MK Stop 44: Muttley - Back To Mine Pt.3 - Dark Days, They Make Us Believe We're Someone Else

The 50th SubVersion instalment brings a special New Year gift into circulation...

Muttley - Back To Mine Pt.3 - Dark Days, They Make Us Believe We're Someone Else

Well here it be: my opus to end 2009. The first 'Back To Mine' - "Overshadowed" - was heralded as a return to being myself. The second - "Reflections" - a home listening catch-all for mental disorders. This, in its unhurried incantation, is for putting the past behind me, revisiting, and travelling to and from my chosen occupation - painting and decorating. I've been in this job since I left school at 16, obtained an NVQ at college in two years and was the best person I could be socially. I never got in scrapes with classmates, or verbal trade-offs, however I remained very much reclusive, although this could be inherent from being there just one day a week, with a demographic of opinions lesser linked to mine in interests and moldability.

Around this period I furthered my inquisitivity for classical and ambient music, speaking to a 60-nearing friend there of his passion for opera. But it was also where I failed the medical examination for my last planned kickboxing contest. Memories are vague as it's likely I desired to forget the bad luck. I recall misery and suicidal thinking as the blackest of colouring of my anxious temperament. I had a dream the night I write this where I desired to have a rematch with the opponent to prove myself properly and that even if I couldn't be part of the gym I frequented, I would undertake it out of my family's identity. Surely, the sense of loss has stayed with me, even if I've moved on so far.

"Dark Days, They Make Us Believe We're Someone Else" is a nod to the old days briefly written, but moreover, an aid to get myself in the right mindset to guarantee I don't have ensuing problems of magnitude large or small. And I have experienced a lot of sensory congestion in recent months. Once I re-enter the car from a day of thinking on my feet, in the get-go I try to remind myself that self-questioning is vital to establishing clear sight ahead of us. No apothesis is thrown up. I'd never wish to cause a buzzing effect.

Onto the selections. "Where Are You?" I discovered via Paradigm X's excellent 15 Minutes Of Fame debut - "Vocalisms". I decided I needed a rhetorical counterpoint, and buffer, to maximise the changing of styles early in the set, and the calming of contrapuntal mental textures with the musical. The transition isn't smooth - I aimed to undercut the subsidence to a minimal drone, where synchronizing written with aural was a conduit - "How To Catch The Right Thought" (track 4) in a field of madness?

Often my thoughts maintain a pertinent aura when they are fertile and fragile, swirling in a reverie, building castles in the air. But when these buildings open fire and the gates slam down hard, I have to be ready for tides of relinquished instability.

This is what awaits us, subjectively - a well of despair and self-destruction, where our true self is disconnected from our peripheral vision, and self-doubt, disharmonic, and defective behaviour longs for spiritual manna. We have to rise above the deep mass of panic and scurry away from danger. The dark days that populate our forlorn form of consciousness are just temporary. And so I continued the mixtape with a handful of reserved niceties to buoy and balance the demonic whirlwinds of confusion.

Favourites, that have stayed with me through thick and thin, resolve the loose ends. Most notably Koen Holtkamp's "Night Swimmer", Richard Skelton's "Shore" and Mogwai's "Chocky" are emotionally poignant enough to heal the deepest of cuts; the awkward, impermanent silences where gaps are filled with sensations to cry out and scream uncontrollably. Whether an alteration in my medication will have a positive effect is yet debatable.

The last tune on this, Sigur Rós' "Viõrar Vel Til Loftárasa" I'd like to have played at my funeral. I have sat up until early hours on NYE with this serenading the room and it always sends shivers down my spine when the closing crescendo hits. I hope you have a productive 2010 and that "Dark Days, They Make Us Believe We're Someone Else" won't dim your lights, those which I hope will shine brighter towards the good in the coming echoes.

TRACKLISTING

01. Coil - Where Are You? (from the album Musik To Play In The Dark CD 2)
02. Zelienople - Slaving (from the album Gone OST)
03. Oophoi - Dimensional Passage (from the album Night Currents)
04. Hildur Gudanottir, BJ Nilsen & Stillupsteypa - How To Catch The Right Thought (from the album Second Childhood)
05. Fennesz - City Of Light (from the album Venice)
06. Milieu - Six Fourteen (from the album Brother)
07. Aphex Twin - SAW Untitled 1 (from the album Selected Ambient Works Vol.2)
08. Lawrence English & Tom Hall - Lines Twine Oscillation (from the album Euphonia)
09. Koen Holtkamp - Night Swimmer (from the album Field Rituals)
10. Obfusc - Alto Piano (from the split w/ David Tagg)
11. Atomic Skunk - Suspended Ascent (free download - www.atomicskunk.com)
12. Inverz - New Found Lands, New Found Sounds (from the album Slow)
13. Richard Skelton - Shore (from the album Marking Time)
14. Mogwai - Chocky (from the album Come On Die Young)
15. Lamenter - Kinski For Halloween (from the album Sleeping Me)
16. Inverz - Everything In Order (from the album Slow)
17. Greg Haines - Caesura (from the album Slumber Tides)
18. Mono & World's End Girlfriend - Trailer 1 (from the album Palmless Prayer: Mass Murder Refrain)
19. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Blaise Bailey Finnegan III (excerpt) (from the album Slow Riot For New Zero Kanada)
20. Arvo Part - The Beatitudes (from the album Part)
21. Sigur Rós - Viõrar Vel Til Loftárasa (from the album Ágætis Byrjun)

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MK Stop 43: Muttley - Life Support (December 2009)

"Life Support" is the third and final set of 2009 that's dedicated to the people of Bridewell Gardens. As an alternative to sending out Christmas cards, giving each of my friends there a specially made CD seemed the best option.

