceted downtempo DJ. Drawing influences from more electronic/dancefloor-oriented producers, and combining more relaxed sensibilities with an overall craft for track selection and vibe, you’ll find a selection of respected electronic music pioneers in Daniel Avery, Nicolas Jaar, Rival Consoles, DJ Healer and Leon Vynehall, spliced with a couple of diggers and their very own edits as Sentre.

Scroll below for a short interview with them both and more insight on the project and mix.

Listen on Soundcloud, Mixcloud, or the ASIP Podcast.

astrangelyisolatedplace · isolatedmix 108 - Sentre

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Tracklist:

01. Lord Of The Isles - Inheritance (feat. Ellen Renton)
02. Leon Vynehall - It Breaks (Chapter IX)
03. John Beltran - Lose You
04. Hania Rani - Buka
05. Map.ache - Ukiu
06. Maarja Nuut & Ruum - Kuud kuulama 
07. Sentre - Waiting for the Sun
08. Rival Consoles - Still Here
09. Daniel Avery - Into the Arms of Stillness
10. Nicolas Jaar - Cenizas
11. The Durutti Column - Opera II
12. Adolf Noise - Last Night of the Year
13. Sebastian Tellier - L’amour et la Violence (Simple Mind Version )
14. DJ Healer - The Interview
15. Claude Speed - R U Sorry
16. Sevendeaths - SH4A
17. The Tourist - Together at the Centre of Creation
18. Sentre - Sleep Acid ( Ambient )
19. Johannes Schmoelling - Perpetual Motion

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Hello to two-thirds of Quiet Places. Can you tell us a bit in your own words on how you feel about the reception of the record so far? 

We're super happy with how it's been received and very impressed with the listenership loyalty at ASIP. We launched that album into the ether with no great expectations, so to see people buying the lovely package you put together for us is really satisfying. 

How would you describe your Sentre project to anyone new and how did it come about? 

Sentre is predominantly electronic music, mostly aimed at dancefloors but drawing on our different tastes and influences. There's some atonal clubby noise and also some dreamy atmospheric stuff that borders on synth-pop. I met Dave on Gumtree selling sample CDs.

Charlie May (the final third of Quiet Places) said that Dave is an encyclopedia when it comes to production…

Well I don't know anyone else who can play you Afghan funk from the 70s one moment and elusive BOC remixes the next. 

It was also mentioned that two rules of Quiet Places production included no beats and no grid and that Dennis as an amazing drummer. The first is probably handy for an ambient record, but how did Dennis adapt?

It's nice to work within limitations, it'll force you to do things you wouldn't normally. That's actually a principle we've started applying to Sentre as well, we're currently working with a palette of drum sounds and seeing how far we can push it. 

There's actually loads of rhythm in Quiet Places but it's hiding in arpeggios or edits we've done by hand and extrapolated out. It's really interesting that samples have a rhythm of their own when you don't force them to sit on a grid. (Doing drugs helps as well).

Some nice samples make an appearance in this isolatedmix too . Can you help shed some light on any of the samples in the QP record?

Dave and Charlie are the sample kings. We've sampled underwater creatures, ASMR videos, old interviews, UFO enthusiasts.... Our publisher had a job on his hands clearing all those!

Your isolatedmix runs the gauntlet in terms of styles but has a clear overall vibe. How would you describe it? Was that your original intent?

Yes, it was actually. We’re both big Weatherall fans and loved how he used to play a crazy mixture of music but somehow it all worked together. Jose Padilla was excellent at this too. We thought it would be interesting to try and do something similar as a little tribute to both Andrew and Jose. Hopefully, it works and people will enjoy it. 

‘The Interview’ is featured in your mix - a personal fave of mine. Is that your favorite track from the mysterioso?

The whole album deserves a listen in sequence to become properly immersed! My other favorites are 'Planet Lonely' and 'Protectionspell'

We generally like to pick obscure samples so that they can be chopped up to imply slightly odd things or they just completely lose any context. A lot of work went into that for the QP record.

Given the extensive use of samples throughout your productions, people on the street are going to be asking… ARE YOU DJ HEALER?

Sadly not. :(

~

Sentre | Soundcloud | Facebook

isolatedmix 107 - Illuvia

It’s not often that we get ASIP artists to contribute with isolatedmixes, but Ludvig’s journey with his Illuvia alias revives a love for the Drum and Bass genre in all of us electronic music fans, triggering the emotion, highs, and nostalgia that so often comes hand-in-hand with the atmospheric side of DnB.

