For this edition of the Futurepast podcast, we welcome Synthbiont & Anassimandrus, the ambient / experimental / dub techno project of Nicolò Faggiani and Tommaso Gobbo. Formed in late 2018, the duo merges digital and analogue processes, processed field recordings, and sampling to sculpt immersive soundscapes rooted in texture, movement, and atmosphere.

“Experimentation is always at the core of our process. We start with organic sounds and environmental textures, mostly field recordings we collect ourselves in different places and moments.”

The mix unfolds as an exploration of identity and intuition, a dialogue between tribal rhythm, granular synthesis, and spatial depth. Their sound has been shaped by both familiar and unexpected influences: Spekki Webbu, Sarah Wreath, o.utlier, Astral Industries, Adrian Newgent, and the collective energy of Modem Festival.

Opening with one of their unreleased tracks, the set carries the raw momentum of their upcoming album work, a hypnotic drift through sound and transformation, where each layer resonates with motion, memory, and change.

Mix by Nicolò Faggiani and Tommaso Gobbo
Artwork by Johannes Mogus

Futurepast Podcast 27 - Synthbiont & Anassimandrus

This past Saturday we recorded a new episode of Pollen no Ar for Lusophonica Radio. This time, I wanted to focus entirely on sounds coming from Portuguese producers or Portugal-based labels and artists.

The episode drifts through ambient and experimental textures, featuring works by Delikwe, Augen, António Lourenço, Maria Callapez, the UFONIC label, and the Wav.in Collective.

Watch full episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifBp9FK2U8w

Pollen no ar: episode six at Lusophonica Radio (November 22, 2025)

E.M.C. atmospheres #121 - Gabi von Dub

Spanning over 26 years on the decks, Gabi von Dub has stayed true to his craft, and is still profoundly fascinated with the electronic music continuum. From the throbbiest dance floors to sunrise comedowns, his selections and intriguing long sessions move effortlessly between intensity and introspection. Gabi has been a part of several labels and event promoters such as @womblabel, Arctic Dub Records, Andrómeda, @question-of-time-digital and Elements. Releases music under the moniker Augen, on several labels such as Moátún 7 (RIP), Mighty Force @user-768402070 , MiMi @ogatatetsuo , @ampeff, @neo-ouija, among others.
For this mix, Gabi went with a selection of special recent music from close labels, friends and favourites, and then some floating classics from the millenia. Recorded on a Sunday night, when Ambient hits the best!

Enjoy!

Tracklist
1. Cognition Delay @ivopetrov-mahorka - Monstering
2. Planet Trip - The Peace of Wild Things [ @format-records ]
3. @mintdeluxe - Eroc
4. @darren-j-nye - Forgotten Worlds
5. Pandacetamol @fluffyinside - Rain Grater
6. Cognition Delay - Dazzled By The Dark
7. Pandacetamol - Cold Horizon
8. @soundofvadin - Plateau
9. @danieto - Ocaso Incierto
10. @audiowerner / Audient - Careflow
11. @hisschemoller - Three Day Walk
12. Tomosla - Rivermouth
13. usof - hotbeds
14. usof - transmute
15. @futuregrapher - Næturhvíld
16. ThorF - Ísbjörg
17. Giselle @37735i6 - cryonics
18. Modul - Shift II

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/augen
Bandcamp: https://augenmusic.bandcamp.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/augenmusic/
Mixcloud: https://www.mixcloud.com/Augen/

E.M.C. atmospheres #121 - Gabi von Dub

Brought to you by Penguin.

A beautiful book combining poetry, topics of self-reflection and journalling prompts to help readers find joy all around them.

I always pay attention
When a small joy grabs me
Some say easily pleased
I say, frequently happy!


Life can often be stressful. Each day might seem like a struggle to get through. You may find yourself desperate to get to the weekend, or wishing time would pass more quickly.
David Larbi is here to show you how to see beauty in the everyday and build pockets of joy, inspiration and calm into your life. Combining poetry with weekly reflections, this book is designed to help you explore your emotions, seize opportunities to grow, and find happiness all year round.

With journalling and activity prompts for every season, Frequently Happy creates space for deep self-reflection and brings motivation and gratitude to the forefront.

'Filled with such personality and contagious optimism . . . I love this book' Matt Haig
'A vital handbook for navigating the seasons of life' Candice Carty-Williams
'This book is a ray of sunshine' Fearne Cotton

© David Larbi 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Frequently Happy written and read by David Larbi

Brought to you by Penguin.

The unfiltered truth about being a rugby player - from the horsey's mouth.

This book is not just about how I got back on my horse and went clippity-clop all the way to the World Cup final in Japan.

It's the story of how a fat kid who had to live up to the nickname Psycho grew up to play (and party) for over a decade with rugby's greatest pros.

