Chapter III

Our first inter-dimensional carpet ride of the year comes courtesy of Mysteries of the Deep head honcho, Grant Aaron <3

Tracklist:

Ana Roxanne - A Study in Vastness
https://anaroxanne.bandcamp.com/album/because-of-a-flower-2

Sophia Zhuravkova - Interior Music 004
https://interiormusic.bandcamp.com/album/interior-music-2

Taylor Deupree - November
https://taylordeupree.bandcamp.com/album/northern-re-issue

korrē - Potions
https://perimeterjunk.bandcamp.com/album/oizys

Skee Mask - Terminal Z
https://iliantape.bandcamp.com/album/itlp19-resort

COH - NAKED MOONLIGHT RESURRECTS FORGOTTEN POETS
https://coh-official.bandcamp.com/album/music-vo

Loscil & Lawrence English - Indigo 
https://lawrenceenglish.bandcamp.com/album/chroma

Celer - Remaining Stretches
https://celer.bandcamp.com/album/engaged-touches-expanded-and-remastered

Quiet Places - Side A
https://astrangelyisolatedplace.bandcamp.com/album/volume-2

Mor Air & Luke Elliott - Cathode
https://frostilabel.bandcamp.com/album/the-beautiful-late

Hiroshi Yoshimura - Time Forest
https://hiroshi-yoshimura.bandcamp.com/album/surround

~~

Artist Support:

https://www.mysteriesofthedeep.net
https://mysteriesofthedeep.bandcamp.com
https://birdsofpreymusic.bandcamp.com/music
https://soundcloud.com/insideout
https://soundcloud.com/mysteriesofthedeep
https://www.instagram.com/mystofthedeep/

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

The Observatory - Grant Aaron

It's with great pleasure that we welcome Spanish maestro ABSIS to The Observatory, who gifts us with a special live ambient set, performed and recorded earlier this month at Human Club's third anniversary celebrations in Barcelona.

Thank you, Salva. Stunning <3
~~
Artist Support:

https://soundcloud.com/absismusic
https://rededge.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-alpengl-hen
https://hiverndiscs.bandcamp.com/album/found-ritual
https://affin.bandcamp.com/album/silent-voices
https://www.instagram.com/absis_music/

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

The Observatory - ABSIS (Live Ambient Set @ Human Club, 2025)

It's an honour to welcome the lovely Joan Gila to The Observatory <3

A passionate music lover and record collector for over half his life, Joan is the curator of HOC Radio and a really beautiful label known as red edge (highly recommended if you're not familiar! stunning releases by ABSIS and Bastien <3). Alongside Javi .apart and his friend Jordi, with whom he runs the Binomi project, he co-hosts MostRadio.

https://soundcloud.com/joan-gila
https://soundcloud.com/hoc-radio
https://soundcloud.com/red-edge-label
https://soundcloud.com/binomi
https://soundcloud.com/mostrabcn
https://rededge.bandcamp.com/music

Some words by Joan about the mix:

"I always like to conceptualize my mixes. It helps me set boundaries and avoid falling into the endless musical rabbit hole - which, frankly, can be overwhelming. This particular mix took me time to find its definitive form. After my latest vinyl purchases over the past few months, as well as an exploration of CDs (a whole fascinating world in itself), I was finally able to define its premise.

The mix unfolds across four movements. Three of them are based on a deconstruction of a long-form minimalist drone composition, layering elements of field recordings, electroacoustics & musique concrète, or additional drones. Each movement explores textures, dialectics, and microtonalism respectively. In between, the remaining movement serves as a purely experimental interlude.

This time, I can’t provide a tracklist - I couldn’t even say exactly what I used or in what proportion. The selection flows together in a way that’s hard to pinpoint, with a mix of works and pieces that come together naturally. That said, I can share that it features a strong presence of musique concrète and electroacoustic works from the '70s and '80s, including artists like Jep Nuix, Olly Wilson, Hans Roosenschon, and Anne Ben Hammou, along with revered names in drone and minimalism like Éliane Radigue, Bernhard Günter, Sarah Davachi, or Toshiya Tsunoda. There are also more recent sonic experiments and compositions – names like Richard Chartier, Steve Roden, Pablo Diserens, Jana Winderen, ENA, or Lotus Eater - some of which we’ll have the chance to experience at Mostra. And of course, there are also tracks from friends - this time, Oisatsana, ABSIS, and Menhir."

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

The Observatory - Joan Gila

This contribution is a very special one, as it marks a new chapter in The Observatory’s sound… 

We will always be a home for ambient and experimental sounds. But, moving forward, we will also be exploring our love for dance music, with a particular focus on the deep end.

