Return to Flight

A mix of (mostly) creative commons ambient spacemusic which I put together in 2005 in honor of the "Return to Flight" STS-114 Space Shuttle mission, the first mission after the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. During the mission, Mission Specialist Steve Robinson recorded an audio file dubbed "the first podcast from space" clips of which are included in this mix.

playlist:
Michael Sandler - The Opening
Numina - Blinding Light
Gulan - Sphere
Kurrel the Raven - Way Out
Daniel Stefanik - Earth View
Blamstrain - 031231 (Theme for a Wordless Moment)
Martin Donath - Plateau White District
FootFall - Viola Nebulae
Yasahi - Space Odessey
softspace - Navigation
Phyle - Gravity/Home
Musir von Vidalia - Locus (part 1)
Frank Molder - Reparatur im Weltraum

you are floating

some tunes i've been enjoying lately. eastern-flavored glitchy dubstep, psychedelic ambient, downtempo grooves, deep sound journeys... good headphones recommended!

most of the tracks are available for free download from Ektoplazm, but if you do want to buy something, I recommend Futexture's EP - good music and 100% of the proceeds go to support Rainforest Action Network!

playlist:
[00:00] Temple Step Project - Truth and Grace from Embrace The One
[06:38] Zoungla - Anahata from Entwine
[15:33] Radioactive Sandwich - Immortals Made Of Stone from Full Moon
[23:08] Globular - Mamon from Sorbet for the Soul
[30:47] Hinkstep - Aldrig Mer from Into This Wired Abyss
[41:31] Zebbler Encanti Experience - Psychic Projections (feat. Dante Bucci) from Psychic Projections
[45:22] Futexture - New from Experiential Topography EP
[51:54] Sun In Aquarius - Wytaliba (The Girl by the River) from Evolving Freedom
[57:53] Cosmic Alliance Romixpsy - Elprincipio Y El Final from Little Pieces Of Infinity: Second Chapter
[67:56] Shantifax - Northern Lights from Complete Tranceformation

Genesis Generation 2012

Genesis Generation 2012 by Hiddenplacemusic on Mixcloud

A mix of transcendent transglobal electronic music and spoken word to help launch your consciousness into the fifth dimension! Turn down the lights, light a candle, sacrifice your favorite plant to the fire gods, turn it up loud and let these beats and atmospheres propel your ever-awakening awareness into the great Oneness of the Singularity, the Eschaton, the Transcendental Object at the end of HisStory.

For more about "The Genesis Generation" check out Lorenzo Hagerty's novel here.


playlist:
1. Desert Dwellers feat. Darpan - New Generation (Temple Step Project Remix)
from Recalibrated Vol. 1

2. Akara - Invoking the Unnameable
from Extradimensional Ethnography

3. Kaminanda  - As above...So below
from Gateways of Consciousness

4. Niyaz - Mazaar
from Sumud

5. Temple Step Project - Medicine Temple
from SUBBASS - Ethnostep 2

6. Bombay Dub Orchestra - Monsoon Malabar (Force of Change Remix)
from New York Remixes

7. Whitebear - Primal Stomp
from Fragmnts

8. Irukanji feat. JazzyFlute - Out From Little Box (AstroPilot Edit)
from Special Places

9. CaveDave - The Sun In Here
from Time Loop: Beyond Borders

10. Harmonic Frequency - Fractal Forest
from Power Of The Flower

11. Ekoplex - Crossroads
from Discovering The Ancient

12. AstroPilot - Earth Moon
from Solar System

13. Ott - Adrift In Hilbert Space
from Mir

14. Younger Brother - Train
from Vaccine

15. Ascoil Sun - Sun Therapy
from Emergence

16. Cygna - Camaras De Lamento
from Special Places

17. SeaMoon - Nebula
from Solar System

18. Ovnimoon - Galactic Mantra (With Via Axis And ItomLab)
from Geometric Poetry

19. Random - Cosmic Dreamer
from Natural Selection V.2

20. Shantifax - Out Is In
from Delete Automation

21. Midival Punditz - Vande Maataram (Electro Indian mix)
from Natural Born Chillers 2

22. Michael Stearns/Lisa Gerrard - Organics
from Samsara soundtrack

23. Ulrich Schnauss - Monday-Paracetamol
from A Strangely Isolated Place

24. Auma  - Exit round
soundcloud.com/Auma

25. Midival Punditz - Drifting
from Six Degrees Records Global Grooves Sampler

26. Tipper - Rip Cord
from Spirit of La Selva

summer solstice ceremony

Summer Solstice Ceremony by Hiddenplacemusic on Mixcloud

in every culture on the planet, the summer and winter solstices have marked an important turning point and were cause for celebration, prayer and ritual. it's unfortunate that our modern western civilization has divorced us from such ceremonies and rites of passage. i hope this mix of tribal-inspired ambient music inspires you to breathe deeply and reconnect with the intrinsic rhythms of nature as we enter another cycle in the great turning wheel of time.

