Category: ambient music

Massive respect for anyone that can lead off a one-sheet for a 21st century electronic music EP with a quote from the Modernist canon, much less from Gertrude Stein. “Repeating… is in everyone. In everyone their being and their feeling and their way of realizing everything and everyone comes out of them in repeating.”

Stein may not have imagined music being created from synthesized sound and captured claps, but this line is the credo and inspiration for Repeating, and the first track “Repeat Is In Everyone” in particular.

Northworks’ EP was nestled in the middle of a pack of promos I was thinking about throwing away for lack of anything interesting. I was somewhere between tech house hell and the 9,000th ravey rip-off from the ’90s when this chill little number started to play. Immediately the atmosphere changed. The beats hit hard but muffled, a submerged heart, with short passages forming a melody like a hand that idly taps at the fingers of a broken piano. “Repeating Is In Everyone” is a minimal house masterpiece, straddling the line between music for minds and music for losing one’s.

Northworks: Repeating EP (State Variable / Digital / April 2022)
1. Northworks: Repeating is in Everyone (06:39)
2. Northworks: Lights (06:22)

Disclosure Statement: This record was not submitted as a promo.

Nuts to Soup continues to redefine radio

Originating in London, Nuts to Soup is an independent radio station founded in 2011 by Femi Adeyemi. With the original studio in London and an additional one in Los Angeles, NTS broadcast music is hosted by a wide array of artists from around the world, 24/7.

NTS is perfect for those interested in discovering new music. Artist residencies and mixes are a great way to find more of what you like from as selected by some of your favorite artists. Here are some excellent NTS mixes.

Bladee – Bladee Radio

The Bladee radio residency was my introduction to NTS, and it was probably the first time in my digital life that I waited in anticipation for a piece of analog media. Bladee radio was originally only supposed to be a four-week stay but received a surprise fifth episode to bring in the new year.

Benjamin Reichwald, better known as Bladee, is a Swedish rapper hailing from Stockholm. The Bladee radio series is more so hosted by him, rather than curated. Each week, Bladee brought in a different artist or artists to share some of their favorite tracks.

The Royal Mix, curated by Thaiboy Digital and Woesum, brings a Euro-house mix with staples like Basshunter and CJ Bolland. The Hoxton mix, curated by Baby_Xd and Joakim Benon, brings a trance-like hardstyle mix, with quiet reprieve in Benon’s outro. The Stockholm mix, curated by Yung Sherman, is an incredibly atmospheric post rock mix, briefly interrupted by the “bruh” sound effect at various injunctions.

The final two mixes are untitled. The final planned mix brings in Hannah Diamond for a hyperpop heavy mix featuring A.G. Cook and Namasenda. The last mix has Bladee team up for a mix with Mechatok and features an interesting cover of Salem’s “Not much of a life,” in addition to spoken word reflections on the year 2021 by Bladee.

Bjork – Dec. 1, 2018

Bjork provides a peek into her creative process with a mix of tracks that inspired her 2017 album “Utopia.” This avant-garde electronic heavy mix features collaborators Arca and Caroline Shaw, as well as some more experimental cuts from Mesharyalradah and Peder Mannefelt. She even features more classically styled music from famed minimalist composer Steve Reich. As eclectic as ever, Bjork provides a mix unlike any other.

Elusin & Malibu – United in Flames, March 23, 2022

Malibu has had her monthly “United in Flames” mix since mid-2020, and the French musician teams up with Norway’s Elusin for an ambient mix. With haunting, pensive songs by Paul Van Dyk (remixed by Malibu) to obscure remixes like Slackers of “Best Boyfriend,” Elusin provides vocals on the first half of a Chromatics song and even dives deep down into my music memory to bring a vaporwave adjacent remix of Aires “Pink Freckles” by Vanity Productions. The reverberating vocals along with its airy synths provide a hypnotic quality to them.

Katie Vick- Bubble Gum Violence, May 21, 2022

Katie Vick (formerly Uli K) brings together a scrappy bunch of the underground’s ironic iconoclasts. This is hosted by Rhode Island’s Joeyy, whose social media presence defies definition. His hyper-edited glamour pics, nonsensical music videos and playful cadence make his music as funny as it is good. Joeyy “hosts” this mix as a sort of directors’ commentary with the mic left on. For instance, he interjects Swoopy’s “easy-going” to let us know this is a “good song,” and he thanks his listeners  for attending “Swagchella.”

