Lucid: https://ffm.to/blurstem-lucid
Blurstem: https://campsite.bio/blurstem

Lucid dreams are said to be a sort of “between state” of being awake and asleep. Reality or fantasy, or somewhere in between. The subtle, warm piano tones on an early November morning were the soundtrack of such a state for Chris Bartels’ wife when writing what would become Lucid, Bartels’ latest release under his Blurstem moniker.

Waking early and unable to fall back asleep, Bartels headed downstairs to set up a pair of mics and improvise on his felted-stringed 1950s Wurlitzer spinet. The result was three pieces of pure, raw emotion through the piano. The listener is invited to not only hear, but experience these songs alongside Bartels, with audible room noise, breaths, and far-from-pristine mechanical instrument sounds.

And the audible experience is indeed fitting. We often like to think we can separate what’s real and what’s mystery. The natural and supernatural. Awake and asleep. But, that balance of known and unknown is part of the walk of life, and always has been.

Since exploring further sonic palettes beyond the piano with more ambient and cinematic tones in his more recent releases, Bartels brings it all back to his Blurstem roots with these songs. And with it, he invites his listeners to an experience of dreamlike balance - is this real? Is it fantasy? Maybe this question avoids the main point, after all. Maybe getting lost in the “between state” is the point. Either way, Lucid is an appropriate soundtrack for such a journey.

Lucid

Stream + Download

Before The Light

Testing a few new Spitfire Labs instruments. Great fun to play with.

Walking on Air

R.J. Stefanski - Midnight Trails with Late Summer Crickets, Bats, Frogs & More [Field Recorded Sound Map 1.2]

For the second installment in my series of experimental sound maps, I invite the listener to travel about an hour's drive North of our last meeting (Belle Isle, Detroit), to Romeo, MI. The bulk of the recordings for this project came from two weekends spent at my parents home in the small rural village in late August and early September 2015. When I stay at their house, I have a nightly walking routine that takes me through some of the nearby fields and woods surrounded by stars and crickets. These walks are the genesis for this sound map, as it is designed to present the listener on a guided tour solely using field recordings of a few of these excursions. 

The listener is greeted with the soft hum of a small town backyard just after sunset. It is shaping up to be a hot and muggy night as sounds begin to fill the neighborhood: a chorus of crickets two backyards away, a train's horn from much further, and then a low flying plane seems to split the sky in half. Slowly the chatter of neighbors enters the mix along with the family pet and some passing cars. As we head out from the backyard and towards the expansive athletic fields just a few blocks away, some frogs briefly appear and the variety of crickets changes as well.

Night fully descends as the sounds from the fringes of the village fade even more out of range as we reach the open fields west of town. The overhead sky is clear and bursting with stars and about a dozen low flying bats, clearly audible as they make a distinct sound which mimics that of a mouse chewing from a room away. Entering deeper woods brings us to a bizarre insect, some form of giant cricket with a rattle. Suddenly the clear skies have turned ominous, with rain slowly sneaking in before erupting into thunder. Something is not quite right in this part of the forest, as dark melodies are slowly played on an antique piano, and are soon accompanied by scattered AM radio transmissions. Just before it seems like the journey might be doomed, the trees begin to thin out and we are back in a familiar backyard. Tired and confused, the only remnants of that strange night are some hazy memories and these recordings.

All sounds recorded and edited by R.J. Stefanski 2015-2016. Including original piano composition and artwork. Use good headphones and enjoy!

Midnight Trails with Late Summer Crickets, Bats & Frogs [Field Recorded Sound Map 1.2 | Romeo, MI]

A small improvisation that helped ease a bit of stress and provide brief respite from these disparate and trying times...perhaps the first in a new series of improvisational guitar pieces...
Appears on V/A - Drone Works Vol. One, presented by Drone Works International ~ https://droneworksinternational.bandcamp.com/album/v-a-drone-works-vol-1

A simple, single take recording, no additional after f/x....I hope you'll enjoy, and thanks for listening.  <3

Feeding Hungry Ghosts

Released by https://soundcloud.com/the-games-we-play on the compilation 'New Life' — https://thegamesweplayuk.bandcamp.com/album/new-life-the-fourth-compilation-by

'For Emilia... 

"For Love presents Its assaults so suddenly, 
Most Vital Spirits desert and, as they do, 
Only One Spirit remains alive in me, 

One Spirit left because it Speaks of You..." 

(Dante, 'Vita Nuova')'

New Life (The Fourth Compilation by ŦĦ€ ǤΔΜ€Ş Ŵ€ ƤŁΔ¥)

New Life

Begin•Again

Taken from the upcoming album 'Chapters' on Fluid Audio...

Music: Und_Ne
Mastering: Ian Hawgood
Design: Daniel Crossley

www.fluidaudio.bigcartel.com/mailing-list

Chapters

und_ne - Chapter 5

Maps and Diagrams - Kalia

Originally from the "Warmth (For Jii)" compilation, which is no longer online.  It now appears on an e.p. entitled 'Collected', which is a small collection of music that had first appeared on comps that are sold out, or no longer available.

http://darrenharper.bandcamp.com/album/collected

Mastered by Tokee: doperec.com/tokee 
Artwork by Peter Nejedly: www.flickr.com/photos/peternejedly/


purchase

Memory Loop

DeepWave Meditation - 4.9Hz Theta Binaural Beats

Night River 

This soundscape is built from one field recording taken at night in Prospect Park in summer 2017. I set up my recorder on a wooden bridge that crosses one of the larger streams/rivers in the park. I edited out the best bit, this 7+ minute piece, and only did minor adjustments and added the fade in and fade out. The result is a soothing journey down the rippling water with crystal clear audio quality. Headphones recommended.

All sounds and artwork property of R.J. Stefanski
2021.

Nostalgia Circuit

Night River (Field Recordings of Relaxing Water & Crickets) HD Soundscape Sleep Yoga Study

Brooklyn NYC + Detroit | Message directly for inquiries about sampling recordings, bookings, collaborations, or questions | Since releasing a series of diverse mixtapes in 2011, Stefanski has slowly turned his focus to his own ambient productions, often built entirely of original field recordings. He has released a wide array of original soundscapes ranging from brief, high-def clips of thunderstorms to extended sound collages, each project sharing a hazy, psychedelic glow. Before moving to Brooklyn, Stefanski curated the chill out room for infamous Detroit after-hours rave BAK DØR. After relocating he released an LP of short field recordinged ("20 X 2"), a podcast for an experimental NYC label (Metamorph) and an album for Bivouac's "60 Minute Cities" series. His relaxing rain soundscapes are some of the most popular on soundcloud, with one clip nearing 14 million streams as of late 2020. More recently Stefanski expanded his productions with visual components, including a new website which hosts the unique travelogue "The San Diego Tapes" and photography prints for sale.

~FEEL FREE to use my field recordings/original tracks in any of your own works, I only ask you cite me as a source and please send me a link of the finished product.  MESSAGE ME for questions, I won't see questions in comments.

#ambient #fieldrecording #soundscape #relaxing #fieldrecordings #sounddesign #meditation #soundeffects #drone #yoga #studying #study #newage #experimental #audiophile #foley