Nestled away in the heart of Osaka, Japan, lies a very special community of artists who nurture the cities unique ambient and experimental sound. It is here that you’ll find Andreas Holderbach, aka Dérive, co-founder/ curator of one of our favourite labels and biggest inspirations, Muzan Editions.

Last year, we had the pleasure of seeing Dérive perform a stunning ambient DJ set in the early hours of the morning at a Muzan Editions x Astral Industries event. Listening to this mix has been a really special way of revisiting that moment <3

https://soundcloud.com/derive_ambient
https://soundcloud.com/muzaneditions

Artwork by Clayton Ciolac

The Observatory - Dérive

We are delighted to begin the year with a mix from ASIP (Ryan Griffin), the founder of A Strangely Isolated Place - a label and mix series that has become a cornerstone for contemporary ambient music. Inviting him felt long overdue, and we couldn’t be happier to share this contribution from someone whose work continually inspires us. For this mix, Ryan delved into musical memories, crafting a journey filled with nostalgia and influences. As he beautifully puts it:

"Thank you, Mareen, for the invite to your series. This mix is full of nostalgia, some Balearic undertones, and classic approaches to ambient electronic music, without an agenda. It starts to speak to some major influences on me over the years. Growing up on 90's electronic music, influential summers in Europe, and the formative years of early 00's IDM and electronica. If Unrush is self-described as 'a serene space within the mind that is free from the encumbering stresses of daily life,' then this is music that always helps me get there."

Ryan’s contribution is a heartfelt journey through time, marked by the sounds that have shaped him and continue to inspire, perfectly embodying the unrushed ethos. Let yourself drift and enjoy... ❤️

ASIP on the web:
Website: https://www.astrangelyisolatedplace.com/
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/astrangelyisolatedplace
Bandcamp: https://astrangelyisolatedplace.bandcamp.com/
iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/a-strangely-isolated-place/id409698179

UNRUSH on the web:
Bandcamp: www.unrush.bandcamp.com/
Hardwax: www.hardwax.com/label/unrush/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/_unrush_/?hl=de
Facebook: www.facebook.com/unrushme/

Cover artwork by Irakli Kiziria

Tracklist:
Ishq - And Awake (2011, Interchill Records)
Aspetuck - Hit Me With Your Pet Shark (Forthcoming, A Strangely Isolated Place)
Wilson Tanner - Further Than Your Headlights (2016, Growing Bin Records)
TSR - gtchi3 (2012, Record Union)
MPU101 - Sunset Memories (2024, Ilian Tape)
Dream Dolphin - L.E.A (Mirror Coordinate Mix) (2023, Music From Memory)
C-thru - Awake In A Dream (2023, Pacific Rhythm)
Norman Feller - Melting From The Inside (2003, Electrolux)
Gallo - That Moment (2023, Hell Yeah)
Spooky - Let Go (1993, Guerilla)
Neutron 900 - Empire (1994, Rising High)
Alvar - Our Peach Sky (Unreleased)
Mikkel Rev - Unknown (Unreleased)
Ebi - Kaze (1996, Space Teddy)
Jochem Paap - Dx-Snth (1999, Fax)

093 - Unrushed by ASIP

"Pause, serenity, preciousness. Healing. Sometimes, it’s simply about stopping. Taking a deep breath. Letting something subtle wrap around you and gently reach within. Travelling to places of harmonic beauty, where time stretches softly, where the mind can unravel. Returning. Resting. And perhaps, beginning again - with a clearer gaze, a quiet reset."

Dérive (@derive_ambient) is the co-founder of Muzan Editions (@muzaneditions), a tape label from Osaka, Japan, focusing on ambient and experimental sound.

HOCast #244 - Dérive

You can now order the vinyl Music From Memory album:
https://chifactory.bandcamp.com/album/we-carry-eden-feat-omar-ka
 
Music From Memory is delighted to announce a new album from Son Of Chi entitled ’We Carry Eden’, an immersive long-form composition in two parts that seamlessly blends a collage of spoken word, field recordings and drones with elements of dub, jazz, fourth world and ambient music. 

Son Of Chi is the latest project of Rotterdam-based multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer Hanyo van Oosterom. Van Oosterom’s prolific career spans multiple decades and genres; among countless projects he has been involved in, he is known for founding the Dutch ambient collective CHI in the early eighties, and in recent years for his prolific collaboration with CHI co-founder Jacobus Derwort as Chi Factory. Following Derwort’s passing in 2019, van Oosterom decided to close the CHI circle with the birth of Son Of Chi. 

