Simon Posford Mix - PsyAmb 18

Greetings. The new "Shpongle" (Simon Posford , Raja Ram ) album has landed at "Twisted Records" and I have to say it is awesome. I would go so far as to say their best album to date. 

 

 

Shpongle's debut album, "Are You Shpongled ?" , exploded on the psytrance scene back in 1998 and was hailed worldwide as the finest album of psychedelic electronic ambient music to date. The following two releases , "Tales Of The Inexpressible" ( 2001 ) and "Nothing Lasts" ( 2005 ) were met with a little less enthusiasm as the group's sound deviated somewhat from the the formula that worked so well in their debut effort. Fortunately for all us Shpongle fans they are back on track and better than ever. In this mix you can hear tunes from various projects that Simon Posford has been involved in over the last 15 years or so. 

 

Big breath ..... here we go ...  

 

1.Anubis - Invocation - 1998 

Members : Simon Posford , Chris Deckker 

 

This is from a compilation titled "Eclipse - A Journey Of Permanence & Impermanence". A really great CD that I highly recommend to anyone who loves long dubby tunes. Chris Deckker doesn't seem to be producing tunes anymore however as founder of "Earthdance" I'm sure he is very busy. Earthdance, the Global Dance Festival for Peace has grown to become the world's largest simultaneous music and dance event. Founded in 1996, with 22 cities and 18 countries participating, Earthdance has grown to over 200 locations in 50 countries. Every year, in alignment with the International Day of Peace, over 200,000 people unite in dance with hundreds of thousands more joining online in support of global peace, sustainable culture and humanitarian aims. 

 

 

 2. North Central Positronics - Smell The Glove ( Slight Return ) - 1994 Members : Simon Posford , Ben Kempton 

 

Possibly the earliest ambient work in my Simon Posford collection this one. Simon Posford teams up with Ben Kempton, who also did some additional production work on the original Posford goatrance tune "LSD" that became a monster hit back in the mid 90s. This is really a lovely tune that hints at what is to come from Posford's ambient work in the following years. Track down the release if you can as there is an awesome thumping old-school goa tune on it called "The Great Bear". 3. Binah - Crescent Suns - 1999 Members : Simon Posford, George Barker & Jewel Stanbridge A somewhat Shponglishy sound in this tune and another step in the evolution of Simon Posford's swirly synth based psychedelia. From the "Caribbean Eclipse" compilation released by Flying Rhino Records. I quite like Jewel's vocals - almost Bjork-like. Check out her MySpace page for more music from this Swedish goddess. George Barker is a member of psytrance superstars Slinky Wizard. This was the only tune that they created - such a shame really.

 

 

4. Hallucinogen - The Herb Garden - 1999 

Members : Simon Posford 

 

Hallucinogen , Simon Posford's solo trance project had been around since 1994 ,producing goatrance tunes that were melting brains around the world. This little gem of a tune popped up in 1999 and showed us just how wacky and brilliant his tunes can be when you strip back the four-four beats. At over 14 minutes long , incredibly, it isn't the longest tune he has produced - more of that later. If you like this then you just have to get a hold of "The Mystery of The Yeti - Part 2" compilation from Tip.World Records. Freakin amazing album for it's time and still delights the senses 10 years later.  

5. Walter Ego - We're High - 2000 

Members : Simon Posford 

 

I'm not sure if this was actually produced in 2000 but the CD it comes from was released in 2000. It sounds a bit older to me in terms of Posford's production skills for that period. Anyway , this is a nice dub number with a funny bit of sampling from Jurrasic Park. Like Hallucinogen , Walter Ego is another name for Simon's early solo work. Other great tunes include "Dub Stuff" and "Purple Pygmies". 

 

 

6 . Dub Trees - Magnetica - 2000 

Members : Simon Posford, Greg Hunter & Martin Glover 

 

Dub Trees are somewhat something of a psychedelic dub super-group. This tune comes from their phenomenal dubadelic 2000 release titled "Nature Never Did Betray The Heart That Loved Her". Greg Hunter was featured here at PsyAmb back in episode 14 . Martin Glover ( a.k.a Youth ) is known to many psydub fans as the original founding member of Butterfly records , Dragonfly records and Liquid Sound Records. Those three labels released some of the best psychedelic ambient music over the last two decades or so. Dragonfly was also the label through which Posford released his first solo albumn, "Twisted", back in 1995. One could fill an encyclopedia on the life of Youth , his labels , popstar shoulder rubbing etc. so hit up Wikipedia if you want to know more. 

