Synaptic Research (Mix)

MIXES – Ambientblog

For this mix I aimed to create a dreamlike and timeless atmosphere – dark (but not too dark). It is calm, yet there are many shifting scenes, many passing landscapes and some conflicting emotions… When it ends, (I hope) it feels as if it was much longer than it actually was …

Like with most previous mixes, I didn’t know where this new one would head to when I started.
But I knew I wanted to include one tiny fragment of the sound of a ‘brain seizure set to music‘ by Stanford scientists Chris Chafe and Josef Parvizi. In a fascinating contrast to what it actually represents, the musical sound they chose to represent the brain seizure sounded like tiny aliens in a retro-scifi movie to me.

In “Hypnogogmatist”, David Toop further investigates the tricks your mind can play – especially in the few seconds between feeling drowsy and falling asleep:

“In the dream, I was at my mothers’ house, my childhood home.
All the rooms were full of sleeping people.
I seemed to be suffering some process of disintegration, as if my psyche was breaking down to different timeframes, losing its coherence and unity.
There was a presence in the house…”

The fantastic artwork is by Greg Dunn, who is combining neuroscience with minimalist Japanese Sumo-E style painting to create his “Neuron Art”.
“Neurons (the cells that comprise your brain) may be tiny in scale, but they possess the same beauty seen in traditional forms of the medium (trees, flowers, and animals)”

So I guess that there ís something of a theme for this mix.
The rest is up to you.

“Synaptic Research” was mixed especially for Headphone Commute, and is especially dedicated to incredible amount of energy and work H_C does there to keep us informed and updated.
Thanks for that, H_C – and of course also for publishing this mix on your blog!

Playlist
[start] [length] [Artist] – [Title]
[Album], [Year], [Label#]

• 00:00 02:28 Alvin Lucier – Elegy for Albert Anastasia
  Vespers and other Early Works, 2002, New World Records 80604-2
• 01:26 02:03 Teho Teardo – Several Tree Huggers Were Found Dead
  Faith in a Wet Season, 2012, Voxxov Records VOXFCD02
• 02:41 01:43 Threethings – Arkhangelsk
  Sequence 7, 2013, Future Sequence SEQ007
• 03:50 01:58 Kane Ikin – Slipping Away
  …And Darkness Came, 2012, Headphone Commute HCD001
• 05:23 01:20 Ekkehard Ehlers – Woolf Phrase
  Music for William Forsythe, 2002, Whatness 005
• 05:32 02:35 Philippe Lamy – Trying to tell a Story
  Storytelling, 2012, Audio Gourmet Netlabel AGN061
• 07:14 01:30 Christina Vantzou – Moonsound (Ernest Gibson Remix)
  No. 1 Remixes, 2011, Self-released
• 08:27 03:00 Alva Noto, Ryuichi Sakamoto – Microon III
  Summvs, 2011, Raster-Noton r-n 132
• 09:41 – 02:18 Jlu – Noise
  100 Years of Noise, 2013, Enough Records enrcmp19
• 10:04 04:15 Thomas Köner – Novaya Zemlya 3
  Novaya Zemlya, 2012, Thouch TO:85
• 12:28 03:53 Dr. Jeffrey Thompson – Voice of Earth (edit)
  Nasa Voyager Space Recordings, 1992, Brain/Mind Research
• 14:17 00:52 Chris Chafe – Josef Parvizi – Stanford Scientists turn seizures into music
• 14:36 01:53 Arve Henriksen – Magma Oscillator
  Chron, 2012, Rune Grammofon RLP 2152Y
• 15:20 02:05 Heitor Alvelos – Untitled
  ….49 Years from Gesang der Jünglinge, 2005, Sirr 0020
• 16:40 02:06 David Toop – Hypnogogmatist
  Melatonin: Meditations on Sound in Sleep, 2004, Room40 EDRM402
• 18:43 02:42 Arturs Maskats – Da Ispravitsja Molitva Moja
  On Photography, 2005, GB Records BCGBCD07
• 20:48 02:35 Murcof – Plant
  Antibothis vol 4, 2012, Thisco thisk.072
• 21:29 05:45 Eyvind Kang – Petrified Wood
  Air Texture volume III, 2013, Air Texture AIR003
• 25:00 06:37 Biosphere – Superfluid
  Compilation 1991 – 2004, 2012, Biophon Records BIO7D
• 28:20 02:19 The New Honey Shade – 2013.02.04
  3M33S, 2013, Bandcamp
• 30:40 01:09 Mark Tamea – The Lake
  Atomism, 2013, Awal EQ:RA 002
• 31:37 01:30 Atom TM – Streuung – Teil IV
  Winterreise, 2011, self-released
• 32:04 02:12 Seetyca – Der Atem Des Thieres
  Im Traum, 2005, Dark Winter dw016
• 33:17 01:06 Coil + Nine Inch Nails – Eraser (Reduction)
  Recoiled, 2014, Cold Spring CSR193CD
• 33:48 02:08 Sergio Sorrentino, Machinefabriek – Buco Nero (Zwart Gat)
  Vignettes, 2013, Fratto 9 Under the Sky Records fratto024
• 34:35 02:01 Pleq – The Early Symptoms of Schizophrenia
  It’s not Boring, It’s Ambient, 2012, Preserved Sound
• 35:45 03:03 John Kannenberg – Echoes of the Pharos
  Meditations on Light (Reconstructions, 2011, Monochrome Visions, MV35
• 36:34 02:28 Benoit Pioulard – If I Could Possibly Tell The Difference, I Wouldn’t Care Anyway
  Air Texture Vol. II, 2012, Air Texture AIR002
• 38:23 01:35 Dakhabrakha – Yagudky
  Yagudky, 2007, self-released
• 39:21 01:00 Felipe Otondo – Teocalli
  Tutuguri, 2013, Sargasso SCD28070
• 40:06 02:33 Penjaga Insaf – Perang Damai
  To Whom it May Concern, 2005, Shortwave Transmission SWT01
• 41:48 02:27 Lustmord – Y Gair
  The Word as Power, 2013, Blackest Ever Black BlackestCD004
• 43:15 02:44 Kreng – Nimmermeer
  L’Autopsie Phenomenale De Dieu, 2009, Miasmah MIACD010
• 45:27 02:46 Loren Nerell – Slow Dream
  Slow Dream, 2012, Projekt PRO271
• 46:27 05:36 Mendel Kaelen – Satori
  Remembering What Was Forgotten, 2010, Self Released SR001
• 50:27 02:08 Bass Communion – Grammatic Fog
  Bass Communion III, 2001, Burning Shed
• 51:45 01:39 Brady Allard – Vernichtung, Pt. 2
  Anamnesis, 2012, self-released/Bandcamp
• 52:47 02:47 Kim Cascone – The Silver Star
  The Astrum Argentum, 2007, Musica Excentrica exc009
• 54:16 05:43 Janek Schaefer – Radio 112 FM
  Lay-By Lullabye, 2014, 12k 12k1079
• 55:03 01:51 Frances White – Centre Bridge (Dark River)
  Electroacoustic Works, 2007, Mode 184
• 55:24 03:03 Jamie Drouin – A Three Month Warm Up
  A Three Month Warm Up, 2009, Dragon’s Eye Recording de 5023
• 58:27 01:32 Frances White – Centre Bridge (Dark River)
  Electroacoustic Works, 2007, Mode 184
• 1:00:00 End

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