tracklist:
[00:00] Andrew Lahiff "Into Willow Canyon" from Cosmic Archaeology
[10:09] Shane Morris "The Earth Speaks" from Equinox
[18:57] Steve Brand "Circular Scriptures" from Circular Scriptures
[24:41] Max Corbacho "The Resonant Memory of Earth" from The Resonant Memory of Earth
[39:06] Steve Roach "begins looking skyward" from Early Man
[41:46] Mystified with Robin Storey "Short Meditation" from Music For Transit
[44:59] Frore - Axis Mundi (edit)
[64:50] Steve Roach , Michael Stearns , Ron Sunsinger "Passage Four" & "The Center" from Kiva
[67:54] Steve Roach "A Circular Ceremony" from Dreamtime Return

artwork by Smoke Jaguar

Terence Day 2012

Terence Day 2012 by Hiddenplacemusic on Mixcloud

Terence Day is a celebration of the life and ideas of author, speaker, philosopher and futurist Terence McKenna, especially the idea of "boundary disillusion" a concept he referred to often during his many talks. It is celebrated on April 3rd, the day Terence crossed the boundary between life and death in the year 2000 after a losing battle with a rare form of brain cancer. This year's Terence Day is of special import, as some of the ideas about the year 2012 being a time of radical transformation are part of a cultural meme which Terence had a large part in initiating.
All the music in this mix comes from the excellent netlabel Ektoplazm, so all the tracks are available as free downloads under the creative commons license. Two of the tracks are from Globular's brilliant new release A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy, an absolute must-have for all fans of dubby downtempo psychedelic music and a shining example of the stunning quality of music available for free at Ektoplazm.
A few extra clips of Terence McKenna talking about boundary disillusion are from Psychedelic Salon podcast 295 "The World and It's Double"

playlist:
[00:00] Koan - At the Sunset/Entanglement
[08:11] Ancient Core - Psychedelic Echosystem
[15:08] Uth - Reflections Of Consciousness
[22:20] Digital Conception - The Mystical Quest
[30:51] Globular - To The Other Side Of Fractal Phase Space
[39:40] Mindsphere - Presence
[53:14] Sephira - The Beginning Of The End
[62:15] Globular - Feeding Back Forwards

artwork by Smoke Jaguar

Mettanoia - 2013 Act 1

As of the beginning of 2012 I will begin focusing my attention on my new tumblr blog on the hidden path and will most likely discontinue writing music reviews here. I may occasionally post my own mixes here, but in any case I will link to them from my new blog. if you are interested in my links to various philosophical, spiritual, and consciousness-expanding thoughts and ideas, may I humbly suggest subscribing to the new feed. This blog will remain open for browsing as long as Blogger allows it, and as always, feel free to follow my Google +1's and twitter feed for more music recommendations and various other rantings.
For now I leave my hiddenplace music readers with this release from my favorite netlabel of the year, Ektoplazm:
Mettanoia - 2013 Act 1, the first part of a planned seven-part "psychedelic play." it features bewildering trippy atmospheres and dense, heavy psytrance beats with lots of samples relating to 2012 and the end of the world(?) including this one, from the film Waking Life: "Things have been tough lately for dreamers. They say dreaming is dead, no one does it anymore. It's not dead it's just that it's been forgotten, removed from our language. Nobody teaches it so nobody knows it exists. The dreamer is banished to obscurity. Well, I'm trying to change all that, and I hope you are too. By dreaming, every day. Dreaming with our hands and dreaming with our minds. Our planet is facing the greatest problems it's ever faced, ever. So whatever you do, don't be bored, this is absolutely the most exciting time we could have possibly hoped to be alive. And things are just starting..."

Das Kraftfuttermischwerk - Kleines Ganzes

blogger, music connoisseur and producer Ronny of Das Kraftfuttermischwerk has graced us with another wonderful LP full of melodies, bass and love: Kleines Ganzes. think of it as the classic minimal dub/techno sounds of thinner streamlined and set to a chilled dubstep beat- deep, hypnotic, emotional, as is Das KFMW style. perfect for relaxing after whatever holiday or family event you might have had to endure recently.

Direct download: ZIP

and if you just can't get enough music, don't miss Das KFMW's excellent Advent Calendar collection of dj mixes, also tending toward deep dubby sounds. fantastisch!

Space Station - Transmission

'Transmission' is an excellent album of classic spacemusic with a modern touch by Portugal-based producer Bernard Lampreia, ranging from rhythmic sequences and synth solos to deep ethereal soundscapes and cinematic energy. If you're a fan of the "Berlin-school" sound, don't miss this album!
available for free download on bandcamp

Akara - Extradimensional Ethnography

Ancient & modern, acoustic & electronic, sacred & sensual, ethereal & worldly... the music of the Akara project collapses dualities and guides the listener into a state of aural samadhi with a sonic ceremony in the form of an album called Extradimensional Ethnography. this transcendent album is an absolute must-have for fans of globally-flavored grooves with a psychedelic touch, and has quickly become my top favorite release of 2011.
the album can be streamed in full on bandcamp, and is also available on CD and from the usual digital outlets