This mix isn’t some sort of throwaway. The mix effectively weaves in post-rock tracks like “Age of Information” by Evanora Unlimited with trance electronic tracks, such as “Return to Fraser Canyon” by SECONDATTACK and “Ocean” by Oozini. Incredible remixes like Rapallo’s “Heartcoregirl” with help from Plush help bridge that gap with a heavy industrial sound.

Vick then transitions this into Joeyy’s “Better Man,” with production from Vinso.

Vinso’s production is hard to get, and Joeyy doesn’t waste it. His flow fits right in with the atmospheric beat as he describes life as the better man.

My Bloody Valentine – April 19, 2021

Shoegaze pioneers My Bloody Valentine provide a mix of the songs of their youth, from punk to blues to classic rock. Each song is followed by a hearty discussion among the group’s members, be it the memory the song brings them or how the song influenced their sound.

For a band that defined a new genre and era of music, getting some background on their inspirations helps to trace the roots of shoegaze. The heavy instrumental dissonance and muted vocals can find some inspiration in the avant-garde jazz selections like Don Cherry’s “Brown Rice.” On “To Here Knows When,” lead singer Bilinda Butcher seemingly inhales and exhales as the grating synths and guitar begin to drown her out, as the resonance fades and the melody becomes clearer.

Honorable Mentions

There are many other fantastic mixes. Evilgiane’s “Surf Gang” is an excellent mix, serving as a CV for the producer who recently gained placement with ASAP Rocky. Yves Tumor’s glamour rock/reggae mix also features some superb East German pop tracks.

NTS doesn’t only do radio, their YouTube channel features live performances with stunning visuals. Bladee and Ecco2K put on an ethereal performance as the pandemic began to crescendo called “Remote Utopias.”  Ecco2K’s features the Swedish multi-hyphenate backed by blinding lights to produce an effect like that of astigmatism. Surrounded by his production equipment, 2K dances alongside projections of himself, portraying a form of escapism through his artistry in those weird times. Bladee gives a similar performance, backed by visuals from his recent album “Exeter,” playing tracks from the album alongside some of his past hits like “Botox Lips.”

Aphex Twin gave us a more traditional performance back in 2017. The ambient artist’s performance features a stage with lights obscuring the artist at work, overlayed with text and drawings. The performance also features intimate camera angles of the diverse crowd, providing a glimpse into the wide appeal of Aphex Twin.

The resurgence of mixes and sets in the mainstream are a welcome phenomenon, and I love seeing what people put together. Platforms like NTS, Boiler Room and Hör are great ways to spend less time crafting playlists and more time actually listening to them.

Jackson Walker can be reached at [email protected]

Italian electronic artist Davide Tonini has produced a thoroughly engrossing new album. Rigenereazioni (Regeneration) reflects Tonini’s love of modular synthesis and his “incredible ways of interpreting it.”

The nine tracks here are the first nine I’ve ever heard from Tonini, and maybe the first ever released (Discogs and digital stores didn’t turn up much under this name, and Google showed me a video by a Davide Tonini called “Life cycle costing of waste management systems,” which sounded techno as fuck but unfortunately was not.)

Walking into it with no expectations, I’m walking away from Rigenerazioni with the impression that any credible music academy hawking “master classes” (they’re always “master classes”) on the art of production needs to hire Tonini, STAT. While I love sloppy basslines and the mechanical swing of imperfectly played machines, there is a deep mental pleasure that comes from listening to exquisitely well-produced and ordered electronic tracks like these.

Made entirely from his eurorack system (“without overdub”), Rigenerazioni has a coherent sound, flexible enough to hold the listener’s attention while still resembling each other, like nine pieces of a solid whole. The title track leads off and introduces some of the main musical themes: icy electronics, frozen and then melting and passing into steam, marking musical fragments of a character’s journey through an urban underworld. The cover art by Beeple shows that character standing on the precipice of a chasm, captured just before making the decision between walking away and diving in.

It’s not ambient, though, or not as you’d think of ambient. “Level” is just one of several tracks with a seriously funky bite, a fat bassline and glassy percussion. Tonini has his eurorack performing like an orchestra on “B88-2,” drowning in hypnotic electronics.

On multiple tracks Tonini has filmed himself recording — a pair of disembodied hands reaching into a trunk of patch wires and knobs. It’s an odd contrast to the sound of Rigenereazioni, which gives the impression of music transmitted directly from his mind.

Davide Tonini: Rigenerazioni (Detroit Underground / Digital)
1. Davide Tonini: Rigenerazioni (04:51)
2. Davide Tonini: Memorie (05:42)
3. Davide Tonini: Level (05:12)
4. Davide Tonini: Gomma (05:04)
5. Davide Tonini: Dipanare (05:37)
6. Davide Tonini: B88-2 (04:59)
7. Davide Tonini: B1-39 (05:49)
8. Davide Tonini: Artefatti (06:02)
9. Davide Tonini: Algebrico (05:33)

Disclosure Statement: This record was not submitted as a promo.