Ludvig’s upcoming LP as Illuvia (Iridescence Of Clouds) sits at the apex of both ambient and Drum and Bass - somehow quenching the thirst of both sides whilst inciting something new and exciting. After being a part of this journey with Ludvig over the past few years, we got talking about the many inspirations behind the album and I urged him to put together this mix for us all by way of further insight into the album. I will leave the rest of the introduction to Ludvig, as he has taken the time to pen an intro to the mix; the inspiration behind it, and how it connects to his upcoming release.

What I will say, however, is the exact same as the comment I left on the original Illuvia album on Bandcamp back in 2017… “LTJ Bukem, eat your heart out”!

“

I’m not too big on genre definitions per se – I prefer to describe music in terms of its emotion and energy, its flavors and colors. But when talking about music it is also helpful if we use these definitions to simplify the description process. If I say atmospheric drum & bass (or ambient jungle if you like), everyone who has an interest in electronic music knows what I’m talking about. Genres are funny though – they seem to gather their own momentum and become these overarching stylistic markers that many artists (myself included) then allow to color or even define their own unique expression, making it fit within these imaginary boundaries defined by the ones that came before – the ones who broke new ground. I’m all for staying true to one’s inner vision, and I’m also particularly fond of the aesthetics of atmospheric drum & bass, which have influenced my work from a young age. There are probably many reasons why.

During my teenage years, I was experiencing perpetual anxiety and slipping deeper and deeper into depressive states of mind. Few things had the power to reach me and lift me out of such states (at the time; being alone in nature, getting lost in music, or complete physical exhaustion basically). I remember one time in particular when I was experiencing deep anxiety, staying in an apartment with friends who lived in the city. We had been drinking and getting high, and this only exacerbated my anxiety. I always carried my portable CD-player and had brought with me a couple of newly purchased Good Looking Records compilations. I went to lie down on the floor somewhere, put my headphones on, and slipped into another world.

Gently I was lifted out of the panic that was gripping my heart and into a world full of wonder. The contrast to my previous state was extreme. The body was relaxing while I was traveling in astral realms defined by emotion and color. The senses merged, the music became visual. Of course, this experience was enabled in part by a chemically induced altered state, but I have later traveled in similar ways without that component, and I would definitely say that the experience is even more profound when you learn to just use the focus of your mind. The music becomes a bridge, letting you cross over from your present, often very limited state (such as believing that you are a person in a body), into greater awareness of the limitless nature of existence. Why do people love these experiences? Because they are natural.

Back to atmospheric drum & bass in particular, and those qualities embodied within it that my heart will always stay warm to (and, by the way, all of this is naturally my subjective interpretation and rather fluid as such).

Primarily, it is the lightness, playfulness and childlike wonder that I gravitate to so deeply. There are drum & bass tracks that are nothing but pure, distilled joy and wonderment (a few by Artemis come to mind). It’s quite rare to find artistic expressions of pure happiness among all the (man-made) troubles of the modern world. When artists “in” this genre are exploring other states in their expression, such as sadness, loneliness, longing, desolation etc., these are approached in a refreshingly non-personal way and instead interpreted more cinematically. It seems to be all about taking on a grander view of life, of existence, and the personal drama is simply not that significant in the cosmic scheme of things (thankfully). Along the same lines, there seems to be a near-total absence of “coolness” or attitude to this particular style of music, which makes me think that the intent is more about sharing a positive experience rather than that of impressing someone. Of course, not always true and definitely not exclusive to this genre (!), but it just seems peculiarly prevalent in my view. Less “look at me!” and more “look at this amazing view!”.

Possible Worlds a track by Moonchild (aka Nu-Moon) expresses some of this in the title, nicely depicted by this YT video:

Look how small we are. Look how grand this whole thing is. But contemplating this doesn’t make you feel small – perhaps only momentarily while you shift out of your familiar world and assume a more expansive outlook. Keep going and you will begin to feel cosmic. You will become an empty space full of wonder (or realize that this is what you were all along).

