low light mixes

When Daniel wrote that he had a new mix based around silence I knew it would be good. Then I saw the tracklist and I knew it would be great. He includes cuts from some of my favorite artists - Halftribe, Innesti, Sonmi451, Loscil, and A Produce. The A Produce track is one of my favorite ambienbt tracks of all time.

Here's what Daniel says about his new mix:

Claude Debussy once wrote: “The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between them”, suggesting that music's emotional impact, beauty, and expression come from the pauses and spacing between sounds.  The first thing I think of is Eno’s classic Music for Airports - man did I fall in love with that album.  Roach’s Dream Circle comes to mind - low and slow - the music just seems to breathe.  Of course you have the steady state drone stuff from Grassow and friends, which I like - but there is no real structure - that’s the point I guess.  I tried to pick work for this mix that had at least a bit of melody, but plenty of silence to define the notes.  There is a sweet spot that when achieved sends me at least into a deep peaceful space.  I’m thinking we all need to spend some time in that space these days to recharge and nurture our sanity.  Hoping this mix might help with that my friends.

 Thanks, Daniel, for another excellent mix.

Cheers!

 T R A C K L I S T :

00:00   Halftribe & Spinnet - A Minimal Resolution (Patterns of Sync 2020)

09:09   Snufmumriko - Mot Nattens Hjärta (Sekunder, Eoner 2019)

12:12   ASC - Find Yourself (Tales Of Introspection 2025)

22:48   Innesti - Nothwithstanding (Filament and Place 2021)

28:00   Sonmi451 - Oxygen Is Flowing (Oxygen Is Flowing single 2025)

33:12   Loscil - Stella (Clara 2021)

42:23   A Produce - A Smooth Surface(Edit) (White Sands 1995)

47:40   Hipnotic Earth - Repose (The Waters of Home 2017)

57:00   Lab's Cloud - Rising (The Structure of Emotions 2021)

63:58   end

I bought a new mac mini recently and I have been transferring a ton of music to the new system. While cruising through the old files I discovered a folder called "NETLABELS." It's a fascinating collection of music the 2000s that was released on what were then known as "netlabels". I had a ball listening to some of it so I decided to make a mix. 

There was a lot of music to sort through so I decided to focus on two of my favorite labels - Thinner & Autoplate. Thinner, based in Frankfurt, Germany, released music from 2001 to 2009. They were one of the most consistent and successful netlabels. Thinner’s catalogue includes releases from artists such as Digitalverein, Marko Fürstenberg, Benfay, Pheek, krill.minima, Vladislav Delay, Christian Bloch and many others. As of September 2006, Thinner productions had accumulated over two million MP3 downloads. Thinner had a sublabel called Autoplate, focusing on experimental and ambient music. 

 
Thinner on Archive.org
Thinner on Scene.org

Autplate on Archive.org

Autoplate on Scene.org

I hope you get a kick out of this trip back to the aughts. Cheers!

 

T R A C K L I S T :

00:00   Benfay - Mein Entschluss anders zu leben (Crossways 2005 Thinner)

04:12   arrial - Shiver(marsen_jules_rework) (this is my beauty, show me yours  2004 Autoplate)

08:00   tlon - while my tears swept away (Crossways 2005 Thinner)

12:45   color by numbers - Hyacinth Miasma (The Transitions 2004 Autoplate)

15:30   Danny Kreutzfeldt - Core_3-digitalis_remix (recore:02 2003 Thinner)

20:08  Tlon - Torch Number (Acoustic Lazy Dolls 2003 Autoplate)

27:20   krill.minima - Die Reflexion Des Projektors (Zwischen Zwei Und Einer Sekunde 2003 Thinner)

34:27   Lomov - Hochwaldregen (Holzwege 2005 Autoplate)

42:55   Falter - Taumelflug_1 (Taumelflug 2003 Thinner)

49:10   Lou Teti - Stroll (Night P{pieces 2005 Autoplate)

53:43   Martin Jarl feat Jon Ericsson - Inidimman (Crossways 2005 Thinner)

61:33   Marsen Jules - Lazy Sunday Funerals (Lazy Sunday Funerals 2003 Autoplate)

