Hello, ambient space travelers. Today, we will embark on a journey through a cerebral dreamlike state of semi-conscious travel, with a duration lasting from the cosmic sunrise to the cosmic sunset. For a single hour out of your busy and turbulent life, we will assemble ourselves comfortably within our space pods for a colorful excursion that brings us many peaks and valleys. Each interpretation of this experience will be unique. Knowing this, you are equipped with the knowledge that your journey belongs to you alone. Right now, no one's experience is more important than your own.
Greetings, fellow travelers. Today, we here at Spaceman's Transmissions wish to be blessed with your attendance on our latest journey to the celestial horizon in effort to witness the event of an aural rain-shower. Our journey will reward us with the beautiful visions of a world within our minds. There is still a realm of your mind that is untapped and undiscovered, full of creativity, beauty, and child-like wonder. Let go of the chaotic physical realm and delve into the sonic realm to reap mental benefits. Within our tired minds, we will map out our path to solace and mental clarity. We will attempt to reemerge with a renewed sense of purpose, enlightenment, and comfort. Take in the beauty of this session, and realize that its sole purpose is to put you, the aural attendee, in a new headspace. With your accommodations upgraded to first class, we are quite confident that this undertaking will be a successful one.
Greetings, voyagers. Today we'll undertake an eventful journey that is geared towards getting our minds properly adjusted for creativity and peace. All I ask you for, dear listener, is just roughly an hour of your time. If possible, the use of headphones or ear buds is recommended to separate the existing physical world (which can at times deliver too much chaos and disruption) from the cerebral world. It is within this cerebral world that you will realize your potential and emerge from your cocoon with reestablished purpose and clarity. You might not realize it, but this small space between your ears holds a galaxy that is unique and vibrant. Feed it with food of color and sound.
I was extremely fortunate to be rewarded the opportunity to interview Roger Goula who has just released a colorful journey of space meets post-classical music entitled OVERVIEW EFFECT. It has become one of my favorite releases in 2016 (which is reserved for very, very few releases). You can read the review of Overview Effect HERE. Special thanks goes to Katie (!) for giving me the unique experience to pick Roger's mind for such insightful and thorough ponderings.
TONEPOET: Greetings, Roger. First off, I want to sincerely congratulate you on the momentous occasion of releasing Overview Effect. As an advocate and connoisseur of this particular genre, I have to say that you've really dialed in a heartfelt tip of the hat to this style of music. How did this vision come to fruition, and who or what was instrumental or influential in providing you the means to bring this project to life with such integrity in regards to this genre?
It might come to no surprise that of all of the sub-genres of ambient, I'm very fond of space music in particular, and by far my favorite mixes tend to be the ones that are space themed (ODE TO THE COSMIC VOYAGER and GAZING INTO THE INFINITE COSMIC ABYSS). I've followed the musical careers of such pioneers as Jonn Serrie and Michael Stearns, and I've witnessed the birth of stars (pun intended) within this genre such as Luca Gherardi and Vortex Mechanic. Even when I have free time, I'll manage to take in Vangelis' unbelievable footage of Mythodea Live in Greece. For me, space is the place. It's a music form that consistently seems to access a bit more thematic elements than the typical drone-based ambient, and it definitely creates a deeper field in which to be aurally lost within. When I discover a new artist in the space genre that is par with the seasoned veterans, I become that child in the candy store. Such is the case with the ROGER GOULA release of OVERVIEW EFFECT.
I'm VERY happy today that I have (finally) completed a project that has taken me a year. It has a been a very difficult year trying to make the time to get ideas down, compositions written, and all of the technical details ironed out. Perseverance has fortunately paid off and I can finally deliver the strongest music that I've been able to write in the time that I've been doing this.
This is a pay-what-you-want release. If you feel like paying, beautiful. If not, also beautiful. Even if you pay the bare minimum you will get a PDF booklet with explanations of every variation of artwork that I had considered as front covers for this release. You also get all of the artwork. If you want the music, and the artwork, but are not in a position to pay, just contact me and I'll be more than happy to send you a download code. No strings attached (no email lists, or spam or any of that other garbage, I hate that as much as anyone).
