light cycles (MP3)

After a very long absence I am finally posting a new mix--light cycles. I love repetition in music–-music that uses the constant repetition of notes or themes or sounds as a basic structure to the composition. I wanted to put together a mix where all of the pieces used repetition as a major part of the cut. I also wanted to use pieces that had an “ambient” feel to them but that also were bright or upbeat. The title of the mix was inspired by the movie Tron. light cycles starts out fairly slow and quiet but becomes more vibrant as it goes along. Near the end it almost rocks out with an amazing piece I stumbled across by Can. The Can piece Future Days uses repetition to great effect. This piece is also cool because it was done back in 1973 but still sounds amazingly contemporary. I hope you enjoy light cycles. Like the last several mixes it is somewhat of a departure from the typical ambient drift and drone but I think it still evokes “ambient-ness” throughout the piece. Tracklisting, links, cover art and music score available on my blog (see Source below).

Genres: ambient, atmospheric, chill, downtempo, electronic, lo-fi, minimal, mixtape

Source: http://hydrogencafe.blogspot.com/

Linked by - nrvnet

Tears in Rain (MP3)

A mixtape of sad songs. While I was gathering music for my Desolation Angels mix, I was originally going to have both vocal and instrumental tracks. Once I started putting it together, however, I felt that having a mix of just instrumental and operatic cuts was best. So, I decided to put all of the vocal tracks left over from Desolation Angels together in their own mix which became Tears in Rain. The title is taken from the film Blade Runner. Tracklisting, links, cover art and music score available on my blog (see Source below). This mix is dedicated to my friend Katie, gone too long.

Genres: ambient, atmospheric, downtempo, lo-fi, minimal, mixtape

Source: http://hydrogencafe.blogspot.com/

Linked by - nrvnet

Desolation Angels (MP3)

“There are as many nights as days, and the one is just as long as the other in the year's course. Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word 'happy' would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness.” - Carl Jung....This mix is dedicated to my friend Katie. Taken from us much too soon, her bright smile and love of life will forever illuminate our world....Tracklisting, links, cover art and music score available on my blog (see Source below).

Genres: ambient, atmospheric, classical, mixtape

Source: http://hydrogencafe.blogspot.com

Linked by - nrvnet

Tea Time at Brian Eno’s House (MP3)

Here is the very first true “mixup” I did last year. Tea Time at Brian Eno’s House is based on an idea of being invited to tea at Brian Eno’s house and what one might hear from his in-house sound installation. I tried to approach the mix in an “Eno-esque” fashion, building track upon track. The foundation of the mix is made up of long-form Eno cuts (Neroli, Thursday Afternoon, etc.) that play at very low levels throughout the mix. On top of that are Quiet American field recordings that fade in and out. On top of that are various Eno and other artist tracks mixed end to end and sometimes together. So, at any point in the mix, there are 2-5 things playing at the same time. The Eno speaking parts are from a long interview with him. I cut pieces at random from the track. I then assembled those pieces together at random throughout the mix. So, you get Eno speaking in “nonsense words” that make sense in a wierd way.

Genres: ambient, atmospheric, chill, downtempo, electronic, lo-fi, minimal, mixtape

Source: http://hydrogencafe.blogspot.com/

Linked by - nrvnet

Book of Dreams (MP3)

The title of this mix, Book of Dreams, is taken from a book by Jack Kerouac. I tried to make this mix dream-like, having pieces of music float from one into another and fade out then back in again later as often happens with dreams. The music overall is very quiet with both ambient and acoustic elements present with a heavy reliance on strings (violin, cello). There is multi-level mixing and several field recordings that whisper and play in the background like voices and distant sounds in dreams. The jpeg “score” for this mix is included in the Cover Art and Score Zip file which can be found on my blog below.

Genres: ambient, atmospheric, chill, downtempo, electronic, lo-fi, minimal, mixtape

Source: http://hydrogencafe.blogspot.com/

Linked by - nrvnet

The Stars My Destination (MP3)

Several of my “nrvnet mixups” were inspired by the titles of books I like. I decided to use these book titles as an inspiration in the construction of the mixes. The title for this mix comes from a book by Alfred Bester. The Stars My Destination is an ambient drift mix meant to be played while stargazing. There is a fair amount of multi-level mixing going on in this mix.

