AIR episode 53 is here, featuring a true craftsman in every sense of the word. @Neel is a techno mainstay, not only as a DJ, and a solo producer, but also as a live performer, best known for his expertly designed ambient journeys. This skillset is especially celebrated in his work with Donato Dozzy as Voices from the Lake. 

But even if you’re not familiar with his work, you’ve almost certainly listened to a record he had a hand in. A mastering engineer for over a decade, his studio Enisslab has over 400 credits on Discogs, including landmark albums by Deepchord, Pauline Oliveros, Abdulla Rashim, DJ Nobu, Atom TM, Mike Parker, Caterina Barbieri, and of course, his own work. In this conversation, Neel and I get deep on mastering and the evolution of his technical craft, his ears, and his artistry, as well as how each of his creative fields inform one another. 

Don't forget to follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_airpodcast/
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/airpodcast
and sign up for the AIR newsletter: https://airpodcast.substack.com/


+++

Music: 
"Naeba" - Neel (2022)
"Post Landing" - Neel (2014)
"Osmio" - Neel (2018)
"Circe + S.T." (VFTL Rework) - Voices from the Lake (2013)

AIR 053 / Neel

Recorded live at the Grove, Saturday 8-10PM, Sustain-Release Year Nine (2023). Thank you to Aurora & the Sustain-Release team for the trust, to everyone who shared this memory I'll never forget.

Aaron J at Sustain-Release, Year Nine

Live recording @ the Future Intel headquarters in The Hague. Streaming live on Youtube and futureintelradio.com.

Mattikk ╚═ Future Intel X Nerve Collect ═╗ 29 02 2024

@machines-desirantes :

"I'm happy to share with a larger audience this DJ set that I performed last May at the lost cabin of the self-managed micro festival #perpen24. The musical selection is all about soundtracks that intermingle to create a special score for the occasion. The idea of giving the audience a cinematic experience was well received by a fantastic audience, with a high (and gratifying) commitment, love, and respect towards music and its transmitters. This small perpendicular community let itself be enchanted by this blind film, and it was wonderful. I invite anyone who is interested to experience the same, as always and whenever possible, trying to engage in deep listening without other tasks, alone or in good company... Enjoy!".

I'm also happy to share the tracklist and film sources for anyone who wants to unpack and continue enjoying this journey after listening.

Tracklist:
Lustmord - So Be It
György Ligeti - Musica Ricercata, II [Mesto, Rigido E Cerimoniale]
Don Ellis - Heroin
Oskar Sala - Melanie Attacked/Attic
Tōru Takemitsu - I
Michael Small - Main Title
Wendy Carlos - Horror Show
Carl Orff & Gunild Keetman - Musica Poetica II: Aus Goethes "Faust"
Penderecki - Nature Sonorities I
Don Ellis - Boat Bottom / Drydock
Lubos Fiser - The Visit
Wendy Carlos - Title Music - Dies Irae
Lalo Schifrin - Main Title/What's Wrong
Ennio Morricone - Il Fantasma Di Wanda
Masaru Satoh & His Orchestra - Yojimbo
There was no storm in Cuenca this year
Xavier Cugat - Perfidia
There are dogs out there, be careful
Mica Levi - Death
Julee Cruise - Up In Flames
Luis Bacalov - Conchiglia
Don Ellis - Rocker Panels
Lubos Fiser - The Wedding, The Contract
Nino Rota - Sicilian Pastorale
Tōru Takemitsu - Sama Soruja
Alain Goraguer - Thème principal
Bobby BeauSoleil - Fallen Angel Blues, Pt. 1
Don Ellis - Boat Bottom / Drydock
Pink Floyd - Come in Number 51, Your Time Is Up (soundtrack version)
Lalo Schifrin - Main Title/What's Wrong
Alain Goraguer - Meditation Des Enfants
Adrift Robert Mellin & Gian-Piero Reverberi - Adrift
Ennio Morricone - Sweet Susan
The Groop - A Famous Myth
Distant storm, but not here. Thanks.

