Headphone Commute

I look back at 2022 and realize that I didn't put out the "usual" amount of mixes for the HC podcast. This is indeed because right after the celebration of the music from the year before, I was utterly preoccupied with the thoughts turned towards Ukraine. As a result, there were two "For Ukraine" mixes by Brian Housman of Stationary Travels and Peter can Cooten of Ambient Blog . In the last two we...

I’ve got something slightly different for you today than the usual fair. How are you feeling about atmospheric drum & bass this morning? To be fair, this is not the first time that I’ve showcased this genre on these pages (see Clima‘s  Headphone Commute Mix  or the super fun  Chill & Bass Mix  by Orangewarrior). Except for this time, it’s also a label showcase, featuring very special selections fr...

I honestly wish that I could stop promoting this benefit compilation, titled For Ukraine, which is now on its second volume (see links below). I’d stop promoting because we wouldn’t need the funds which would all be donated to International Rescue Committee ( rescue.org ) to support displaced children and families with vital supplies. Albeit somehow it has all receded in the background, and yet th...

About a week ago, in collaboration with Hollie Kenniff who curated the roster of artists, Headphone Commute released the first volume of the benefit compilation  For Ukraine  with 100% of all proceeds being donated to the International Rescue Committee ( rescue.org ). This is one of those things, folks, that does not need to be written about, promoted, or sold. Nevertheless, with the help of Brian...

How would you like to hear 50 tracks from 50 releases from last year? Well, in this 14th instalment, Mathias Van Eecloo, of [previously] Eilean Rec. and [currently] LAAPS [for which he also made a very  special mix ], returns for his annual tradition of masterful selection of musical journeys from many of my favourite labels. Plenty for you here to unpeel and explore throughout the numerous genres...

By now it’s no secret that I’m a fan of Brian Housman‘s labour and his Stationary Travels site. Two years ago I even unveiled a brand new Best of the Year list, dedicated to his very own selections, appropriately titled “ Music For Your Stationary Travels “. I suspect that the respect here is mutual since he recently revealed his  highlights  from music spotted on HC’s Best of the Year feature. Ye...

The current  Best of the Year  feature is well underway, and besides dragging you through all of the amazing albums that you’ve missed, I also think that you should be able to hear some, or, in this case, specifically the best vinyl of the last year, as selected by Mike Jedlicka. It’s a beautiful journey that has introduced me to some new music as well, and I’m forever grateful for this special fr...

So only a few more days left to this year, but, more importantly, a few more days before I announce my Best of 2021 lists [which, just like you, I have been looking forward to], but before we wave another year farewell, I’ve got something exceptional to share with you. In fact, this is a celebration of two years, to be more precise – two years of releases from the amazing LAAPS imprint [which, if...

Some words about the mix from Night Gestalt: "My album "Thousand Year Waves" is all about waves - and the end of the world. Sailors have long known about ’rogue waves’ in the ocean but it’s only recently researchers have been able to record these rare monsters. In 1995 the Draupner oil platform was hit by a 25,6 meterhigh wave. The waves just before and after were around 12 meters. The platform wa...

After listening to a lot of music in the very same genre, sometimes you just need a headcleaner. You know? Today is a perfect day for that. Oh, and do you remember Sirat‘s Noir mixes? Those dark and beautiful concoctions, paying tribute to the film-noir genre “with its characteristic anti-heroes, femmes fatales, gangsters and dirty dealings.” Well, it just happens to be that Ernesto Gerez along wi...

I’ve recently covered some newly released  soundtracks  and mentioned a brand new film score by the New York-based cellist and composer, Clarice Jensen for an independent Mexican feature film, titled Identifying Features. This was  released as an EP  on October 29th by the ever-amazing  130701  imprint which continues to hold up a very high bar for the current drifts in present classical music. Fo...

And there you have it, folks – the 300th episode of Headphone Commute Podcast! The very first mix was published exactly twelve years ago (about a year after the site was officially launched), and I simply used the platform to share some of my favourite recent finds, before the all-digital era of playlists (in fact, many of the features mixes were made from vinyl). The format quickly picked up, wit...

On July 13th, 2021, one of my all-time favourite labels, named after its inception date, 130701 celebrated its 20th birthday. What can I say about its output, its delicate curation, and its monumental impact on our lives? Just look at the roster of its artists, many of which are showcased in this exclusive mix put together by Dave Howell, and you will immediately be swept away in the beautiful tor...

