new music for deep inner journeys

I decided to briefly revive this blog to post a few excellent new releases which are very well-suited for deep meditative inner journeys. Music is a balm for the soul in troubled times (or any time really). I hope this music brings you a sense of relaxation and deep peace, or whatever it is you need to make it through.

Bandcamp - Spotify

ReGen: Deep Ambient Remixes by Liquid Bloom

new deep ambient remixes of tracks from Liquid Bloom's album Re.Generations

also available with spoken word guided meditations:

Bandcamp - Spotify

Bandcamp - Spotify

The Disciple's Path by Mark Seelig

long-awaited new solo album by bansuri flutist Mark Seelig featuring modern ragas inspired by Indian classical music and deep medicine journeys



Bandcamp - Spotify

Offering to the Morning Fog by Robert Rich

mournful flutes and sparse atmospheric ambience by Robert Rich recorded during the lockdown to create a quiet place for listeners to breathe and find peace

Bandcamp 

To The Threshold of Silence by Steve Roach

deep gongs, bells and subtle percussion in a longform piece originally released in 1992 as part of the seminal tribal ambient album World's Edge, newly remastered and released on its own

Bandcamp - Spotify

Nectar Meditation by Steve Roach and Serena Gabriel

bells, overtone singing and long peaceful harmonium drones with subtle frame drum rhythms by Byron Metcalf "a continuous 74 min balm for the body, mind and soul"



Bandcamp - Spotify

Primordial Terrain by Louigi Verona

subtle shamanic drums emerge in and out of deep primordial sonic landscapes

Bandcamp - Spotify

SACRAMENT by Byron Metcalf and Jennifer Grais

shamanic drums and ceremonial chants "The partaking of this sacrament invites the listener to experience Earth as the Mother of us all – to become whole."

Bandcamp - Spotify

Music For Mushrooms: A Soundtrack For The Psychedelic Practitioner by East Forest

a 5-hour journey improvised live for a psychedelic ceremony

Bandcamp - Spotify

The Unfolding Dawn by Max Corbacho

a peaceful longform ambient track created in the first few days of lockdown

I  have included both Bandcamp and Spotify links, however I strongly encourage purchasing the music on Bandcamp as it's even more important these days to support independent artists.

Journey East

 An epic journey through exotic eastern lands via some favorite movie soundtracks and a few lesser-known tracks. 

We start our journey leaving home and saying Farewell At The Coast, following Rob The Physician towards Persia in search of knowledge and answers. We travel The Pilgrim Road hopping to find The King(dom of heaven) finally taking rest at The Imperial City at the center of The Great Middle East. Weary from our journey, we are lured by seductive Desert Mermaids into the Temple of De'Light. Having succumbed to Avaritia we slip into a deep sleep, dreaming of the great Ganges, lulled further into dreams by Pi's Lullaby on the First Night, First Day. We awake inspired by our visions, our Asian Destiny calls us further east, Before Time steals away our adventure. Our long journey may leave us Yearning For Peace but we must join the Hero, wary of the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and other unknown dangers as we travel the Silk Road. Luck is with us and we find Safe Passage, finally joining Katsumoto The Last Samurai as he finds A Small Measure of Peace (and perfect cherry blossoms)

playlist:
[00:00] Farewell at the Coast 

[03:19] The Physician Suite  

from The Physician soundtrack by Ingo Ludwig Frenzel
[10:39] The Pilgrim Road

[14:34] The King

from The Kingdom of Heaven soundtrack by Harry Gregson-Williams
[20:04] The Imperial City

from Rebirth by BrunuhVille
[23:33] The Great Middle East (feat. Aliye) 

from Earth by Michael Maas
[25:52] Desert Mermaids 

from Anima by BrunuhVille
[28:45] Temple of De'Light

from Gateways of Consciousness by Kaminanda
[34:49] Avaritia 

from Diva by Martins Garden and Yechidah
[41:19] Ganges (feat. Sunil Kant Saxena)

