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:
1. Koan - At the Sunset/Entanglement
from The Signs: Entanglement

2. Ancient Core - Psychedelic Echosystem
from Mysterious Nights v02

3. Uth - Reflections Of Consciousness
from Distant Instincts

4. Digital Conception - The Mystical Quest
from The Return of Quetzalcoatl

5. Globular - To The Other Side Of Fractal Phase Space
from A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

 6. Mindsphere - Presence
from Interdimensional Gateway 2

7. Sephira - The Beginning Of The End
from Imagination In Motion

8. Globular - Feeding Back Forwards
from A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy


artwork by Smoke Jaguar

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

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)

Secret Archives of the Vatican

having already released several LPs, compilations, and free singles, Secret Archives of the Vatican has recently put out two free EPs, The Glidepath and Wisdom Truth. ive been following their podcast and original production for some time now and i think its some of their best work so far. the Secret Archives style is well-defined: an exotic far-east-flavored blend of dubstep, downtempo and "global beat" with a bent for post-religious and anti-establishment themes. Deep wall-rattling bass, crisp rolling beats, dubby echoes and middle-eastern/arabian instruments, along with a smattering of spoken word make these eps a thrilling ethno-musical journey into a post-apocalyptic future.

hiddenplace music mix 8: Terence Day 2010

Download mp3 75 MB, 160 kbps

"Terence Day" is celebrated on April 3rd in honor of Terence McKenna, an ethnobotanist, philosopher, speaker, writer and futurist. some people use this day to celebrate and explore the concept of boundary disillusionment, which is a concept that McKenna talked quite a lot about in his talks and lectures over the years. according to him, the dissolving of the artificial boundaries which society has set up is essential for the human species to grow and survive as we move into the next stage of our evolution.
this year marks the 10th anniversary of McKenna's death, so i wanted to put together a special mix of consciousness-expanding music, some of which features clips from his lectures. the mix ends with the stirring finale of a performance he gave with Space Time Continuum in the early 90s.
even if youve never heard of Terence McKenna before, i hope this mix inspires you to give some thought to the boundaries we create between ourselves and the environment, between "us" and "them" and between our ego self and our fellow human beings.

tracklist:
(00:20) stockfinster. - Sailing Through The Bardo [Sutemos]
(05:40) Alkor - One Day Above The Clouds [Kahvi, Ektoplazm]
(11:25) Trebolactiko - Pskalibur [Ektoplazm]
(17:08) Pan Psychic - The Last Reality [Ektoplazm]
(22:55) Xamanist - Machu Picchu [Ektoplazm]
(30:27) Rage Against Comics - Juggernaut Mass Culture [Ektoplazm]
(36:02) Spire - Helical Scan [Ektoplazm]
(43:03) Space Time Continuum - Timewave Zero

cover artwork by holodelic
...

Tetarise – k.a.m.a.

k.a.m.a. is a thrilling journey made of ambient/downtempo/idm infused with an epic soundtrack style. inspired by blurred memories of the past, the music is melancholy, euphoric, contemplative, frantic, moody and filled with emotion. quiet moments of gentle ambience contrast starkly with glitchy beat-driven passages, soaring leads and rasor-sharp synths.
"Unsaid words, unfinished deeds, hopelessly lost time - all of it is like an echo with a delay fading into compressed and distorted reverberation"

ManMadeMan – Children Of The Light

one of my favorite netlabel discoveries recently is Ektoplazm. they have just about everything i look for in a netlabel-- a simple but distinctive website design, a nice variety of sounds while staying centered on a specific genre (in this case, psytrance), high-quality production values and professional mastering, a reasonable release schedule, plus lossless flac and wav downloads.
one release which i particularly enjoyed recently is Children Of The Light by ManMadeMan. the style is based in Ektoplazm's signature trippy psytrance sound, but also ventures into downtempo, ambient and chillout atmospheres. pulsing synths and beats are deftly combined with reverberated pianos and voices for a thrilling, mind-bending journey. music which is equally at home on the dacefloor, in the lounge, or in your headphones.

Saine - Clockwork

finnish producer Saine makes some of the most chilled out instrumental hiphop and downtempo music you can imagine. he already put out several tracks on the recently re-opened Tokyo Dawn, and this year he released his second full-length commercial album. as a promo for the new LP, he also put out the excelent Clockwork EP for free download.
stylistically, the ep is similar to his earlier work on TD but now the music has become even more refined and polished. hushed atmospheres, resonant jazz samples and restrained turntable beats make up a supremely classy mood. appropriate purchase links & samples for the full-length albums can be found on his website.