To begin this new journey and warm things up, we are so happy to welcome back Timnah, who gifts us with a two-hour recording of her set at Omen Wapta, ADE’24. A mind-bending traversal through ambient, drone, and halftime experiments, exploring the liminal spaces between the listening room and the dance floor.
~~
Timnah lives, works and feeds the cats in the Northwestern extremities of Switzerland. Brought up in her parents’ jazz clubs and deeply influenced by her brother’s love for dub and soundsystem culture, she started DJing just after the massively feared Millenium Bug had threatened to offset our relation to time and space. Dedicated to drawing her own map of late 20th century sonic landscapes, she spent the early 2000s exploring 90s electronics including breakbeat, triphop, ambient techno, drum&bass, house and jungle. After a short but sweet excursion into producing in the early 2010s, Timnah dedicated herself fully to spinning the wheels and transversing genres, gravitating towards her current signature sound that spans immersive sound baths and intergalactic carpet rides in half-time. Timnah is a member of Amenthia Recordings and a recent addition to the A Walking Contradiction Collective.
~~
Artist Support:

https://soundcloud.com/timnah-sommerfeldt
https://ra.co/dj/timnahsommerfeldt
https://www.instagram.com/timnah_amenthia

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

The Observatory - Timnah @ Omen Wapta, ADE, 2024

For our next offering, we warmly welcome o.utlier to The Observatory, who takes us on a journey through some of the finest horizontal selections and low-lying rhythms, mixed and recorded last month at Om Being's Deep Listening Lounge in Hackney Downs, London. 
~~
Artist Support:

https://soundcloud.com/o-utlier
https://outlier.bandcamp.com/music
https://www.instagram.com/outlier_rory/
https://soundcloud.com/titraterecords
https://titrate.bandcamp.com/music
https://www.instagram.com/titraterecords/
https://soundcloud.com/pagan_red
https://www.instagram.com/pagan_red/

Artwork by Clayton Ciolac, inspired by megalithic art found inside Newgrange, a passage tomb built during the Neolithic period in the Boyne Valley, Ireland, around 3200 BC.
https://www.instagram.com/cccccclaytonciolac/

https://ombeing.co.uk
https://www.instagram.com/om_being_/

The Observatory - o.utlier @ Om Being - Deep Listening Lounge, 2025

Two hours of blissful, atmospheric, dubbed-out grooves and sound system pressure from Kizen Records' head honcho and one of our favorite selectors... Romi.
~~
Artist Support:

https://soundcloud.com/romi808
https://ra.co/dj/romi
https://www.instagram.com/___romi_/
https://kizenrecords.bandcamp.com
https://soundcloud.com/kizenrecords

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

The Observatory - Romi

For our next offering, we return to the listening room, where we welcome Minimal Collective co-founder Brent Jacko.

"Digging through my archive became a meditative process during a long stretch of recovery, often while reflecting on the Mediterranean Sea or moving through the cold landscapes of the Dolomites. With a reductionist approach, I slowly shaped this one-hour mix: a blend of field recordings, emerging artists, and longtime inspirations, featuring Richard Chartier, Cosey Fanni Tutti, Jon Hassell, Cio D’Or, Loek Frey, ASC, Aleksi Perälä, Shackleton, and more.”
~~
Artist Support:

https://soundcloud.com/brent-jacko
https://www.instagram.com/brentjacko/

https://www.minimalcollective.digital
https://soundcloud.com/minimal_collective
https://www.instagram.com/minimal_collective/

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

Mastering by Loek Frey
https://soundcloud.com/loekfrey
https://www.instagram.com/loekfrey/

The Observatory - Brent Jacko

We’re so honoured to welcome Refracted to The Observatory, whose sonic explorations have inspired us deeply over the years <3

This spellbinding set was recorded live last month during Astral Industries’ takeover at Resør Listening Room in Berlin.
~~
https://soundcloud.com/refracted-music
https://refracted.bandcamp.com
https://titrate.bandcamp.com/album/in-veil
https://ra.co/dj/refracted
https://www.instagram.com/refractedmusic/

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

The Observatory - Refracted @ Astral Industries, Resør Listening Room, 2025

Hailing from sleepy Vermont and now based in the beautiful Hudson Valley, our next guest is a talented synthesist, live performer, and DJ. Together with his Delayed family, he’s also the co-founder of the lovely Never Late record label.

