Nomad Discology #001 - OHMSAN

I'll be starting off this mixtape series with a collection of music and sounds that have resonated with me over the last few months and years.

The compilation is comprised of ambient works, piano pieces, electronic productions and folk songs. In there you'll also stumble across archive audio with local Edinburgh poems as well as soundscapes from the beautiful surroundings native to my area.

The Nomad Discology is aimed to be a reflective experience, drawing upon music that has shaped the individuals sound over their lifetime. Wether that is local music with deep roots to the community and history. Or further afield, perhaps sounds that have deeply influenced them without an immediate appreciation or understanding.

I hope you join me and guests in this monthly series. Coming up next month is a fantastic mixtape with Musician and Producer Barry O'Connell from Cork, Ireland.

Tracklist

Lowlands - Taylor Deupree, Marcus Fischer 
*National Library of Scotland / Moving Image Archive - A Piper forgets it’s the Sabbath
Ana Roxanne - Suite Pour L’invisible 
Untitled - talkingmakesnosense/death register 
*Field Recording - Water of Leith 
OHMSAN - Sunrise Sound 
Hamish Brown - When Will You Return Again
Mica Levi - Barok Main 
Oliver Alary - Flooding 
Chirgilchin - Kadarlarda Koyum Charash
KMRU - time of day 
Rachika Nayar - The Trembling of Glass
Dylan Henner - Two Trains Came Through the Station At Once and It Fell like a Hurricane
nthng - With You 
Ryota Nozaki - Butterfly 
*Field Recording - Water of Leith 
Wilson Tanner - My Gull

Nomad Discology #001 - OHMSAN

Nomad Discology #002 - Barry O'Connell

Hello there!

I'm Barry O'Connell, I work in music production, live sound, performance, sound design and to save some time any area of music or audio where I'm granted access. I've always wanted to play music as far back as I can remember, I started by playing the piano as a kid and eventually moved on to guitar as my main instrument when I was 13. I play a number of different instruments but guitar was always 'the one' for me. 

I was lucky to grow up around what I consider to be great music, my mum would always have something different playing in the kitchen when I was growing up. I could walk in and there would be Dean Martin, Sinatra, The Dubliners, Luke Kelly, Johnny Cash, ABBA, the list really goes on for quite a while. When I'd hop into a car with my sister she'd have Me First & The Gimme Gimmes, The Black Eyed Peas and a lot of great Soul music. Point being I was always surrounded by great tunes! 

This mixtape really goes through a journey I've had with traditional Irish music and folk, whether it be tune sets, folk songs or Irish music fused with other genres. It shows musicians that I love, musicians that I've been lucky to work with and learn from and will hopefully introduce you to some music you haven't heard yet. 

Before the end of year there will be an debut EP that will be released by Colin Andrew that I have had the pleasure of producing and playing on. He's an incredibly gifted musician and singer-songwriter, I would highly recommend checking out his previous releases. I also plan to release my own debut EP by the end of 2022 or the start of 2023. Enjoy listening to the mixtape and thanks to Oli for having me!

Tracklist

Cormac McCarthy - The Farm Hand
Kan - Eva
Brian Finnegan - Fly 
Eduardo Moreira & Maria Ryan - Stone Horizon
Lisa Canny - Hungry
Kan - One Two Three
Foo Fighters - Ballad Of The Beaconsfield Miners
The Dubliners - The Wild Rover
Chris Thile & Brad Mehldau - Tabhair Dom Do Lámh

Nomad Discology #002 - Barry O'Connell

Nomad Discology #003 - John Konsolakis

John has worked as a composer in a variety of mediums, including theatre, documentaries, video-games, as well as animated films, live projections, and lighting installations. He has also composed a number of concert works that have been performed around the world. When working on a project, John strives to compose music that supports and enhances the story and the visuals by encapsulating the emotional essence of their sum and providing the viewer with a complete experience.

