ASIP - Inspirations (Live set)

This has been sitting in the ASIP vaults for quite some time now – a DJ mix I recorded about three years ago featuring some of my all time favourite tracks, most of which inspired me to set-up this site. My friends CDJ’s were on loan and together with my turntables, I set off with the aim to complete my first ‘downtempo’ DJ set, recorded live with no computer intervention whatsoever.

I spent half the morning trawling through my favourites, sorting by BPM and putting in to some kind of coherent order and was expecting tens, if not thousands of attempts before I got this right. Luckily, it was done in one go – probably the biggest fluke of my life considering the amount of intro’s I looped and my relative inexperience using CDJ’s.

You’ll likely recognise all the tracks here, so I’m hoping you enjoy the overall flow of the mix as well as the classics I’ve included. I was going to talk through each track but seeing as most of you have been following this blog for a while now, you probably already know what I would say about music like this... no surprises here.

I hope you enjoy it.

1. Aphex Twin – Rhubarb
2. Underworld – To Heal
3. Global Communication – 14.31
4. DJ Shadow – Blood on the Motorway
5. Ulrich Schnauss – Between us and them
6. Boards of Canada – Dayvan Cowboy
7. Bibio – Cherry Blossom Road
8. Honeyroot – State of mind
9. Thievery Corporation – Shaolin Satellite
10. James Bong – Never Say?
11. Aim – Cold Water Music
12. Boards of Canada – Happy Cycling
13. Ulrich Schnauss – A letter from home
14. 7 Hurtz – Malibu
15. Biosphere – Kobresia

ASIP - Traumbient

There was a time when I was hunting down every single release on this label. ‘T’ for techno. ‘Minimal’. ‘German Techno’. ‘Kompakt & similar’. ‘Electronic’… Find the box, find Traum. Find the LP’s. Find the EP’s. Find them all.

Beginning with some of the first outputs from Phillipe Cam, Miss Dinky and Process, Traum Schallplatten went on to introduce me to Fairmont, Jesse Somfay, Nathan Fake, Minilogue and Dominik Eulberg. Responsible for the introduction of many of these artists to a wider audience, Traum still stays true to it’s original ethos today and continues to deliver hypnotic, melodic and defining techno.

Looking through Traum’s extensive ten year catalogue, you’ll find big hitters such as Minilogue’s ‘Certain Things’, Nathan Fake’s ‘Dinamo’,and Dominik Eulberg’s ‘Der Buchdrucker’, to name just a few of my favourites. Dig a little further and you’ll also stumble across a more gentle side of melodic techno tucked away in the Traum vaults.

For this mix, i’ve put the dance-floor orientated tracks to one side and focused on some of the more ambient outputs in a hope to reflect a treasured yet sometimes overlooked side of Cologne’s finest export. I’ve included releases that reflect the deep, atmospheric, gentle but unexpected sounds I’ve come to associate with this great label; from 1999’s Fantasias Animadas, to Max Coopers ‘Sea of Sound’, set to be released this month.

Here’s my own little dedication to a defining techno label.

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01. Iquinn – Fall [TRAUMCD08]
02. Broker-Dealer – Stormy [TRAUMCD07]
03. Miss Dinky – Nora [TRAUMV11]
04. Fantasias Animadas – Mike’s Road [TRAUMCD01]
05. Waki – Baikamo [TRAUMCD06]
06. Kubikov & Milutenko – Structure [TRAUM13]
07. Process – Room [TRAUMCD13]
08. Kubikov & Milutenko – Special Communication [TRAUM13]
09. Gustavo Lamas – Dulces [TRAUMCD02]
10. Leandro Fresco – Recordable [TRAUMCD01]
11. Yuxtapose – Sciex Elan [TRAUMCD01]
12. Oxtongue – Elba Life [TRAUMCD07]
13. Darmush – Rarpa [TRAUMCD11]
14. Max Cooper – Sea Of Sound (Ambient rework) [TRAUMV131]

ASIP - Balearic Brilliance

It’s been a while since I visited the White Isle, but the influences from my visits still ring true today – I’m a sucker for classic Balearic chill-out.

It’s getting seriously cold in the UK now and with the summer long gone, we’re all wishing we were  somewhere else. The first in a two-part series, the idea for this mix come from a short tweet conversation between DJ Rich-Ears and I. A little love for a Balearic track and before we knew it, the challenge had been thrown down.

My choices reflect some of my fondest and personal memories – specific days, nights and mornings. You’ll find classic balearic chill, to more recent efforts and even a hint of my trance influence.

ASIP was up first. DJ Rich-Ears to follow with Pt 2.

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Tracklist
01. Rhian Sheehan – Te Karanga
Not only can Rhian strut with the finest cinematics, Balearic also comes naturally.

02. Language Lab – Burning Disaster (Groove Armada Bedtime Story remix)
The original is totally different. Instant relaxation with this one.

03. Ganga – Luna
Ganga is one of them artist’s you can brush over too easily. ‘I Dream About Trees’ is a must if you like this track.