Helping me replenish my mental health since February 2009, I wished to go beyond the basics of drones to impression a more accessible backdrop to my work on the site, that they could also benefit from. I will be handing "Life Support" out tomorrow at the Christmas meal. Not contrary to the goodwill, it's a free event put on by the Bridewell staffers.

"Comets" by Piano Magic carries the underlying message of this excursion: "you should always tell them, you love them, in case you never see them again". Of course, love is a strong word, but the basis of admiration comes across more poignant this way. In this selection I also aspired to showcase the magnificence of Rameses III and Greg Haines, two artists which I will be working with towards spring 2010. More info soon. Feedback relished as always.

TRACKLISTING

01. Rameses III - All Shall Be Well (from the album I Could Not Love You More)
02. Global Communication - 4-14 (from the album 76-14)
03. SpeaK - Drowning Peacefully (from the album Once Nomadic)
04. Peter James - Flight Of Tears (from the album Holding On - Letting Go)
05. David Tagg - Magic Interval (from the split with Obfusc)
06. Drowning The Virgin Silence - Beneath The Sulfur Sky (from the album Beneath The Sulfur Sky)
07. Greg Haines - Arups Gate (from the album Slumber Tides)
08. Mogwai - Friend Of The Night (from the album Mr.Beast)
09. Piano Magic - Comets (from the album The Troubled Sleep Of Piano Magic)

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MK Stop 42: Muttley - I Shall Not Drown (December 2009)

A body that lives a long time, accumulates debris. It cannot be avoided. However, there are nearly always routes to trap the residue, brush yourself up to scratch and make strides forward. "I Shall Not Drown" is an antecedent mixtape to usher in 2010 and cast aside pre-emptive fears and fleeting gestures.

Partly inspired by Dave @ Low Light Mixes with his "A Solitary Sea", I chose tracks based on circumnavigating the drowning condition - whether it be your sorrows, tears, or loneliness.

Unlike "Weathering" and "Gravitation To Resolution", though, I wasn't rooted by track names - this opens up a wider range of textures and themes. Bat For Lashes' "Sleep Alone" is the sole track with national radio play. I saw them live in October and was staggered by the quality of their second album, particularly because of Natasha Khan's haunting voice. "Sleep Alone" is used based on the relationship I lost, and whether I should start all over again - which I surely will, in 2010.

Conjoining tenacity for creation with artists that receive a scant amount of attention, "I Shall Not Drown" oscillates through waves of counterweight with zero adhesion to your own limits. It's the second Muttley set built in Acoustica Audio Mixer, a program I can see myself using ever greater as the years roll on.

TRACKLISTING

01. Drowning The Virgin Silence - To Reach The Clouds (from the album Beneath The Sulfur Sky)
02. Rameses III - Across The Lake Is Where My Heart Shines (from the album I Could Not Love You More)
03. Eluvium - All The Sails (from the album When I Live By The Garden And The Sea)
04. Peter James - Adrift (from the album Holding On - Letting Go)
05. Stars Of The Lid - The Evil That Never Arrived (from the album And Their Refinement Of The Decline)
06. Herzog - Our Friends Save Us From Drowning (from the album First Summer And The Running Dream)
07. Fennesz - Rivers Of Sand (from the album Venice)
08. Arovane - Seaside (from the album Tides)
09. Seafar - New Town Dreams (from the album Hegira)
10. Black To Comm - Trapez (from the album Alphabet 1968.)
11. Bat For Lashes - Sleep Alone (from the album Two Suns)
12. Atomic Skunk - Liquid Dharma (free download - [url]www.atomicskunk.com[/url])
13. Global Communication - 12-18 (from the album 76-14)
14. Bitcrush - To Drown (from the album Epilogue In Waves)

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MK Stop 41: Muttley - The Eyes, They See An Ominous Pillar (December 2009)

"The Eyes, They See An Ominous Pillar": designed to soundtrack Thursday 17th - Sunday 20th December. The title references magnifying of small happenings affecting my mindstate, and their consequential broadening and minimizing. It also counterbalances the theme of panic attacks caused by overloading of visual and aural stimuli.

I visited the county I grew up in with my family this past weekend. It was to attend my cousin's wedding reception, and have a meal with old friends. Upon anticipating this I got very anxious and so decided to put those feelings to music. The first section supplants a mantra via track names - I felt like I was "Alone In The Rising Fog", and the progress of my mania expelled "Like A Slow River". "The Low Falls" and "Saltwater" are precursors to "I Shall Not Drown", the mixtape that will follow this documentation.

At first, I was afraid the sensations would overcome me, so the tension reflects this. When in the venue surrounded by new faces and relatives, I hallucinated mildly, whereby I thought pictures (see Max Richter's "The Picture Of Us. P" for the aural equivalent) on the wall were rolling their eyes (windows and varying sizes of gaps). Different positioning of shutters on an adjacent image promoted disorientating factors to flourish, so I tried not to set my eyes on these. The lyrics of "Rough Hands" I used to consolidate the word count of what I screamed out. So instead of long sentences sweeping past me, I could just shout "rough hands" into my palms. It proved useful and no-one asked me if I was having problems.

The closing three tracks are reassuring in mood - a touchstone from environmental factors altering to more sedate territory - returning home. I desired to sculpt a contrasting sequence where demons are welcome to wither ("Everybody's got your back" from Zelienople's "Pajama Avenue"), and humanness is dissipated from the ether (see Metric's "I've seen all the demons that you've got / If you're not alright, now, come on baby, I'll take you where, take you where you want"). Ultimately the result is a file with a plentitude of moodswings stitched into it. Nonetheless it retains all the sensuality I like to apply to my work.

