Today's mix is a collection of ambient world music with a garnish of psychedelia. We kick off with "Sandstorm Dreaming" by "Terra Ambient". Terra Ambient is the solo project of award-winning American producer Jeff Kowal. Jeff's latest release , 2009's "Wanderlust" , is a deep tribal ambient dream-scape that it a real pleasure to listen to from start to finish. More info can be found at the Terra Ambient website and label "Lotuspike". Lotuspike is also home to some "Darshan Ambient" releases which I also highly recommend.
Next up is "Palyrria" with a tune from the"Chillogram" compilation of 2005 which was recently featured as album of the week here on PsyAmb. Palyriia began in Greece in 1996 as a dance music oriented band. They slowly evolved from that starting point into a five member world music ensemble. Their work displays a sophisticated mix of electronic sounds and traditional ethnic and Mediterranean instruments.After Palyrria we have "Lemon Tree"with the tune "Spirit" from "Organic Records" 2006 release , "Psymeditation 2". I don't know much about "Lemon Tree" myself. They have another track released on the first Psymediation compilation. Apart from that I haven't heard much else. If anyone knows more please drop me a mail or post some details here on the blog.
Following that we have a track from Denmark's "Søvnigt Sind". This is from the compilation album "Amber : Gold of the North" which was released through internet label "Zealotry Music". Zealotry is dedicated to releasing free music from Danish ambient and chillout producers. If you enjoy this track then visit the Zealotry sight where you can download a full length Søvnigt Sind album. There is also a new compilation called "Tanmaurk" available for download.
"Makyo" is next with the track "Takshaka" from the 2001 album "Yakshini". Makyo a.k.a Giovanni Fazio who writes all the music, and plays most of it , went through a long musical evolution before arriving in Makyo. In the early 80s he spent time in Kyoto, Japan studying zen by day and playing in hardcore punk bands by night. In the late 80s he travelled to Taipei and Boston, playing in psychedelic Branca-influenced guitar ensembles, releasing through the mail-art/cassette underground, and dj-ing a free-style radio show on WZBC.
Since 1993, Gio has been a regular dj on Tokyo's club scene, appearing mostly in chill-out rooms, and appearing with the likes of Mixmaster Morris, The Orb's Alex Patterson, Ken Ishii, Haruomi Hosono, Tsuyoshi, Underworld, Solar Quest, and more.
Gio is also label manager of Tokyo's "Dakini Records" , one of the longest running and most respected ambient world music labels around. Mayko's own music is an intelligent, trance inducing collection of ethnoambient masterpeices. With four highly respected studio albums , a number of classic EPs and countless compilation appearances , Gio has become a huge favorite of ambient trance and world music lovers all over the world. My personal favorite is his "Suzhou River" EP from 2001 released through "Uplink Records". This was produced as a soundtrack to film maker You Lee's movie of the same name.
Gio is also label manager of Tokyo's "Dakini Records" , one of the longest running and most respected ambient world music labels around. Mayko's own music is an intelligent, trance inducing collection of ethnoambient masterpeices. With four highly respected studio albums , a number of classic EPs and countless compilation appearances , Gio has become a huge favorite of ambient trance and world music lovers all over the world. My personal favorite is his "Suzhou River" EP from 2001 released through "Uplink Records". This was produced as a soundtrack to film maker You Lee's movie of the same name.
"Ishtar" by "The Peaking Goddess Collective" is a slow moving river of mellow ethno psychedelic groove that is really what TPGC is all about. I'm a huge fan of TPGC and have talked about them enough in the past here on PsyAmb so check back to episode 16 for a bit of an intro to the wonderful world of these aural psychonaughts.
Next up is Palyrria once again , this time a collaboration with Peak Records' "Ajja" and "Master Margherita" , both members of TPGC. The more I do these mixes the more I realize just how often Peak Records' artists seem find their way into the set each week. I think this must be reflective of just how solid the label is - there doesn't seem to be any filler on any of their releases. Quite amazing really. Ajja is an eclectic and multi-talented Swiss artist who channels his creativity through parallel careers as musician/producer/dj, Peak Records label manager, graphic artist and tattoo artist. Master Margherita is a musician also based in Switzerland. Since 1988, he has been very active in the european music scene where his first steps were as a bass player in various rock bands. In 1994 he started composing tracks which mixed and matched live instruments with all sorts of electronic ”devices“. This experimentation saw a change of musical direction for him which evolved into the bass infused enthno dub he is known for today.