65:46   end

I haven't had much time or been motivated to create new mixes so far in the new year. But there's nothing like sub-zero temperatures and being cooped up indoors to get one in the mood for a good wintry mix. The temperature as I type this is -15 degrees with a wind chill of -40. 🥶

I've done these frigid temps themed mixes before and I'm always surprised at how well they come together. I start by simply searching for tracks with certain keywords - frozen, cold, frigid, ice, wind, winter, etc. and then try to use mostly tunes from 2025. This mix is a bit different than others because it turns toward warmth in the last few tracks - "Warmer Light," "Threads of Warmth," and "Warmth". I hope that by ending the mix on a warmer note that I may manifest higher temps.

Stay warm and cheers!

 

T R A C K L I S T :
00:00   Hainbach & Ensemble Recherche - The Cold Settles In (Retold 2025)
03:40   Valotihkuu - The Frozen Landscapes (Drifting Between Seasons 2025)
06:15   Science Of Sleeping - The Coldest Winter (Samsara 2025)
06:57   Jeff Pearce - A Long Winter'S Sleep (From the Darker Seasons 2017)
16:12   Erik Wøllo & Ian Boddy - Ice Station (Transmissions 2025)
20:30   Philippe Deschamps - Wind Secrets (Wind Secrets 2025)
22:39   Dirk Serries - Weathering The Gale (Treasure Of Stars 2025)
29:43   Seaworthy & Matt Rösner - Cold Weather (Deep Valley 2024)
32:27   Chihei Hatakeyama - Wind From Mountains (Lucid Dreams 2025)
37:00   Tokyo Ambient Collective - where the fireplace is (Winter Ambience 2025)
42:35   Pete Kvidera - Warmer Light (2025)
45:40   Valotihkuu - Threads Of Warmth (Drifting Between Seasons 2025)
51:25   Sebby Kowal - Warmth (Deep In Our Hearts 2023)
59:04   end

One of my favorite genre rabbit holes that I went down in 2025 was instrumental rock music. That title covers a lot of styles from post-rock to stoner rock to prog rock to cosmic country to fusion to psych rock etc. I've always listened to music that falls into this category whether it's Khruangbin or Causa Sui or Oren Ambarchi but this year my interest in this genre exploded. 

So I thought I would create a mix of some of my favorite instrumental rock albums from 2025. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the heavy stuff. This mix has a nice blend of a few heavy tunes with some Khruangbin-like tracks, a couple kraut rock style tracks, a jam band cut, a prog tune, even a dub track, and a bunch of other difficult to categorize music. 

 

>>>LINKS TO ALL THE MUSIC USED IN THIS MIX<<<

01 - https://actiontensionspace.bandcamp.com/album/new-dimensions

02 - https://heavypsychsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/yawning-man-pavement-ends

03 - https://ambarchiberthlingwerliin.bandcamp.com/album/ghosted-iii

04 - https://elparaisorecords.com/product/causa-sui-in-flux/

05 - https://piotrkurek.bandcamp.com/album/songs-and-bodies

06 - https://elparaisorecords.com/product/edena-gardens-dispossessed/

07- https://barrywalker.bandcamp.com/album/barry-walker-unit-at-the-13th-moon-gravity-well

08 - https://jeffthebrotherhood.bandcamp.com/album/magick-songs

09 - https://kungensman.bandcamp.com/album/resande-i-rockmusik

10 - https://markusreuter.bandcamp.com/album/truce-3

11 - https://re-stoned.bandcamp.com/album/the-loom-maxi-single

12 - https://townportal.bandcamp.com/album/grindwork

13 - https://holmisanisland.bandcamp.com/album/behind-curtains

14 - https://yuuf.bandcamp.com/album/alma-s-cove

15 - https://eliwinter.bandcamp.com/album/a-trick-of-the-light

 
I know this isn't the usual LLM ambient fare but it is still somehow trance inducing. I hope you enjoy this deviation from ambient bliss.
 
Cheers!