TRACKLISTING

01. Aquadorsa - Alone In The Rising Fog (from the album Cloudlands)
02. Lull - Like A Slow River (from the album Like A Slow River)
03. Jasper Leyland - The Low Falls (from the album Carbon Series Vol.5)
04. Last Days - Saltwater (from the album Sea)
05. Peter James - Aurora (from the album Holding On - Letting Go)
06. Stars Of The Lid - Another Ballad For Heavy Lids (from the album And Their Refinement Of The Decline)
07. Max Richter - This Picture Of Us. P (from the album 24 Postcards)
08. Alexisonfire - Rough Hands (from the album Crisis)
09. Peter Broderick - A Glacier (from the album Float)
10. Zelienople - Pajama Avenue (from the album Pajama Avenue)
11. The Caretaker - Long Term (Remote) (from the album Persistent Repetition Of Phrases)
12. Metric - Twilight Galaxy (from the album Fantasies)

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MK Stop 40: Muttley - Head In The Clouds (December 2009)

"Head In The Clouds": constructed to celebrate my folks' 30th anniversary from meeting, in 1979. I like to dream, but I rarely recollect. And it's always conferred from my subconscious that I require an outlet to cathartically channel my state of mind.

Ahead of my tutor marked OU assessment this week, I decided to assemble a glimmer that reflected it: not quite footed in reactionary order, bordering on optimism with succinct drift. So blends don't synchronize totally, they're left to move in and out of foci, while the theme - having one's head in the clouds - is presented by the contemplative nature of the works within, and the result is a dreamy keystone where the occult is brought closer, out of burgeoning dystopia.

TRACKLISTING

01. Quosp - Submerged (from the album Soundscapes II)
02. Herzog - Congratulations, Here's Your Mountain (from the album First Summer And The Running Dream)
03. Carl Sagan's Ghost - Into The Light I (from the album Darkness And The Light)
04. Stars Of The Lid - Dopamine Clouds Over Craven Cottage (from the album And Their Refinement Of The Decline)
05. Rameses III - Clouds Kings (from the album I Could Not Love You More)
06. Grouper - Wind And Snow (from the album Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill)
07. John Foxx & Harold Budd - Raindust (from the album Transluscence)
08. Biosphere - As The Sun Kissed The Horizon (from the album Substrata)
09. The Lights Galaxia - The Last Lights In The City (from the EP Global)
10. Leyland Kirby - And At Dawn Armed With Glowing Patience, We Will Enter The Cities Of Glory (Stripped) (from the album Sadly, The Future Is No Longer What It Was)

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MK Stop 39: Muttley - Caught In Static (December 2009)

Movement is a tried and tested operation for any artistically-minded individual. It facillitates growth opportunities, frees stangnancy and liberates matters from a rigid structure. However, there are also phases that benefit from being 'stuck'. "Caught In Static" accrues such temporality.

A companion piece to "Mind Over Matter", we've had the sleep selection "Threshold", sequenced to revitalise, now is the turn of specifically chosen tracks that have a time-lapsed feel to them, which, paradoxically, condenses my concentration into a small block and appertains to reap rewards of dedication and perserverence.

TRACKLISTING

01. Sawako - Cloud No Crowd (from the album Hum)
02. Apalusa - Live From The Dry Valley's (from the album Live From The Dry Valley's)
03. Stars Of The Lid - Arch Song (from the album Music For The Ballasted Orchestra)
04. Marow - Hadar (from the album Scintillation)
05. Last Days - Nothing Stays The Same, Nothing Ever Ends (from the album The Safety Of The North)

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MK Stop 38: Muttley - Threshold (December 2009)

There have been an array of online comments foretelling that music can be good for sleep, breathing, anxiety reduction et al. There have also been a multitude of mixtapes that put that stigma to the test. And we all have thresholds that limit our conscious perception of living and dreaming. "Threshold" is an excercise in assuaging these statements and reproducing their fruits.

TRACKLISTING

01. William Basinski & Richard Chartier - Untitled 2 (from the album Untitled 1-3)
02. Richard Lainhart - Threshold (from the album Threshold)
03. Fennesz & Sakamoto - Oto (from the album Cendre)
04. Felicia Atkinson & Sylvain Chaveau - How The Light (from the album Roman Anglais)
05. Richard Lainhart - Cranes Fly West 040706-2 (from the album Threshold)
06. David Tagg - Cave Light Spectrum (from the album Dulcimer Studies)
07. Ian Hawgood - Ginseng & Polaramin, And One Long Slumber (from the album Before I Let The Sunshine Rot)
08. Quosp - Night Coast (from the album Soundscapes I)
09. Aphex Twin - Blue Calx (from the album Selected Ambient Works Vol.2)
10. Leyland Kirby - Tonight Is The Last Night Of The World (from the album Sadly, The Future Is No Longer What It Was)

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I use "Threshold's" timeline as a measure of how active I've been that day. I then estimate what I can do to improve my sleep. By sharing this I trust there are individuals that believe in meditation, inner calm and replacing nothingness with something to treasure for years. The tracks may or may not resonate with the listener, but what they do achieve is lulling the brain and causing panic to subside.

MK Stop 37: Muttley - Mind Over Matter (December 2009)

There are all manner of things we have to overcome as we exist. Whether it be baby steps, learning speech, refraining from urges, balancing work with love, or simply bypassing the tumultuous chaos around us, everything is valid, yet somehow, the mind is not strictly as it seems. With the advent of technology doing more of the work for us, drifting and distracting ourselves can increase.

"Mind Over Matter" is a cornerstone for such behaviour. It sprouted from procrastination and my attention span waning when studying for my Open University course. "Start Listening To Music" it's called. I'm presented units to devour each week, whereby listening exercises on the accompanying CDs demand me to focus in a variety of ranges.

Active and passive listening, timbre, structures and forms, texture, writing about sound: it's theoretically a budding music journalists' paradise, which surprisingly, took my metaphorical biscuit of knowledge, and swallowed it whole.