"Slackbaba" is next with a tune from the "Liquid Records" compilation "Soul Vibration 2" - an awesome compilation by the way. I think it will be one of the biggest release of the year. A melting pot of fluid grooves and swirling psychedelic melodies, blended with a healthy dose of dubby phatness and a touch of the ethnic, Slackbaba’s music draws the listener through a labyrinth of pulsing rhythms and mind-altering sonic states. I'm eagerly awaiting the release of Slackbaba's latest CD "Perverting Mankind" which is due out next month and promises to be a genre-bending mix of psychedelic ambient and funky psytrance killers.
Following Slackbaba is "Solar Cell" from American "Shakatura" ( Galen Butler ). Bay Area producer and DJ Shakatura creates a lush and positive fusion of dubbed-over breaks, tribal house, and world rhythms. I have had the pleasure of catching a number of Galen's sets over the years and they have never disappointed. The guy has so much talent dripping from his fingers. This tune comes from his second full length CD , 2003's "Galactivation". One of my"all time favorite releases. You may have run across some of his tracks on "Ceiba Records" compilation a number of years back. Ceiba introduced me and thousands of others to a lot of great artists through those classic compilations. From the looks of the Ceiba website they are still active but seem to be more as a fashion and jewelry outlet the days. As for Galen , I haven't seen much from him either these last few years. Lets hope he still has it in him to produce some more great tunes and another awesome Shakatura CD. There is also a nice little interview with Galen over at "Tripzine" that was conducted back in 2002.After Shakatura we have "Alien Soap Opera" with "Artifical Dream" from the 2001 release "Second Wave" on "Melt 2000 Records". Alien Soap Opera (ASO) was formed in Cairo, Egypt by "Amir Abdel Magid" and "Greg Hunter". In the summer of 1993, Hunter was in Cairo recording an album with the influential punk band Killing Joke, and he met Magid, who was recording in the same studio. The day before Hunter was due to leave Egypt he went to the studio, where Magid asked him to do a mix of a track that evening. He agreed to do it, the mix went well, and in the morning Magid and Hunter decided to form a band which they later named Alien Soap Opera.
Check back to PsyAmb episode 14 for more info on Greg and the various groups he has been involved in over the years. Magid is a musician/producer/arranger famous throughout the Middle East for his Kanoon (Egyptian Harp) playing, his recordings, and his live performances. He is a familiar sight on Arabic TV, and he regularly tours with his orchestra throughout the world. Second Wave quickly became something of a collectors item for a while as it was almost impossible to get hold of back in the day. Fortunately, thanks to the likes of iTunes and Amazon it is far more available today. Highly recommended. Also check out "Frozen Ants" by another of Greg's collaborations "Subsurfing". Subsurfing were around a few years before ASO however they carried a similar sound I think.Rounding things off today is a nice long ambient bedtime lullaby from "Jairamji". Jairamji released just the once CD , "Kindred Spirits" back in 2003 on "Dakini Records". The album was a success on the world music stage and tracks from it often appeared in the sets I played at that time. Their music is emotional and poetic and never slips into that cheesy side of world music that the world was awash with in the early 2000's. Reflective, meditative and a true delight.
That's it once again for another episode of PsyAmb . I hope you enjoy the mix. Oh , before I forget , a few listeners have sent me some tunes of late so I'm looking to do a listener's mix in the near future. If you would like any of your own tunes to be included and promoted here please get in contact and I'll do my best to add you in. Cheers for now ...
Artist - Track- 01. Terra Ambient - Sandstorm dreaming
- 02. Palyrria - Nilos Dub Desert Mix
- 03. Lemon Tree - Spirit
- 04. Sonigt Sind - Small Tribe Celebrating Life
- 05. Makyo - Takshaka
- 06. The Peaking Goddess Collective - Ishtar
- 07. Palyrria vs Ajja and Master Margherita - Askia (Tzoura remix)
- 08. Slackbaba - Tsenstak
- 09. Shakatura - Solar Cell
- 10. Alien Soap Opera - Artificial Dream
- 11. Jairamji - Stabilizing In Chaos
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