low light mixes

    Talk Talk is an interesting band. Their musical style evolved significantly over time, moving from synth-pop to a more experimental art rock and post-rock sound, particularly with the albums 'Spirit of Eden' and 'Laughing Stock'. I like every phase of their career but I especially love the album 'Spirit of Eden'. Those last two albums have grown in stature and influence over the decades, inspi...

    Another stellar guest mix comes our way with this excellent set from longtime listener, Daniel Hawkins. He reached with an idea for a mix and once I heard the theme I was all in. Daniel curated a playlist of tracks & I put them together to create this new mix. Here's what Daniel has to say about Metallic Memories: "So I've loved world music since before that term existed, and always had an...

  This is one of those mixes without a theme. It's just a way to highlight some new ambient tracks from the first two months of the year, although I cheated and used two from the end of 2024.    I ended up using three tracks from the wonderful new label - Driftworks -  https://driftworks.bandcamp.com/   I hadn't set out to highlight their new releases, but I'm glad I did because they are worth che...

    I like it when a mix discovers itself. I started grabbing a few tracks for a new ambient mix and two of the tunes I pulled had the word "lonely" in the title. That got me thinking about making the entire mix a "lonely" mix. And this is the result. It was fairly simple - I just searched for tracks with the word "lonely." and in no time at all I had enough for a mix. That's all there really is t...

  I have continued my recent bingeing of berlin-school electronic music. Devouring old and new music. So I was very excited when guest mixer Erwin Broers reached with a new berlin-school mix. Woo hoo! It's all new music, some of Erwin's favorites from 2024. I was familiar with about half of the artists some it was great to discover new music.   I'll let Erwin tell you about the mix: "I was inspire...

    This is the perfect time for a winter mix because we finally got a substantial snowfall today. I was worried that my snowblower wouldn't get a workout this year. I had already planned on a winter mix and then bang - 8" of snow. This past fall I made a mix for autumn that alternated between instrumental & vocal tunes and I really like the way it turned out. So this mix follows the same guid...

    Back in the 70s I was a huge prog rock fan and an offshoot of that fandom was discovering jazz fusion. I think Jean-Luc Ponty was the first proper fusion record I ever owned. I believe I was a fusion fan before getting into jazz in general.    I've been planning on creating a fusion mix for months but just haven't gotten around to it. Then last month I was sipping coffee on a cold morning, lis...

    We have a special treat for this mix - an upbeat collection with an ambient house music vibe. I have a folder on my hard drive that is labeled "gentle house music." It contains tracks that have a definite 4-on-the-floor style but aren't hardcore, fill-the-dance-floor tunes. Something like  Kiasmos . I have avoided making a mix of these tune because, truthfully, I suck at beat matching. I don't...

    I did not do a Sunday Morning Music mix at all last year 😮 That's probably the first year since the series started in 2011 that I didn't post a Sunday mix. The Sunday Morning series is one of the reasons that Low Light Mixes blew up on Mixcloud. So you'd think I would be posting more of these mixes to feed the algorithm. But, no, there is no plan for curating these mixes, they just happen whe...

    I've said many times that I love guest mixes. And I especially love getting mixes from artists that I've been listening to for years. Such is the case with this new set from Robert Farrugia. I have several of Robert's albums and I always look forward to checking out his new material. Well, now he's got some new material definitely worth checking out. His new album is called "Natura Maltija - O...

  This is one of those mixes where there's not much to say about it because there is no theme. It's just a nice collection of wonderful ambient tunes. Most of the tracks are fairly slow and drifty. A few of these I just discovered at the end of 2024 by browsing end-of-the-year lists.    One of those is Gems III by Celer which as an absolutely beautiful record. Another one that was new to me is the...

  What a great way to start off the new year! Jumping right in with this excellent mix from friend of the show, Andy McNeill. Andy records as Maple Mountain Sunburst and he released a wonderful album last year -  https://maplemountainsunburst.bandcamp.com/album/ecstatic   He also did a guest mix for us last year which you can find here -  Mixcloud   &   Low Light Mixes Blog . My favorite disco...

    This year, like last year, I listened to more jazz than I have in a long time. It should come as no surprise that a lot of my listening tends towards atmospheric jazz. My favorite jazz record of the year, Nala Sinephro - Endlessness, definitely falls into that ambient jazz category. Or as a Pitchfork reviewer called in - Jazz, Not Jazz. Here are my favorite jazz albums of 2024: Bill Laurance &...