I like every Muttley mixtape to have a theme. This one, by the title alone, is obvious. You can do it. You can pick yourself up and face the hardships, frustrations and enigmas the world throws at you. Even if you're singularly partaking in discovery, you are never just 'you' - but you're ideally welcome to be yourself. There is likely a fourth dimension in the panoramic distance, one that we all uncover when the mists of grey vanish and we're left with achievement or failure.

Whatever the outcome, sometimes we need an informal push, and I hope this selection will help incentivise and inspire a few people to remember that memories live longer than dreams.

TRACKLISTING

01. Robert Haigh - Tomorrow Never Came (1989) (from the album "Notes And Crossings")
02. Leyland Kirby - Memories Live Longer Than Dreams (from the album "Sadly, The Future Is No Longer What It Was")
03. Goldmund - Light (from the album "Two Point Discrimination")
04. Sylvain Chaveau - Staring (from the album "Nuage")
05. 36 - Inside (from the album "Hypersona")
06. Arlo Bigazzi & Arturo Staleri - Stregatto (from the album "Zaum Vol.1")
07. eDIT - Twenty Minutes (from the album "Crying Over Pros For No Reason")
08. Krzysztof Orluk - Beautiful Mind (from the album "Blurred Reflection")
09. Boards Of Canada - Dawn Chorus (from the album "Geogaddi")
10. Skindred - Who Are You? (from the album "Shark Bites And Dog Fights")

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MK Stop 36: Muttley - Dreamscape (November 2009)

As a celebration of 20000 views and 350 posts in my "Ambient lovers" thread, I've uploaded "Dreamscape". It's dedicated to my friend dwarde, who once said he listens to my mixes when he goes to bed, but consequently misses most of the music. The theme here is life-affirming sounds. They are, on the counter, partly ghostly in demeanour. "Dreamscape" begins beatless with long blends, then traverses classical, downtempo and drone influences. I'm trying to break the habit of building sets to crescendo levels, and instead making a proper sleep selection where perception is motionless; a strong segment of the caveat. I've started another set for this experiment.

TRACKLISTING

01. Bruno Sanfilippo - Imagined Reality (from the album "Auralspace")
02. Oophoi - Night Psalm (from the album "Hymns To A Silent Sky")
03. Seafar - Dr.Catchlove (from the album "Hegira")
04. Philip Dickau - I Am With You, I Am Happy (from the album "This City, And You")
05. Stars Of The Lid - The Daughters Of Quiet Minds (from the album "and Their Refinement Of The Decline")
06. Eluvium - Reciting The Airships (from the album "Copia")
07. Slow - You Can't Say No To (from the album "Dual Box")
08. Black To Comm - Hotel Freund (from the album "Alphabet 1968")
09. Fur - Friends (from the EP "Black Castles")
10. Repetition / Distract - Ghosts On Our Train (from the album "Not Even In Sleep")
11. Breakage - Unireverse (from the album "This Too Shall Pass")
12. Noah And The Whale - Instrumental II (from the album "The First Days Of Spring")

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MK Stop 35: Muttley - Better Days To Come (November 2009)

Specialised artwork to follow.

TRACKLISTING

01. Asher – 1.1 (from the album “Landscape Studies”)
02. Seafar – Yob Data (from the album “Hegira”)
03. Netherworld – Jostedaal (from the album “Zaum Vol.1”)
04. Mindspan – Conversations (Unreleased)
05. Fennesz – The Point Of It All (from the album “Venice”)
06. Svarte Greiner – Ullsokk (from the album “Knive”)
07. Olafur Arnalds – Raein (from the album “Found Songs”)
08. Jasper TX – Better Days To Come (from the album “A Darkness”)
09. Autechre – Outh9x (from the album “Quaristice”)
10. Antony And The Johnsons – Daylight And The Sun (from the album “The Crying Light”)
11. Sawako – A Last Next (Instrumental) (from the album “Bitter Sweet”)
12. Peter Broderick – And It's Alright (from the album “Home”)

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"Better Days To Come": dedicated to friends Conor and Louisa. This is a soundtrack to when I visited Ireland on November 7th. It begins with layered drones that border on lachrymose, overlaid with snippets of voice that are not quite quantifiable. My battle against mental compulsions tripping me up, and psychotic symptoms: hearing voices (when pleading I require assistance privately); persistent confusion, resulting in silent screaming (words lodging in my brain, outside influence from people conversing, not remembering correctly, frustrations forthwith) and deluded thinking (believing I've lived previously in that scenario, and foreseeing what responses I'd receive if I was to break my grip on rationale) - are all captured in this doctrine.

This episode in the set finishes at 13:45, where up to then my anxieties were unstable; the mood is hitherto very melancholic. Talking to Conor about "The Point Of It All" - a major link in initial words was what gigs we'd been to - freed and eased my mind when remembering we'd met twice prior. "Better Days To Come" then progresses to positive reminiscence with piano, female singing and strings. Louisa discussed with me people she knew, who would seem pretty unlikely to be noticed as having an illness. We agreed that if I hadn't said anything she wouldn't have noticed. There's a happy ending through the darkness - I was told to re-recognise that things will always pass, as they do. I have Conor to thank also for introducing me to Brian Hartnett, a founder of Hearing Voices Ireland, and ASC (aka Mindspan) for "Headspace", his second foray into ambient and minimal techno, currently unreleased.

MK Stop 34: Muttley - White Horizon (November 2009)

Originally posted by Dave Trax on djtrax.wordpress.com

"This blog was set up to host News, Mixes and Videos from DJ Trax. However, Muttley has given so much support to the underground scene and therefore I'm proud to host his latest mix."