From just about surviving the equivalent of 30 car crashes a game and crooning Adele for team spirit, to extensive field notes on the smell of the Scrum and the fine art of on-pitch relief. Then there's rugby's secret naked wrestling scene and how it was exposed.

In my world, you never know how the ball will bounce...

© Joe Marler 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

Loose Head written and read by Joe Marler

Brought to you by Penguin.

“I’m not sure anyone knows who I really am. So here it is.”

The real highs.
The real lows.
The Real Girl.

Mutya Buena was only thirteen when she became one third of the original line-up of the iconic girl band Sugababes.

As she launched into fame, her life became unrecognizable overnight. Suddenly, she was going straight from school to the studio, rubbing shoulders with music royalty and hearing fans scream her name.

But with the dazzle of stardom came the darker side: those who would take advantage of her naivety and her kindness, the constant taunting by the press and the lingering regret of missing out on being a real teenager.

Unflinchingly honest, Real Girl takes us through the highs of a spectacular career and the lows that came with a life in the limelight. For the first time, Mutya opens up about the struggles she kept hidden from the public eye when her life began to spiral out of control.

This is the story of the girl the tabloids never saw.

© Mutya Buena 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Real Girl written and read by Mutya Buena

Brought to you by Penguin.

The festive season is fast approaching.

Jane Austen fears that without her siblings at home, there won’t be much Christmas cheer in the Austen household this year.

But when she uncovers a skeleton in the cellar of Deane Rectory, Jane soon forgets her woes. Who needs merriment, when there’s a mystery to solve?

Her investigation leads her to the legend of a young bride who’s long been thought to haunt the woods nearby. After fleeing her wedding breakfast, the bride was never seen again.

Has Jane found her at last? Or is there more to this mystery than meets the eye?

Tis the season for Jane to embark upon festive delights, making merry, and solving murders…

© Jessica Bull 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

The Austen Christmas Murders written by Jessica Bull and read by Eleanor Yates

Brought to you by Penguin.

Secrets, murder and mayhem collide as this unlikely sleuthing duo - an under-butler and a foul-mouthed octogerian - hunt a killer in a manor sealed against the end of the world.

Cornwall, 1910. On a remote tidal island, the Viscount of Tithe Hall is absorbed in feverish preparations for the apocalypse that he believes will accompany the passing of Halley's Comet. The Hall must be sealed from top to bottom - every window, chimney and keyhole closed off before night falls. But what the pompous, dishonest Viscount has failed to take into account is the danger that lies within... By morning, he will be dead in his sealed study, murdered by his own ancestral crossbow.

All eyes turn to Steven Pike, Tithe Hall's newest under-butler. Fresh out of Borstal for a crime he didn't commit, he is the wrong man in the wrong place at the wrong time. His unlikely ally? Miss Decima Stockingham, the foul-mouthed, sharp as a tack, 80-year-old family matriarch. Fearless and unconventional, she relishes chaos and puzzles alike, and a murder is just the thrill she's been waiting for.

Together, this mismatched duo must navigate secret passages, buried grudges and rising terror to unmask the killer before it's too late...

© Ross Montgomery 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

The Murder at The Worlds End written by Ross Montgomery and read by Derek Jacobi and Joe Jameson

Brought to you by Penguin.

A ritual killing. An ancient curse. What's myth... and what's murder?

After a bruising encounter with a terrorist group, Detective Kamil Rahman has decided to hand in his resignation to the Met and set up a detective agency with his friend Anjoli. But when his boss asks him to go to India to investigate the murder of a British engineer who was found with eighteen arrows stuck in his body, Kamil agrees to take the case, as long as Anjoli can accompany him.

When they arrive in Mumbai, they find someone is on a gruesome killing spree, striking down those connected to the engineer in increasingly macabre ways. Meanwhile, an old friend of Kamil’s gets in touch to beg for his help: he believes his family are cursed, and that he is going to die on his 47th birthday, just like his father and grandfather before him.

As the body count rises, Kamil is torn between solving a very real murder case and protecting his friend from a grisly – if far-fetched – fate. Can he catch a killer and prevent an ancient curse before more people lose their lives?

Praise for the Detective Kamil Rahman novels:

'Outstanding' SUNDAY TIMES

'Hugely entertaining' ANN CLEEVES

'A rip-roaring mystery that's engrossing from start to finish' ABIR MUKHERJEE

© Ajay Chowdhury 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

The Shadow written by Ajay Chowdhury and read by Mikhail Sen and Layla Chowdhury

What were our favourite books of the year and what are we most excited to read in 2026? Join the team behind the Ask Penguin podcast to look back at standout titles, memorable podcast moments, and the reading intentions we’re taking into the New Year.



What were the best books of 2025?

Total improvisation with vocal loops on the theme -People are Strange - The Doors.
recorded in one take.
:-)

Arp´s Loop - People are Strange -The Doors cover

Arp´s Loop

Projecto de pura improvisação vocal em Loop

Isis Joana

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