from Exist EP
Mastering by Christopher Leary at Melograf Mastering

Exist

On August 27th 2023, I received the very sad news of the untimely passing of Brian McBride at the age of 53. There is so much more that I can say about the emotional turmoil that this has caused in me and the entire music community. But today, I won't talk about the darkness in which the world is left with one more going-out light. Instead, I'll celebrate his music, which is still among us, flickering with energy to light and show the way. "Far From Home" is the "Diminished Stories Mix" which Brian made for Kenneth James Gibson's Further Translations album, collecting remixes by the likes of Jack Dangers, Christopher Willits, Scanner, Awakened Souls, and a few others, reworking pieces from Gibson's previous albums (in this case, "Far From Home" appeared on his 2018 release In The Fields Of Nothing). Gibson met McBride in the late 2000s, and the duo started a band, Bell Gardens, in 2009, exploring "the realms of Americana, chamber pop, folk, and psychedelic pop." For this remix, McBride begins with shimmering waves of wistful strings, which, after their introduction, subside into a bit of darkness, maybe sadness, and introspective grief, the way my mood turns every time I think about this world without the many great musicians that we lost along the way. Or, is it possible that we mourn for ourselves, and music is the way to leave a piece of us behind and be immortal, even for a bit? In any case, I'll close my eyes and play this gorgeous music, and for a moment, I'll pretend that Brian's still around. To me, that is as real as the rest...

Further Translations

Far From Home (Brian McBride's Diminished Stories Mix)

TRACK PREMIERE : Kenneth James Gibson - Far From Home (Brian McBride's Diminished Stories Mix)

Radiell

This is not just about music and my favorite tracks...it's about time spent with friends, our trips, and questions to myself, the answers to which often change direction and create new scenarios...

00:00 Daniel Avery – Ultra Truth
04:36 Gryr - Sore
07:40 Fatima Yamaha – The Creature from Culture Creation
15:00 Christian Loffler – Ry
20:00 Dominik Eulberg – Goldene Acht
27:00 Max Cooper – Perpetual Motion
30:25 Parra for Cuva – Of Wonder
33:50 Madraas – Moments
37:27 Pluralist – Touch
42:00 John Tejada – The End of It All
49:05 Joey Fehrenbach - Hindsight
53:17 Ohota – Everything Is as It Should Be
1:00:45 Denis A – Heaven
1:10:10 Apparat & Ellen Allien – Jet
1:16:16 Paul Kalkbrenner – Azure 
1:22:02 Monkey Safari - Goodbye

Friends +=/ Mushrooms

Something I’ve been working on. It’s still a work in progress, but I think it sounds good enough to share at this point since it likely won’t be finished any time soon.

The Far Side of Quiet (WIP)

"Silent Moon" IMPRO

GG Promises Volumes 1 - 15 Released 9-1-2025 Director & Conductor & Principal Benjamin Hill Producer, Benjamin Hill, coproducer IBen Morton Mastering Benjamin Hill, Mixing, Benjamin Hill, Recording Engineer Benjamin Hill, assistant engineer IBen Morton All songs written by Benjamin Hill and IBen Morton Composers IBen Morton and Benjamin Hill Benjamin and Benjamin, Programming, Percussion, Keyboards, Synthesizers, Bells, various Vocals, IBen Morton and Benjamin Hill Label, IBen Morton Music, IBen Morton and Company, IBen Morton Company Music, IMCM

Love's Eternal Path

Buy Settlers on Vinyl / CD / Digital:
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'Settlers' is the new album from Western Skies Motel, out April 22nd, 2016 in a limited edition of 170 gatefold 180gram vinyl, CD and digital formats.  'Settlers' was mastered for vinyl and digital by Taylor Deupree, with master lacquers cut by Roger Siebel at SAE.  The first 50 Vinyl & CD's ordered come with a bonus EP, 'Generations' mastered by Kirk Marrison of Kiln.

In the dry desert of Arizona that Lost Tribe Sound calls home, a letter is received from guitarist René Gonzàlez Schelbeck who’s eager to share a collection of intimately composed songs, titled 'Settlers'. Upon listening, we are immediately enthralled. There’s a timeworn, arid, and almost badlands quality to Schelbeck’s hypnotic, cyclical guitar style. It seems to perfectly capture the lonely, barren landscape of the American West. 

Yet, there are curious dynamics at play here as Schelbeck, who makes music under the alias Western Skies Motel, is from Denmark and far removed from any upbringing in the rough-hewn Americana style of folk guitar. Conceivably, his music has more in common with the lonesome, calculated tone of Berlin's modern classical scene or the rainy day folk of the UK. Those are intriguing parallels, since the collective mood of Western Skies Motel's music would adapt so well to either environment. 

Words hardly do justice to the rich, immersive experience of 'Settlers'; yet a few may help to set the stage. Schelbeck is a remarkably well rounded instrumentalist, who spent his early days losing his hearing in local punk rock bands. This youthful love for walls of sound and discordant guitar squalls survives in his modern sound palette. However, a more mature approach to these techniques brings moments of palpable tension, adding in uneasy waves of guitar feedback and droning harmonium. 

But ultimately, the truth of what Schelbeck hopes to convey through his music may rest rmly in his subconscious. In hindsight, 'Settlers' is about moving between worlds: not in the dimensional sense, but more as a constant change in form. Each influence and sound Schelbeck incorporates into his music feels native to the delicate ecosystem of these songs and each turn feels as organic and nuanced as that of the natural world. Just as a tree’s leaves wither and fall; a fire sparks and expands only to expend its last bit of fuel, extinguished and left for ash. So true are the parallels we find in our own existence, the complex ritual of growing old and returning to dirt. Decay is inevitable for all life, yet through this it becomes the rich soil for all things proceeding. Western Skies Motel's weighty instrumental mantras may root in this and other meanings yet to be culled. One thing is clear, this music contains signicant power, and, regardless of our conceived themes or geographic locations, it tells a story that is lasting and instantly familiar. 

'Settlers' sees a 180-gram heavy weight gatefold release very similar to the recent Mute Forest debut, 'Deforestation'. The acetate and test pressings were scrutinized for anomalies on world-class vinyl setups at Arizona’s esteemed audio dealer, Arizona Hi-Fi.

Western Skies Motel is building upon a busy year in 2015, having released two very different full-length albums 'Prism' (Preserved Sound) and 'Buried and Resurrected' (Twice Removed).

Settlers

Transformation

Buy Album

Western Skies Motel - Transformation (from Settlers)

Here's an older track that I never released and now it's available as a FREE DOWNLOAD. :)

Radiell

Dmitry Evgrafov

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