 

 

7. Purple Om - Armageddon Dub - 1999 

Members : Simon Posford , Nick Barber 

 

This is a terrific tune from the "Liquid Dub - Vol 7" compilation albumn. As discussed in episode 14 , "Purple Om" only made one tune however another equally stupendous tune under the name of "Nomads of Dub" was released on the same album. Nick Barber is also a member of "Third Ear Audio" which released one of this year's best albums - the much loved ,self titled "Third Ear Audio" from Dubmission Records. 

  

 

8. Shpongle - Divine Moments Of Truth - 1998 Members : Simon Posford, Raja Ram Now we are getting into some serious mind melding melodies here. This comes from the debut "Are You Shpongled ?" album which I'm sure a great many PsyAmb listeners know of and love. There is not much to say here except that it doesn't get much better than this , well perhaps the CD's closing tune "...And The Day Turned To Night" but at close to 20 minutes in length I wasn't about to add that to the mix ;>. I remember some guy did a cool fan video for this song years ago.... ahhh... here is it :

 

   

 

 

9. Younger Brother - Crumblenaut - 2003 

Members : Simon Posford & Benji Vaughn 

 

Formed in 2000, Younger Brother didn't take long to establish themselves as a true musical force on the dance floor and the chillstage. Benji Vaughn had previously been producing loads of psytrance under the name of "Prometheus" but also showed his ambient production skills on the Mystery Of The Yeti album with his track "Under Mount Kailash". The first track the collaboration produced was "Evil & Harm" in 2003. The success of this tune gave them encouragement to continue on and they released their debut album , "A Flock of Bleeps" in 2003. Last year saw the release of their second CD , "Last Days of Gravity" with extra members added to the group and the introduction of more of a live band feel. Think Pink Floyd meets The Cure meets Shpongle.  

 

 

10. Gargoyles - Evil Do'ers - 2003 

Members : Simon Posford & Ott  

 

This was always going to be an interesting project. Ott , fresh after having produced his mega hit remix CD of Hallucinogen tracks called "Hallucinogen In Dub", teamed up with Simon to produce this great squelchy dub tune. Sadly , to this point , only one other tune has been produced by the duo. Ott himself has not ruled out the idea of a Gargoyles project CD however given Simon's workload it may be some years away. Ott has two of his own CDs available called "Blumenkraft" and "Skylon". Both are fantastic and you can hear plenty of tunes in previous episodes of PsyAmb.  

 

11. Celtic Cross - Jade Gates (Beauty Knows No Pain Mix) - 2009 Members : Simon Posford, Saul Davies & Martin Glover This is taken from the 2009 remix CD of Celtic Cross' debut release of 1998 titled "Hicksville". Hicksville was released around the same time as Shpongle's debut CD and togther made for many hours of listening pleasure. Martin Glover is back again and this time we are also joined by Saul Davies of UK indies group "James" fame ( I used to really like that band ). The new remixed CD is awesome - everything sounds so much fuller. All the tunes sound like they have gone through a sonic car wash and come out sparkling and rinse free. Recommended. 

 

 

 12. Hallucinogen - LSD (world sheet of closed string mix) - 2002 Members : Simon Posford This tune is a remix of Hallucinogen's classic goa anthem "LSD" by Ott. I recommend checking out the Twisted Records DVD which contains interviews with various Twisted artists including Ott. On the DVD Ott talks about his work with Simon on making the "In Dub" album that this track comes from , his studio setup and why people can't believe his name in just "Ott" , nothing more , nothing less ... just "Ott". Anyway , the album is simply gorgeous and has some really fat bass dubby remixes throughout. Let's hope for another "In Dub" album by Ott , perhaps after Simon releases the new Hallucinogen album which he is currently working on.  

