Ren Mix Collection

Another 'back in the day' post as I clean up the archives. 

The first is the the one that truly started it all. Can't say it's dated and there is no doubt that it instantly transports the listener back to 'that time' but even today it still sounds incredible. 

With the state of electronic music today and the ubiquity (and annoying cheese) of the celebrity DJ it is easy to miss just how revolutionary this mix was.

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Sleepy Time

Had the 60 minute version this morning, fading in and out and picking up glorious snippets of the songs on the mix included here. May very well have been the best random 1 Hour Sleepy Time Mix ever.

Best played at a volume just above the threshold of hearing once you have turned off the incessant humming of the computer so that it becomes your background ambient noise.

Nap time.

Enjoy

Switchstance Recordings

Quick one today. The label tags itself as "Quality Grooves Since 2001" and though their output is not frequent, the stuff they put out lives up to their tag line.

Infectious grooves from a highly recommended label.

Free compilation to introduce you 

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Brown Punk

One of Trip Hop's almost mythical heroes and one of reggae's best friends for reaching wider distribution throughout the world team up for an almost virtual (as in quantum field theory) label.

Seems to have had a brief shining moment and disappeared into the void leaving only this compilation in its wake.

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To Each His Own

Side project of one half of this duo. Pure analog. Play loud and dust off the senses.

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Cup Of Tea

A Bristol based label riding the wave of the experimental genre-smashing sound collages emerging from the underground that defined music in the mid to late 90s and disappeared as did many labels once the 90s rolled into the 00s and the majors latched on and the spirit of that time sought the underground again. 

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Christmahanakwanzika

In honor of the holiday season so forced upon us, willingly and without resistance by most.

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Depth Perceptions

Originally posted back in 2010 a long out of print edition of 100 copies from a label long gone has been upgraded:

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P.S. Thanks TM!

e to the m to the t

I don't normally associate 'cult' and 'ambient' but so this label has been tagged.

By request.

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Q E

Vinyl rip, just for fun.

Enjoy. 

TTT

By request. Classic indeed.

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Morner - Kaisa Remixes EP (2015)

One of my favorite discoveries over the past few months has been the SenseNet label. The artist that goes by morner/mourner appeared on a few of the early compilations followed by actual album releases that really got my interest. There is a melancholy, an aching, a seeking in the music that hooked me right away.

A few of the tracks, including the one posted here, have women's names and the tracks have a certain sadness of unrequited love or longing unresolved that drives them. The remixes here range from drum n bass to dubstep to just about everything in between and they all carry the vibe.

Not free but pretty close. Show some love and dig into the IMMINENT label and prepare for some solid musical discoveries

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A Musical Statement

Excited to have stumbled across this one again. Truly incredible podcast/mixtapes originally featured on a Russian-ish website, was looking for it again while reviewing some of the older posts here and realized I had no copies of any of them.

A quick search yielded a blog with all of them updated. Gonna take a while to DL but well worth the time and effort. Thematic in nature these feature treasure troves of music, much of it that I've never heard which renders a new music education with each listen.

Most recent update was March of 2015 so I'm hopeful that more will come. In the meantime, episodes one to current can be found

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Instinct Ambient Series #1 - 10 (1995)

Was listening to #10 just this week on a long drive and it took me right back there. Such is the power of music.

Realized how much this is representative of this explosive period of time of creative growth in electronic music and how much electronic music has changed and how complex and dense it has become over the years.

This was one of the labels that gave room for freedom to artists who would ultimately help pave the way.

#1 Pharos 

#2 Ambient Systems

#3 The Generation and Motion of a Pulse

#4 Facil 

#5 The Erotic Nature of Automated Universes 

#6 Journey to the Sun

#7 Soil 

#8 Escape Tank

#9 ...To Abort Transmission 

#10 The Super Secret Symphony

The Yammouni Files (1992)

Many, many moons ago I began the pursuit of this cassette only release from what remains one of my favorite, though now retired, labels. I did not know of nor would have known of its existence prior to the advent of the Web but immersed myself fully once I stumbled across it. Electronic, dark, even dangerous, it spoke to me.

However, some of its earlier releases were released on tape based formats only. The I+T=R VHS containing the visual work of Richard Grant remains a collection in need of reissue/remaster on DVD or other similar format. I have the VHS and an audio rip of the music but it sounds like it was ripped from VHS. 

And then there was this one. A fantastic assortment of Australian artists who represent a lesser known side of the sound of electronic based music in the early 90s, this remains a hidden gem. Several of the groups/artists moved on to other projects but most of these artists remain encapsulated within that time frame and within this cassette.