These selections include music that has had a profound effect on me while growing up, that has significantly influenced my writing as a developing composer, and expanded my love of the art-form, exposing me to the endless and often surprising permutations musical expression can take. Musical discovery is an endless journey that introduces colour and depth into life, allowing people to relate to each other and ‘live’ each other’s experiences. Like the beloved John Williams once said, “Music is there for everybody. It’s a river we can all put our cups into and drink and be sustained by it”. And what a colourful, swirling, endless river it is.

Tracklist 

Juri Seo - Respiri
Marina Satti - Yati Pouli M
Igor Stravinsky - Introduction to The Rite of Spring 
Dmitri Shostakovich - Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major, op. 102
Song by Bulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir - Kaval Sviri (The Flute Plays)
Felix Mendelssohn - Concerto In E Minor For Violin And Orchestra, Op. 64 I. Allegro Molto Appassionato.6
Steve Reich - Music for 18 Musicians
Tigran Hamasyan - The Court Jester
Grisey - Partiels for 18 Performers
Bon Iver - 22 (Over Soon)
Ravel - Daphnis et Chloe Suite No.2
Jacob Collier - In my Room (Piano Version)
John Konsolakis - Closure

Nomad Discology #003 - John Konsolakis

Nomad Discology #004 - Amber Leith

Learning classical guitar from a brilliant bluegrass player nudged me towards my affection for the acoustic music of Jose Gonzalez and Bombay Bicycle Club's second album (flaws). I developed a taste for the stranger and more processed with James Blake and Boards of Canada, and also a love for the progressive, electronic and psychedelic (Mogwai, Radiohead, Flying Lotus and Pond).

When Oli asked me to contribute to the Nomad Discology I immediately thought of these bands and what they mean to me. Compositions from video games as well played a big part of my musical taste so I've included Zunari's Theme from Zelda. Frightened Rabbit have been and still are my favourite band.

I've tried to include songs that really moved me growing up and hope they give the listener a similar feeling to what they give me.

Tracklist

Modest Mouse - Horn Intro
Jose Gonzales - Deadweight On Velveteen
James Blake - Why Don’t You Call Me
Gorillaz - Sound Check (Gravity)
Zunari’s Store - Kenta Nagata, Hajime Wakai, Toru Minegishi, Koji Kondo
The Streets - It’s Too Late
Jack Steadman - Cheating
Boards Of Canada - Kaini Industries
Jon Hopkins - Abandon Window
Mogwai - With Portfolio
Grizzly Bear - Adelma
Grizzly Bear - Gun-Shy
Manchester Orchestra - Simple Math
St. Vincent - The Strangers
Aphex Twin - Aisatsana
Meursault - One Day This’ll All Be Fields
Frightened Rabbit - Nitrous Gas
Amber Leith - Just Sayin’
Radiohead - Mk 1
Flying Lotus - Zodiac Shit
Pond - Dig Brother

Nomad Discology #004 - Amber Leith

Jo is a professional composer for Film & TV.

She has scored award nominated films which have featured at Cannes, LFF, Encounters, Raindance, Sundance Film Festival, Locarno Film Festival, SICAF Animation Festival, Edinburgh Film Festival, SXSW, Copenhagen Docs, Tribeca, BIFA amongst many others.

Born in Edinburgh, she pursued music from a young age, honing her performance in piano and violin. Stylistically, she writes contemporary classical blended with electronica. Jo has also been interested in unusual textures and sounds within her work to bring something wholly unique to any given project.

'I thoroughly enjoyed putting this mix together. It was an absolute joy to put together pieces that mean a lot to me and have brought such inspiration to me both personally as well as a composer and musician.
This particular selection highlights what shaped me musically growing up ; from my folk and jazz roots to discovering more electronic genres, film music and composers that made me want to start composing for film and have made a huge impact in my film composing career.
Plus you’ll hear just some favourite artists and idols that I have looked up to and will just play and listen too at any point. From Prince to Joni Mitchell to Nick Drake, Herbie Hancock and Oscar Peterson. 
The love of jazz was brought to me from my Dad being a jazz pianist (and an incredible one) it takes me back to listening to all these artists with him.'