Sonically, the world of ‘We Carry Eden’ is fully immersive; it ripples with depth and shimmers in detail. Motifs, ideas and fragments, arise and disappear like passing thoughts, drawing the listener deeper and deeper inwards. For those familiar with Oosterom’s work as Chi Factory, the depth and meditative nature of the work will come as no surprise; however it is Oosterom’s skill with grooves that shines equally bright here; his infectiously dubby basslines and percussion rise up from the ether, grounding the listener to the earth. ‘We Carry Eden’ at times invokes the fourth world landscapes of Jon Hassell, (with whom Oosterom has collaborated) but as a whole, it remains the unique work of an artist fully in tune with their vision. 

Thematically, storytelling traditions lie at the heart of ‘We Carry Eden’, with van Oosterom’s long-time collaborator Omar Ka playing a central role. Ka, who hails from the West African nomadic Fulani tradition of storytelling, responds to the collage of field recordings and sounds collected by Oosterom. His voice is woven throughout ‘We Carry Eden’, creating a narrative that binds the multiple sound sources of the album together. 

As with much of van Oosterom’s musical output, inspiration is drawn from the Greek Island of Patmos and the wisdom and prophecies of the Native American Hopi Tribe. Since his work with CHI in the early eighties, van Oosterom has often incorporated quotes from Hopi Elders into his music. Gods, spirits, animals and humans, all existing in one unchangeable relationship tied to nature; ‘We Carry Eden’ is rooted in this philosophy, serving as a peaceful message of beauty, harmony and respect for the wisdom of the Elders and ancient traditions. 

‘We Carry Eden’ has been released on LP and digitally on May 16th 2025. Sleeve art and design by Michael Willis.

We Carry Eden Part Two

I Invite you to listen to this preview of my live set at Plex Athens on June 19th, presenting the "We Carry Eden" album. 

It starts with a loop from my Sakamoto Tribute live set at Mostra Barcelona (2023). You will hear samples from “Do not Stand at my Grave and Weep” (Mary Elizabeth Frye), read by Tom O'Bedlam. I added  vocal samples by Dunya Yunis. You might know her from the “My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts” album by Brian Eno and David Byrne. The fieldrecordings are from the Kallikatsou (Patmos) by Ioannis Nikolaou.

As always when i prepare a live set i make loops and collect samples. This time i sampled from some artists i connected to on instagram. The basic scape for the 2nd movement (3.00 min) comes from Eirini Zacharaki from Athens who sent me her 1st ever electronic noise experiment. I also added a rhythm loop from a track by an artist called Zebra (Alexis Georgopoulos). 

The direction and theme for this live set came (as usual) unexpected when i saw a post on instagram where Richard Gere reads the poem “Think Of Others” by the great Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish (scroll down for the complete text). These dark days we live in you wonder what you could actually do. The answer comes with this poem (taken from a live poetry reading of Darwish:

“As you think of others far away, think of yourself and say: If only I were a candle in the dark”.

At 5.30 min Omar Ka joins this preview. He does the Fulani storytelling (and chanting) on the We Carry Eden album. He also introduces the next piece (6.30 min). The music comes from a bonus track of the “Seven Years At The Chi Factory” CD i recently released. The vocal is by the American poet Robert Lax, who lived the 2nd part of his life on Patmos, Greece. He also opens the We Carry Eden album saying:

“You have to have the habit of working on the project all the time and then the good moments come along  by themselves, as happy surprises and as graces, but eh, so you put yourself in a eh, in a place where grace can flow to you”.

At 08.20 min we move into a preview of a new album i’m working on with Radboud Mens (to be released by Music From Memory in 2026 TBA). First Mahmoud Darwish returns with: “Say: If only I were a candle in the dark”.

Then ( at 9.20 min) you hear the voice of Richard Gere (who also used to live on Patmos) reciting an English translation of “Think Of Others”. 

Finally (at 10.40 min) we return to the Kallikatsou. The music comes from my album “The Kallikatsou Recordings”. The vocals are taken from a Youtube video by a young Palestinian girl Rahaf Nasser, using her passion for music to comfort the traumatized children on the streets of Gaza. 

It's all about being a "Candle In The Dark". The preview closes (again) with field recordings from The Kallikatsou, Patmos by Ioannis Nikolaou who run the Underflow Record Store in Athens the last years. Recently he sadly passed away, so this mix is also a tribute to him. The spoken word in the outro is by his good friend Spyro Papanastassiou.

All we can do is keep spreading love, peace, hope and comfort. To respect, protect and preserve truth and stand strong in unity. One love!

"Think of Others" by Mahmoud Darwish, translated by Mohammed Shaheen

As you prepare your breakfast, think of others
Do not forget the pigeon's food
As you conduct your wars, think of others
Do not forget those who seek peace
As you pay your water bill, think of others
Those who are nursed by clouds
As you return home, to your home, think of others
Do not forget the people of the camps
As you sleep and count the stars, think of others
Those who have nowhere to sleep
As you liberate yourself in metaphor, think of others
those who have lost the right to speak
As you think of others far away, think of yourself and say: 
If only I were a candle in the dark

Join us in Athens:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1813791775862552/
Listen to 'We Carry Eden'
https://chifactory.bandcamp.com/album/we-carry-eden-feat-omar-ka

A Candle In The Dark (preview of a live set)

Livejam Zensor & Son of Chi @ Simplon Groningen 2024

Son of Chi & Zensor Live

"Like tracing constellations in slow motion - patterns unfold, shift, dissolve. What begins as motion becomes presence, and in the stillness that follows, echoes linger like distant light."