from Earth by Michael Maas

[43:47] Pi's Lullaby
[47:17] First Night, First Day 

from The Life of Pi soundtrack by Mychael Danna
[50:46] Asian Destiny (feat. Deborah Tan)

from Earth by Michael Maas

[53:00] Before Time

from Sun by Thomas Bergersen
[55:11] Yearning for the Peace

[58:24] Hero: Overture

from Hero soundtrack by Tan Dun, Itzhak Perlman, Kodo
[60:02] Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
[65:47] Silk Road

from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon soundtrack by Tan Dun with Yo-Yo Ma
[68:46] Safe Passage
[73:36] A Small Measure Of Peace

from The Last Samurai soundtrack by Hans Zimmer

Cover art by James Gurney

Cosmic Battle

As humanity moves out to explore the cosmos, we will no doubt encounter other creatures and sentient beings in the vast reaches of our galaxy. Having mostly overcome the urge to fight among ourselves on our own planet, it nevertheless seems likely a space-faring humanity will find itself once again in the midst of conflicts over precious resources and territories even more complex and ancient than our own. Despite the unimaginable size of our galaxy, life-supporting planets are likely very rare in the universe. Having narrowly avoided the destruction of our own planet by learning to work in harmony, this future humanity will hopefully be equipped to handle conflict in a more wise and effective way than we have in our past (but still, epic space battles would be pretty cool too...)

Chronos - Muzeon
Wolf-e-Wolf - Purple Planet
Dysphemic - Decompression
Caelis - Kinematik
Dysphemic - Swamp Planet
Kuda - Ocean's Bane
Cybernetika - The Outcast Of Deadspace
Re-Set - Inexpressible
Infragreen - Another fantastic planet (revisited by Polygon Ring)
Halo Refuser - Internal Navigator
Atman Construct - Delusions Of Granular
Wolf-e-Wolf - Purple Planet (Shlump Remix)
HuuHaa - Hacktivation

Space Chocolate Dub

Space Chocolate Dub by Hiddenplacemusic on Mixcloud

A global psydub journey- eclectic and international yet harmonious as the kaleidoscope of flavors in a bite of delicious chocolate.

playlist:
Subaqueous - Dusk's Dawning (Yaima Remix)
Tales of Painting - 4th Dimension
Lo.renzo - Florea
Atman Construct - Firefly
Chronos - Space Cake (Vermel Live Version)
False Identity - Every Branch Must Bend
ESPERTINE - Globules of Joy
Supersillyus - Interabang (Radioactive Sandwich Remix)
Seamoon - Moonkaba
Radioactive Sandwich - Black Mirror
Subaqueous - Insistent Shades (Drumspyder Remix)
Erothyme - Lead Us to the Sound (Instrumental VIP)
Androcell - Under The Sun
AKAL - In This Body

Cosmic Consciousness

Cosmic Consciousness by Hiddenplacemusic on Mixcloud

The third part of my "Cosmic" mix series, this time focusing on some of my favorite ambient releases from 2014.

As our human descendants leave our home planet and move into interstellar space, we will need not only new technology but a new kind of consciousness. To travel the vast distances between the stars and galaxies, we will have to learn to warp not only space but time as well, since space and time are only dimensions of the same unified field. Along the way we may discover that the unified field of the space-time continuum is the same as the unified field of infinite consciousness...

playlist:
Liquid Bloom - Whispers of Our Ancestors
Loren Nerell + Mark Seelig - Kayon
Simon Haiduk - Source Field Reverberations (edit)
Andrew Lahiff - The Ringing of Silent Bells
Frore - The Bell Garden
Chris Russell + eyes cast down - Afterimages
David Helpling + Jon Jenkins - Found

