NBZ VA1

Grounded On Earth

Hi friends,

Most of the people I know live in apartments. I grew up in a house and live in an apartment now. Apartments are wonderful. All your favorite things are always so close by. You cook in your apartment. Your wife is usually there. Even the mindless tasks are for the Greater Good, like a clean sink or folded laundry. It’s easier to find items you’ve lost. Your cat has less places to hide, and when he tries, it’s funny because he’s usually sticking out.

I’m sitting in my apartment as I write this. That very cat is asleep to my left. The only light is Fireplace For Your Home Birchwood Edition on Netflix, a staple here. I like to listen to music in my apartment, and though I know that most of the time my cat would prefer I didn’t, there are times it bothers him less. Sometimes he perks up and points his ears in the direction of the sound. I always take this as a good sign and note what’s playing when it happens.

Recently I decided I’d like to make a mix for my apartment. It’s my favorite place and I thought I might try to collect some music that lives up to it. When I listen here, I find my attention works differently: the music begins as the centerpiece, then slowly sinks into the background. I love the way my mind floats through the music then, the sounds fill the space and don’t worry about me, my attention is irrelevant. The music takes on new qualities through the walls as I walk around, and I find it’s as much a part of a room I’m returning to as the smell of a meal or an open window.

If someone were to ask me what my favorite music is, I know my answer would likely be Big Music, records that made an strong, often immediate impact and take up considerable space in my mind. But is that really my favorite? Do I value it more than the record I put on for my wife and cat to fall asleep to at night? I’m not sure what the answer is. What I can say is most things worth loving are not only beautiful but play a role, and music is certainly capable of both in the home.

The link below is to an all-vinyl mix called Apartment Listening. I recorded it on a Saturday evening after a long walk and before dinner. I hope it will make your apartment sound nice and then dissipate, slowly, and possibly without your noticing.

And I hope you enjoy! 
Max
Winter 2019

@bliss-point-sound

Max In The World

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