Ambient Modes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Just_Called_to_Say_I_Love_You

104. Stevie Wonder "I Just Called To Say I Love You" (1984)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songbird_(Kenny_G_composition)

109. Kenny G "Songbird" (1986)

Shaded Explorations #002 - Soundscapes For Escape Vol. 2
Limited Double Cassette VA in an handmade cover.
Out 2 march 2015.

A side:
As Patria - Belisama
Antonio Vázquez - Nebenan
Ntogn - Träl

B side:
Shaded Explorer - Förlorat Småstad
Fjäder - Vingar
Gigi Masin - Vienna

C side:
Commodity Place - Tentacle Rape
DiY Project - #01
Deison - Subsurface

D side:
Claudio PRC - Zona D'Ombra
Mørk - Resonant Mutism
Tom Adams - North

© 2015 Shaded Explorations [SE#002]
Mastered at Evasion Room Studio
Photo by Matteo Spangaro

VA - Soundscapes For Escape Vol. 2 [SE#002] Preview

A fantasy inspired mix I did for the lovely folks at Borscht Radio https://borscht.live/public/borscht_radio

"One thing I can say with certainty that has informed my identity just as much as music is my love for reading, my bandcamp collection rivalled only by my vast collection of books and comics that take over most corners of my apartment. And just like ambient music has an especially big place in my heart, the same can be said about fantasy novels. 

From my childhood favourite series The Edge Chronicles (the map of which I got tattooed across my chest as an adult) to Ursula K Le Guin’s Earthsea books, to modern masterpieces like Simon Jimenez’s The Spear Cuts Through Water, these books have imprinted themselves on my very being. They imagine worlds of magical possibility, but also don’t shy away from very real and increasingly immediate topics such as war, xenophobia, greed, mans exploitation of the earth, of women, of children, of innocence and all things good. Even in the older classics like Lord of the Rings where the line between good and evil are much more obvious than the grey morality of our world, there exists within much more relatable human stories of friendship, of commitment to those you love and those who will come after, of putting your life on the line for the future prosperity of those you believe should be protected.

I am not ashamed to admit that I try to live my life according to how my favourite characters in fantasy would act. I think there is this idea that reading fantasy should be an escape, but I refute that, much like I disagree that ambient music should be used simply as a balm to block out the world and help us ignore reality. These books and music that we love that imagine a better world make me want to live life in a way where we can make that happen, standing strong with our communities and forever fighting against injustice."

Tracklist:

Death Kneel - Fragrant Hunt 
Bruxa - Drifting (Iarnă pt.I) 
Witan - Whispering Pines 
Jake Muir - Changes 
Alio Die -Aura Seminalis Part II 
Migoi - Thana Traverse 
Snowspire - Approaching Hearthfire I: Taking Refuge 
Vindkaldr - Rainforest Alchemy 
Marv - Laughing 
Ash Ra Tempel - Quasarsphere 
Northumbria - Sunstone
Klause Wiese - Deja Vu  / Zoviet France - Slide
Bibio - Phantom Brickworks 
Witan - Solitude
Theodore Cale Schafer - Bloodletter 
Secret Stairways - What Lies Beyond the Door

Fantasy Mix for Borscht Radio

Emo Crystal cult show is back on Lyl with a spécial épisode focus on Ryuichi Sakamoto, For one hour, I invite you to dive deep into a part of his vast discography, from notable collaborations, films soundtracks, to more intimate pieces and remodels of somes of his greatest works !

Ryuichi Sakamoto Special w/ Wayatt (07.11.2025)

Pre-Order: https://dubwisevinyl.com
Mesmerising otherworldly percussive dubwise genius as only Shackleton knows how. Plenty of left turns on these remixes as you'd expect but also an irresistible groove that runs throughout accompanied by a proper sub bass brain massage. Best enjoyed  at high volume on decent speakers or headphones. It's a proper trip.

Due to arrive 12/12/25. Pre-order now at https://dubwisevinyl.com

drames rurals - Shackleton Mixes - Audio Clips - Pre-Order 12" at Dubwise Vinyl

Regular readers of tQ might remember that our friends at MUTEK helpfully had someone handy with a tape recorder to capture Factory Floor's comeback set at the 2024 edition of the festival. Well, we're happy to report that they've done done the same again, this time with one of our favourite collaborative duos – James Holden and Wacław Zimpel. The intense, beautiful and burbling set, with modular synths and saxophone dancing in all the bright ecstasy of a winter mountain stream, can be listened to on our Soundcloud below.  " i remember i really enjoyed this one, it was the first show we'd had for a little while and felt quite flowy, a nice connected feeling," reflected James Holden, and his musical partner agrees: "I really loved it," Wacław Zimpel says, "it's always quite amazing to play again after longer break. Breaks gives a room for new ideas to grow spontaneously." They both praise preceding sets by Yu Su and Valentina Magaletti for setting "a great vibe at the venue," as Zimpeł puts it. It came on top of a fine stay in Montreal for the festival. "We immersed ourselves in the local cuisine – poutine – and then climbed the big hill. at the top a guy with a fluorescent cargo bike and a poodle in (also fluorescent) ankle warmers turned up, pumping 90s house out of a Bluetooth speaker. We felt like we'd completed Canada, achievement unlocked."

James Holden & Wacław Zimpel live at MUTEK Montreal 2025

"The Last Playlist" explores mortality via songs people want at their funerals. Guests share stories ranging from hilarious to heartbreaking, discussing their musical choices while exploring death, grief, and what makes life worth living. Each episode weaves together music and conversation to celebrate life's complexities and honor its inevitable end.

