#91: Separate, Together
A poem about mixing songs + new music from Boards of Canada, Bleeptwig, Laurence Pike, and more
Currently listening to: Victoria by obli
Hello, friend.
I hope you are doing well on this late May Friday. It’s warm and sunny here in New Jersey—Summer is making its slow entrance.
Next month, I’ll be attending Summerisle Burn, a regional festival in Pennsylvania inspired by the principles of Burning Man. On the off-chance that you happen to be attending or are interested in attending, please feel free to reach out to me via Substack DM or email—I’d love to see you there!
I’m in the midst of making a longform ambient DJ mix that I’ll be playing for a Late Night Ambient Lounge at our camp during the festival. Around 1 AM-ish, in our camp lit by many different lamps, I’ll be playing 2+ hours of ambient music and writing on a whiteboard the names of the tracks and artists that listeners are hearing. I hope it will be a nice come-down from the excitement and partying my fellows will be enjoying. I’ll also be giving out free copies of my poetry book.
I wrote a short poem this morning while reflecting on the experience of making this new mix, inspired by the beauty of coincidence when discovering just how perfectly different songs can fit together, like puzzle pieces that snap together cleanly despite being cut from different puzzles.
I hope you enjoy it, and I hope to share the mix with you all in the near future.
P.S. If you’d like to contribute a track to the mix, you can join our Hum, Buzz, & Hiss Discord community where you’ll find more details. Deadline to submit is this Sunday, May 31.
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separate, together
separate together perfectly clever mixing the distinct instinctual unexpected carefully collected a supernatural wink unbeknownst collaboration cross pollination layering, layering novel familiar singular they still were harmoniously destined to be
The Living Music List
Hello again, friend. I hope you enjoyed today’s poem—and I hope you are getting some sun wherever you are. I also hope these 6 new music recommendations will help set a lovely tone for your weekend and week ahead.
Happy listening.
Light Held Still by Bleeptwig (album / electronic, drone, atmospheric drum and bass) [Independent]
Oscillating between tracks full of warm, sustained tones and tracks dappled with atmospheric but hard-hitting beats, this album feels like catching lightning in a bottle—once contained, it is still and beautiful, but take the cap off, and its crackling power is unleashed.
têmpora by hugo espirito santo (album / minimalist, drone) [Independent]
I feel like this debut record is a perfect follow-up to Bleeptwig’s album listed above: there are some atmospheric beats hidden among the ambience, although they are more muted and restrained. But instead of light and stillness, this album is a meditation on darkness and fluidity.
Possible Utopias For Jazz Quintet by Laurence Pike (album / experimental, ambient jazz) [Balmat]
This record isn’t really jazz, and it’s certainly not a quintet—just Pike and his drum/ambient experimentations (plus a few occasional friends) sounding a bit like the improvised sound check of a jazz group in a small room.
Inferno by Boards of Canada (album / electronic) [Warp Records]
Needs no introduction, really, I know… but after 13 years and an excitingly mysterious promotional cycle, the brothers are back. And the production of Inferno is as beautiful, haunting, and intricate as ever.
Soft Speak by obli (album / electronica) [Anjunachill]
Despite the dim blue hues of its cover art, this record was made for the early summer sun. Full of rhythms and harmonies that get your head nodding and put butterflies beneath every inch of your skin.
Many As One by Good Swim (EP / folk) [Independent]
A while back, I shared the single Paper Tiger from this EP by Belfast-based singer/songwriter Dave McConnell (playing here as Good Swim). I was captivated by McConnell’s voice and writing on that single and, thankfully, the full 5-track EP is just as captivating.
Music List Reminders: Bandcamp links provided first when available—if an album is not on Bandcamp, then YouTube or other preview links are provided. List format: Title by Artist (release type / approximate genre or subgenres) [Label].
That’s all for this week’s issue. Thank you for reading. Until next time.
Your friend,
Melted Form
Read the previous issue of The Living Music List:
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Thank you ⚡️
Good luck with the set - that sounds absolutely delightful. Def up for hearing the recording.