Top Psychill Albums - PsyAmb 20

Making a Top psychill albums list is never an easy thing. You are locked in a battle of what you think the listening public likes versus what you know , in your heart , to be the most amazing releases of the year. We all have our own opinions and ideas and the psychedelic ambient genre , despite it's somewhat specific nomenclature , encompasses a variety musical styles. This can lead to a lot of heated debate as to what actually should be included in a list - "Is it really psychill ??".

There are some stand out albums I heard that did not make the list such as "Tokyo" by "Marconi Union" ( who also ranked #1 on the most relaxing song list by a british research team), "Here for Now" by "Seventh Swami" and "Undercurrent" by "Kilowatts". These are top albums that I enjoyed very much but I felt they did not sit comfortably with my definition of what makes up psychedelic ambient music. So all I can do is present a list of albums that in terms of the "style" of psychedelic ambient music that I like, left the biggest impressions on me for 2009.

Some potential top 25 entries were released very late in the the year and as such I may not have had an opportunity to listen to them yet. A prime example is "Hanging Masses" by "Cell". One final filtering point I used was the exclusion of some albums that comprised half psychill tunes and half uptempo trance like tunes. To be fair this is an ambient site and I did ponder over whether to include such releases for quite some time. In the end I felt that to be true to the nature of all things this site is about I couldn't include such albums in the list.

2009 has been a great year for top psychill music. We saw many releases from new artists and a few from established heavy weights. Some like the Ultimae crew 's Aes Dana, Solar Fields and H.U.V.A Network sent us on emotional journeys across the outer reaches of the galaxy. Others such as Shpongle , Kliment and Yggdrasil journeyed inside out minds , tweaking frequencies with psychedelia , groove and humor. Then there were artists like Don Peyote with his meditative masterpiece that reminds us all to look around and take some time out now and then.

Rank	Artist	Album
01	Shpongle	Ineffable Mysteries From Shpongleland
02	Don Peyote	Eternal Now
03	Capsula	Sense Of A Drop
04	Chronos & C.J. Catalizer	Quid Est Veritas
05	Yggdrasil	Prose Edda
06	Kliment	The Perpetual Ritual
07	Aes Dana	Leylines
08	Solar Fields	Movements
09	Third Ear Audio	Third Ear Audio
10	Zero Cult	Dreams In Stereo
11	Val(Liam)	Daydreamer
12	Koan	When Silence is Speaking
13	Bluetech	The Divine Invasion
14	Master Margherita	Hippies With Gadgets
15	H.U.V.A. Network	Ephemeris
16	Various	Hope ( Fluid Audio )
17	Various	Natural Born Chillers 2 ( Aleph Zero )
18	Vlastur	Interaxion Dub
19	James Murray	Where Edges Meet
20	Kuba	Bringing it all back home
21	Mystical Sun	Energy Mind Consciousness
22	Various	Imaginary Friends ( Ultimae )
23	Various	Fire ( Altar )
24	Various	Peace Therapy Volume 3 ( Kagdila )
25	Various	Vampire Sunrise ( Celestial Dragon )

So there we have it , after much contemplation , my final top psychill 25 albums of 2009. Let me know what your favorites of 2009 are sometime. I'd love to hear your own ideas.

As for PsyAmb , 2009 ha s been a fascinating year full of love , dreams and growth. I thank each and every one of your for your support and wish you all the best over this festive season.

Today I have a special mix comprising of tracks from every one of my top 25 psychill list. This is the longest mix I've done to date. Sorry for the file size , if you have the time and patience to download it all then I hope you enjoy it. There are some awesome tunes in this one !