Film sources:
First Reformed (Paul Schrader, 2017)
Eyes Wide Shut (Stanley Kubrick, 1999)
The French Connection (William Friedkin, 1971)
The Birds (Alfred Hitchcock, 1963)
Woman in the Dunes (Hiroshi Teshigahara, 1964)
Tape (Richard Linklater, 2001)
The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980)
THX 1138 (George Lucas, 1971)
A Quiet Place in the Country (Elio Petri, 1968)
Yojimbo (Akira Kurosawa, 1961)
Wild at Heart (David Lynch, 1990)
Industrial Symphony No. 1 (David Lynch, 1990)
Under the Skin (Jonathan Glazer, 2013)
In the Mood for Love (Wong Kar-wai, 2000)
The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)
Summer Soldiers (Hiroshi Teshigahara, 1972)
L'Affaire Dominici (Claude Bernard-Aubert, 1973)
Lucifer Rising (Kenneth Anger, 1972)
Zabriskie Point (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1970)
Fantastic Planet (René Laloux, 1973)
Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (Jean Sacha, 1965)
Sonny and Jed (Sergio Corbucci, 1972)

Josephine Soundscapes @ Perpendicular 2024

An intergalactic journey open to the reception of biosounds from remote
solar systems. Letters from alien worlds that tell of infinite possibilities of
life. The soundtrack of synthetic planets aimed at hyperevolution of
intelligent organisms.
৲∙⌓▔◎▴

Pianeti Sintetici ('synthetic planets' in Italian) is a new conceptual project
by Davide Perrone (Primal Code) that draws inspiration from the factories
of Magrathea, a planet in Douglas Adams' classic space opera The
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, where artificial planets are manufactured
on commission.

'This concept has always fascinated me, and I chose the name to frame a
hypothetical future of synthetic worlds, told with sound,' Davide says. 'I
like to imagine the howls of creatures inhabiting solar systems outside our
own. Rarefied atmospheres, alien sequences, and unfamiliar tonal scales.
So, I see Pianeti Sintetici as an open-ended design research project where
I can explore these inspirations.'

"Mi piace pensare ai ruggiti delle creature abitanti altri sistemi solari.
Atmosfere rarefatte, sequenze aliene, scale tonali sconosciute. Vedo
Pianeti Sintetici come un progetto di ricerca aperto, dove posso esplorare
e concretizzare la mia immaginazione sonora e visiva.”

Thank you Davide ♡

Lyl Radio -04/07/2024 - 6pm
https://lyl.live/show/chimaera

Meet him here :
@pianetisintetici
https://www.instagram.com/pianetisintetici/

Chimaera 11 ⊙ Pianeti Sintetici

The recording of my set from La Nature Festival, recorded 12-3PM on a glorious sunny Sunday on the 23rd of June 2024.

This was one of my favourite sets this summer, I was so honoured to be playing before the legendary DJ Nobu, and spent time preparing for this set gathering bright~dubby~daytime techno with a zippy flair and uplifting energy 🧚

The set features lots of tracks I’ve been enjoying this summer, including music by: Tsott, GiGi FM, Azu Tiwaline, Vladw, Al Wootton, Sindh, Luigi Tozzi, Konduku, Stojche, Ness, Ruman, Rene Wise, Fireground, Forest On Stasys, Kohra & Midnight Traffic +++

The woodland location of this Belgian festival was stunning, and playing on this delicious Lambda Labs sound system was such a treat. Thanks again to Julien @noname_community & Daniel[i] @danieli_whs for the invitation to join this year’s edition 🧡🌲

~
Downloads Enabled ~

La Nature 2024

Sybil @ La Nature 2024

@avsluta

Next on tentacular, we’re thrilled to host a mix from the multi-faceted Lucie Stepankova, known as Avsluta (@avsluta): a London-based sound artist, DJ, and curator. With a focus on the liminal spaces between ambient and dance music, Avsluta creates evocative experiences that invite deep, active listening and emotional connection.

Lucie is the force behind @introspective_electronics, a platform dedicated to exploring ambient-infused sounds through regular radio shows, podcasts, and curated live events. Her collaborative projects include co-running Sonic Garden—an experimental ambient and downtempo event series in partnership with AMOENUS—and co-curating @terra-obscura-london alongside DJ/producer Alicia, a bi-monthly exploration of ambient-tinged UK bass and progressive club sounds.