TRACKLISTING

01 - ICR - Misspent (Misspent Music)
02 - Probe-One - Protocol (Covert Operations)
03 - Silent Witness - Amazon (DNAudio)
04 - Hipnotic - White Horizon (D:Art Recordings Unreleased)
05 - ASC & Subwave - Storm System (Covert Operations)
06 - DJ Trax - This One (Subvert Central)
07 - Cloak & Dagger - Soul Sauce (Subtle Audio)


Download exclusively at djtrax.wordpress.com


"White Horizon": a set ordinated on the principle that this kind of music can be played in clubs at peak or primetime, if handled in an alternative way, and with enough discern. The well-being of dancefloors worldwide survives on variation, though counterintuitively you won't encounter a selection like this at the majority of deeper drum and bass nights. I view the problem as comparable to the medium of film transgression. If we call punter satisfaction the pivotal scene, then most events are a Hollywood blockbuster, where trailers and sub-scenes are fabrications of longevity, and idiosyncratic gestures go to waste. With "White Horizon" I chose a broad cross-section of tracks, from digital and vinyl labels, that are either today defunct, or running on small subscription-favouring protocols.

You get a package that's a labour of love, and not a disposable pseudo-commodity - as is your average big-buck flick. The Hipnotic track smooths over the syncopation as the sole tune with a two-step beat. Contextually, it highlights and transposes that, as a DJ, you don't have to revert to heavy-hitters to get the floor moving. I hope by submitting this online, that the notion, and associated branches high and low are perceiveable to you, the listener, or reinforced, furthermore.

MK Stop 33: Muttley - All Shall Be Well (November 2009)

Artwork credits: lonekink @ lonekink.net

Download exclusively at Phuturelabs

TRACKLISTING

01. Lamenter – Redeemer (from the album “Sleeping Me“)
02. Slow – Loma (from the album “Dual Box“)
03. Rameses III – We Shall Never Sing Of Sorrow (from the album “I Could Not Love You More“)
04. Eluvium – Amreik (from the album “Copia“)
05. Harmonic 33 – Space Interval 2 (from the album “Music For Film, Television And Radio Vol.1“)
06. Harmonic 33 – Space Interval 3 (from the album “Music For Film, Television And Radio Vol.1“)
07. Intex Systems – Glaciers (from the album “Research And Development“)
08. The Alpha Rhythm – The Seventh Storm (from the album “Proof Of Concept“)

“All Shall Be Well”: dedicated to my good friend Lata. The tracks are on a happier, hopeful trajectory than my “Back To Mine” mixtapes. I aspired to convey what the receiving of goodwill on her part does to me – contributing science articles to this blog, and helping me deal with my troubles in 2008. I could praise her until I’m blue in the face, but I’d prefer to let the music symbolise the pacific qualities, and nobility, my knowing this lovely lady has brought to me. Ambience with the majesty of thousands: determinant, meaningful and rewarding, just like the kindness chanelled from our friendship, and reading her writing.

Mk Stop 32: Muttley - Back To Mine Pt.2 - "Reflections"

Download exclusively at Low Light Mixes

"Reflections": music for healing bereavements, remedying mental disorders brought to light, enacting occupational therapy, and cherishing the good memories that can sometimes be hard to reach.

TRACKLISTING

01 - Brian Mcbride - The Guilt Of Uncomplicated Thoughts (from the album "When The Detail Lost Its Freedom" - Kranky)
02 - Philip Jeck - Wholesome (from the album "7" - Touch)
03 - Rameses III - The Kindness Of Letting Go (from the album "I Could Not Love You More" - Type)
04 - Mogwai - Aidan's Waltz (from the album "Come On Die Young" - Chemikal Underground)
05 - Hilmar O Hilmarrson & Sigur Ros - Degradation (from the album "Angels Of The Universe" - Import)
06 - Olafur Arnalds - Lost Song (from the album "Found Songs" - Erased Tapes)
07 - ASC - Highbrow (from the Warm008 12' - Warm Communications)
08 - Autechre - Nil (from the album "Amber" - Warp)
09 - The Drift - Noumena (from the album "Ceiling Sky" - Temporary Residence)
10 - The Alpha Rhythm - The Return (from the album "Proof Of Concept" - Seedknowledge)
11 - The Cinematic Orchestra - Diabolus (from the album "Motion" - Ninja Tune)
12 - Badmammal - Sending And Taking (goodluck/badluck unreleased)
13 - Glint - Double Vision (from the album "Sound In Silence" - www.glintonline.com)
14 - A Silver Mount Zion - The Triumph Of Our Tired Eyes (from the album "Born Into Trouble As The Sparks Fly Upward" - Constellation)

MK Stop 31: Muttley - Back To Mine Pt.1 - "Overshadowed"

Artwork credits: cordani @ est00.com

Download exclusively at The Hydrogen Cafe

TRACKLISTING

01 - Lull - Illusion Of Unbroken Surface
02 - Hildur Gudanottir, BJ Nilsen & Stillupsteypa - The Direction Was Foggy Or Cloudy
03 - Klute - Untitled
04 - Grouper - Close Cloak
05 - Stars Of The Lid - Hibener Toujours
06 - Massimo Liverani - Primavera
07 - Lamenter - Bleeding Riverbed
08 - El Heath - Epick
09 - Xela - Her Eyes Sparkled And She Walked Away
10 - Ulrich Schnauss - Molfsee
11 - Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Providence
12 - Hakobune - The July Skies Followed Us Here
13 - Kettel - Halt Him
14 - Mogwai - Punk Rock
15 - Bark Psychosis - Burning The City (Alt mix)
16 - Jodi Cave - For Myria (2)
17 - Lezrod - Digi4
18 - The Alpha Rhythm - Long Road Ohm
19 - Klute - Torrential Pain
20 - Pilote - The Dialogue

"Overshadowed": the "Back To Mine" model taken literally, in a mixed-construction collage of music very personal to my existence; upheld as a return to being myself. Catalysed by an explosion of hateful bile, and inaccurate surmising, from two allies, towards me - defending the woman I've scripted in the "15 Minutes Of Fame" writeups from part 5 onwards - who this is anonymously dedicated to, each track signifies through titles a soundtrack to meetings, and departures which have never taken place.