From the host: _"Celebrating the work of Tchaikovsky, the godfather of emo."_ 
Find the full tracklist and related episodes on NTS: https://www.nts.live/shows/the-last-playlist/episodes/the-last-playlist-26th-november-2025

The Last Playlist - Tchaikovsky Special  261125

While DJ Shannon is away, NYC's MIRA MIRA steps into the booth delivering their signature sound of sonic liberation, exploration and experimentation. 

https://www.instagram.com/miraaasamiraaa
https://soundcloud.com/mirasamira

The DJ Shannon Show with MIRA MIRA @ The Lot Radio 11-26-2025

Free floating melodies and high flying flutes ~ French neo New Ager Les Halles teams up with Brussels based ambient swamp dweller Shorlax aka Tandreh for a b2b sesh at the Kiosk. A communion of tunes ahead of their live performances for KRAAK's closing show of the year, For Here Is Everywhere, which will take place at Vroom on Saturday 12/12.


KRAAK presents Porch Projector w/ Les Halles & Shorlax @ Kiosk Radio 05.12.2025

London-based imprint Osmura returns with their second compilation series, 'Transient Glow'. Flowing through bass, dubstep and techno, the compilation features new tracks by the likes of Gillielove, Andrae Durden, Prieste5s, Ila Brugal, Viiaan and lastly our premiere, ophélie who rounds off the release beautifully with a deeply emotional track. Drawing from elements of dub, ambient, prog and techno, ophélie's 'Drosera' feels like a mirage, a hazy memory filled with emotion that captures you within its spell. It feels like a desert-island track. 

@opheliek
@osmura

Premiere: ophélie - Drosera (Osmura)

Self Soothe w/ Margeaux 091225

An Hour For John Coltrane w/ Polysaccharides: 9th December '25

Koen Holtkamp — Voice Model
© Umor Rex Records

Koen Holtkamp’s music is never quite what it seems. There are distinct textures, tones, structures, relationships, and references —the things that bring us back again and again, but the undercurrent remains elusive.

For listeners unaware of Holtkamp’s solo efforts, most will have encountered him as half of the Brooklyn based duo Mountains (Thrill Jockey) —a project which has pushed musical boundaries for more than a decade. Voice Model wades effortlessly into this same ambitious territory, but focuses on the breadth of possibility activated by a narrow band of sonorities. It’s two interrelated works, Scene One and Scene Two, feature Holtkamp on piano, modular synth, bowls, cymbals and processing, as well as contributions by Nina Mehta on Flute and Josh Millrod on trumpet. Both sides, though in clear conversation, weave autonomous worlds - collapsing the ground between the historic efforts of Groupe de Recherche Musicales (GRM), New Age, and contemporary avant-garde practice, while sculpting their own worlds of sonic potential and understanding.

Voice Model’s fascinating intricacy works gradually like the sediment of time, gathering beneath a pool of conflicting streams, and defying the normal expectation of structure and artistry. Though the album fits seamlessly into the larger body of Holtkamp’s output, his hand remains elusive. Sounds appear to have sculpted themselves - to have appeared from an organic inevitability. This is an exploration of discrete encounters within an electronic ecosystem - a world of chance, where the dimensions of time unfold. As its tones ricochet off each other, they lead us not to themselves, but towards a whole. Single tones and textures expand and bleed, generations of influence raise their heads and disappear into the shadows.

Recorded in 2014 and 2015 before being allowed to percolate for the better part of a year, Voice Model finds an artist at the height of his powers —curious, and at equal ease with challenge and invitation. It’s singular and mature and welcomes listeners both seasoned and new to these territories.

—

Recorded and mixed by Koen Holtkamp in Brooklyn, NY 2015/2016
Mastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri at Black Knoll Studio
Design by Daniel Castrejon

Voice Model

Buy LP or DL

Koen Holtkamp — Scene I

from 'Continental Ruins' [CD|LP|DIGITAL]
Denovali Records · den274
available on all formats at [https://denovali.com/multicastdynamics]

Finland-based Samuel van Dijk is an electronic music producer, sound designer and media artist, having released electronic music under a variety of projects, namely, Mohlao and VC-118A. Following on from 2014-2016's praised album quadrilogy, Multicast Dynamics releases his new "Continental Ruins" LP on Denovali Records. Inspired by decayed infrastructure, Samuel van Dijk reveals his sound documentary about sunken cities and continents.  A study on storytelling with sound, where electronic music acts as a verb, moved by images and narratives.

„Continental Ruins“ LP is a journey through washed out, blurred particles, gliding across the ungraspable seafog of the atlantic, transforming the visible into sound. The murky and desolated atmosphere throughout the tracks reflects an forgotten utopia of places that were once populated. Unfolding fallen structures, immersing into the elusive, submerged land, searching for signs of life in the lost memories of faded civilizations, Multicast Dynamics explores ultrasonic underwater communication, decodes messages and browses through the archive of the past.

Written and produced with analogue synthesizers, arcane effect units and manipulated field-recordings, finally sequenced with the computer and mixed using temperamental analogue mixers. "Continental Ruins" LP is a slow horizontal panning, gliding through frames of sounds, creating textures and layers with unobtrusive rhythms. Samuel van Dijk delivers a calm and organic sound journey, resting on gloomy swirls and hidden artefacts. Artwork by T. van Dijk.

Continental Ruins

Multicast Dynamics - Frequency Modulation

Record label based in Mexico City, distributed worldwide by Morr Music.

Koen Holtkamp — Scene I

Umor Rex

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