Warmly welcoming Griff Fulton, aka Aspetuck <3

~~

“To me, this mix is an homage to my experience at Mostra, distilled into a very short amount of time. I wanted to break it up into a few different moments - ambient, downtempo, and drum & bass. The first two are styles I’ve been dabbling in a lot more recently, but drum & bass is very much new territory for me.

Jay and I first got in touch back in September. When we started discussing a mix, the platform was fully ambient, drone, and experimental, and I had some ideas slowly coming together about what my contribution to the series could be. At one point, though, Jay mentioned we could push my mix back to the end of May - one month after Mostra, a festival in Barcelona we were both really excited to attend. I jumped at the chance because I wanted to see how the festival would influence my mix. It was undeniable that it would focus me in a way I wasn’t quite aware of yet.

Around the same time, Jay decided to open up the platform to some deeper dance floor sounds, which gave me the opportunity to create a mix that builds in energy and unravels over time. I wanted to leave some room at the beginning of the mix for the more experimental sides of ambient that The Observatory is most known for. I included a couple of my own live modular jams from the past couple of months, sprinkled amongst some favourites from artists like Andreas Tilliander, Jan Jelinek, and Shifted.

From there, I bring in some slower tempo, hypnotic, “eyes-closed groove” tracks, as I label them in my Rekordbox. Right around halfway, a Loek Frey track with a nice long intro ushers in a drum & bass / halftime section in the 80/160 BPM range, followed by a brief conclusion.

Recorded in one take earlier this month after a very inspiring trip to Barcelona - thank you, Mostra, for the endless inspiration <3”

~~

https://soundcloud.com/aspetuck
https://aspetuck.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/aspetuckmusic/
https://aspetuck.substack.com/
https://ra.co/dj/aspetuck

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

The Observatory - Aspetuck

Delighted to welcome Utrecht’s Vand to The Observatory, one of our favorite artists <3

From falling in love with his collaborative EP Laren with Bas Dobbelaer, all the way through to his recently released Trialism EP on ISOTOOP (a collective now turned record label, which he’s at the helm of), Vand’s sound has truly captured our heart.

With lush ambient soundscapes coupled with driving grooves, this mix encapsulates everything we love about electronic music <3
~~
https://soundcloud.com/vandmusic
https://www.instagram.com/vandtor/
https://soundcloud.com/isotoop
https://isotoop.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/isotoop/

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

The Observatory - Vand

Today, we’re thrilled to welcome Mohemann to the series - a gifted artist and curator who has been a vital force in nurturing Beijing’s underground electronic music scene for over a decade.

Last year, we had the pleasure of witnessing Mohemann deliver a stunning techno set at Astral Industries' 10th anniversary celebration in Osaka. Now, he steps away from the dance floor to guide us on a beautiful, introspective journey - an immersive, horizontal trip through sound.
~~
https://soundcloud.com/mohemann
https://www.instagram.com/dj_mohemann/
https://soundcloud.com/tunnel-eerawai
https://www.instagram.com/tunnel_cn/

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

The Observatory - Mohemann

Mark H. Geary, also known as Eight Fold Way, is a London-based artist whose work delves deep into the multidimensionality of sound.

Over the years, Mark’s impressive catalog of mixes and recordings have been a profound source of inspiration, opening our ears to an expansive universe of sonic textures and possibilities.

Together with hems, Mark co-runs one of our favourite music platforms: Hardcore Chillout. If you're unfamiliar with it, we highly recommend diving in!

This one's a real psychedelic slow burner - absolutely beautiful.
~~
https://soundcloud.com/eightfoldway
www.instagram.com/eightfoldway/

https://soundcloud.com/hardcore-chillout
www.instagram.com/hardcorechillout/

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

The Observatory - Eight Fold Way

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

"A lucid dream is a dream in which a person becomes aware that he or she is dreaming, and it then becomes quite different from an ordinary dream. For one thing, it can be strikingly realistic - to the point of producing a convincing replica of the normal physical world - and for another, it has its own psychological characteristics and range of emotional reactions, which must be considered independently of those experienced in normal dreaming."

Spanish sonic alchemist Camu joins us on the series with a deep session recorded at Lucid Dreams at Espacio Perpendicular, a Madrid-based event space he co-founded with like-minded individuals who share a beautiful ear for the more obscure shades of electronic music.