Cataloguing what can overshadow failed friendships by symbolism - from the rebuttal of society with "Untitled" by Klute, to the depth-charge fathomages - over fabrication - of Grouper's "Close Cloak", prior the stones of universal change, gathering moss, and returning with surplus details - from each rise and fade - on Ulrich Scnauss' "Molfsee"; rain samples bespeaking the "Where are you going?" questioning in GYBE's "Providence, then a handful of sentimental recordings from 2006, where I believed I could trust this lady - as a true friend; no infatuation, just investment by what I brought to the table in conversation; then finally the juxtaposing of rational and irrational lust, leaving the participant with a subconscious dialectic principle for advancement on "The Dialogue", by Pilote.

The end of a relationship or marriage can be a difficult and painful experience. It can leave you feeling confused, lonely and lacking confidence in yourself and the future. Feelings of betrayal, guilt or rejection are common. Anger, sadness and confusion are often intense. Moving forward can be hard when trust, self-confidence and self-esteem have been shaken. All I hope for is that "Overshadowed" can be an aural springboard to assist and heal those swathed in darkness, that which I'm slowly exiting, one step at a time.

MK Stop 30: Muttley & nrvnet - Transference

“Transference” is the result of the first collaboration between fellow mixtape creators Muttley & nrvnet. Transference began as an exercise in association. Muttley started rummaging through his monthly archives one day, for tracks with titles that suggested an action of transference in the composition of a message. Given the biggest percentage of his collection consisted of beatless audio, the rigidity of tune choices remained, but the limitations decreased.

Influenced by the low-high penchant of groups like Explosions in the Sky and Godspeed You! Black Emperor, the consequential recording clocked in at 12 minutes, featuring dense soundwalls from Robin Guthrie and Harold Budd, Beef Terminal, Bitcrush and Broadway Project; going from tranquil piano motifs to a downtempo behemoth.

During this period, fellow ambient mixtape maker nrvnet had contributed two sets to the "15 Minutes Of Fame" mix series. Muttley emailed nrvnet to ask whether he'd like to collaborate on a joint mix. With passion for the cause, both were obliged, and an ongoing conversation was established. The result that you see today is an 83-minute exploration into soundscapes, ambiences, crescendos, and, critically, a bucket-load of emotional credence.

Muttley and nrvnet contributed three sections each following a guideline of 10-15 minute sections. Upon completion of a section, the completed piece was “transferred” to the other. The piece went back and forth across the Atlantic Ocean several times until the message was complete. We won't tell you who did what--that's up to you to decide. The piece represents a conversation between people—both literally and figuratively. It also reflects a transference of state—from quiet to loud; from ambience to dissonance; from drift to beat. What Muttley provides in unconventional selections, nrvnet matches with tapestries of sounds. Transference will be cross-posted at Muttley’s Subversion blog and nrvnet’s Hydrogen Cafe blog.

It was an honour for Muttley and nrvnet to engage in this musical conversation together. We hope this transference of sound will be enjoyable.

- Muttley & nrvnet, October, 2009


D O W N L O A D S (right click, save link as):

Transference MP3 (83:27) (320k) (200 mb)
Artwork (800k Zip file)

TRACKLISTING

01 - Robin Guthrie & Harold Budd - Hidden Message
02 - Beef Terminal - Passing Secrets Through The Window
03 - Bitcrush - Prologue
04 - Broadway Project - Message From The East
05 - Porcupine Tree - Russia On Ice (excerpt)
06 - Andrey Kiritchenko - Let Oneself In
07 - The Radio Dept. - Gibraltar
08 - Amusement Parks on Fire - So Mote It Be
09 - Radiohead - Meeting in the Aisle
10 - The Caretaker - Unmasking Alzheimer’s
11 - Skare - To The Other Shore
12 - Emma Cora - Parcels Carrier
13 - Milton Cross - First There Came A Letter From A Tree
14 - Helios - Signed I Wish You Well
15 - Porcupine Tree - Metonia Pt 1; Mesmer Pt 3 (excerpts)
16 - The Gentleman Losers - Weed Garden
17 - Jónsi & Alex - All the Big Trees
18 - Max Richter - lonosphere
19 - Arca - Baixa
20 - Jacaszek - Orszula
21 - Con Cetta vs. Antartica - Thank You
22 - Stars Of The Lid - A Meaningful Moment Through A Meaningless Process
23 - The Alpha Rhythm - Escape Velocity
24 - Peter Broderick - Something Has Changed
25 - Hreda - Knowing How To Carry
26 - Nine Inch Nails - Ghosts I (02)
27 - Underworld - Pizza for Eggs (excerpt)
28 - Archive - LeMans
29 - The Last Days - Nightlight
30 - Auburn Lull - Blur My thoughts Again

FIELD RECORDINGS

01 - Marek Brandt - Versailles Castle
02 - John Tenny - French Quarter Walk
03 - Figowitz - Kantine01
04 - Cognito Perceptu - AM Band Static
05 - Stomp - Factory X Operatios
06 - Sal Randolph - Grand Central Station
07 - Connum - Bakery in a German Train Station

"When that transference between beings does occur it is the result of some very strong unbroken karmic connection from the past." - the Dalai Lama

MK Stop 29: Simian Mobile Disco @ 02 Academy, Oxford (6th October 2009)

I arrive at the Academy pretty generically to electronica club nights: there’s DJs, dancing and beats. Associated with 4/4 purveyors Slide, slamming electro gets the floor moving at heaving capacity. A black curtain is removed to unveil Simian Mobile Disco’s master contraption: two keyboards and a mass of effects units. Applause showers down as SMD take position. I’m ready to sample their danceability.