 

 

13. Younger Brother - All I Want - 2007 

Members : Simon Posford & Benji Vaughn

 

Another YB track here to provide a bit of contrast to their earlier song. In this tune you can hear how the band has evolved into having more of a typical band type sound but still maintaining the original electronic shenanigans. In the photo , left , we have Simon in the foreground pondering which nob to twiddle on the mixing desk while Benji reads all the positive feedback the new album is receiving online.  

 

 

14. Shpongle - Around The World In A Tea Daze (OTT rmx) 

Members : Simon Posford, Raja Ram 

 

This is remix by Ott of a track from Shpongle's second album , "Tales of the Inexpressible". To some the second album was a bit of a dissapointment and I must admit I too felt a bit let down initially. Gone were the long hypnotic trance inducing excursions and in their place we had shorter tunes with more traditional instrumentation. It was obvious to many Shpongle fans that the group was aiming for a more universal appeal by doing away with the way out psychedelia of the debut CD. Still there were one or two great tunes on their but I much prefer this remix by Ott. 

  

 

15. Shpongle - Circuits Of The Imagination/Linguistic Mystic/Mentalism - 2001 

Members : Simon Posford, Raja Ram  

 

Shpongle's third album saw the group change their sound once again. In an attempt to get back to their original sound from their debut they ditched the traditional instruments and came up with a full on experimental electronic psychedelic extravaganza. This was much more like it ! Only disappointment was that the songs them selves were quite short and sometimes the sonic experimentation went a bit over the top. Still , most people agreed that it was a stronger effort this time around.  

 

 

16. Shpongle - I Am You - 2009 

Members : Simon Posford, Raja Ram  

 

What a delight this song is. Full of glimmering melodies , mind warping percussion and ethereal vocals , "I Am You" is but one of the many standout tunes on the fourth and latest Shpongle album "Ineffable Mysteries" . Shpongle are back in a big , big way ! Possibly my album of the year. You can listen to samples of the albumn on line at the Twisted Records website. I recommend getting yourself a quality pair of headphones , a nice comfortable place to rest without distractions and listen to this CD from start to finish. The production levels are through the roof . Each microsecond of sound clearly and crisply manifests within your mind. I The sheer amount of different sounds going on is phenomenal. A+  

 

 

17. Hallucinogen - E - 2001 

Members : Simon Posford 

 

This is taken from the Tip.World concept compilation titled "Twelve". Very Eno-esque if you ask me. I think it's a nice one to cool things off with. I wouldn't mind seeing Simon do an entire album of music in this style. Perhaps a new solo project ? Well , there you have it. A brief look into the musical mind of Simon Posford. There were so many tunes I wanted to add to this mix but for purposes of download speeds and disk space limits and what have you I just couldn't fit any more in, no matter how "waffer thin" they were. Perhaps a "part 2" in the future. I hope you enjoy it. For now , peace to you all and spread the Shpongle love and light.  

 

Artist - Track

• 01. Anubis - Invocation
• 02. North Central Positronics - Smell The Glove (Slight Return)
• 03. Binah - Crescent Suns
• 04. Hallucinogen - The Herb Garden
• 05. Walter Ego - We're High
• 06. Dub Trees - Magnetica
• 07. Purple Om - Armageddon Dub
• 08. Shpongle - DMT Divine Moments Of Truth
• 09. Younger Brother - Crumblenaut
• 10. Gargoyles - Evil Do'ers
• 11. Celtic Cross - Jade Gates (Beauty Knows No Pain Mix)
• 12. Hallucinogen - LSD (world sheet of closed string mix)
• 13. Younger Brother - All I Want
• 14. Shpongle - Around The World In A Tea Daze (OTT rmx)
• 15. Shpongle - Circuits Of The Imagination/Linguistic Mystic/Mentalism
• 16. Shpongle - I Am You
• 17. Hallucinogen - E

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Spacey Ambient Mix Download - PsyAmb 17

Greetings. Spent a wet afternoon watching U.F.O documentaries online so I thought it might be time for another spacey mix. By the way, if anyone is interested in the U.F.O debate I recommend the film "UFO: The Greatest Story Ever Denied". Can't say that I agree with everything the author says however it is a pretty entertaining presentation.