Synesthetic Songs vol. 2

Synesthetic Songs vol. 2 by Hiddenplacemusic on Mixcloud

a kind of sequel to last year's "Springtime Synesthesia" mix... a few more blissed-out, electronica-tinged songs which I particularly enjoyed in 2014.

playlist:
Andrew Huang + Diveo - The Diamond Of My Heart
State Azure - Zero 7 - Home (State Azure Mix)
Erothyme - I See Your Everything (feat. Entheo)
Desert Dwellers - Dive into the Core (feat. Ixchel Prisma)
Auma - Here and Now (with The Wednesday Experiment)
Annabel - CLOUDY
Krusseldorf - South Of The Sky Temple
Douglas Dare - Swim
My Brightest Diamond - Dreaming Awake (Son Lux Mix)
Planet Boelex & rachelW - Windbreak (rework)
Stumbleine - Abacus
Andrew Huang - Across The Universe

Cosmic Birth [New Moon December 2014]

Cosmic Birth [New Moon December 2014] by Hiddenplacemusic on Mixcloud

As humans have grown and expanded to every corner of this planet we call home, it has become increasingly clear that the Earth's limited resources cannot sustain our species' endless appetite for novel experiences and new horizons. Even though our mother Earth is already much older than ourselves, even she has a limited lifetime and our obsession with technology and expansion has now opened the possibility to ensure our species' long-term survival by making our way to other planets, other star systems, maybe one day even other galaxies. The earth has carried and sustained us for so long, yet now we are poised to take the next step into a new home- the Universe itself.

As I put together this mix of soundtracks from sci-fi films which touch on themes of exploration and transcendence, I also noticed a sub-theme of sacrifice and death emerging- from the mind-bending exploration of death, mourning, connection and consciousness in Solaris, to the sacrifice of the crew of the Icarus II in Sunshine, the stunning end scene of The Fountain, the death and rebirth symbolism in Gravity, the music from Zbigniew Preisner's Requiem paradoxically used in the creation scene of The Tree of Life, and of course the overarching themes of sacrifice and new beginnings in Interstellar. Birth and death are really two sides of the same coin- an end of the old way of life, and a beginning of the new.

Note: this mix is mastered quieter than the others to maintain an expressive dynamic range. Please adjust your volume accordingly!

playlist:
Cristian Sandquist feat. Carl Sagan - Wanderers
James Horner - Apollo 13
Alan Silvestri - Awful Waste Of Space [Contact]
Cliff Martinez - We Don't Have to Think Like That Anymore [Solaris]
John Murphy - Adagio in D Minor [Sunshine]
Clint Mansell - Death Is The Road To Awe [The Fountain]
Steven Price - Gravity
Hans Zimmer - No Time For Caution (Randal_Paul's Film Version) [Interstellar]
Hans Zimmer - Where We're Going [Interstellar]
Zbigniew Preisner - Lacrimosa [Tree of Life]
Zbigniew Preisner - Prayer
Hans Zimmer - Detatch [Interstellar]
Gustav Holst - Neptune, The Mystic


The first track is from this incredible CG short film, which was also a huge inspiration for this mix:

Wanderers - a short film by Erik Wernquist from Erik Wernquist on Vimeo.

Cosmic Womb - Full Moon December 2014

Cosmic Womb [Full Moon December 2014] by Hiddenplacemusic on Mixcloud

From the thatched hut in the jungle to the towering skyscraper, the human species' drive for creativity and self-expression has resulted in a myriad of cultures and societies, a bewilderingly rich diversity of colors, forms and sounds. Each human society's unique experiences coalesce into distinctive cultural expressions, building cohesion and cooperation within the group by setting up boundaries and defining a group as separate from another. Our language, behavior, appearance and music identity us as part of a certain collection of humans, while simultaneously distancing us from all other humans. The emerging global culture has made us aware of the vast differences in human expression, yet also reveals the similarities we all share in the journey of life, love and the pursuit of happiness. Even as we seek to preserve and celebrate these cultural treasures, we must recognize each other as members of the same Human Family, working together to honor and preserve our common origin: Mother Earth, the Cosmic Womb.