Tracklist 

Fraser Fifield - Improvisation on Whistle
Alasdair Fraser, Natalie Haas - Between
Gillian Welch - The Devil Had a Hold nn Me
Nick Drake - River Man
Rachel Unthank And The Winterset - I Wish, I Wish
Both Sides Now Live - Joni Mitchell
John Martyn - Hurt in your Heart
Bill Evans - Piece Peace
Herbie Hancock - Alone And I
Someone To Watch Over Me (Live in Clearwater 2018) - Chick Corea
The Oscar Peterson Trio - Hymn to Freedom
Schlomo - Same Time
Nils Frahm - Our Own Roof
Jóhann Jóhannsson - The Sun's Gone Dim and the Sky's Turned Black
Max Richter - VI. Orlando
Hildur Guðnadóttir - Erupting Light
John Williams, Yo-Yo Ma - Air and Simple Gifts
Prince - A Case Of You
John Martyn - Solid Air (BBC Radio At Glastonbury Festival, 1986)

Nomad Discology #005 - Jo Paterson

Nomad Discology #006 - James Warburton 

It was challenging to compile this mixtape; whatever I chose, it felt like so many favourites had to be discarded, such is the profound effect that music and sound have had on my life.

We begin with field recordings from my garden outside the studio space where I've created the majority of my music in the last 10 years. The sounds evoke happy childhood memories of being in nature and the countryside with my family.

We travel then through songs and sounds that in someway surprised, inspired and resonated with me growing up, either half-inching albums from my brother's collection or uncovering gems at my local FOPP's wondrous £5 albums section. 

From the pioneering spirit of Radiohead through the world-building sonics of My Bloody Valentine and the relentless artistic curiosity and expression of Bjork. It was these acts along with the live performances I've picked that energised me to try to find like-minded souls to form our own bands and perform music live in my teens and twenties. 

From there the mixtape showcases a developing love of minimalism and experimental works catalysed by Trent and Atticus' soundtrack to 'The Social Network' and the catalogues of Richard D James and Chris Clark; records which opened my eyes to the possibility that music for film didn't have to be large and orchestral, but could be spacious and unusual, potentially created without needing huge budgets for studios and multiple musicians whilst still maintaining that explorative and visceral sprit of the artists I loved growing up.

We penultimately land on Mogwai; a long-term love since I first heard 'Young Team'; inspiring my earliest teenage concréte-style sonic experiments with 4-track tape recorders, immersed in their mastery of atmospheric storytelling and live power. They've repeatedly eviscerated doubt and restored my dwindling musical reserves over the years. 

We end with a field recording of a recent walk through the Oxfordshire countryside, nature regularly provides me the environment to replenish inspiration, blended with a poem my parents introduced me to by Robert Frost, extolling the virtues of being bold enough to take the path less travelled.

Tracklist

JW Field Recording 
Idioteque - Radiohead 
The Cedar Room - Doves 
Only Shallow - My Bloody Valentine 
I’ll Believe In Anything (Live At CMJ) - Wolf Parade
Wolf Like Me (Live on Letterman) - TV On The Radio
Work Of The Invisible Hand - Friday’s Ghost 
All is Full Of Love - Bjork  (video version) 
#20 - Aphex Twin 
Hand Covers Bruise - Trent Reznor And Atticus Ross 
Moment Of Calm - James Warburton
Springtime Epigram - Clark 
New Paths To Helicon Pt 1 (Government Comissions Version) - Mogwai  
JW Field Recording with Robert Frost Poem

Nomad Discology #006 - James Warburton

The Nomad Discology is a series that focusses on local artists / musicians and how their heritage and personal life journeys have shaped their sound. Nomad by definition is a person who does not stay long in the same place; a wanderer. In this mixtape series we should both get the flavour of someones origins whilst joining them on a sonic venture to their past, present and future.

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