Endurance (@joshua-stefane) is the ambient project of Canadian-born Joshua Stefane. Using modular synthesizers, field recordings, and cassette tapes, Endurance’s sound has become increasing minimal and tonally-focused over the years, employing a minimum of elements to create a maximum of expressiveness. In addition to releasing from labels such as Constellation Tatsu and Mystery Circles, Endurance also curates the Japan-based tape label Muzan Editions (@muzaneditions). As a live performer, he has appeared at numerous high-profile events such as Kyoto’s Star Festival, Extremely Cold Music Festival, Moment, and Rural, with an increasing emphasis on bringing deep ambient soundscapes to techno music parties.

https://endurance010010.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/descending_on_venus/

HOCast #245 - Endurance - LIVE

For the first time collaborating on a mix, Camu and Joan Gila crafted this set for Temple 08 "world of echo", a series of deep listening events curated by Josephine and Camu himself at Espacio Perpendicular. 

The mix drifts through a landscape of minimalism, ambient waves, shamanic echoes, and deep, textural drones - an immersive journey through layers of sound.

@javier-camunas
@joan-gila
@espacio-perpendicular
@hoc-radio

Joan Gila & Camu | #86

There’s something profoundly healing in the music of French duo Javier Salazar, whose output embodies the true medicinal power of sound. 

This mix takes our mind’s eye into the sunshine - grass between our toes, spliff in hand - as we get intimate with the scoops, wrapped in a warm, enveloping blanket of sound.

We hope this beautiful contribution brings you an hour of peace, just as it has for us many times over the past month. Thanks, Leo & Simon <3
~~
https://soundcloud.com/javrsalazar
https://soundcloud.com/klapenunsen
https://www.klapenunsen.com/
https://klapenunsen.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/javrsalazar/
https://www.instagram.com/klapenunsen/

Artwork by Clayton Ciolac
https://claytonciolac.com/
https://www.instagram.com/cccccclaytonciolac/

The Observatory - Javier Salazar

Tracklist:

3. Crow Twins - Depart For The Stars (Trip on this Outro)

Mystic Sun and Crow Twins proudly present to you our debut three track offering of deep house, dub echoes, pulsating drum grooves and ambient textures some more upfront, others more melancholic and set back. We hope you enjoy the journey as much as the destination. Much love Kelvin and Joss

Track 3. Written & Arranged by Kelvin Patterson and Joss Ambrose

Mixed and Mastered by Joss Ambrose
 
Released by:
Safe Sound Movement

Release date:
22 September 2025 on Bandcamp: https://mysticsun.bandcamp.com/album/microcosm-macrocosm-ep

© all rights reserved

Socials:

Music 4 Unity Radio Presents
Microcosm Macrocosm EP Listening Party
With Mystic Sun & Guest DJ Sideways  
Monday 22 September 2025
7:00PM - 11:00PM
Click the Link to Join the Party: https://dlive.tv/DJ-MysticSun

3. Crow Twins - Depart For The Stars (Trip On This Outro)

Opening DJ set from Organik Festival 2019. Over the duration I revisit themes expressed across various mixes released throughout the last year. It was such an honor to play this incredible festival, and I hope to return in the future.

Featuring selected tracks by The CHI Factory, Biosphere, Jonathan Fitoussi & Clemens Hourrière, Aleksi Perälä, Drexciya, Donato Dozzy, Archivist, Ekin Fil, CV & JAB, Mind over MIDI, Ancestral Voices, ASC, Sam KDC, Alva Noto, Unjin, Cyme, Pariah, O Yuki Conjugate, KWC 92, Mark Van Hoen, Toki Fuko, Sylvia Monnier, Skee Mask, and many others.

@smokemachinetaipei

Organik 2019

Grant Aaron | Organik Festival 2019

Founder of CHI (1984) and the Chi Factory (2016). Member of Soundcloud since August 2023. Performing, recording, producing 
as Son Of Chi since 2020.

Find out more on future Son Of Chi releases on instagram and Astral Industries.

The Chi Factory has performed live at festivals like Signal Russia, Rewire The Hague, Intrinsic France, Berlin Atonal, Astral Industries Weekender, Off Sonar, La Nature, Mostra Barcelona and more. Hope to see you soon live.

For special Chi Factory live events, licensing, remixes etc you can contact: hanyo@ziggo.nl

We Carry Eden Part Two

Son Of Chi

Recent comments

yutori

Related tracks