SMD, in the stadium-grandiosity stakes, make Tiesto sound like new generation Basil Brush: overtly politically correct; out of time. Hyping the crowd, raising their hands, SMD fidget around the machinery, rocking horizontally and vertically, dripping with sweat. Think two bedroom DJs mixing at a peak of concentration and enjoyment.

Seamlessly blending tracks from “Temporary Pleasure”, alongside more electro stompers, SMD’s stage setup is slightly disengaged from view. Paradoxically this centres the focus on the music and SMD equally. Meddling with the FX to crank up the bass, filter and phasers, SMD stick to a highly rational template, where breakdowns, and tempo shifts are bars of candy for the punters.

When SMD’s conservatism risks losing me, it’s rectified by pure adrenalin. Trainspotting welcomes fresh sounds (the majority) and familiar. Take “Cruel Intentions’”: female vox not to give the lover the wrong idea, whereas the Daft Punk-cum-Landscape stylings of “Audacity Of Huge” at 45 minutes of 90, gives great ideas. The euphoria feels like three mini-festivals rolled into one, and all from producers of hackeneyed bands like Arctic Monkeys.

To non-discerning media, dance music is a sterile commodity, being regurgitated in kitsch lengths of 4-7 minutes, needing to be sifted through by those with taste. What SMD lack is the dynamics of live performance. Unlike 2ManyDJs and James Zabiela, who loop, remix on the fly, and flag spontaneity, the set is like a journey on a single track road with no junctions. Considering one of the duo has his back to the room, it reads “programmed” / “pre-planned” in neon lettering. Nevertheless, SMD came, saw, and conquered. And I, for one, would like to go back for seconds.

Simian Mobile Disco: website
Download: "Temporary Pleasure" on eMusic
Simian Mobile Disco: MySpace

MK Stop 28: Zu + Dr Slaggleberry + Drunkenstein @ The Wheatsheaf, Oxford (4th October 2009)

Following their stellar showing at The Bully the week before, Drunkenstein get things rolling like a landslide. Imagine gentle tumbleweed turning suddenly into a boulder. If you asked Neil Armstrong how to control it, he'd probably tell you to put a flag on it; an ant would advise you to run for your life. But tonight's crowd aren't fazed; a couple even put their dancing boots on. Without showboating, Drunkenstein edge towards Pink Floyd on a slower tune, undergoing percussive reinforcement all the while, as if desiring to Connect Four. Ace stuff.

Despite white masks concealing their identities, the next act, Dr Slaggleberry, are a sonically multicoloured, highly dextrous three-piece. Songs hasten with incessant drum salvos, and slow down in squalls. Bracing, emotionally unkempt math-rock is sprayed with instrumental metal magic. When the music verges on fracturing, Slaggleberry regroup and lay a stoner glaze over the core. Their set is relatively short, but if anything that guarantees greater impact.

The band hotly tipped tonight are Zu, but is it worth the wait? Successful hardcore is like a game of Twister. Instead of treading on each other's toes, you create heated geometry, where peaks are only restricted by parts already present, and troughs have to find alternative routes. Conversely, Zu are so mechanical I was expecting WD40 intervention. Stymied by long foreplay between drums and guitar, their product shapes up more as Evian than hard water on tap; free of impurities, but consequently bland.

It's only when they take a subversive initiative that they shine. As a hyperactive Tool, they blend oddball fusions, sometimes somewhere on the road to Squarepusher's later, rockist moments. Grooves dodge complacency like running through revolving doors on a 100 metres sprint. Then during a languid duel session Zu stop for a second to realise the PA is rambling. If they could always be as unpredictable, then it'd be hats off.

Zu: MySpace
Dr Slaggleberry: MySpace
Drunkenstein: MySpace

MK Stop 27: HQ Presents: Commix + Data @ The Cellar, Oxford (25th September 2009)

If nights had attire made to symbolise them, HQ would be a waistcoast and faded jeans: appealing enough to present to your gran, but not lacking the functionality and freedom for a traditional knees-up. The idyllic apprehension of contemporary drum & bass events would be that those who wandered, and are lost from the non-mainstream (and non-conformist) could find their path and recoil a love for the genre they abandoned. The onset of UK Garage disconnected many heads from the genre in the late nineties, while certain producers left or crossed over. The subsequent demise of experimental labels (think Partisan, Reinforced) and the loss of large imprint backing (Virgin, Talkin' Loud, etc), with Goldie's "Timeless" breaking musical boundaries, means that those jaded have a lot to remember that was superior to the wasteland characteristic of drum & bass today. HQ represent to fix and fuse.

The current measurements are high attendance, newer names integral to the growth of minimalist d&b getting booked, however a small scope of artists for consideration. Underexposed talent is difficult to pin down, and takes time to be recognised. Furthermore, not every producer is a DJ, and those who are could be too inexperienced to support main acts, or headline themselves. Inherently, also, the likelihood is they'll have made a small pool of tunes to present - for fear of tripping up into a mixing trainwreck - or will be looking to push their own productions (most fresh out the studio) so they get more bookings. It's an interesting argument: do you let the "real" DJs masquerade, or compromise the art of set-building for exclusive content to your night? HQ have the balance locked down well: treated by resident DJs Azonica and Chemical to the might of Photek and Source Direct, they return to the 90s, so that for old school heads attending, the evening is not consigned to the category of nonsensical.