playlist:
Digital Samsara - C#
Bombay Dub Orchestra - Songs From The Seven Towers
Loopbaba - Aerial Roots
Ricky Kej - Exotic Dreams
Erofex - Garden Of Dreams
emancipator - Minor Cause
Chronos - Mystery Of Time
Cygna - Caucasus
Chronos – Leelah
Shpongle - The Epiphany Of Mrs Kugla
Globular - Timeless Vibration
Lapa - Roadwalk
Digital Samsara - BOSPOROS

Earth Day Dubs

Earth Day Dubs by Hiddenplacemusic on Mixcloud

new transnational psydub bass sounds to obliterate separation and ground you, connecting you deeper to our own home base, Mother Earth.

playlist:
Gargoyles - Spacebaby [Sieberg-Witten Mix]
Globular - A Rude Awakening
JP Illusion vs Waveform - Tilt
Lotus - Everyday (Deep Fried Dub Remix)
Aligning Minds - A Noble Truth (Heavenly Father Remix)
KiloWatts - Mother Of Thousands
Bluetech - Laika
Soulacybin - Moldavisions
Radioactive Sandwich - Behemecoatyl
Govinda - My Secret Room (LIS Exclusive Remix)
Astronaut Ape - Your Personal Moon
David Starfire - Indian Summer (Govinda Remix)
Zebbler Encanti Experience - Psychic Projections (Shwex Remix)
Whitebear - New Evolutionary Paradigm (Dub Re-growth)
Soulular - Apparition
Sigil - Camel

Springtime Synesthesia

Springtime Synesthesia by Hiddenplacemusic on Mixcloud

blissful, chilled soundcolors for a full moon spring Sunday.

"It would be truly surprising if sound were not capable of suggesting color, if colors could not give the idea of the melody, if sound and color were not adequate to express ideas; for things have always expressed themselves through reciprocal analogy..."
— Charles Baudelaire

playlist:
The Art Of Noise - On Being Blue
Ricky Kej - Blue
Helios - Halving The Compass 
Ott - The Queen Of All Everything 
Erothyme - Fire of Purification (feat. Kyrstyn Pixton) 
Cahb - Secrets
:papercutz - Lylac (Helios Remix) 
Krister Linder - Broken Horses (Planet Boelex remix)
Crisopa - Matchin
Wavespell - Shambala Groove

Timewave Infinity - Winter Solstice 2013

Timewave Infinity [Winter Solstice 2013] by Hiddenplacemusic on Mixcloud

American philosopher and speaker Terence McKenna is widely regarded as one of the progenitors of the 2012 phenomenon, the fabled date of 21 December, 2012 playing an integral part in his "Timewave Zero" theory (ok, technically it's a more of a philosophical hypothesis, but still...) The Timewave deals with the idea that time is not strictly linear but each moment is a confluence of intersecting fractal interrelationships and each event is inextricably linked with other events past and future. According to his proposal, these interrelationships can be mapped with a fractal curve based on the 64 hexagrams of the Chinese divination system, the I Ching. Unfortunately for the longevity of the idea, Terence proposed that the influx of changes would reach a Singularity on the end of the13th b'ak'tun of the Mayan long-count calendar, the winter solstice of 2012, ringing in an unimaginable future of infinite possibility (or something.)
Although 2012 and 2013 were indeed years of great upheaval, political unrest and transformation, the universe for the most part continues to function much as it did before the big date and many people claimed the Timewave to be a failure. However, the true nature of a fractal is infinite; rather than having a clear beginning or end, it spirals in upon itself in endlessly unfolding variations. And so it is with our existence- our collective confluence of energies multiply and amplify as we ascend more and more rapidly to an unknown destination. But because a fractal never truly ends, that destination will likely be yet another beginning...