Tracklist:

Richard Chartier – archival
Richard Chartier – Fields for Recording 1-8
MMMD – Skóra
Fabio Perletta – Ichinen Pt.2
Thomas Köner – Novaya Zemlya 2
Nurse with Wound – A Missing Sense
CoH + Cosey Fanni Tutti – Inside
placa – lugar común
Timo van Luijk & Frederik Croene – Taetonia
Perila – Sweat (with Inger Wold Lund)
Rainforest Spiritual Enslavement – Sorcery Killings
Ragnar Kestis – og gleðin snýr aftur (Original Mix)
Fennesz – Happy Audio
Fjäder – Hjärtans Fröjd
Aidan Baker – Blood Like A Chorus of Insects
Mads Emil Nielsen – Installation - 2
Paleman – For Trees (4)
Bass Communion – Drugged IV
ARROWOUNDS – Burial Trances
Gregg Kowalsky – X-XI
Jo Johnson – Haunted by the Legend of Better Days
Laurent Pernice – Antigone au tombeau
Else Marie Pade & Jacob Kirkegaard – Altocumulus, Cumulonimbus, Nimbostratus
Steve Roden / In Be Tween Noise – And Go The Great Man
Concepción Huerta – Emerges From the Deep
Pinkcourtesyphone – Lure / Beyond Exactly

https://soundcloud.com/javier-camunas
https://soundcloud.com/espacio-perpendicular
https://www.instagram.com/kamunas/
https://www.instagram.com/espacio.perpendicular/

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

The Observatory - Camu @ Lucid Dreams, 2025

For our next installment, we’re honoured to welcome ABSIS back to the series with a stunning recording of his all-vinyl hybrid DJ set at this year’s Perpendicular Festival.

Equipped with an ISO420 mixer, Pulsar-23, H90 FX, three turntables, and a crate full of heavyweight rhythms, ABSIS delivered a beautifully crafted dub session that warmed the dancefloor on Saturday morning.

May these sounds ease you gently into the week ahead <3

https://soundcloud.com/absismusic
https://www.instagram.com/absis_music/

https://soundcloud.com/espacio-perpendicular
https://www.instagram.com/espacio.perpendicular/

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

The Observatory - ABSIS (Hybrid Set) - Perpendicular 2025

Honoured to welcome one of the finest ambient selectors on the planet...

'A certain recluse monk once remarked, "I have relinquished all that ties me to the world, but the one thing that still haunts me is the beauty of the sky." I can quite see why he would feel this.' - Yoshida Kenkō

"Mostly new music, brought together in the moment - at home, one afternoon in Tokyo, summer 2025." - Chris SSG

https://soundcloud.com/mnml-ssgs

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

The Observatory - Chris SSG

Earlier this year, we had the pleasure of attending the fourth edition of Mostra, one of the most beautiful, safe, and welcoming gatherings we've ever experienced. It was an intimate, four-day festival in the city of Barcelona dedicated to exploring experimental electronic music and the avant-garde — expertly curated and surrounded by a beautiful community of like-minded souls who treated us like family.

On the second day of the festival at Fabra i Coats — inside one of the most respectful and attentive listening rooms, with an audience whose silence drew you even deeper into the sound — Detroit legend and Mostra resident Patrick Russell took his place in the booth, seated this year, and delivered a deeply moving and powerful sonic trip — one we’re honored to share with you today.

A big thank you to Patrick and Mostra for giving us the opportunity to share one of our favourite performances of the festival.
~~
https://soundcloud.com/ptrckrssll
https://www.instagram.com/ptrckrssll/

https://www.mostra.barcelona/en
https://soundcloud.com/mostrabcn
https://www.instagram.com/mostrabcn/

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

Mostra x The Observatory - Patrick Russell

One of the most special things about curating this series is the opportunity to connect with like-minded, beautiful souls from around the world. Among them is none other than the lovely DOC, whom we warmly welcome to the series <3

If you've ever had the pleasure of meeting DOC, or even briefly chatted with him online, you’ll know just how deeply passionate and supportive he is about the music he loves. He carries a special, contagious energy that inspires those around him and resonates throughout his artistry as a gifted selector, producer, and curator of the incredible Selene Series / The Continuum podcast.

Today, we are deeply honoured and grateful to share a very special improvised live recording, generously gifted to us by DOC and his machines.

With music, we are always searching for a familiar feeling or experience - a kind of warm, comforting nostalgia - and we find it here, within this beautifully woven, abstract tapestry of sound.

Thanks David <3

https://soundcloud.com/doc_sounds
https://www.instagram.com/doc_sounds/
https://soundcloud.com/seleneseries
https://www.instagram.com/seleneseries/

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

The Observatory - DOC (Live)

ambient ~ experimental ~ beats

Curated by @jaykeegan

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