Artist / Track

• 01. Don Peyote - Temple of Dreams
• 02. Chronos & C.J. Catalizer - Voice Of Infinity
• 03. Aes Dana - Signs
• 04. Kliment - Travels to the infinite
• 05. Capsula - Illusion Hill
• 06. (Val)Liam - Somewhere Not Here
• 07. Koan - The Island of Deceased Ships
• 08. James Murray - Where Edges Meet
• 09. Bluetech - Rite of the Dragonfly
• 10. Zymosis - Summer Twilight
• 11. Master Margherita - Binghi Dub
• 12. Third Ear Audio - Ethereality
• 13. Zero Cult - Inside The Urban Ocean
• 14. Kuba - Maria from Huddersfield
• 15. Vlastur - Neverland
• 16. H.U.V.A. Network - Dissolving Time
• 17. Interlaced - Insologic
• 18. Mystical Sun - Incense
• 19. Shpongle - Invisible Man
• 20. Yggdrasil - Everyone Is Looking
• 21. Dagas - Chibchas
• 22. Rena Jones - Photosynthesis (Nalepa Remix)
• 23. Distant System - Lost Sequence
• 24. Field Rotation - Regenzeit
• 25. Solar Fields - Breeze

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DIFM - Psionic Geometries Vol 2

Here is the DIFM PsyChill radio mix for November 2009. DIFM is a great resource for chillout radio. If you are looking for a place to kick back for a few hours of endless streaming high quality ambient and chillout sounds then check them out asap.

DIFM Link : Listen Now

Tracklisting:

Artist / Track

• 01. Sounds From The Ground - Razz
• 02. Mental Orange - Elements
• 03. Asura - Crossroads Limiter
• 04. Greg Hunter - Hypnos
• 05. Gus Till - North by Northwest 6 (Midnite Sake Dub)
• 06. The Peaking Goddess Collective - You Are One
• 07. Eat Static - Walkin With Spirits
• 08. Ajja - Pearcushion
• 09. Khusuk vs Bius - Exhilariam
• 10. Tripswitch - Shamanic Tea (Manasseh Rmx)
• 11. Shpongle - Ineffable Mysteries
• 12. Easily Embarrassed - Extraterrestrial Life Forms
• 13. Puff Dragon - Chinese Radio (Beijing Taxi Version)
• 14. Chronos - Ice Hearts Age (Sideliner Rmx)
• 15. Zero Cult - Z-51

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Psybient Mix Download - PsyAmb 19

Hello. Back with another psybient journey after a few weeks. This week's episode kicks off with another tune from "The Peaking Goddess Collective". If you like this opener , check out Episode 16 for more info on TPGC.

Next up is "Aquafur" , a group I had never heard of until only a few weeks ago when I picked up the debut "Fuzzy Emotions" CD. It was from there that I found out that Aquafur is none other than "Bruce Tupling" of "WaterJuice" fame. "Fuzzy Emotions" is a terrific release with a variety of styles including 2 or 3 really standout psychill tokers that you shouldn't miss.

Following on from Aquafur is an interesting tune from "Argaman" (Itai Argaman) . This song sounds very "Shpongle" like to me with it's abundance of unique sounds , manic gated percussive effects and the odd bit of tounge in cheek sampling . Itai Argaman taught himself to play the piano from the age of 6 and has been playing the guitar since the age of 9. When he was 15 years old, he composed his first classical piece that included orchestral instruments. A few years later he made his entrance into the world of electronic music and has not looked back since. Check out his awesome CD "My Little Forest" in which he can be heard playing bass, drums, flute, guitar, piano, vibraphone and violin !

Next up is the mighty "Evan Bartolomew" a.k.a "Bluetech" with his tune "Probability Tree". I would rate Evan as perhaps the leading glitch dub psy artist on the planet for the last 8 years. His music made an instant impact of the community since the release of the acclaimed "Prima Materia" CD back in 2003. Since then he has explored other styles of music under various names but for me it will always be the tunes under the Bluetech name that have the most impact on my ears. I recommend his latest CD "The Divine Invasion" as his most beautiful , accomplished work to date.

After Bluetech is one of my alltime favorite artists - "Kuba". The first I heard of Kuba (Laurence Harvey) was the track "Aushadhi" by "Grey Beard" ( Humphrey Bacchus, Laurence Harvey, Nigel Walton ) on L.S.D record's "Mana Medicine" compilation. I used to play that tune to death ! Grab Mana Medicince if you can - a classic piece of "L.S.D records" history right there. Brilliant album. Since then Laurence has released three solo studio albums with each one eclipsing the previous in terms of production values, imagination and groove. His lastest CD "Bringing It All Back Home" is absolutely stunning. One of the my top CDs for the year.

