guest mix: the pliability effect

If there's any one person that I follow and read up on through Bandcamp, it's none other than The Pliability Effect, aka BRIAN BOURASSA. I get emails every now and then letting me know who's bought music, and Brian's name is always there. He's my go-to guy as far as getting the pulse on new ambient, and I've made a few purchases based on what I read from Brian. Before I even hear the music, Brian's reviews have already painted a beautiful picture of what's in store by way of his amazingly generous and colorful reviews. In fact, when I did the mix CAMPING UNDER THE STARS, I gave a shout out to Brian in hopes that he would help me in putting together a mix. I finally get my wish!

For some strange reason, Brian got around to contacting me and setting me up with a release that was on my wishlist on Bandcamp (thanks for that, man!). We chatted it up a bit, and I expressed the offer to host a mix for him (he had never done one). I mean, who better would be suited to drive home the point of 'Turn on, tune in, sleep...' more than a gentleman who lives and breathes drone-based ambient music (and proves this weekly to the many people that follow him on BANDCAMP). I won't lie, the first initial test mix he sent put me completely under! Brian knows how to weave, and with this mix he's shown himself to be the Pied Piper that leads your mind to that place. It's funny, but he just took me back my roots of ambient, and am I ever thankful. He's picking soundscapes from the tree of ambient, breathing life into his creation, and delicately serving up the most gentle sounds to get your head right. This mix will live bedside for a very, very long time. I asked Brian to set the record straight on his story, and being the minimalist aficionado that he is, he provided a very appropriately satisfying response without wasted thoughts or words. Truly magic.


"A DJ I wasn't, and am not now either. But every since the seventies when the cassette tape recorder became affordable to the masses, and the Maxell UD-XL II recording tapes stormed the market, a new mode of music listening was born. My friends and I were constantly recording albums and exchanging them, and cassette tape mixes were a great way to create our very own 'Best Of' recordings. From there, the multi-group tapes followed on into the mixes of narration and music. I'd create mock radio station mixes to send to a friend overseas. One side of the tape was a synopsis of what was going on in my life here in the States, the second side was the music. Balancing the mood and flow of the music throughout the tape was important so as to keep the listener alert and attentive."

Could The Pliability Effect be the first podcast? Quite possibly. I'll vote a confident 'yes' on that one. I'm truly happy to have gotten Brian to create and share his first mix in the digital world. I'm really looking forward to having Brian do a few more mixes in the future, as well as do a few very small write-ups on his monthly favorite purchases. Thank you so very much, Mr. Bourassa, for allowing me to be a part of hosting such a beautifully peaceful and uplifting amalgamation of sound. To all of the listeners, enjoy the amazing mix 're-Generate' courtesy of The Pliability Effect. The artists' names are alive with links to the releases on Bandcamp (click away!).

Turn on, tune in, sleep...

[DOWNLOAD RE-GENERATE]

TRACK LISTING

• "Glacier Looming (Excerpt)" by ROCOKON from Generative Landscapes (Start Time: 00:00)

• "Janus" by C. PARADISI from Sketches From The Edge Of Silence V.2 (Start Time: 07:33)

• "Generative 20" by TRANSSONICA from Generative 20 (Start Time: 12:05)

• "Dawn (Excerpt)" by IDFR from Generative Work #2 (Start Time: 19:43)

• "A07" by FABIO KEINER from Absolutely Free (Start Time: 24:47)

• "01" by CHRISTOPHER SISK from Light 1 (Start Time: 27:14)

• "Interamnia" by THE AMBIENT VISITOR from Complex Silence 24 (Start Time: 37:09)

• "Winds Cease" by C. PARADISI from From The Edge Of Silence V.2 (Start Time: 52:05)

• "The Cicada Must Sing" by TYLER ETTERS from Blue, The Most Celestial Color (Start Time: 60:01)