04. Jose Padilla – Adios Ayer (Paul Daley remix)
Ibiza’s father of chill meets Mr Leftfield. What else could you wish for? The original is hard to beat, but Paul Daley provides a modern twist on a Balearic beauty.

05. The Beloved – The Sun Rising (Tom Middleton DnB edit)
A classic Ibiza track revamped into a subtle Drum’n Bass style by Global Communication’s Tom Middleton.

06. Mark’s & Henry’s – (The Making Of…) Jill / A conversation with Rickie Lee Jones
Retro Ibiza, with a little sample which epitomises Ibiza for me. Overused maybe, but I’m never one to stay on trend.

07. Rocket Empire – Montezuma’s revenge
One of the newest tracks on here, great synth progression and really atmospheric.

08. Energy 52 – Cafe Del Mar (Michael Woods ambient remix)
My all-time favourite trance track stripped back to the core, and focused on the one part which everyone has come to love.

09. Moby – My Beautiful Blue Sky
Moby’s early ambient productions are still as influential as they were in 1993.

10. Chris Coco – My Sunset
Chris Coco needs no introduction and deserves his place amongst the tracklist. The vocal in this track takes you somewhere else…

11. Dousk – Anagram
A hard one to fit in. First heard on Sako’s ‘Last Days’, this track was made for Balearic Chill and had to be included.

ASIP - The isolated 1000

One month ago, we were approaching 1000 ‘likes’ on the ASIP Facebook page and with such a great milestone nearing closer each day, it was the perfect time to get you guys involved and collaborate on a celebratory mix. The premise was simple, name a track that you have come to love because of an artist/mix previously featured on the ASIP blog.

Submissions from the inspirational Kilchurn Sessions, Nick Warrens isolatedmix, Ulrich’s shoegaze mix, DJ Vorn’s Electronic Explorations, plus recent stunners from Tropics, Lights Out Asia and Horizon Fire. From ambient, nu-gaze and shoegaze to electronica, prog and classical – this was going to be some journey (if not a little hard to piece together!)

Thank you to everyone who submitted and made up the first 1000. Unfortunately not all of the submissions are included in the mix – some were impossible to track down in mp3 or good quality (Release The Krakken and the Stina Nordenstam remix for example?!) Also, a few were just too hard to fit in (especially with my lack of software), so a big apology if yours didn’t make it.

I even managed to sneak in my own submission; it was one of them track’s you hear years ago, only to disappear without a trace. Luckily, DJ Rich-Ears ‘Sound of Ancient Leafs and Bamboo‘ resurrected it from my long lost musical mind – a worthy entrant I think? For a peak at all of the stories and inspiration behind many of the choices included, see the isolated1000 Facebook note.

I hope you enjoy it.

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Your Tracklist:
01. Helios – Vargtimme (submitted by George Potter)
02. Robert Frost – Fire and Ice (Sample)
03. Tropics – Soft Vision (submitted by Roberto Sodano, Audioglider)
04. Leandro Fresco – Buenos Amigos (submitted by Pete Srdic)
05. Lights Out Asia – Except Europa (submitted by Wes Marlan)
06. Underworld – To Heal (submitted by Danny Fletcher)
07. Thomas Newman – Brooks Was Here (submitted by Rob Abery)
08. Adham Shaikh – Journey To The Sun (submitted by DJ Rich-Ears)
09. Bruno Sanfilippo – Intropassion (submitted by Pete Srdic)
10. Ulrich Schnauss – Blumenwiese Neben Autobahn (submitted by Matt Acornley)
11. Boards of Canada – Olson (sumitted by DJ Todos)
12. The Last Atlant – Twin Of The Sun (submitted by DJ Todos)
13. Vector Lovers – Neon Sky Rain (submitted by Justin King)
14. Adham Shaikh – Journey To The Sun (submitted by DJ Rich-Ears)
15. Lostep – Burma (Sasha’s Involver Dub) (submitted by Kevin Lloyd)
16. Pete Lazonby – Sacred Circles (Healing mix) (submitted by ASIP)
17. Sway – Fall (submitted by Sbando Lorenzo)
18. Horizon Fire – Passed Out In A Datsun (submitted by Mach V)
19. Edward Shearmur – Coda (submitted by Danny Fletcher)
20. Leona Naess – True Love Will Find You In The End (submitted by Michael Pinn)

isolatedmix 11 - Tripswitch

I normally break into a cold sweat when listening to a mix without a tracklist. It’s one of those obsessive traits that forces me to shun potentially outstanding sets, the music geek in me cries in despair. But holding back wasn’t an option on this mix, for three reasons: One, the tracklist was coming (just not yet). Two, I’d already witnessed a tasty live set just weeks before. And three, Nick Brennans’s latest album hasn’t left my earphones for the past two weeks.

2005’s Circuit Breaker demonstrated Nick’s psychedelic and ethnic influences alongside his talent with a guitar – the signature piece within many of his productions. ‘Roll Your Own’ featured on Nick Warren’s GU30 compilation and ‘Deer Park’ signified a Tripswitch sound that spanned downtempo, psy-chill, progressive and ambient.

