From 1995 to 2008 DJ Olive worked on three voyages of beatless electronic warmth he calls "sleeping pills". The first called Sleep was assembled in September 2001as a mixtape for NYC friends who couldn't sleep. It was meant to be listened to as quietly as possible and act more like cozy company than music. These sleeping pills were released on Australian label ROOM40, with Olive's second sleeping pill Buoy being the first release in 2004 followed by Sleep in 2006 and ending with Triage in 2008. Triage was also presented as a four room installation at the Whitney Biennial that year. 

Balm is a collection of all the songs used on DJ Olive's three sleeping pills. They are different versions, out takes, alternate takes, lost and found songs, brother and sister to the ones which appear on the sleeping pill mixtapes. There are also a few extra songs which almost made it on the sleeping pills included here.

"this is over 4 hours of music, 38 songs, 12 years of work, which can be listened to in any order. I have put together what I feel is the best versions of all these songs from my sleeping pill mixtapes, Sleep, Buoy, and Triage, and a few which were never included into one big album. I hope It is a kind of medicine. good for meditation, relaxation, distress relief, detox, decompress, sleep, choreography, film, calming, art installations, radical anxiety termination,.. i think you get the idea. 

Many thanks to all the global electronic beatless producers of the 90's who put out so many 12" vinyl records which now have my fingerprints all over. Also thanks to the global music concrete composers from back in the day and all the incredible analog synths which flowered from their green musical thumbs. Thanks to lonie and dj lovegrove for the cloudwatch events and all the party promoters who made beatless rooms back in the early 90's. alex P for clearing the way for the rest of us "chillout" djs. "We™' brothers lloop & once11 for the gazillion hours huddled together over a soft and warm tone on many a cold brooklyn night. Thanks Once11, Escape Arts and Christian Fennesz for collaborating with me. thanks david watson, vija brazus, karl francke, dj reaganomics, and raz mesinai for the sound tools and laughs.
thanks ROOM40, Lawrence, beck and the yidder(r.i.p.)
thanks mum"

_dj olive
2012

recorded at Skin Tone Riddles Brooklyn '95-2008. written produced engineered and mixed by gregor asch (c)&(p)  The agriculture ASCAP 2012 


sound tools from:

TRIAGE 2008
david watson   pagpipes
vija brazus   percussion guitar vocals
karl francke   harmonica vocals moog arp
dj reaganomics   turntable 
christian fennesz   production & processing

BUOY 2004
raz mesinai voice

SLEEP 2001
escape art   production & processing
once11   production & processing

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