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Shopping for a music lover can be hard, especially if their tastes range from Beyoncé to Joni Mitchell to ACDC. If you have a music lover on your gifting list this holiday season, Select is here to help streamline the process with a list of great, year-round gifts including speakers, instruments and decór that should strike a chord.

Related: Buying a turntable can be intimidating given some hefty jargon. We asked experts what actually matters and what doesn’t — and which models they recommend.

Best gifts for music lovers

To help you find the best gifts for the music lover on your list this year, we revisited our previous expert guidance on headphones, speakers and other music-related gadgets that align with Select-reader interest. Additionally, we consulted our in-house shopping experts on staff — many of whom are music lovers themselves — for their favorite speakers and more. We also included some highly rated items we think Select readers (and their gift recipients) will love.

Favorite Song Lyrics Vinyl Print

If you know the song that means the most to your music lover, you can give them a print of those beloved lyrics in the shape of a vinyl record. You can further personalize the record by adding extra text like names and the date, making it a great gift for newlyweds or new parents celebrating their first holiday season together.

Favorite Song Vinyl Lyrics Print

Favorite Song Vinyl Lyrics Print $ at Print Frame Co.

Helvetiq Music IQ Party Game

If your giftee is a music history nerd, this game might make a good gift. The card-based trivia game, meant for players ages 15 and older, requires two teams and can accommodate up to 12 players. The first round tests knowledge, while the second round tests memory from the first round and players can take risks in each round to earn more points. Helvetiq says the game has an average playtime of 45 minutes.

Helvetiq Music IQ Party Game

Pick-a-Palooza Make Your Own Guitar Pick Punch

This gadget allows the user to take any unwanted plastic — like expired credit cards or IDs — and punch it into a guitar pick, ready for plucking. A favorite from our guide to dad-approved gifts, this tool comes recommended by former Select editor Morgan Greenwald’s father, who has been using it for years.

Pick-a-Palooza Make Your Own Guitar Pick Punch

• Pick-a-Palooza Make Your Own Guitar Pick Punch $ at Uncommon Goods

• Pick-a-Palooza Make Your Own Guitar Pick Punch $ at Amazon

Victrola Suitcase Record Player

Select writer Mili Godio, who owns the Crosley Cruiser Deluxe record player, gave this affordable suitcase-style Victrola record player to her younger sister as a starter record player. It has a three-speed belt built-in and can also stream audio through the built-in Bluetooth speakers. The record player has an auto-stop switch that stops spinning records once the record is finished playing, according to the brand.

Victrola Suitcase Record Player

• Victrola Suitcase Record Player $ at Amazon

• Victrola Suitcase Record Player $ at Kohl’s

• Victrola Suitcase Record Player $ at Best Buy

GiftsCharm “You Are My Sunshine” Personalized Music Box

This hand-cranked style wooden music box plays “You Are My Sunshine” to your giftee. For no extra cost, you can include one of six engravings with sweet phrases like, “And suddenly all of the love songs are about you” or “You are always in my heart,” plus one personalized line at the bottom of it, like “Love, Gabriella.”

GiftsCharm “You Are My Sunshine” Personalized Music Box

GiftsCharm “You Are My Sunshine” Personalized Music Box $ at Etsy

Loog Ukulele

This all-wood ukulele was designed for beginner players or budding musicians, according to Loog. The instrument comes with flashcards with ukulele chord diagrams or you can play along with the Loog Guitar app, which has a “Magic Mirror feature” that shows you how to form chords through augmented reality.

Loog Ukulele

Loog Ukulele $ at Loog Guitar

JBL Flip 5 Portable Speaker

The JBL Flip 5 is one of the best Bluetooth portable speakers, according to tech expert and former Select contributor Whitson Gordon. Gordon appreciated its “decently strong bass and clear midrange,” which produces crisp sounds for vocals and guitar. The Flip 5 can pair with other JBL products to create a multi-speaker setup, and is available in several colors like pink, forest green and more.

JBL Flip 5

Rarton Custom Album Cover Light

If you know your loved one’s absolute favorite song, this LED light-up plaque, which sits in a wooden base, can remind them of their favorite tune at their desk. This album cover light displays their favorite song the way it would appear while listening to it on your phone via a streaming service, plus you can add a personal message and photo to create a sentimental and personalized gift.