Genres: ambient, atmospheric, chill, downtempo, electronic, lo-fi, minimal, mixtape

Source: http://hydrogencafe.blogspot.com/

Linked by - nrvnet

Music for Sunrise (MP3)

This mix was inspired by the annual trips I take to a lake cottage in northern Wisconsin. Besides putting together music mixes for looking at the night sky I had also, over the years, collected tracks to play in the early mornings. The tracks collected for this sunrise mix are ambient in nature--songs that give a sense of an awakening dawn sky. Most of the tracks also have a Classical Music "sound" to them. I also included a few very slow, quiet Classical works in the mix as well. Music for Sunrise was originally inspired by the work of Harold Budd. Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirror was my first introduction to his work many moons ago. If any album evokes “dawn” this beautiful composition would be it. So, the next time you awake at dawn, grab a hot cup of joe and play Music for Sunrise. Tracklisting, links, cover art and music score available on my blog (see Source below). I hope you enjoy it.

Genres: ambient, atmospheric, chill, classical, downtempo, electronic, lo-fi, minimal, mixtape

Source: http://hydrogencafe.blogspot.com/

Linked by - nrvnet

Music for Stargazing Vol 1 (MP3)

Music for Stargazing Vol 1 is based on an idea generated several years ago from annual trips taken to a lake cottage in northern Wisconsin. It’s far out in the country, away from the wash of city lights. At night, the sky is filled with an amazing blanket of stars. At this lake cottage we got in the habit of sitting out at night to look at stars and enjoy a cold brew. Besides stars we could also often see satellites track across the sky and any number of shooting stars. Years ago I decided to put together a CD mix made specifically for sitting out and looking at stars. I went for tracks that, in my mind, gave the listener a very slow, drifting, expansive and somewhat awe-inspiring feel. The tracks used in this mix are from my old collection of stargazing cuts. Here is the first of what may be a series of Music for Stargazing mixes for the Hydrogen Cafe. Go grab a beer, pop this mix onto your MP3 player or burn it to a CD and slap it onto a boombox, head out into the night, and enjoy the magic of stars. This mix would work well as a sleep mix too. I hope you enjoy it.

Genres: ambient, atmospheric, chill, downtempo, electronic, lo-fi, minimal, mixtape

Source: http://hydrogencafe.blogspot.com/

Linked by - nrvnet

The Dharma Bums (MP3)

This new mixup for 2007 is called The Dharma Bums. The title is taken from a book by Jack Kerouac which covers his exploration of Buddhism and the search for Truth. With this new mix I wanted to expand on the ethno-ambient feel of one of my other mixes, Tea Time at Brian Eno's House. The Dharma Bums was also greatly inspired by the amazing field recordings done by The Quiet American and the superb ethno-ambient music of Loren Nerell. My hope was to create a Pan-Asian soundworld using music inspired by, or artists from the Middle East, India and Indonesia. I would like to dedicate this mix to The Quiet American (www.quietamerican.org) and Loren Nerell (http://home.earthlink.net/~lnerell). Tracklisting, further explanation, links, cover art and music score available on my blog (see Source below).

Genres: ambient, atmospheric, chill, downtempo, electronic, lo-fi, minimal, mixtape

Source: http://hydrogencafe.blogspot.com/

Linked by - nrvnet

Lonesome Traveler (MP3)

This mixup was inspired by the movie Paris, Texas featuring an awesome soundtrack score by Ry Cooder. The movie opens with a man walking alone in the desert with nothing but the wind and sun for company. I took this image and decided to create my own soundtrack of a solitary lonesome man traveling in an empty quiet western landscape through deserts and small backwater towns…towns that whisper instead of shout. The title comes from a book by Jack Kerouac, Lonesome Traveler, about his hobo-like wanderings through 1950’s America and Mexico. The mix has a decidedly twangy western feel to compliment Ry Cooder’s amazing slide guitar while keeping a slow, quiet ambient progression. Cover art available on my blog (see Source).

Genres: ambient, atmospheric, chill, downtempo, electronic, lo-fi, minimal, mixtape

Source: http://hydrogencafe.blogspot.com/

Linked by - nrvnet