P20 Ambedo

Easing out of the ambience for some, er, well, ambient electronic music. This particular kind of ambient/electronic record that I never seem to get tired of where music that sits somewhere between dub, jazz, experimental electronics, and soundtrack music. The atmosphere is as important as whatever notes are actually being played. It starts with Steve Kilbey’s Summer Asteroid and moves quickly into Loscil’s Endless Falls, including the excellent “Dub for Cascadia.” Pan American follows with two selections from his early work, including “Remapping” from the self-titled 1998 album, before things get progressively stranger with the Russian uplotnenie tracks, Watter’s wonderfully hazy “The Cloud Sanctuary” from History of the Future, and Brian Eno’s “Fine-grained” from Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks. Some of the music here feels like it was designed for staring out a window rather than doing anything particularly productive, which I had plenty of time to do over the last months.

The second half wanders further into the electronic weeds. The Dead Texan, Asger Baden & Peder, Susumu Yokota & Rothko, and James & Eno all occupy slightly different corners of that same hazy space, while Nala Sinephro’s “Space 7” brings in her remarkable blend of harp, electronics, and improvisational jazz from Space 1.8. From there we get into the more overtly electronic material—Download from my favorite of their albums III, LFO from Trance Europe Express 4, Bass Kittens, Desert Dwellers, Sabres of Paradise, and Sven Väth from the only CD I have of his. Ending with Bennie Maupin’s from the 1974 ECM classic The Jewel in the Lotus. Maupin’s tiny, almost weightless piece is a perfect way to finish this particular trip.


01 Steve Kilbey – Summer Asteroid
02 Loscil – Dub for Cascadia
03 Pan American – Remapping
04 uplotnenie – Rainy Day
05 уплотнение – гены
06 Watter – The Cloud Sanctuary
07 Brian Eno – Fine-grained
08 The Dead Texan – Taco Me Manque
09 Pan American – Het Volk
10 Asger Baden & Peder – Por Sato
11 Susumu Yokota & Rothko – Clear Space
12 James & Eno – Hammer Strings
13 Nala Sinephro – Space 7
14 Download – Were
15 LFO – Helen
16 Bass Kittens – Red-Headed Stepchild
17 Desert Dwellers – Ring of Fire (Inner Space Mix)
18 Sabres of Paradise – Pylon Hum Mix
19 Sven Vath – Ballet Dancer
20 Bennie Maupin – Past + Present = Future

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