Tracing Arcs - Fin

put out on the excellent Dusted Wax Kingdom netlabel, Fin by Tracing Arcs is quiet, atmospheric and subtle-- a smoky voice and smooth, flowing jazz textures. a fresh, original sound and top-quality production. in short, simply one of the best triphop albums i've heard in a long time.

via Free Albums Galore

Renzu - Across the Threshold

well-sequenced beats and synths, plenty of atmospheric reverb and a few japanese-flavored voice and instrument samples make up an excellent downtempo idm LP from the (apparently) videogame and anime-obsessed 3d animator Renzu. rhythmic and groovy yet smooth and chilled. more detailed info on the artist and tracks, as well as some very nice CG artwork, are available on the release page at bumpfoot netlabel.

solipsistic NATION guest mix

for part 1 of my own 'best of 2008' series, i did another guest mix for one of my favorite podcasts, solipsistic NATION. the mix features tracks from some of my favorite chilled ambient/idm netaudio releases which came out in 2008. full track listing plus links to download all the tracks are available on solipsisticnation.com

as a special bonus for my blog readers, check out michael hoffmann's band comfort zone's myspace site for a video of their live performance in mannheim, germany which i mentioned in the show. for on-the-go listening, you can also check out another live performance which they put up for free download here.

Northcape - Some Bright Valley

another treat for those who enjoyed the lush, delicate atmospheres of the last features: the Some Bright Valley ep by UK artist Northcape, put out by the monotonik netlabel. like a pleasant summer's walk through nature, a variety of sensations float through the air, stimulating your senses and relaxing your mind. a bed of long pad and string notes mixed with subtle environmental sounds is accented by almost organic-sounding synth leads, and held together by smooth basses and steady grooves. the short playing time is cause for repeated listening; drifting away on the sound, into a world of light filtered through leaves, gentle rain, and deep reflective pools.
the warmth of summer is not yet completely gone, and Northcape helps it to hold on a little longer...

abel okugawa - magic cuts

one of the things i like about music blogging is that it can be interactive, instead of only one-sided. its great when i occasionally get recommendations, and its even better when i actually like the music which is sent to me!
Abel Okugawa wrote me a while back to tell me about his own music, which he thought might fit my style. he was right on! on his mini-album Magic Cuts, Abel serves up a tight collection of beats and samples, with that laid-back but moving style thats perfect for warm summer weather, just about any occasion. sampled hand drums, horns, keyboard atmospheres, turntable cuts, and even a few catches of female vocals give this great little EP a fresh and spicy flavor.
Magic Cuts, as well as his album 816 Mix, is available at several outlets, including CD Baby, iTunes, & emusic. get the full list and all the appropriate links at Abel's own page! for more previews of his music, be sure to check his myspace page as well.

hiddenplace music mp3 mix #1

Download mp3 (160kbps, 54MB)

things have been a little quiet around here lately because the wizards at hiddenplace music have been preparing something really special: the first official hiddenplace music mix.

sometimes simply listening to the music is the best way to discover and share it. i find a lot of my favorite music through podcasts and dj mixes, plus i really enjoy putting together playlists and 'mixtapes.' i hesitate to call this a 'podcast' because that implies that i plan on doing this at a semi-regular basis. unfortunately time and my obsessive-compulsive tendencies dont permit that, but i have several mixes in the works and i plan on putting them out here as often as possible (ie whenever i feel like it).

at hiddenplace music we like free music, so nearly all of the tracks featured on this mix can be downloaded cost- and guilt-free at the links provided. each release represented is full of excellent music and is most definitely worth your time. enjoy the music!

tracklist:

(00:00) hiddenplace intro
(00:19) Makunouchi Bento - Two Mechanical Snowghosts [pj001]
(02:01) My First Trumpet - Takt Short Takt [aer009]
(03:56) Endlos - Ich bin Dur [1bit028] +welcome
(09:31) The Lymbyc Systym - Astrology Days [live 18 Apr 2007]
(14:01) Re'sequence - Interview [es28]
(17:55) Implosion Quintet - For Sesselja [diginet011]
(21:40) Mr Moods - Variations [DBR005]
(25:24) The Incognito Traveller - Chaleur [konfort016]
(29:42) Owltree - Head Swirlin' [lokw-010]
(32:57) Jah Free - beatcontest (amuses-bouches complete album download)
(37:58) Sel/Reechad - Masterplan [iD.037]
(42:01) Saine - Absent Minds [Imagine This] +tracklist

extra: hiddenplace music on solipsistic NATION

Budabeats netlabel

one of my favorite discoveries lately has been the Budabeats netlabel out of Hungary. so far they have put out three releases, all with a very similar style-- a fun mix of hiphop breakbeats with turntablist cuts & retro samples. freestyle sounds in a similar vein to the classic masterpiece of netaudio, instrumentally ill by aphilas, and this song.
perfect party music for the start of summer!

Prologue - Prologue

i have to admit that lately, i had begun to get the impression lately that netaudio is burning out. several of my favorite labels have closed or simply fallen silent, and it seems that its becoming more difficult to find the good quality musical art that we expect here at hiddenplace music. it was just at the right time, then, that a release came on the scene with such stunning originality and inspiration that i can once again say that netaudio is most definitely alive and well.
netaudio.ru is one netaudio collective working hard to keep the scene fresh and interesting. operating with a podcast and three separate netlabels with a balanced mixture of accessible and experimental sounds, along with high quality artwork and sound fidelity, netaudio.ru is becoming one of my favorite destinations for intelligent music. and they have outdone themselves with an absolutely brilliant album by the moscow collective Prologue.
upon listening to the first two minutes of Proluge's self-titled release, my sometimes stormy love affair with russian music was instantly renewed. delicate yet expressive female vocals floating over gentle piano, strings (yes, real live strings!), flute and muted trumpet, peppered with gritty downtempo beats and melancholy yet passionate russian language(?) raps. there are many diverse influences here; naturally trip-hop and downtempo music are the dominant flavors, but theres also touches of film music, debussy, berlin-stlye rap, russian folk, jazz, and drum n bass-- all perfectly melded into a cohesive whole. obviously a huge amount of talent and work has gone into this incredible release; there is simply nothing else quiet like it in the netaudio world.
im tempted to give a run-down of every track because each is so remarkable and has its own unique qualities, but the best way to enjoy this album is to find a quiet place, listen to it all the way through and discover every nuance for yourself. and when its over, sit for some minutes in stunned amazement, then press repeat and dive once again into the beautiful melancholic world of Prologue.

Proviant Audio - Welcome Wilderness EP

my latest addiction is surfing through the mad bloggings of Phlow Magazine, and i've come accross another great release thanks to our favourite german listening machines! 'Welcome Wilderness' from the long-silent Aquavelvas netlabel, presents slightly bizarre, slightly campy collection of sampledelic cutup elektro-jazz which will make a perfect addition to your afternoon chillout playlist. the release starts out chilled and low-key and develops into trippy freaked-out breakbeat/disco beats. insane catchyness!

The Incognito Traveller EP

here at hiddenplace music, i normally like to keep a nice variety of music between posts. however, in searching through the aforementioned No Copy Protection netlabel, i came across a release which was so fantastic i had to feature it.
anyone else who has played with ACID or other loop-based recording software knows how easy it is to make bad loop-based music. but every so often, there comes an artist who knows how to spin the loops with just the right mix of flavours. jazz drums, latin percussion, muted trumpet, antique piano, and even an charming french language song make up The Incognito Traveller EP, providing some of the most listenable sample-based music i have heard in a while. prepare to be whisked away into the world of smoky cafés and lazy cobblestone streets, tinged with the mystery and intrigue of a classic spy movie.

Flux and Vega - Believe EP

downtempo/triphop with female vocals is one of my favourite types of music, however it can be difficult to find quality vocals in the netaudio world. some netlables, such as kahvi collective, have even adopted an unofficial rule of not releasing anything with vocals. other fans of electronica with vocals will be delighted by 'Believe EP' from the No Copy Protection netlabel. the short selection of tracks provides a pleasant and sunny selection of [mostly] spanish-language female vocal-fronted triphop, along with a few electro-house flavoured remixes. for me, these tracks really work because they avoid the temptation of overly processing everything with excessive electronics and fx. here the vocals and arrangements are quite charming and effective in their relaxed, unassuming style.

this netlabel, previously unknown to me, provides an intriguing (and attractively designed) catalogue of releases. i will definitely have to investigate further..

shout out to the new english-language Phlow Magazine blog for pointing me in the direction of this release.