Today we kick off with a tune from "I Awake". This is taken from his ( Thomas Huttenlocher ) album "The Core" on "Ultimae Records". I highly recommend this release - very solid with the usual high production values one would expect from Ultimae. Thomas is also a current member of the "Ghostfriend" project.

Next up is "James Murray" with "Invisible People". This tune comes from James' excellent "Where Edges Meet" CD released around the start of 2009. Previously released on em:t, psychonavigation and part2 records, he is now part of the Ultimae roster and works in London as a freelance composer and producer.

Following on from James we have "Side Liner" with "Haunted Thoughts". I have featured a few Side Liner tracks in past mixes. Check out his latest CD called "Crying Cities" on "Cosmicleaf Records". Really fantastic stuff. Cosmicleaf have been steadily building up a catalog of quality releases to rival that of Ultimae. With artists like Side Liner, Zero Cult and Easily Embarrassed on the books the future looks bright for the label.

Harax is an artist I focused on back in episode 9. Denis Botsvin , the man behind the Harax mask , has come up with an awesome CD titled "Inly". The CD topped chillout charts on various online record distribution services for a number of weeks after release. This track , Freckles , has that nice kind of twisty bass that I just love to hear.

Next is "Marhine" with the track "Spathe". Marhiane (Sandrine Gryson) is co-founder / manager of Ultimae records. This is a sweet,short beatless tune from the "Oxycanta : Winter Blooms" compilation Sandrine produced back in 2007.

Following that we have a wicked tune from "Zero Cult" titled "Broken Hope". This has a nice full , lush sound that really fills your speakers to the top. Reminds me a bit of Abakus or tunes from the old Liquid Sound Design compilations. However there is also something new and fresh about it. It all makes for a nop notch tune that I could listen to again and again. This tune is off the "Nova Natura 3" compilation which is chock-full of quality tunes.

The next artist needs no big introduction. "Solar Fields" ( Magnus Birgersson ) has been one of the leading artists in the psychedelic ambient music scene since his debut CD "Reflective Frequencies" back in 2001. With a large　dedicated fan base behind him , Magnuss has been consistently producing distinctive, classic deep space sounds that improve with each release . This year saw the release of his sixth studio albumn "Movements". With over 50 compilation appearances, worldwide touring , studio production work and game soundtrack scoring he remains one of the busiest musicians you are likely to hear on PsyAmb.

DJ Zen's "Water" compilation is home to the next tune , "Creation Of Tefnet" by "RA". Water is a pretty good compilation , perhaps not as solid as the "Fire" compilation that came out last month but has a few good tunes on it.

Next we have "Togerther We Are ..." from Polish group "Sundial Aeon" . A four man team, Sundial have had releases on a number of labels as well as doing work for various TV and online media outlets. It is also home to "Scann-Tec" who I had featured here back in episode 4.

Zero Cult is back once again , this time teaming up with Serbian "Kanc Cover" to produce "Green Grass Spirit". With it's old-school goa vibe throughout, this tune is a nice piece of retro ambient trance. From the June 2009 release "Mahayama 5 years".

The last tune before we chill things out a bit is "H.U.V.A Nework" ( Solar Fields+ Aes Dana ) with "Something Heavens". This tune has a long slow build up into some nice cosmic guitar riffs towards the end that really whack you in the face. Take care not to be dozing off too much by the time this tune comes around. I really appreciate what the guys are doing with the HUVA project. You can definitely hear each of their individual styles in each track. Check out their latest CD "Ephemeis" for a real galactic shakedown.

Finally we land back to earth with the help of "Elysium" and "Liquid Stranger". I haven't heard anything new from ELysium in ages. This tune is from 1995 actually. Back then (1995-2000) Elysium was producing quite a lot of tunes and also released the classic “Dance for the Celestial Beings” album which was a world wide hit. Liquid Stranger has a new CD out called "The Intergalactic Slapstick" which I am yet to hear but from what I have read it sounds very tasty indeed. This tune is from his previous CD titled "The Invisible Conquest" released through "Interchill Records".

Well that's it for this week. Next week I am planning on a Simon Posford retrospective in honour of the release of the fourth Shpongle CD. So if you feel like getting shpongled then tune in next time.