Following Kuba's "Shining Rage" track we have "Master Margherita" with his tune Deepchandi from the CD "Hippies With Gadgets". This is a brilliant tune and at over 11 minutes in length it harks back to the old days of psychill where artists were more than happy to make tunes 15 - 20 minutes long. I have featured a few of MM's tunes in the past . If you like this one then I recommend using the search box on the PsyAmb home page for more tunes from this magically melodic manipulator of minds. Also, do checkout the Peak Records homepage for links to various talented people surrounding the Master Margherita universe.

Next up is the Mexican duo "Lunar Sound" with another excellent funky bass psychill production. This is taken from the 2007 compilation "Temple Of Science" on "Nice Dreams Music" label , a chillout offshoot of psytrance heavyweights Spun records. I'm not sure if the offshoot label is still around as their old website doesn't seem to exist anymore. That's a shame as the two CDs they did release were really solid and full of the kind of slick bassline driven psychill that I just love. I haven't seen much from Lunar Sound over the last few years however Raul and Juan are still pumping out quite a deal of psytrance so who knows there might be more chill tracks from them some day.

Australian record label "Up Records" is home to the next tune , "Drive" by "Mental Extensions". This is a fabulous tune with some really nice breakdowns. You can definitely hear the psytrance influences built into this track. "Mental Extensions" are Aussie duo Felix Greenlees and David Kastner. Felix has released tunes under a number of monikers dealing mostly with psytrance production. A debut full release was due for the duo for 2009 titled "Inner Reality" , again on Up Records. "Drive" has really peaked my curiosity in this collaboration so I'll definitely be keeping a close eye on them in future. Oh , for the time being , you can also download some free tunes from one of Felix's other aliases, HYPNAGOG , through the Up Records homepage.

After that we "Indigo Violetta" by "Nystagmus" . This is also available on "Up and Away" , the same compilation the previous track "Drive" can be found on. Nystagamus is one of the names used by psychedelic trance and downtempo artist Matte Gillard. Matte has made a few appearances on the excellent and highly popular "Natural Born Chillers" compilations. Under the "Anahata" alias you can find him on the chart topping Midnight Soul Dive compilation that Aleph Zero Records released back in '07. Fluid Motion has a interesting interview with Matte that you can read at the Fluid Motion website. Check out his CD "The Unmade Sound" for some truly epic psychill in that glitchy dubby vibe that Aleph Zero are famous for.

Kuba makes another showing next with his tune "How The Future Sounded" from the CD of the same name. This one has a nice cruisey summer vibe about it that reminds me of "Abakus" in a way. Without getting too hippy on you, I can really feel a lot of positive energy in this tune - you can't help but feel good listening to it. Thumbs Up !

Rounding things of in a big way is "Amazing Gnejs" by "Yggdrasil". Yggdrasil consistis of Mathias Eriksson and Andreas Lingbrand. I don't know a lot about this project, this album just sneaked up on me and slapped in the face with its crazy psychedelic tales of Nordic Folklore. Anyway, it's a top notch release that has been getting lots of attention the last few months and for good reason. Check out the Digital Psionics website for more info.

Well that's it for another episode of PsyAmb. Hopefully with the head cold defeated I can get things back on track with some regular weekly releases. On the 19th you can tune into the PsyChill channel on DIFM where I'll be presenting another 2 hour mix in the Psionic Geometries series ( 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm U.S Eastern time) .

Thanks for listening and the positive email I've been getting. Next week I will be presenting my top psybient and psychill CDs and tunes for 2009 so check back then to see how your lists compare.

Cheers ...

Artist - Track

• 01. The Peaking Goddess Collective - Love & Peak
  
• 02. Aquafur - Mythical Conspiracy
  
• 03. Argaman - The New Vibe
  
• 04. Bluetech - Probability Tree
• 05. Kuba - Shining Rage
• 06. Master Margherita - Deepchandi
  
• 07. Lunar Sound - Genetic Evolution
• 08. Mental Extensions - Drive
  
• 09. Nystagmus - Indigo Violetta
• 10. Kuba - How The Future Sounded
• 11. Yggdrasil - Amazing Gnejs
  

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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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DIFM - Psionic Geometries Vol 1

Here is the DIFM PsyChill radio mix for October 09 . I am hesitant to upload this to Soundcloud as I prefer to use that site just for regular PsyAmb episodes. Also, this is a rather large file so hosting on another site is probably the best idea. As this is a mix for a different site you will see various tunes in there that may have appeared on previous PsyAmb episodes.