  I like making these favorites mixes because it reminds me of why I liked certain albums in the first place. The perfect example is Abandoned Spaces by OdNu & Ümlaut. It's so good and I'm glad I can share with folks via these mixes. This mix, Part 2, has a little different vibe than Part 1. More sequencer driven tracks, some percussion here and there, generally a bit more active than the firs...

Another year, another ton of releases to sift through. I could keep adding and subtracting albums for weeks and still not be entirely satisfied with the final list. But here it is - my Favorite Ambient Albums of 2024. As I was creating this part 1 mix, I kept questioning my choices. And then, when the mix was done and I listened to it, I was like "Wow, this turned out really well." I really like h...

    I have hosted more guest mixes than ever this year, which I love because it exposes me to new artists and new mix concepts. Many of these mixes have come through the fine folks at  Nettwerk Music Group . It's appropriate then that this final guest mix of the year comes from one of their artists - Hollie Kenniff. I absolutely love the way this mix ebbs and flows, the tracks blend together perfe...

  At the beginning of September when I posted my " Sequencer City " mix, I said I'd been on a berlin school bender. Well, now three months later I'm still on that sequencer synth kick. At the end of October the analog synth itch was scratched by a stellar guest mix from Erwin Broers called " Capturing The Voice Of A Galaxy ." It featured tracks from the Klaus Schulz label, "Innovative Communicatio...

    Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Just hanging out all day with family, eating and drinking. Perfect. The songs in this mix were all chosen for the titles, which all fit the Thanksgiving theme. Besides the obvious titles with the word "thanks" my favorite track titles are "my dad's famous potatoes", "Give me cornbread when I'm hungry", and "An Awkward Conversation at a Family Gathering." Pl...

  I'm not exactly sure how this mix started. I think I was listening to the track, Outlook Remains Untouched, by |||||||||||||||||||| , yes that's the actual name the artist goes by. |||||||||||||||||||| on bandcamp   I like the jazzy vibe the tune has. It reminds me of similar tracks from the heyday of glitch and idm that also have a jazz feel to them. Sort of Jazz-ish.   So I grabbed some older...

    Thanks goodness election season is almost over. Election night can be a stressful time so here's a mix of new ambient tunes to help us all get through the night. Cheers!   T R A C K L I S T : 00:00   Logic Moon - Lifelines (Lifelines 2024) 03:15   Bruce Brubaker - Music For Airports, 1/2(Bows Version) (Eno Piano 2 2024) 07:00   Feeling Flying - Shimmer (Spirit Level 2024) 13:15   Andrew Lang -...

  Another stellar guest mix comes our way courtesy of loyal listener, Erwin Broers. He asked if I was interested in a mix of  electronic music from Innovative Communication, the label founded by Klaus Schulze in the late 70s. Yes, please! Here's what Erwin says about this fantastic mix: "I was in my teens when I got in touch with Electronic Music by means of well-known artists such as Jean-Michel...

This mix is a continuation of a trend I noticed several years ago - the use of sax or other wind instruments in ambient music. I think I've done 3 other mixes that feature wind instruments.  This one came together fairly quickly as there is a lot to choose from. Most of the tracks are 2023 or 2024 with 4 of the 14 a bit older. I really like the flow of this set, one song bleeds right into the next...

    I fell in love with the music of Andy McNeill, who records as Maple Mountain Sunburst, back in 2010 with the release of the album The Maple Mountain Sunburst Triolian Orchestra. Combining a wide variety of instrumentation, electronics, loops and samples to create a unique album and listening experience. The album was one of my favorites of 2010. When I found out that, after a long hiatus, ther...

    I have a whiteboard on the wall outside my office at work where we compile random lists of things - "Best Pizza Topping", "Favorite Kitchen Utensil", "Best First Track of an Album", etc. Recently the category was "Songs for Fall/Autumn." I posted about the list on Mixcloud here -  https://www.mixcloud.com/lowlight/posts/songs-about-fall-autumn-fall-colors/   So I grabbed a few tracks from the...

    This mix is another great example of why I enjoy guest mixes so much. This collection of tunes starts off rather noisy, hence the title. It's a style of music that I don't go to very often. But it's very cool to hear in this mix. Our guest this time is Ethan Helfrich, who records under the name Black Brunswicker. They have a new album out called "Been Around Here Before" and you can find it he...