Cheers ...


Artist - Track

• 01. I Awake - Complete Garden (Eternal Forest Edit)
• 02. James Murray - Invisible People
• 03. Side Liner - Haunted Thoughts
• 04. Harax - Freckles
• 05. Mahiane - Spathe
• 06. Zero Cult - Broken Hope
• 07. Solar Fields - Sol
• 08. Ra - Creation Of Tefnet
• 09. Sundial - Together, We Are... (Scann-Tec Rmx)
• 10. Kanc Cover & Zero Cult - Green Grass Spirit
• 11. H.U.V.A. Network - Something Heavens
• 12. Elysium - A Journey Into The Complex Brain
• 13. Liquid Stranger - Wallflower

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Psybient Mix Download - PsyAmb 16

Greetings psybient music fans. It's getting a tad chilly here in Osaka of late so what better way to spend a wintry day than with a few cups of tea and mixing some of my favorite tunes. This mix kicks of with the closing track from GBU's "Wanted" CD of 2006. GBU released some great singles in the early 00`s . The group comprised of some very talented chaps indeed - Dimitry Nakov, Frédéric Holyszewski ( a.k.a Deedrah , Dado , Synthetic ) and Serge Souque ( a.k.a The Antidode , Total Eclipse , Mystery Of The Yeti ). Unfortunately this is the only CD the mini super-group released. I'm a big fan of old spaghetti westerns so this tune , with its Sergio Leone movie samples , became an instant favorite on first listening.

"Arcana" by the "Peaking Goddess Collective" is a slice of pure mellow cosmic jello. This is taken from PGC's astonishing "Organika" CD of 2007. PGC is also somewhat something of a supergroup too. Pearce Merwe ( Flooting grooves ) , Moreno Antognini ( Master Margarita ) and Daniel Symons ( Dymons ) are just a few of the accomplished musicians involved in the collective. More info on this fabulous group can be found at "Peak Records".




(Val)ium follows up next with his track "Perfectly Rational". This can be found on the "Intermittent Memories" release from "Celestial Dragon Records". I definitely recommend checking out the Celestial Dragon site for loads of great albums. The Intermittent Memories CD is a beautiful work of art with mastering from "Simon Polinski" of "Hesius Dome" fame.

"Sinking" by "Sysphe" comes from the "Sonic Atmospheres" compilation. I have featured one or two tunes from that CD in the past. This tune is an ethereal ambient masterpiece which would fit well into any set. Hope we can all hear more from Sysphe in the future.

Next up is "Waterjuice" with their track "Are you Trippy". Waterjuice has been a long time favorite of mine since the release of their "Hyrdophonics" CD back in 2001. Hailing form the West Coast of the U.S, they really stood out at the time as one of the very few American acts making an impact on the global psychedelic ambient circuit. Of course acts like Bluetech and Androcell would follow in later years but at the turn of the millennium Waterjuice was leading the way with their bubbly dubbly tunage. They have released 3 CDs to date as well as having various compilation appearances. For more info check out the "Vaporvent" website.

"Overflow" ( Jürgen Sachau ) jumps in next with his tune "Scintilla". Under the Overflow alias Jürgen has released only a handful of tunes. That's not to say he hasn't been busy. Jürgen has been releasing tunes for the best part of 10 years under a variety of nom de plumes such as Highpersonic Whomen ( some awesome tunes on "Twisted Records" ) and Haltya. He is currently working on a full length Overflow album.

After that we have a tune from "Kliment" titled "The Interstellar Orchestra". I've been really impressed with all the tunes Kliment has released of late. If you haven't heard any of his tunes before then definitely take the time to check them out. Really well produced, polished tunes. Personally I think he gets better with each track he releases culminating in this years release of the "Perpetiual Ritual" CD. Resting somewhere between Shpongle and Androcell, I've tagged this CD as album of the week so be sure to follow the links and check out Kliment's infinite skills.