The warm-up becomes honey mixed with dynamite. With The Cellar's system now enhanced, these tracks sound glorious. "Ready on the left, ready on the right?" asks Danny Breaks' "Firing Line (Origin Unknown Remix)". I had my appetite whetted for Data. Deep pads harness congruent wholeness, before powering like a steam train into 170bpm bliss. Hypnotic and arresting, the subs really are a peach. Data's "The Enemy Within" rattles the ribcage at 15 minutes in, coming off like the lovechild of Decoder and Surgeon. Thumping bass pressure coalesces with crafty edits and seasick synth growls. The mixing is tight and energetic, a perfect accompaniment to the dancefloor enthusiasts. The militancy is almost frightening, but maintains a sedation thanks to a sparse usage of the elements. The trend of minimalism in d&b is not a token-to-2009 affair; Deep Blue was championing the theories in 1999, but with the introduction of Cylon and their online mixtapes, it seems more and more are perceiving drum & bass as best in its barest essentials, a possible reaction to the stadium rock & bass that is prevalent in the scene. Pendulum swam into the covers of Kerrang! by it, lest we forget.

Data takes the ventures down low and guests are surely appreciative. It's his second stop at HQ and there's a marked improvement in cohesiveness tonight. There are echoes of circa "Piper" Jonny L present. The beats: sharp like razor blades, the bass piercing, comparatively to Azonica's selection, there's not much for the hips to cling onto. Data is expressionless throughout, a robot commanding cyber-domination with an entourage of tech-steppin' mercenaries. Whilst all this is going on, MC Manikular hosts measured, knowing when to shut up and let the beats talk.

Representing Cambridge, Commix have succumb to internet reviews that they look miserable behind the decks when they play out. Tonight they're making an effort, bopping while twiddling knobs. They hold my attention with sparkling melodies. It would be crass to say they plod, but unlike Data, there's not a lot of variation to compensate the raggedy steppers; no half-time, space trapped by rumbling blasts of bass. Legible rewinds aside, they could do with an injection of serotonin to offset the regimentation.

The success of an HQ night belongs to subtlety, not monotony. If you're a punter who's never listened to d&b before, you'd be advised to come for the full duration to sample a wide range of styles that could appear offensive with short exposure. Home listeners crave plenty of variety while not sacrificing musical content. HQ excites its fanbase by booking DJs who feed off the crowd, letting in MCs who compliment the music, playing classics from years gone by, siphoning dubs as unknown quantities, and applying consistency to all of the aforementioned. Watch out for the October 30th all-nighter with d&b legend Doc Scott.

HQ: MySpace
Data: MySpace
Commix: MySpace

MK Stop 26: Drunkenstein + The Wookies + Secret Rivals @ The Bullingdon, Oxford (24 September 2009)

Waiting, anticipation, dread – everyone’s parameters for stop and start are different, and who has the ability to wait the right length anyway? It could be down to chance, or transpire from attunement to your surroundings. Whatever. Secret Rivals enter in a pleasingly swift manner at tonight’s Moshka bill. Walls of noise-pop traverse elegiac guitars at angst-punk tempos. Cascading riffs accumulate friction, then fly with the female vocalist into an accelerated fray. Secret Rivals rock out, but there’s a degree of sameness to each song. Now and again the interest levels lift, but it’s only an occasional novelty in the face of better bands I've seen.

“We are a dark, broody band with a happy aftertaste,” say The Wookies, after Secret Rivals head offstage. Beginning with equal parts keyboard rigidity and melodic simplicity, there’s certainly no nightmare in their showing, even if, as the drummer proclaims, “Dreams are all I’ve got to give you”. Their second tune harbours a fairground-ride crossed with spaghetti western soundtrack. When balancing gruff vocals with soaring riffage and percussive tidal waves, they breathe gulps of air through the line-up. Recklessness is always counterbalanced by order, fighting prog ghosts but never losing touch with reality. I have a feeling this is a glimpse of a band on its way to great things.

True to their name, headline act Drunkenstein are a monstrous gothic hybrid of bands one and two with five cans of cider. Mikes are a prop for many a performer, but none more savage than punks at their most downtrodden, which is what Drunkenstein come across as at least. Concentration and vagueness are not mutually exclusive, but are handled with deft precision, the band cooking up measured heaviosity. Combined with the singing, which has a surprising theatrical quality, their entertainment is like a bath of ice: chilling, fragmented and demanding a careful touch. They say they “stayed up all night practicing”, and it shows.

But where’s the audience, I wonder. There are barely a dozen heads to count. Nevertheless, for those few in attendance, Moshka have provided a sure-fire winner.

Secret Rivals: MySpace
The Wookies: MySpace
Drunkenstein: MySpace

MK Stop 25: Muttley - Lost In Thought (Subvert Central Podcast 045)

01. Svarte Greiner – The Black Dress (from the album “Knive” – Type)
02. Brian Mcbride – Silent Motels (from the album “When The Detail Lost Its Freedom” – Kranky)
03. Renderizors – Stranger At Your Party (Band version) (from the album “Submarine” – Last Visible Dog)
04. Jasper Leyland – Taken (from the album “Carbon Series Volume 5” -12X50)
05. Marcus Schmickler – Cue (from the album “Param” – A-Musik)
06. The Drift – Nozomi (from the album “Ceiling Sky” – Temporary Residence)
07. Robert Haigh – Lost On A Train (from the album “Notes And Crossings” – Siren)
08. Burial – Night Bus (from the album “Burial” – Hyperdub)
09. Dario Antonelli – ZX-21 Part 1 (from the album “Zaum Vol.1” – Psychonavigation Records)
10. Eluvium – I Am So Much More Me That I Am Perfectly You (from the album “Lambent Material” – Temporary Residence)
11. Stars Of The Lid – Requiem For Dying Mothers Pt.2 (from the album “The Tired Sounds Of Stars Of The Lid” – Kranky)
12. Burial – UK (from the album “Untrue” – Hyperdub)

“Lost In Thought”: dedicated to my mother, whom I have left home from, to build ledges of ascension, with my old place of residence.

Download

Any feedback much appreciated. :)