I am still looking for the physical cassette to add to my collection but the format here is a one of a kind, direct from 'the original masters' you might say, and is available here, and only here, on HTCIS.

Sometimes you just gotta ask and the kindness and generosity of people will surprise you.

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Eurowarp (1996)

Cassette only promo release from the legendary label who has seen a bit of a resurgence in recent years as the 90s have become a thing again and us 90s children are living in the reminisce that middle age brings.

Think you'll like it.

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PierrotheMoon - Sample Story (2015)

These tracks keep dropping in that hook me instantly, diverse in style and different than the usual fare. It seems that whenever I look it is this artist.

First heard him on the 7.1 compilation, an incredible assortment of dub techno and other styles, found on The Studio Stereo BC page .

Don't know anything about him but as I continue to venture into his discography across the web, it seems he has been around for a while and is only now cracking my skull. 

Highly recommended.

'Name Your Price' offering

HERE

Zwei Kreise - Athene Island (2015)

Formerly operating under the moniker as Axs, in the game for a long time now but restlessly pigeonholed into the 'dub techno' genre tag, Zwei Kreise evolved in order to allow him more artistic freedom. His 'dub techno' is certainly recommended but not one to stay comfortable in a particular genre, his creativity has now found room to breathe.

There have been many remixes under this name and a stellar cassette release but this is the first full album proper. It's a thematic whole and, as a bonus, includes some remixes from artists who represent a wide range of styles and represent, quite literally, the world. From the BC page write-up:

When in early/mid 2015 I felt like I was finally done with retouching the album, I enlisted the help of some fellow music producers. They are people that I both like as individuals and deeply admire as craftsmen, and I wanted them to provide remixes for the album. I am very grateful that they heeded my call : Canada's premier atmospheric dub sorcerer, wzrdryAV (aka. Kelly Claude Nairn) ; France's pride and joy, Zzzzra (under his new experimental alias Brutalisme) ; Korea's best kept secret, Xiami; and USA's very own underground electronic music mastermind, Milieu (aka. Brian Grainger, or Coppice Halifax).

Not free but at the price to pay it is a bargain.

Show some love

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Ohrwert - Reduct (2013)

Ohwert, aka Arjen Schat, was one of the earlier artists in the next wave of dub techno artists who took the foundation laid by the Basic Channel duo and built upon and expanded by the collaborative efforts found in the Deepchord/Echospace mythos and swirled it around the globe.

An incredible journey across a total of 18 tracks, long and deep, exploring just why this style is so intoxicating.

Complete remastered "Reduct” catalog originally released circa 2008 as 192 kbps MP3s, now available in the quality of your choice (up to 44.1 kHz / 24 bit).

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ANAY

A label to watch with artists you need to hear. Amazing music still being made off the beaten paths.

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LSD

The gap between when something was new and when it circles back around again is collapsing. 

Transport to an alternate universe where nothing ages. 

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The Axamined Life Is Worth Listening

Amazing compilations from some of the most recognized and most 'need to know' names currently making dub techno along with some other varieties of sounds. Quite cutting edge, at a 'Name Your Price' offering.

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Concorde Compilation by Sense/Net (2015)

The Sense/Net label is back with another great compilation of roster artists. The output from this label has been increasing and has yet to disappoint.

Highly recommend this one and digging deeper into their BC page for other varieties of musical experience all at a 'Name Your Price' offering.

Be generous and show some love.

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(P.S. Those aren't eyes...)

Intrusion ‎– RA.153 (320 kbps) (2009) Re-up

Though this mix was originally shared on RA at 128 kbps, the version here at 320 kbps was not.

Back around 2011 or so, right in the midst of a slew of releases from the echospace [detroit] label  (on which I did invest and still invest silly amounts of cash) that were driven by demand from folks on a discogs dub techno forum this upgrade was dropped, also shared by the label.

If you haven't heard this mix, it's one of the standouts in the series and is perhaps the best introduction to the dub techno sound.

Originally issued at 128 kbps, here's the scoop (from the label, pretty sure from Steve himself) on this rip:

"I took it right from [the] hard drive...and converted it from an AIFF to a 320 MP3 using Pro Tools, I don't think there is a better way."

May just be dub techno's Goa Mix, this style of music at its peak as it veered off into new directions leaving imitators in the dust.

So, by request and for your listening pleasure, straight from the Echospace archives...

Here

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Tonepoet and Wings Of An Angel - Resonate/Reason Nitrate (2015)

Tonepoet's Headspace release was one of those hidden gems that I stumbled across on BC. So much music out there, some of it quite amazing, and this one floated to the top while shuffling through the ocean of releases on my (updated) mp3 player.