A five year hiatus and Tripswitch’s latest album, ‘Geometry’ finally sees light of day. ‘Strange Parallels’ (perhaps Nick’s most celebrated production to date) gets an official appearance after many years and epitomises the Tripswitch sound, with a gentle piano melody, atmospheric guitar layers and progressive shimmering drums. Subtle, creeping yet beautiful vocals wrap warmth amongst ‘Concentric Circles’ whilst ‘Floating Point’ glimmers with a shoegaze tinged crescendo. The synth laden Stereogram tops off an album where each track can be appreciated for it’s individuality and treasured as a whole for it’s epic escapism.

Nick must have heard my despair at listening to his isolatedmix without a tracklist. I’d already emailed him halfway through the set with pure excitement after the signature piano hook in the Mint remix seamlessly crept in. Maybe, I should listen without a track list more often?! But, sure enough it arrived and revealed unexpectedness in the form of a chilled Deadmau5, classics in the Amorphous Androgynous shape, favourites of the Schnauss kind and an exclusive first hear of Solar Field’s remix of Tripswitch’s ‘Stereogram’ (released soon on Nick’s new label, Section Records).

After 80 awesome minutes, the inspiration behind his two albums is clear to see and just as easy to appreciate.

This is an autumnal mix which indulges the melancholy and contemplative mood which closes in around me around this time of year. Some people seem to react quite strongly to the emotional qualities of my music … this mix charts a path through some of the key inspirational moments which have shaped that emotion over the years. I hope you enjoy the journey…(Tripswitch)

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Tracklist and a few thoughts from Tripswitch:

1 – James Holden – Kearn
My favourite James Holden track … an emotional use of his signature reverb and delay tricks.

2 – Spectre – Overseas
Taken from “The Missing Two Weeks”, an album of sublime and soulful dub from Nick Manasseh.

3 – Tankerville – Entangled
One of those tracks you hear on an advert and then go to the ends of the earth to track down. These days Shazam takes the effort (and the fun) out of the hunt.

4 – Deadmau5 – I Hate Campers
Not known for his chillout, this snippet’s taken from Project 56, a zip of 56 sketches, stems, chip-tunes and other ideas which he offered up a few years ago as a freebie.

5 – Cinematic Orchestra – That Home
Piano, strings and a good vocal … what more do you need?

6 – Deadmau5 – Wish You Were There
Another clip from Project 56. Going through the tracks you realise just what a talented fellow he is.

7 – Vangelis – Ask The Mountains
There’s something about this track … there’s certainly a whiff of cheese there, but it never fails to put a smile on my face. Vocal is Stina Nordenstam, sublime.

8 – Michael Brook and Pieter Nooten – Finally I
A lesser-known release on the amazing and seminal 4AD label. 4AD was so utterly crucial to my musical development as a teenager … truly powerful music to accompany powerful and character-forming experiences. If I ever have a son he’ll be called Ivo (after Ivo Watts-Russell label guvna and This Mortal Coil founder).

9 – Lisa Gerrard and Pieter Bourke – The Unfolding
Lisa Gerrard of course needs no introduction. A bit obscure this one, but unquestionably epic.

10 – Roger Eno – Voices
Although less prolific or celebrated than his brother Brian, Roger’s music can be every bit as beautiful.

11 – Kevin Shields – Goodbye
Taken from the “Lost In Translation” soundtrack. Tender in comparison to the seminal shoegazing of his My Bloody Valentine years.

12 – Amorphous Androgynous – Mountain Goat
Classic from the 1993 album ‘Tales of Ephedrina’.

13 – Alex Stealthy – Once Ambient
The Russians seem to know about bass … I’m working with some guys from Moscow called Koan who have the same touch with enveloping low frequencies.

14 – port-royal – hva (failed revolutions)
port-royal have really nailed the nu gaze thing … For me they’ve got the blend just right. Powerful stuff.

15 – Tripswitch – Stereogram (Solar Fields remix)
Magnus has worked wonders remixing track 8 from my new album “Geometry”. It comes out in a couple of months as a digital single release on Section Records, along with mixes from Adham Shaikh, Luke Chable, Abakus, Aurtas and me – check out sectionrecords.com for more details.

16 – Ulrich Schnauss – Shine (Mint remix)
This is a great mix … Mint’s another one with an uncanny knack for nu gaze.

17 – Freedom Tygerstar – Snow Runner Sun
This track featured on Magnetic Blue, one of the earliest Interchill compilations. When I first heard this track it made my hair stand on end. Definitely one of the sparks that ignited my path to chillout production.

18 – Twisted Air feat. Caroline Thorp – Feels Like Forever
Aah, the morning after the night before … It’s a long time since I did the full party weekend thing, but this track takes me right back to those weekends where sleep didn’t seem necessary and my body didn’t complain so much.

Massive thank you to Nick for this very special mix. Join the Tripswitch Facebook page or keep an eye on Section Records for future releases including the stunning Solar Field’s remix of Stereogram.