Rarton Custom Album Cover Light

Rarton Custom Album Cover Light $ at Etsy

Sony WH-1000XM4

Tech expert and Select contributor Terri Williams recommended the Sony WH-1000XM4 as the best overall over-ear headphones. The headphones have active noise cancellation, but also have an ambient sound mode, so you can hear some background songs. The headphones are Bluetooth compatible but come with a cable for wired listening, and according to the brand, the music intuitively pauses when you take the headphones off. They can also be paired with the Sony Headphones Connect App to control settings from your phone, and should last up to 30 hours on one charge.

Sony WH-1000XM4

The Holiday Candle Co. “All Too Well”-inspired Candle

If you’re a Swiftie like myself, this candle may be as big of a hit as “Shake it Off.” Inspired by pop star Taylor Swift’s “RED” album, the soy-blend candle has a strong cinnamon and earthy scent, and has a label on the front with some lyrics from the album. I received this specific candle as a gift and absolutely love it, but The Holiday Candle Co. also sells other candles inspired by other songs from Swift.

The Holiday Candle Co. “All Too Well”-inspired Candle

The Holiday Candle Co. “All Too Well”-inspired Candle $ at Etsy

Crosley Record Cleaning Kit

If you’re not sure what to get the picky vinyl lover in your life, give them a record cleaning kit. This cleaning kit comes with a felt record cleaning brush and a record-cleaning solution (that is stored inside the brush’s wood handle). Crosley recommends placing the solution on the edge of the brush and applying it gently as the record spins on your turntable. The brand also recommends allowing the album to dry completely before playing the record.

Crosley Record Cleaning Kit

Music Note Measuring Spoon Set

This musical-themed measuring spoon set, which hangs from a pewter bar that you can drill into the wall, comes with a ¼ teaspoon, ½ teaspoon, teaspoon and tablespoon. They are made from lead-free pewter, according to the brand, and are designed to look like eighth notes hanging from a musical staff.

Music Note Measuring Spoon Set

Music Note Measuring Spoon Set $ at Uncommon Goods

‘1000 Record Covers’

This book presents a selection of rock album covers from the 60s to the 90s, curated by music archivist, disc jockey, journalist and former record-publicity executive Michael Ochs. The hardcover book, which comes with an introduction from Ochs, can make a neat addition to any library or coffee table.

1000 Record Covers

LEGO Ideas Fender Stratocaster 213929 Set

This LEGO Ideas set, designed for adults, gives you all the bricks you need to build a 14-inch display model of a 1970s Fender Stratocaster guitar and a Fender 65 Princeton Reverb amplifier. It comes with enough bricks to build the guitar in red or black and includes a foldable display stand for the guitar.

LEGO Ideas Fender Stratocaster 213929 Set

• LEGO Ideas Fender Stratocaster 213929 Set $ at Target

• LEGO Ideas Fender Stratocaster 213929 Set $ at Walmart

• LEGO Ideas Fender Stratocaster 213929 Set $ at Fender

Harley Benton Mini Loop Pedal

This loop pedal — designed for electric guitar and bass — has a 6.3 millimeter jack input and output and can record up to 10 minutes of audio, so that an artist of any skill level can record and loop audio as they play. It has a volume adjuster and comes with a three-year warranty.

Harley Benton Mini Loop Pedal

Harley Benton Mini Loop Pedal $ at Thomann Music

Related: These gadgets make great gifts for anyone, whether your loved ones need new headphones, a VR headset or self-heating mug.

Catch up on Select’s in-depth coverage of personal finance, tech and tools, wellness and more, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to stay up to date.

The 2023 Pitch music festival lineup has dropped and it offers huge quality, led by Four Tet, Moderat, Nightmares on Wax, Ben UFO, Mano Le Tough, Leon Vynehall, Fatima Yamaha and more.

The Pitch music festival 2023 lineup will return to the foothills of the Grampian Plains from March 10 – 14 for the sixth edition of one of Australia’s premier electronic festivals, and as usual, the lineup offers an excellent assortment of global production kings and queens.

Following a sold-out event in 2022, tickets for Pitch Music & Arts 2023 – as it’s officially known – will be secured through a balloting process. For the first time, those who enter the ballot are required to agree to a ‘Pitch Pledge’, whereby patrons must commit to positively contributing to the Pitch community, leave no trace and behave respectfully.