Download : Psionic Geometries Vol 1
DIFM Link : Psionic Geometries
Info: 2:00 Hours /270MB / 320 bitrate

Tracklisting:
Artist / Track

• 01. Ram Dass and Kriece - Additya Hridayam
• 02. Kuba - The Road to Find Out
• 03. Tau Kita - Flying in the Rain
• 04. Kliment - Fairdreamers
• 05. Sphingida - Machaon
• 06. Drifting - Circular 1
• 07. Ott - A Shower of Sparks
• 08. Cyrus The Virus - Goa Moon
• 09. Talamasca - Brain Activity
• 10. Capsula - I Know That I Know
• 11. Atriohm - Beyond Rituals
• 12. Organic Substance & Pale Moon Rising - Spiritual Dimension
• 13. Shpongle - Crystal Skulls (Western Rebel Alliance rmx)
• 14. Warp Technique - History of Dreams
• 15. Eat Static - Up periscope
• 16. Outersect - Ayesha
• 17. Spectrum Vision - Anna

Psionic Geometries Vol 1 by PsyAmb




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Nokorimono Vol 1 - Chillout Mix - PsyAmb Episode 15

Welcome back to PsyAmb. This week I'd like to present to you a new chillout mix download which I'm calling Nokorimono ( "Leftovers" in Japanese).

This will be an occasional journey into tunes that don't quite fit into my other mix genres ( psybient/dub/space ). Nonetheless these are great chillout tunes and deserve to be heard here on PsyAmb. Don't worry , I'm not talking cheesy MOS chillout ( Ministry Of Sound ) stuff ! If you like this mix rest assured there will be more Nokorimono mixes in the future. Probably around once every 6 weeks or so I suspect. Not sure yet.

Today we kick off with "A mountain of ice" by "Helios". A beautiful tune from a truly amazing album , "Caesura" . Check out the Type Records website for more info. A great tune to chillout with first. Highly recommended release.

Next up is an old favorite of mine "Sno Pa Hisingen - CBL remix" by "El LCD". This is a remix by Carbon Based Lifeforms and is quite a chill out classic I think. The intro always reminds me of that Chris Isaak song - Wicked Game. This is the only tune EL LCD actually released as far as I know which is a shame. Really soothing ambiance that never grows old.


Flowing on from EL LCD is "Lights" by "Leif Hatfield". This is taken from the "Iboga Records" "New Entry" CD of 2002. You can hear some samples of the CD at SaikoSounds. Some really solid tunes on that CD make it still well worth picking up 7 years after release.

"Taxi Drive" by Tiya. While little might be know of Tiya there is quite a lot known of Tiya member Christof Drouillet. Christof was born in Paris, France where he founded "3D Vision". Based in Ibiza since 2004, he has been involved in the music business for quite a long time, releasing his first record back in 1988. My first exposure to Christof's music was through his trance project Transwave in the mid to late 90s. A few years later Christof turned his attention to forming the 3D Vision record label through which he released some of the greatest psytrance albums of the time. He also formed his latest solo project "Absolum" which sees him producing full on night-time psytrance. This is a cool tune , one of the best ambient music tunes around and has some humorous samples which never fail to make me smile.

Next is Drift's tune "Arc-en-Ciel". An awesome bit of the ambient psychedelic experience mixed with chill-out flavors. This comes from the "Liquid Sound Design" "Interior Horizons" CD from 1999. 10 years ! The label is a non-producing entity these days but it does have a great back catalog of significant psychedelic ambient and dub releases that you would be crazy to miss. Drift is a duo consisting of Adham Shaikh and Tim Floyd. They have made a few appearances on some "Interchill Records" compilations so far. If you like this tune then I recommend tracking down their 1996 awesome limited debut CD - maybe through Interchill. Or the at least the guys there might point you in the right direction. Here is a YouTube clip of a track from the album to wet your appetite :



After Drift we have "Cloud Theory" by Shen. I've featured Shen under the Sympath alias in previous mixes. Both are the work of Canadian Noah Pred. Do a quick search of this site to find other tunes by Noah if this one tickles your fancy.