He is back, this time sharing the bill with another prolific artists, Wings Of An Angel, whose output is also nothing less than stunning. Ambient, drone, magic, whatever you want to call it this is highly recommended, especially with headphones.

HERE

He also has a netlabel that is well worth a visit

Rusted Sun

bvdub - Bandcamp

bvdub just dropped a bandcamp page yesterday. Go there now.

He's dug up the archives and unearthed some treasures. Show some love.

Quantity and quality from an artist who has created a truly unique sound that is easily recognize as his.

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Waiting For The Ri(gh)t(e)s Of Mu

Once was rare, now not so much.

Audio from video, thought to be a bootleg, forced to be withdrawn by the liberators of kopyright themselves.

This is them at the height of their grandiosity, swimming in the irony from which they could not escape.

In other words, essential.

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Waldeinsamkeit - Docetism (2015)

Pretty sure I've upped the Nichts label here before. The label has been silent on new releases, offering up a gem of a first album in the interim, but is back after a year of silence. Apropos, considering the nature of the sounds to be found.

"Waldeinsamkeit" - untranslatable German word for the feeling of being alone in the woods. Dub from the woods and a sign of life after a year of silence.

Nichts is a small netlabel devoted to ambient / drone / dub. Quiet, active sounds for an otherwise noisy world.

Check out Waldeinsamkeit 

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Trypping The Light Fantastych

Genre defying sounds that emanate from an original gravitational center which leaves the listener immersed without a frame of reference.

If you haven't heard these guys either as a duo, solo or in collaboration with a host of other artists, leap down the rabbit hole.

Highly recommended.

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Got A Little Black Box With My Dub In It

Sorry for the disappearing act as of late. Sometimes that thing called life gets in the way.

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Trip - Hop. Net Best Tunes 2014

As much I'm an old school fan of vinyl and cassettes (always hated CDs), digital and the Web rules. Sounds from across the globe from musicians that will never be filtered through the mainstream media outlets.

Another fantastic compilation I stumbled upon somehow, this one out of France. The BC site linked below only has two 'Best Tunes' comps but their main site is a virtual treasure trove of music. The comps are great introductions to music that may not otherwise get heard.

Artists I've never heard of but every track I've heard so far has been top notch. The 2013 comp is downloading now.

The 'Best Tunes' tag fits well. 

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Giriu Dvasios - Ratu (2015)

Finally got time to listen to Giriu Dvasios' latest release Ratu. His music is always highly recommended but this time he has moved beyond the usual boundaries of the 'dub techno' sound and has layered it with some popular Lithuania folk music that is, I'm discovering, pretty amazing stuff.

I had a rush that I haven't experience in over 20 years when I got to the track "Čiutyta" featuring (as if I know what I'm talking about) Kūlgrinda chanting. It's not something to explain, it's just one of those things where music has that power. Thanks Giriu for keeping the music alive.

Upon reflection I realized it took me instantly back to this track:

I don't usually do the comparison thing as I hate to imply anything and hate to taint the listener's own experience but I experienced a time warp that not only took me back but fully grounded me in the present. Interstellar anyone?

You can pick up this album and many others at his Cold Tear Records site for no charge or, if you can support him, at his Bandcamp site to pick this up in lossless and stream it on the BC app

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BTSC Remixes

Another pleasant find in the archives. Remixes from this seminal Canadian punk/rock band (that I had never heard of before this release). How have I never heard of the band from which these tracks came?! Just shows, never too old to discover something new.

I've pulled up the originals online and am blown away. Though I am not in the frame of mind  to digest this as part of a regular diet anymore I would have had this stuff blazing from my speakers back in the day. Killer.

In the meantime, these remixes take the power of the originals and mold them into something new. Considering the band sold the original vinyl on their 2012 tour they feel the same way.

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Quiet Life

By 2001, electronic music was fully on its way to becoming the background noise of the universe and everyone, including the majors (usually by buying out smaller labels), was trying to get in on the act.

Difficult to remember sometimes just how unique the melting pot called 'downtempo' music created in the 90s was because it is so omnipresent among us today.

Filled with surprises - artists and songs - this compilation gets it right and provides a well crafted take on the usual fare.

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The Nautilus Project

Given a choice, I'd have 'dub techno' swirling around me 24/7 as it changes the entire atmosphere without interfering with it. It brings a glow to whatever it is I am doing.

Taken as a whole it can be difficult to discern those certain stylistic touches that set artists apart within the generically tagged 'dub techno' genre, as broad and as limiting as that tag may be.