Moving right along we have the bass savvy "Slackbaba" with a wicked little tune called "Tsenstak". This comes off "Soul Vibration 2" - a really great compilation from 2008. Since the release of the critically acclaimed "And the Beat Goes Om" in 2006, Slackbaba has continued to impress crowds the world over with his unique blend of musical influences. With his second studio album, Perverting Mankind, due in 2009, Slackbaba looks set to push the envelope and blur sonic boundaries just that little bit further. For an interesting interview with Mr Slackbaba check out this link.

Okay, up next we have a tune from a CD that I have been waiting 4 years to hear ! Capsula released his debut CD "Synthesis Of Reality" back in 2005. It made an instant impact on psychill lovers with its use of funky basslines , gated effects and intelligent vocal samples. The track "I Know that I Know" became an instant classic and can be heard to this day in many a DJ set online or at chillout festivals around the globe. With his follow up CD ,"Sense Of A Drop", the madness continues where we left of all those years ago. Much to my delight the new CD also includes a follow up to the original "I Know the I Know" , titled "I Still Know that I Know" ! Brilliant !

The next tune in the mix is an old favorite of mine from what is possibly one of the greatest "released one CD and was never to be heard from again" acts to hit the psychedelic ambient scene ever. "Deviant Electronics" is the name for the amazing output of Ciaran Walsh. In 2000 he released the seminal "Blunt Instruments" CD which brought something new to the scene in the form of intelligent, melodic psybreaks. It quickly became a firm favorite and topped many charts. Shortly thereafter Ciaran disappeared from the scene , never to be heard from again. I've pretty much ruled out any follow up release givin Ciaran's current career as Audio Director at the successful "Zoe Mode" computer games company. Anyway, thanks for the memories Ciaran and good luck with the gaming.

"Tentura" is next up with "Resonance". This is from the "Fire" compilation released by "Altar Records". What particularly attracts me to this tune is the slow build up to around the 4 minute mark where, without releasing it ,you find yourself on top of a jellyfish surfboard riding some 40 foot mescaline pipeline to the glistening shore. Quite a special tune from quite a wonderful compilation. Certainly the best Altar records has put out thus far.

GBU , who opened this mix , are back again with a short little dubish number titled "Pura Vida Interlude". As before this is taken from the "Wanted" CD. Can you guess what movie the samples come from , it's pretty Easy Right ? If you like those samples do check out "That Much Closer To The Sun" by "Abakus" ( a.k.a Russel Davies - son of "The Kinks" founder "Dave Davies" ). Abakus uses the same movie to great effect.

"Take a Walk Outside" from "Shulman" is a real delight to the senses. This is from Shulman's 2002 debut album titled "Soundscapes And Modern Tales" on "Shaffel Records". On release this CD flew to the top of the European chill out charts and Shulman became known as the next big thing , the new Shpongle no less. Along with "Entheogenic" , Shulman stepped into a room of the psychill genre that had up to that point only been occupied by Shpongle ( and various offshoots ). This came as a relief to Shpongle fans who , as die-hard as they are , were still a little disappointed in Shpongle's second albumn in 2001. Shulman would go on to produce three further albums and form record label "Aleph Zero".




The final track of this week's mix is a bit of "Lee Harris" and Ennio Morricone which I slide in and out of each other in an effort to close things of nicely and give a nod to the opening track of the mix by GBU. If you like Lee's trippy ramblings then check out "Alchemy - 30 years of Counter Culture" compilation from "Arkadia Productions". Some real gems on that one !

As always, thanks again for listening and enjoy this psybient show. Now , time for another cuppa ...

Cheers


Artist - Track

• 01. The Good, Bad And Ugly - GBU Theme
• 02. The Peaking Goddess Collective - Arcana (Live Jam)
• 03. (Val)Liam - Perfectly Rational
• 04. Sysyphe - Sinking
• 05. Waterjuice - Are You Trippy
• 06. Overflow - Scintilla
• 07. Kliment - The Interstellar Orchestra
• 08. Slackbaba - Tsenstak
• 09. Capsula - I Still Know That I Know
• 10. Deviant Electronics - Silverside
• 11. Tentura - Resonance
• 12. The Good, Bad And Ugly - Pura Vida Interlude
• 13. Shulman - Take A Walk Outside
• 14. Alchemical Changes - Lee Harris & The Mystery School Players
• 15. Ennio Morricone - The Good The Bad & the Ugly

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