Next up is movie music maestro Clint Mansel with the tune "Stay with Me" from the soundtrack to the movie "The Fountain". Excellent movie by the way. Well worth spending a few hours stuck on the sofa with. One of my all time best ambient tunes.

Pan Electric , whom I talked about back in episode 12 , chips in next with a sweet little slice of sublime downtempo goodness. Be sure to read up on Pan Electric's form in episode 12 - there is some great information in that episode about all the various guises and labels involved around the group.

Okay after that we have an odd little tune that from Karl Axel-Bisser called "Floating Castles". With a track name like that one might think a nod to Hendrix, yes ? Well ,actually this sounds more like a tune from some cosmic spaghetti western. Anyway, it's freakin cool ! Can be found on one the Chillosophy comps that Digital Structures put out around 8 years ago. They were really popular compilations so there is a good chance they are still available for purchase through PsyShop or SaikoSounds.

At the heels of Karl is the wonderful "Patchwork" with "Flughund". Jens Paulsen is the solo member of Patchwork and produced four really great CDs around the change of the decade. Those CDs and the label that released them , Spirit Zone Recordings, had quite an impact on the psychedelic ambient scene at the time. Jens would go onto to focus on working on art projects through a multicultural gallery in Hamburg. Spirit Zone Records on the other hand closed up shop in 2005 but not before releasing loads and loads of trance and chillout CDs including the popular "Global Psychedelic Chillout" series.

After that we have a new discovery for me in the shape of "Marconi Union" . The tune "Red Line 12AM" is real gem and the album it comes form ,"Tokyo", has shot right into my top 10 for 2009. There is a great little website about the group which you can access here. Not psychedelic per se but very, very impressive non the less. Quite a work of art mixed into ambient space.

If one was to continue on the themes of top tens and expand it out to top 10s of all time, then the CD the following tune derives from would certainly rank within mine. The KLF were a band from the British acid house movement during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Beginning in 1987, The KLF released a series of international top-ten hits on their own KLF Communications record label, and became the biggest-selling singles act in the world for 1991. Not bad for a bunch of ravers ! What is less known about the band (by the Top40 purchasing public ) is that in 1990 they released the seminal ambient house album "Chill Out" to a nation of E loving youth and everyone gladly did just that.

Portraying a mythical night-time journey up the U.S. Gulf Coast from Texas into Louisiana. The album is a continuous composition, in which sampled music (including Elvis Presley, Fleetwood Mac, Acker Bilk and Tuvan throat singers), vocal samples and sound effects are overlaid with original music including synthesizers and pedal steel guitar. Sounds interesting ? It is ! Pump this through your headphones, lie down and relax and you will be transported into a totaly new world. Bloody brilliant.

The KLF then mixes into "The Beast Man" by Etnica. Not the most brilliant of tracks but I love the Planet Of the Apes samples they use. It also gives me an excuse to extend the track further by mixing in a few minutes of an outro track I produced with further vocals from the movie.

As always thanks for listening and your warm feedback. Don't forget your can subscribe to get updates or join me on Facebook where I also post regular show updates. As a bonus I will be uploading another mix within the next day or so. This is not part of the PsyAmb series of mixes but a mix I did for DIFM's PsyChill channel. Based in New York , DIFM is the web's most popular interenet radio station for electronic music. Check them out at this link and tune into the PsyChill channel for 24 hour streaming psychedelic ambiance !

Artist - Track

• 01. Helios - A mountain of ice
• 02. El Lcd - Sno Pa Hisingen(CBL Carbonator Remix)
• 03. Leif Hatfield - Lights (Electric Mix)
• 04. Tiya - Taxi Drive
• 05. Drift - Arc-en-Ciel
• 06. Shen - Cloud Theory
• 07. Clint Mansell/Kronos Quartet/Mogwai - Stay With Me
• 08. Pan Electric - Always A Way Back Up
• 09. Karl-Axel Bissler - Floating Castles
• 10. Patchwork - Flughund
• 11. Marconi Union - Red Line 12am
• 12. KLF - Elvis on the Radio, Steel Guitar in My Soul
• 13. Etnica - The Beast Man
• 14. Ninjin ( PsyAmb ) - Tri 14 Area

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