However, over the years the artist who goes by the name The Nautilus Project has found a sound that is uniquely his and it has really grown on me. His early works have an 'aquatic' theme and the music fits.

Closely associated with another artist, Jaymon, his sound has evolved and has gotten not only deeper but more earthy.  Below are some examples of his early works on various netlabels. 

All of his work (solo and with Jaymon) is recommended but his latest offering, Forestscapes, is essential. I like the direction his music has been heading and look forward to where he'll take it next. 

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Dive into the Insectorama netlabel while you're there. Currently at 71 releases, it hosts an incredible roster of artists, all at no charge.

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History Lesson

Better history lessons than I could ever even imagine trying to give.

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Noesis (2013)

Another essential dub techno compilation from the Energostatic label. Sixteen tracks of considerable length for maximum immersion, this one is no longer visible on their main site but it is available on archive.

PM me if you have issues embedding the cover art. It's one of those OCD things, can't stand files without cover art. Guess it's a throwback to the days of vinyl when the artwork was important. Somehow a file without cover art just seems less real and all the more disposable.

Along with this release you can find more of their back catalogue 

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Hydrodubium (2014)

4th anniversary compilation from the Energostatic netlabel featuring Ocralab, Atabey, Aspect (aka Sage Taylor), label head Mar'yan. Kitsenko and more.

Currently up to 31 releases, all of them solid, this is a label to follow.

14 tracks of head candy at a 'Name Your Price' offering.

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Zvenygora - WANAINC (2015)

New releases from one of my favorite netlabels. This is the label's third release over the past few weeks so be sure to do some digging. 

A multi-layered ambient story titled Zvenygora. This release was originally intended to serve as a soundtrack to accompany the same titled movie by Alexander Dovzhenko, which was planned to be screened on a contemporary arts exhibition in Ukraine. Due to political reasons, the exhibition was cancelled and the already completed release was decided to be put on tape. 

While making this release, the artist was inspired by the first albums of Oneohtrix Point Never, music of Ensemble Economique, as well as ethnical Ukranian and foreign music. 

The limited edition (of 13) cassette includes an exlusive B-side — only one track from it ("Forgotten Glory") was released in digital form. 

The cassette also includes the following tracks:About Princess Pt. 3; Intro 3; Sullen Look.

From the label:

We recorded it with love in our studio and cut covers with our deadly scissors. 

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Their other cassette offering, Sense​/​Net: Music for Outskirts, is also in my collection and is a great intro to the sounds of the label. 

UNKLE Sounds

Before the mash-up became a 'thing' there was James Lavelle with his UNKLE moniker slicing and dicing and mashing away. Brilliant mixes, these. There was some confusion surrounding the origins of these and many of the songs from one mix can be found in the others.

These stand, as the names imply, as essential to anyone's collection.

Do Androids Dream Of Electric Beats (2002)

Originally recorded for Radio Ape in Japan, this is the one that started it all. There are two versions of this one, the original and the bootleg that followed due to its popularity. The bootleg (indicated by a bar code on the side) is featured here. Spectrals from Audacity are here for both the original (top) and bootleg (bottom). As you can see, there is no difference between the two. 

When originally ripped lossless in EAC the Metadata read both Discs 2 and 3 as the 'Tai' Disc. Each of the three discs is one continuous track. The difference between the two is this:  

Gi (Disc 2) is 74:00.16 minutes long at 746.95 MB (464.91 MB compressed) 
Tai (Disc 3) is 74:00.72 minutes long at 747.05 (465.32 MB compressed) 

Shin (Disc 1) is 55:35 without confusion.

Even now when put back in EAC reads them both as the 'Tai' Disc. However, when played they do play correctly. 

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BBC Essential Mix (6/1/2002)

A scaled down version of Do Androids Dream Of Electric Beats broadcast on BBC's legendary Essential Mix show in 2002.

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Do Androids Dream of Essential Beats?/Big Brother Is Watching (2003) 

Big Brother Is Watching is a bootleg version of the original Do Androids Dream of Essential Beats (not to be confused with Do Androids Dream Of Electric Beats). The original is a single track mix, the bootleg (included here) is separated into individual tracks.

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Where The Wild Things Are (2004)

This CD was offered as a prize for Japan Tobbaco's sales campaign. Includes 'UNKLE Sounds One Hour Def Mix' broadcast on BBC Radio 1. Limited to 1200 copies.

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WWIII (2004)

The first disc is the UNKLE Throwdown Mix given away at the Never, Never Land launch party in 2003 and the second disc is the Scratch Perverts show from the BBC Essential Mix show with UNKLE in 1999.

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