Back to little me. As I was already producing music at the time of the ‘atmospheric out-of-body-experience & bass’ described before, I naturally began to make my own attempts of creating these types of tracks. My musical journey started as a drummer so I was innately in love with intricate fast-paced breaks – and who on earth doesn’t love a massive sub? (Probably some, however difficult that is to fathom...). My own earliest adventures in the genre worthy of release eventually saw the light of day via this compilation released by Omni Music UK:

Chris ‘Eschaton’ Wright has been a big supporter of this side of my work, so I’m happy that this compilation remains in archives of his prolific label. And yes, Ziyal is named after a character in Star Trek: Deep Space 9 (not that you asked, but in case you would ever wonder about it!). She’s a beautiful though sadly short-lived character that bridges two opposing worlds with her childlike, open heart, and so I felt it fitting that she would be commemorated in my atmospheric drum & bass explorations. After creating a double album of epic proportions together with my brother-in-sound Bass’Flo (aka Sinius), the climax of Ziyal consolidated as the album No World But You released by another brother-in-sound and longtime supporter of my work – Kian Asamoah, operating Noisy Meditation:

A few solar cycles later, it was time for renewal. Letting two long time monikers go to rest (Alveol and Ziyal), I had no name for the new music that was coming through full-force, as the later on titled Illuvia (Exaltation) materialized during an all-night session. Somewhat lost in the dark at the time, I wasn’t very happy with it afterward and pretty much left it aside. The new music kept flowing and eventually the entire Illuvia debut album had arrived, along with this name that for me personally carried the meaning “path of illumination” or “path of light” (I have later found other meanings within it).

Years passed, and after a couple of fruitless attempts at getting this debut album pressed to vinyl, I finally decided to release it digitally on my own. At the very final stages of that process, I happened to uncover that initial version of the Illuvia track and decided to throw it on as the finale with the epithet (Exaltation). But this is turning into quite the novel, so let me conclude by taking a breath, and re-center in the present moment.

Why am I writing this? Ah yes, the mix and the new album. So, I wanted to compile a mix consisting mainly of tracks I listened to during those early years of discovering and exploring this style of music through buying CDs in local record shops. First off, there are so many gems that I couldn’t fit into this mix unless it would have been 8 hours long. It was emotionally painful to make some of these decisions – a testament to the love I feel for these pieces of sonic art that have accompanied me through life. The main inspiration behind the mix is the desire to share the experience of stepping back and taking in a grander view of life and existence, as is so emotionally articulated by Ellie Arroway in the intro (a fictional character in one of my all-time favorite movies).

And the ‘Iridescence of Clouds’ album… what is it about?

So many things. So many points connecting there (though I feel like maybe I didn’t quite manage to tie them together). Mainly, I think I’m still chasing those grand visions I had in my youth, and have had ever since… those feelings that are too vast to fit within any known definitions or boundaries, but still can only be expressed through a process of limitation. The decision to explore a certain stylistic direction is one such limitation, and it seems to be one that ignites my inspiration. It feels like there is more depth and new vistas to explore in those atmospheric worlds of big harmonic waves, deep subs and rapidly flowing beats. Sometimes I feel that my tools have gotten blunt over the years – that I’ve lost some quality of clarity that I long to recover. But I don't know that for sure. What I do know is that this album is a small part of something so much greater (endlessly greater if we continue zooming out)... and as with every other aspect of creation, it is important. It is possibly a step towards the unveiling of some even greater vision that couldn’t happen without it. Nothing we create will ever be a destination, something complete in and of itself. It will always and ever only be a step.

“ - Ludvig Cimbrelius.

Listen on Soundcloud, Mixcloud, or the ASIP Podcast.

astrangelyisolatedplace · isolatedmix 107 - Illuvia

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Tracklist:

01. Photek - Aura
02. Blu Mar Ten - Cumulus
03. The Architex - Escape
04. Photek - Rings Around Saturn
05. Seba & Lotek - So Long
06. Boymerang - The River (VIP)
07. J Majik - Repertoire
08. 154 - Apricot
09. Teebee & K - Cherokee
10. Flytronix - Vertical Plains
11. Photek - T'Raenon
12. Hidden Agenda - The Sun
13. Tunduska - Blush Response
14. Goldie - Sea of Tears
15. ASC - The Machinery of Night
16. Goldie - Letter of Fate
17. Alaska & Paradox - Etherous
18. Boymerang - Lazarus
19. Lamb - Just Is

The mix also contains parts of these tracks:

Jonny L - Tychonic Cycle
Alaska - Ultramundane
Hidden Agenda - Dispatches #2
Nu-Moon - Sea Town
Override - PAC 3
Nebula - Escapism
Artemis - Inner Worlds
Henrik B - Mirrors
Motive One - Loop Progression

Illuvia | Bandcamp | Soundcloud | ASIP artist page