About, oh, eight years ago now (jeez!) I featured a  Noir  mix by Sirat, a DJ from Spain who hand-picked his favourite downtempo and trip-hop tracks to create a tribute to film-noir, “with its characteristic anti-heroes, femmes fatales, gangsters and dirty dealings”. It was a fantastic stroll down the rain-refreshed alley, which received a lot of praise among the followers of the genre (including...

James Heather is a pianist, composer, and publicist for Ninja Tune that has appeared on these pages on numerous occasions – most recently with a  track premiere  for his upcoming release Modulations: EP2. James and I have a mutual passion for sharing the music that we discover. A few years ago, he made an ambient focused  Headphone Commute Mix  for this very same podcast. Today I’m syndicating his...

I always welcome new music, new connections, new friendships that then come along. In this example, a  track premiere  by Joachim Spieth at the end of last year made me relisten to his works on Wolfgang Voigt’s  Pop Ambient series, taking me to releases on his very own Affin imprint and finally asking him for a mix. In this process, this seemingly random stranger quickly became a musical friend, a...

In November of 2020, Amsterdam-based label Ambientologist released a compilation titled Sustain Series, Vol. 1. It’s an impressive gathering of ambient artists and their music, showcasing some of the most delicate sides of the genre. The proceeds from the release have been donated to Conservation International, promoting sustainability across the world. I reached out to the label in hopes to broad...

In anticipation of Matt Emery‘s upcoming six-track EP on Injazero Records, titled Spotlight Series : Cello, I have asked him to put together a thematic mix prominently featuring the instrument. As many of you may already know – I’m a big fan of this low-end stringed beast [side note: In high school, I’ve played the double bass in the orchestra, but I wasn’t very good and was jealous of the cello]....

In December of 2020, one of my favourite imprints released a gorgeous label compilation! Ryan Griffin has been lovingly curating every single release on A Strangely Isolated Place since 2012. He’s also compiled sublime  Reflection mixes, which I have happily syndicated on Headphone Commute. Following the first label showcase launched in 2019, Ryan puts together ten tracks, including a few previous...

What’s this? Somehow, last year, both Mathias Van Eecloo and I completely forgot our annual tradition to publish another eisOtones instalment, in which this prolific French musician and label(s) owner collects 50 tracks from 50 releases of the prior year. How did that happen? I suppose, Mathias was extremely busy wrapping up his monumental Eilean Rec. project, in which he released 100 records base...

More than a couple of weeks late, but here we are, with the long-awaited vinyl mix, still marking down, bookmarking, and closing off a year we won't surely miss... but at least there was a lot of awesome music, and as such, thanks to Mike Jedlicka once again, we are celebrating the best it had to give. A fascinating playlist here, with more than a few new artists even to my ears. So yes, I am enjo...

Well, it’s almost the end of this dreadful year, and I’ve got one more mix for you before I sign off… This one is episode number 290. Can you believe it? By the way, I was recently forced (by my host) to take all of my past mixes offline. As a result, I’ve migrated the last year of mixes to Podbean. So if you are experiencing any technical difficulties with downloading, streaming, or anything else...

In case you haven’t heard already, I’ve taken over the  Contemplative Classical  community, which curated an outstanding  Spotify Playlist , hosted a podcast with Matt Emery, and offered the platform for artists to feature a mix. I intend on keeping all of the above going [more on this one a bit later!], with a bit of cross-pollination with Headphone Commute. Most of you already know that I enjoy...

Shimmering Moods is an independent boutique ambient label based in Amsterdam. In the last couple of years, it has released albums by Halftribe, Andrew Tasselmyer, Anthéne, øjeRum, Purl, and Olan Mill, among the many recognized names in its quickly growing roster of artists. It’s easy to get lost in its catalog among the hazy, shuffling, dubbed-out sounds, glinting and shimmering, reflecting the li...

On today’s Headphone Commute podcast, we’re syndicating an episode of James Murray‘s Slowcraft Radio (episode 4, to be exact), on which this London-based composer and Slowcraft Records label boss showcases some of his favorite pieces. These, of course, include selections released on his own imprint, as well as remixes and collaborations [including one with yours truly] on the extended family of la...