DJ Counselling - Best Selection

With his first album as DJ Counselling, Ash Arnold plays with tempo and genre to pursue a contemplative period of creation, accentuated by his experiences of grief, love and optimism. Written in its entirety during a 3 week stay in Berlin, Alt-Mobeat is a 7 track synthesis of music created using only a remote studio (sampler, field recorder and headphones) and showcasing an acoustic sound that differs from Ash’s more familiar electronic work. Wanting the album to remain authentic to what he created in Berlin, Ash explains “I added as little additional production and synths as possible while mixing the album back in my London studio, which proved to be quite a challenge but one I remained committed to”.

The album’s narrative is framed by cleverly incorporated field recordings — a stroll through Berlin's Tiergarten park in falling snow, a conversation reflecting the lighter side of Ash's personality and samples from a mandolin harp found at an abandoned 19th Century hospital site in Beelitz Heilstätten. The latter of these can be heard throughout "Intro" and "The Visit". As well as capturing the beauty and haunting atmosphere of Berlin, the broad range of recordings also echo some of Ash's most sanguine moments of the trip. The effect is clear; it is an album that is at once reflective, searching and hopeful.

The trumpeting of greedy swans at Kreuzberg’s Landwehr Canal emphasises the band-like energy and swing that can be heard in "Little Grey Ghosts". In "Your Light Cannot Be Extinguished", a track written in memory of Ash’s friend Gavin, layered bugle samples punctuate the enduring influence of a cherished character in the South London music scene. Lead single "It’s Perfectly Clear Right Now" was conceived in a Berlin art gallery and provided immediate clarity for the direction of Alt-Mobeat. The track offers a nod to the laid back hip hop vibe of albums that inspired Ash during the 90s, drenched in organic textures and layered beats, yet with a darker edginess, low synth bass, heavy drums and a cinematic atmosphere. "The Birdman" draws inspiration from Berlin's chilling sites, notably a monument to Bismark depicting Germany's 19th-century global power status.

Losing a friend shortly before writing the album and spending much of his trip contemplating life’s uncertainty, Ash embraced atypical experiences in Berlin; steering away from techno clubs to explore historic buildings, visit the home of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and drink hot chocolate by the Spree. These, alongside Ash’s mood, led to a collection of altogether novel DJ Counselling music. As Ash describes it, the album is “much looser than my dancefloor oriented stuff, with a feel and groove tapped out on my sampler in various places across Berlin, reflecting not only how I was feeling at the time but also the impact my surroundings had on the sound”.

Alt-Mobeat, which sounds timeless and devoid of genre, reveals Ash’s symphonic craftsmanship at its best and underscores his esteem as a musician first and producer second. Expect hints of hip hop, jazz and electronic minimalism, interspersed with a deep yet delicate atmosphere.

Alt-Mobeat

Written & produced by DJ Counselling

TENFL008 Released 30/04/21
Copyright © 2021 Ten Flowers Records, All rights reserved.

Cool Air

Cool Air (ft. Allie Donelly)

Be Here Now

Crazy On Love

Down Forever (Just Her Remix)

Stardust

Written & produced by DJ Counselling

TENFL009 Released 11/06/21
Copyright © 2021 Ten Flowers Records, All rights reserved.

Velorum

Written & produced by DJ Counselling 

TENFL010 Released 09/07/21 
Copyright © 2021 Ten Flowers Records, All rights reserved.

Take Them

Finding Pictures

Asterisms

Shapeless

Carrying - DJ Counselling Remix

Goddess911 - Carrying - DJ Counselling Remix

Pulses of Light

Moving Shadows

All the Things We've Been Through

Kite Day

Aruda

Feather

Sleepless in a Dream

Viewing Objects Through a Mass of Heated Air

House Below the Forest Floor

It’s Perfectly Clear Right Now is the lead single from Alt-Mobeat, the new album by London-based producer DJ Counselling. Conceived in a Berlin art gallery, the track captures the laid back hip hop vibe of albums that inspired Ash during the 90s — yet with a darker edginess,  low synth bass, heavy drums and a cinematic atmosphere. Drenched in organic textures and layered beats, this song elegantly deviates from Ash’s more dancefloor oriented tracks and underscores his esteem as a musician.

It's Perfectly Clear Right Now

The Birdman

Little Grey Ghosts

Second single from DJ Counselling’s new album Alt-Mobeat, “Your Light Cannot Be Extinguished” is a homage to his late friend Gavin — a New Zealander whose zeal for South London helped locals rekindle their love for it. The track is rich with layered bugle samples that punctuate the mark left by a cherished character in the area’s vibrant music scene. Far from melancholic, this is a moving, almost joyous, tribute to Gavin’s powerful, unfading energy that lives on in the music and art of London.

Your Light Cannot Be Extinguished

The Visit

Intro

EVERYBODY

Wide Awake in an Open Space

Reflection

Every Day the Sun Comes Up

South London’s DJ Counselling, aka Ash Arnold, is known for creating hand-played rhythms with an original approach to groove. Being part of the electronic dance scene for over 20 years, Ash has worn many hats: producer, remixer, DJ, record label owner, band leader and, first and foremost, drummer. First surfacing as DJ Counselling with his debut single “Pollard’s Thrill” in 2018, Ash uses real instruments and live recording techniques with analogue synthesisers to create deep, atmospheric music that is as uplifting as it is emotive.

Whether in his home studio in London or mobile studio in Berlin, Ash explains how he knows he’s onto something special “when it doesn’t feel like the music is coming from me anymore. For a moment, I get so lost in what I’m creating that I hear it as though someone else is making it.” The DJ Counselling project gathered momentum in 2020 with lauded releases “Every Day the Sun Comes Up”, “Cool Air” and “Wide Awake in an Open Space”, which drew fans like Tom Ravenscroft and Jungle.

With DJ Counselling, Ash doesn’t intend to deliver big club hits but rather creates music that reflects his mood or location at the time of writing. Nonetheless, his music is hugely popular on the dancefloor; being played by the likes of Richie Hawtin and Bonobo. Esteemed for his eclecticism and versatility, Ash brings the club to the concert hall, and vice versa, with his ever-evolving live performances. Expect percussion instruments, classical sensibilities, and complex analogue synths being given equal attention on stage.

DJ Counselling’s new album, Alt-Mobeat, underscores Ash’s symphonic craftsmanship and esteem as a musician. It is difficult to place DJ Counselling into a specific genre. From tracks like “Cool Air”, one of Spotify’s Best Electronic Songs of 2021, to his latest works, Ash has never tried to fit himself into a box. Instead, he applies an emotional connection to everything he creates, with a strong groove always being the main focus.

https://linktr.ee/DJCounselling

DJ Counselling

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