Through her live performances, Lucie improvises with a mix of objects, field recordings, electronics, and digital processing, crafting speculative soundscapes that embody the essence of nature and emotion. Her DJ sets are equally diverse, seamlessly flowing between ambient, downtempo, UK bass, and off-kilter deep techno, blending atmospheres that resonate both physically and soulfully.

She shared with us a few words with her mix

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘴, 𝘴𝘺𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘩𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘮, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘺𝘱𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘦𝘶𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘢. 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘹 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦, 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘺𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘳 ~ 𝘢 𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘺, 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨; 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬, 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘺. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨.

Tentacular 21 ~ Avsluta

4. Tal der aufgehenden Sonne – Ein Klangbild der Stärke und Schönheit

Der vierte Track des Albums Spiegel der Seele von DJ MANE trägt den Titel „Tal der aufgehenden Sonne“ und zelebriert die unvergleichliche Kraft und Einzigartigkeit der Sonne. Dieses Stück entführt die Hörer in die heißesten Regionen der Erde – Orte, an denen die Sonne das Leben formt und zugleich herausfordert. Mit seiner Mischung aus arabischen Klängen und atmosphärischen Sounds erschafft DJ MANE eine musikalische Welt, die gleichermaßen faszinierend wie intensiv ist.

Die Sonne als Symbol des Lebens Die Sonne ist das Herz unseres Lebens – sie nährt sämtliches Leben, gibt Energie und ist die treibende Kraft hinter dem Kreislauf des Wassers. In `Tal der aufgehenden Sonne` wird diese lebensspendende Energie spürbar: Der Track beginnt mit schimmernden, aufsteigenden Klängen, die den ersten Sonnenstrahlen eines neuen Tages gleichen. Die einsetzenden Instrumente vermitteln die Wärme und das Temperament der Wüstenregionen, während sanfte elektronische Elemente die unendliche Weite und Leere dieser Landschaften zum Leben erwecken.

Leben an der Grenze des Möglichen Das Stück symbolisiert die Lebensrealität in Regionen, in denen die Sonne nicht nur Segen, sondern auch eine gewaltige Herausforderung ist. In der Musik spiegelt sich die Widerstandskraft und Anpassungsfähigkeit von Mensch und Natur wider – von den endlosen Sanddünen der Sahara bis zu den trockenen Steppen des Nahen Ostens. DJ MANE lässt den Hörer diese Welt förmlich spüren: Die glühende Hitze, den trockenen Wind und die Schönheit des goldenen Lichts, dass diese kargen Landschaften in ein lebendiges Gemälde verwandelt.

Eine emotionale und kulturelle Reise Die fernöstlichen Klänge schaffen eine Verbindung zwischen Tradition und Moderne. Sie wecken Assoziationen an Märkte voller Leben, sternenklare Nächte in der Wüste und Geschichten von Widerstand und Hoffnung. Gleichzeitig verleihen atmosphärische Sounds und tiefe Bässe dem Stück eine meditative Tiefe, die den Hörer zu einer Reise ins Innere einlädt.

Eine Hymne an die Sonne und ihre Welt Mit `Tal der aufgehenden Sonne` ruft DJ MANE nicht nur die Schönheit und Kraft der Sonne ins Bewusstsein, sondern auch die Notwendigkeit, diese Urkraft des Lebens zu ehren und zu schützen. Der Track ist eine Hommage an die Sonne als Symbol für Beständigkeit und Wandel, Wärme und Stärke.
Dieser Track ist weit mehr als Musik – er ist ein Erlebnis. Die Klanglandschaften, die DJ MANE hier entfaltet laden dazu ein, die Augen zu schließen und in eine andere Welt einzutauchen, in der die Sonne allgegenwärtig ist. Ein emotionales und kulturelles Werk, das die Hörer mit jedem Ton in seinen Bann zieht.

Spiegel der Seele

Tal der aufgehenden Sonne

HELEMAAL DOOF. #23

some people deserve a hot poker up the ass

live recordings + podcasts

Video Club Podcast 026 - Aurora Halal (downtempo mix)

╚═ Future Intel ═╗

Future casts from the present — your weekly music and art intel — Streaming live on Youtube every Thursday and Friday — from 19:00 till 23:00.