playlist:
Sphingida - Over The Depth
Tara Putra - Between The Sphere
Ekaologik - Lake Travel
Globular - Fire & Stars
Scopes - Daze
Kurbeats - Mono-Poly Wants A Cracker
Maharishi - Call Of The Ancients
Radioactive Sandwich - Bhagwan
JBC Arkadii - Molekula
Chronos - Time Keeper
eleMental - Dansul Ielelor
Tentura - Melting
Spectrum Vision - Sympotronic
Perfect Blind - Exosphere
Rob Vector - Mars
ByTheRain - Interstellar Medium
Den Wave - Earth
Alba - Arising And Passing Away
Xenofish - Blurred Matrix

all tracks are from the excellent netlabel ektoplazm.com and are available for free download under a Creative Commons license

Equinox Equanimity - Fall Equinox 2013

Equinox Equanimity [Autumn 2013] by Hiddenplacemusic on Mixcloud

As the endless interlocking cycles of the celestial bodies pass through the point where light and shadow are equally distributed across both hemispheres of the globe we call home, I hope this specially selected blend of pure ambient music balances the opposites within and helps you relax into a harmonious experience of Oneness. Just breathe...
Special thanks to JKN, S1gns, and the whole Relaxed Machinery crew for their passion for the music, and for pointing me to many of the tracks in this mix. Thanks also to musicians like Altus, Palancar, and Philip Wilkerson who generously offer their work free of charge.

playlist:
Andrew Lahiff - Whispering Leaves
Massergy - Then The Sky
Palancar - Reiner Gamma
Altus - Magellanic Clouds
Max Corbacho - The Great Breath
Rudy Adrian - Fading Light
Meg Bowles - Nightwalk Across the Isle of Dream
Max Corbacho - Choir Ecstasy
Phillip Wilkerson - Two Breaths of Forever
Altus - For All Time
åpne sinn - deep breath out

Sunlight Cycle Intention - Summer Solstice 2013

Sunlight Cycle Intention [Summer Solstice 2013] by Hiddenplacemusic on Mixcloud

Continuing on a similar vein as last year's Summer Solstice mix- deep tribal ambient music for intense transformation...

It's been a long and cold winter where I live, but the arrival of the summer solstice and a few warm days brings hope for a season of light. As we enter the summer season, I set my intention that the light of awakening cuts through the darkness of ignorance and separation as we pass into a new era of personal and global evolution. It's time to do the Great Work.

playlist:
Chad Kettering - The Mesa
Steve Roach, Michael Stearns, Ron Sunsinger - North Kiva (Trust And Remember)
Frore - Fevered Sleep
Soriah with Ashkelon Sain - Chylandyk
Steve Brand - Return Of The Masters
Byron Metcalf - Facing The Truth
vidnaObmana - Forest Arrow live
Steve Roach, Byron Metcalf - The Magma Clan
Apollonius - Return to Sacred Soil
Steve Brand - Mountain Pass/Suspension Vision

Return to Flight

Return to Flight by Hiddenplacemusic on Mixcloud

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

You are floating by Hiddenplacemusic on Mixcloud

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:
1. Temple Step Project - Truth and Grace
from Embrace The One

2. Zoungla - Anahata
from Entwine

3. Radioactive Sandwich - Immortals Made Of Stone
from Full Moon

4. Globular - Mamon
from Sorbet for the Soul

5. Hinkstep - Aldrig Mer
from Into This Wired Abyss

6. Zebbler Encanti Experience - Psychic Projections (feat. Dante Bucci)
from Psychic Projections

7. Futexture - New
from Experiential Topography EP

8. Sun In Aquarius - Wytaliba (The Girl by the River)
from Evolving Freedom

9. Cosmic Alliance Romixpsy - Elprincipio Y El Final
from Little Pieces Of Infinity: Second Chapter

10. Shantifax - Northern Lights
from Complete Tranceformation