Pitch music festival 2023 lineup

• ABSOLUTE.
• AK Sports
• Âme
• Anetha
• Ayebatonye
• Ben UFO
• Bertie
• BIG WETT
• Bradley Zero
• C.FRIM X MIRASIA
• Call Super
• Cassie Raptor
• Club Angel
• Daria Kolosova
• DAWS
• Dax J
• DJ EZ
• DJ Heartstring
• DJ Stingray 313
• DJ Tennis
• Effy
• Ewan McVicar
• Fatima Yamaha (Live)
• FJAAK DJ
• Four Tet
• François X
• HALFQUEEN
• Héctor Oaks
• Helena Hauff
• I.JORDAN
• IN2STELLAR
• Interplanetary Criminal
• Jaguar
• Jennifer Cardini
• Juicy Romance
• Jyoty
• Kalyani
• KAS:ST
• Kelly Lee Owens (Dj Set)
• KETTAMA
• Ki/Ki
• Kim Ann Foxman
• Leon Vynehall (LIVE)
• LSDXOXO
• m8riarchy
• Major League Djz
• Mano Le Tough
• Marie Montexier
• Mildlife
• Miley Serious
• Moderat (LIVE)
• Nightmares On Wax
• NLV
• OVERMONO (Live)
• Parfait
• Paula Tape
• Peach
• Pretty Girl (LIVE)
• Roi Perez
• RONA.
• Ryan Elliott
• Sam Alfred x STÜM
  Soju Gang
• Sophie McAlister
• SWIM
• Tama Sumo x Lakuti
• Tinlicker (LIVE)
• u.r.trax
• Yarra
• Yikes
• Young Marco

Dates and location

• Pitch Music & Arts
• 10-14 March 2023
• Moyston, VIC

Keep up with the latest Pitch music festival news here, or the latest general music news, features, festivals, interviews and reviews here.

To complement the Pitch music festival programme, there will be interactive arts and installations. The 2022 Pitch Arts Programme featured the likes of Clayton Blake, (Burning Man’s 2018 winner of best art) and Adnate (who painted the tallest-ever mural on a building in the Southern Hemisphere at the housing commissions in Collingwood). The arts programme will be announced at a later date.

Patrons will be able to relax at the Pitch Pavilion – a tranquil sanctuary where patrons can take part in yoga classes, sound baths & ambient meditation. The festival will also host an expansive variety of culinary delights, spanning all taste preferences and palates. There will also be markets where you can purchase souvenirs made by ethical creatives and designers, and a pride patrol with live drag performance.

Pitch Music & Arts will bring together a community of like-minded people where curated art and sensational beats will be used to create a hub rich with creativity and self-expression. Enter the ballot now and avoid missing out as the ballot may be the only way to secure a ticket.

You can check out our month-by-month festival calendar here, or our guide to decking out the perfect festival camping vehicle here.

Follow Pitch Music & Arts across their website here, and their social channels – Facebook here, Insta here. Ballet registrations close –  Wed 2nd Nov 3:00pm AEDT. Thu 10th Nov 12:00pm – General On Sale. Register for ballot: https://bit.ly/pitch23ballot.

“Ambient” and “chill-out” are genres in which I’ve always struggled to find music that’s listenable, let alone good, ever since I first heard Brian Eno’s sublime Ambient 1: Music For Airports and thought to myself “More of this, please.”

I guess a lot of electronic producers add an ambient side-project to their repertoire assuming it’s easy to make, which it decidedly isn’t. Does music always need to have a point? I guess not, however, what I can tell you is that most of the chill-out music I’ve heard feels especially pointless.

Enter Matthew Naquin, aka San Mateo. Michael Donaldson (perhaps better known to 5 Mag readers as Q-Burns Abstract Message) at 8D Industries has sent me a few promising promos by this guy over the last couple of years, but this six track offering reveals a whole new layer of creative brilliance.

Apparently made on small selection of hardware synths, Exspiravit Luminaria feels organic and human throughout, blurring boundaries between classical and electronic music with its palette of warm strings, subtle sound design and mournful drones. Calling to mind Max Richter’s starker works at times, San Mateo continually wrong-foots and comforts the listener, charting bold journeys with chords, melodies and timing, when it would be all too easy to simply head for home.

Don’t expect to just place Exspiravit Luminaria in the background while you tap out emails or eat dinner: this is an ambitious mini-album that demands and deserves your full attention, while at the same time allowing plenty of space for reverie. So dim the lights, turn on, and get carried far away.

San Mateo: Exspiravit Luminaria (8D Industries / Digital / June 2022)
1. San Mateo: if panic! then release (04:48)
2. San Mateo: guilt suit (06:45)
3. San Mateo: LGM1 [PSR B1919+21] (02:00)
4. San Mateo: interoception (05:42)
5. San Mateo: a slow wave (08:18)
6. San Mateo: mary celeste (04:57)

Disclosure Statement: This record was submitted as a promo.