Mix roundup - end of summer 2011

As posts here have once again gotten scarce, here is a short selection of dj mixes and podcasts I've particularly enjoyed during the last few months

Futexture - Energetic Substrate Mix Fall 2011
A short but wonderful mix of Philip Glass, glitchy idm tracks and a well-placed Alan Watts sample

Rox - Plant Chants
A multi-cultural mix of shamanic music to expand your awareness (lots of other great psychill & trance mixes on his site too)

Radio BSOTS #116
thoughtful spoken word about the spiritual walk and eclectic soulful music

Pingipung Podcast #12 - Please be quiet I am thinking
Absolutely gorgeous electro-acoustic modern classical/soundtrack music mixed by the owner of the wonderful Aerotone-netlabel

Nova - Mondlicht
any mix featuring Telefon Tel Aviv, HUVA Network and Solar Fields is pretty much guaranteed to be excellent. deep idm/psychill atmospheres..

Expand Your Musical Horizons #78
a fine selection of downtempo and chillout tracks

DF Tram and DJ Rich-Ears present Lunar Fizz
An epic and eclectic mix with lots of interesting and entertaining sound clips thrown in

phalanx live at zajkert - modem debrecen 2011.09.09
another excellent mix by phalanx. as always, expect nothing less than top-notch ambient, chill, and glitchy idm grooves

WOZ – CALL THE AMBIENCE, AGAIN! (OKTOBER 2011)
a very atmospheric blend of chill, ambient, and drum n bass.
~

Centz - Multiverse

Multiverse, Centz' 2nd release on Dusted Wax Kingdom is a long-player of chilled out downtempo beats with moody clips and samples about the search for the existence of God, and the meaning of life. Its a great album for an evening of relaxed contemplation or abstract creative thinking.

Direct download: ZIP

Robert Carty - Photonic Movements

Platonic Movements by veteran producer Robert Carty, released for free on the Earth Mantra netlabel is some of the finest deep, atmospheric spacemusic i've heard in a while. a richly detailed mix of subtle Berlin-school sequencer touches, floating pads, soaring leads and sparkling stardust make for an intensely rewarding immersive listening experience.
available as flac and mp3 from archive.org

Space Forming Vol. 3

Russian/ukrainian netlabel Gliese 581c were first introduced to me when they co-distributed several of their releases on my current favorite netlabel Ektoplazm. Gliese 581c presents a modest but growing catalog of music centered around psytrance, chillout and dub styles.
I have especially enjoyed their Space Forming compilation series, and Vol. 3 is a monster! 2.5 hours of the finest in deep psychill downtempo ambient. If you're a fan of artists like Solar Fields, Carbon Based Lifeforms, Shpongle or Bluetech, do not miss this compilation!
Direct download: ZIP (mp3)

Siddhartha Barnhoorn - Pillars of Light

for his debut solo release, prolific film and television composer Siddhartha Barnhoorn presents Pillars of Light, a mini-album of deep cinematic spacemusic which could be the soundtrack for an as-yet unmade scifi thriller. as the music unfolds, images appear in the mind's eye of epic space battles above the horizon of a distant world, colliding planets, gigantic spacecraft soaring through burning nebulae, and maybe even a secret meeting of two alien lovers under a purple twilight sky of vibrant stars. highly recommended listening for fans of ambient music with a vastness measured in lightyears.

Terence Day 2011

download mp3 98 MB 160kbps
mix currently unavailable- contact for download link

once again this mix for Terence Day was thrown together somewhat at the last minute, but i decided to post it anyway. i have been spending my time preparing for the Breaking Convention conference going on this weekend at the University of Kent where i will be helping the lads from the Shroom with a View podcast record conversations and interviews for their show. stay tuned for more on that.
once again its a [somewhat disjointed] mix of consciousness-expanding psytrance, ambient and downtempo music which features samples of The Bard McKenna (and sometimes other people) speaking. the mix begins with the audio from a rare video (embedded below) of Terence performing a wild blend of spoken word poetry, chant and glossolalia with the band Lost at Last. also included is the track El Alien by NatureLovesCourage which is better known as the theme song to the Psychedelic Salon, the podcast which first introduced me to Terence McKenna.
"each artist is an antenna to the transcendental other, and as we go with our own history into that thing, and then create a unique confluence of our uniqueness, and its uniqueness, we collectively create an arrow. An arrow out of history, out of time, perhaps even out of matter, that will redeem, then, the idea that man is good. This is the promise of art, and its fulfillment is never more near than the present moment."

playlist:
1. Terence McKenna Performs with Lost at Last
2. Space Time Continuum - Alien Love
3. Persistent Aura - Greco-Mayan Civilisation
4. Saffron Slumber - Mind Revealer
5. NatureLovesCourage - El Alien (Trance Mix)
6. Globular - Synesthesiasia
7. Ekoplex - Forest Shaman
8. Jar Jar Binks - Psychedelic Experience
9. Bezoar vs Onionbrain - Mindless
10. NatureLovesCourage - Terence McKenna @ Uxmal '98


Terence McKenna Performs with Lost at Last from Allan Lundell on Vimeo.


cover image by Dominic's pics