It's not often enough that I get the chance to put my thoughts down on releases of independent artists that are relatively new to putting out music and don't have the benefits of great promotion. So it warms my heart when I actually find a very strong outing that might seemingly go unnoticed and be able to use the music in a session in hopes that it will put the artist's names out there for others to discover. CLOUDFALL is one such discovery for me. Oftentimes, I'll go on Bandcamp in search of what I can get for free so that I can sprinkle future mixes with unknown artists that happened to surface (and not end up broke from it!). I came across Cloudfall's release DAYS OF WIND, and can't sing enough praises about it. With new artists, it happens that one song stands out and the rest is filler. This is not the case with Cloudfall. I've managed to use (quite effortlessly) quite a few colors in the last three mixes (WHEN NIGHT MEETS LIGHT, MUSIC FOR STARGAZING, and ODE TO THE COSMIC VOYAGER). I got a chance to communicate with Cloudfall, and his means for creating his sonic ventures, while simple in design, are complex in delivery. This unassumingly astonishing release delivers a mountain of emotive sound that is wrapped in an honesty and intensity.
Hello, all. I'm very pleased to be given the opportunity to put my thoughts down on a release that is equal parts inspiring and beautiful, while wrapped in an elegance that displays the highest degree of musical integrity. JÓHANN JÓHANNSSON is an Icelandic composer that has blessed us with a vibrantly organic journey that combines thoughtful melodies intertwined with a delicate minimal approach to classical music. Jóhann is a Grammy nominated and Golden Globe winning artist that has fine tuned his sense of melody and harmonic space through his film work and live performances. Much respect to an artist that is not living in the vacuum of a sterile studio environment, but rather embraces the challenges of communicating their vision in the world of live performance. His TOURING SCHEDULE can attest to his dedication of realizing the importance of performing for an audience and being sensitive to their interpretations.
Now that we've managed to take in some new sights and sounds on our last detour, we must once again board the space pod for another dimensional thrust into galaxies of wonder and solace. Mental calibration is essential for a successful journey. Below are instructions for getting the most out of this particular session.
You may perhaps notice that there are gradual shifts from one color to another, with each color representing a point of interest in our journey. Embrace these transformations with your mind's eye as this will create a backdrop of creative flow and a better understanding of those situations which impede your creativity. Your pilot for this journey will relay vital information that should not so much be heard as it is felt. Adjust accordingly.
Quite a while ago, as a few might remember, was an amazing ambient mix blog entitled 'HYDROGEN CAFE'. Actually, it's (kind of) still there (inactivated in 2010). There was a bit of a faithful following, and it was this blog as well as LOW LIGHT MIXES that set me on my way. When I was living in Alaska, I yearned for the moments in the dead of winter in which I would play these mixes and watch the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) dance in the sky. My favorite mixes were the 'Music For Stargazing' sessions, and they accompanied in my night time slumber when I was left to exercise my stargazing sessions within my mind.
This is my tribute to the elusive 'nrvnet' who curated the site and brought me many hours of solace and wonder. Wherever you are out there in cyberspace, thank you for your vision and inspiration. I hope that this mix will inspire you, the listener, to do something that you love and enjoy, and realize that your actions make a bigger impact upon people that seek guidance and find solace and joy within sounds and color.
It might come to no surprise that of all of the sub-genres of ambient, I'm very fond of space music in particular, and by far my favorite mixes tend to be the ones that are space themed (ODE TO THE COSMIC VOYAGER and GAZING INTO THE INFINITE COSMIC ABYSS). I've followed the musical careers of such pioneers as Jonn Serrie and Michael Stearns, and I've witnessed the birth of stars (pun intended) within this genre such as Luca Gherardi and Vortex Mechanic. Even when I have free time, I'll manage to take in Vangelis' unbelievable footage of Mythodea Live in Greece. For me, space is the place. It's a music form that consistently seems to access a bit more thematic elements than the typical drone-based ambient, and it definitely creates a deeper field in which to be aurally lost within. When I discover a new artist in the space genre that is par with the seasoned veterans, I become that child in the candy store. Such is the case with the ROGER GOULA release of OVERVIEW EFFECT. .png){kind=spacer}