 

T R A C K L I S T :

01)  00:00   Action & Tension & Space - Folkemusikk fra Kvala (New Dimensions 2025)
02)  04:47   Yawning Man - Bomba Negra (Pavement Ends 2025)
03)  09:45   Oren Ambarchi, Johan Berthling, Andreas Werliin - Chahar (Ghosted  III 2025)
04)  15:49   Causa Sui - The Circus is Back (In Flux 2025)
05)  17:32   Piotr Kurek - Nothing Holds Still (Songs And Bodies 2025)
06)  22:26   Edena Gardens - Fills The Well (Dispossessed 2025)
07)  27:50   Barry Walker Unit - High in the Hummocks (At the 13th Moon Gravity Well 2025)
08)  32:51   Jeff The Brotherhood - Many Moons Dub (Magick Songs in Dub 2025)
09)  37:27   Kungens Män - Resande i rockmusik  (Resande i rockmusik 2025)
10)  42:40   Markus Reuter - We Have Your Back (Truce <3 2025)
11)  47:20   The Re-Stoned - The Loom (The Loom 2025)
12)  52:24   Town Portal - Gold-Plated (Grindwork 2025)
13)  56:18   Holm - Behind Curtains (Behind Curtains 2025)
14)  60:08   Yuuf - Alma’s Cove (Alma's Cove 2025)
15)  63:37   Eli Winter - A Trick of the Light (A Trick of the Light 2025)
67:16   end

Oh man, what a way to end the year! Erwin has been curating excellent Berlin-school mixes for us all year and now he finishes it off with this massive end-of-the-year update. I've been in this headspace for a while now so this perfectly satisfies my craving. Thanks to Erwin for a great year of electronic mixes.
 
Here what he has to say about this year-ender:
 

"Another smorgasbord of what the electronic music scene has to offer these days and another invitation for space travelling! It's an extra long mix given my incapacity to choose from the wide offer of sublime tracks and albums that were released in 2025.

The diversity in styles within this music category is remarkable; synth pop, retro, contemporary and progressive Berlin School, cosmic sound tapestries, contemplative/meditative/emotional (drone) ambient and a lengthy deep house track.

Special mention for two female electronic music artists Andrea Cichecki and Lisa Bella Donna. Unfortunately, women are rare in this line of music, but these ladies more than deserve their place in this mix with thrilling evocative compositions. Check it out & enjoy your trip!"

  
LINKS TO ALL THE MUSIC USED IN THIS MIX:
01. https://aevanelstprojects.bandcamp.com/album/the-art-of-ae-live-2

02. https://fritzmayr.bandcamp.com/album/eye-of-the-storm
03. https://cosmiccadence.bandcamp.com/album/alien-artifacts
04. https://epigenetics.bandcamp.com/album/tunes-for-the-trip-to-alpha-centauri-2025-album
05. https://cyclicaldreams.bandcamp.com/album/everything-dies-cyd-0139
06. https://cyclicaldreams.bandcamp.com/album/gemstones-vi-cyd-0141
07. https://cyclicaldreams.bandcamp.com/album/a-sequence-of-colours-cyd-0147
08. https://sphericmusic-shop.de/gb/featured/1889-mergener-peter-chip-meditation-2025.html
    https://www.groove.nl/shop/peter-mergener-chip-meditation-2025/?v=910955a907e7
09. https://moonsatellite2.bandcamp.com/album/litanie-des-songes
10. https://tronestamjohan.bandcamp.com/album/settlers
11. https://caughtinjoy.bandcamp.com/album/equilibrium-double-album
12. https://matthiaslehmann.bandcamp.com/album/autumn-rhapsody-season-quadrology-part-iv-album
13. https://sequentia-legenda.bandcamp.com/album/timeless
    https://cyclicaldreams.bandcamp.com/album/timeless-cyd-0143
14. https://jimottaway.bandcamp.com/album/cosmic-odyssey
15. https://dacker.bandcamp.com/album/saudade
    https://www.groove.nl/shop/dacker-skoulaman-saudade/?v=910955a907e7
16. https://lisabelladonna.bandcamp.com/album/dawn-of-a-new-age
17. https://mahorka.bandcamp.com/album/making-things-happen-netlabel-day-10th-anniversary-compilation
18. https://mattgoodluck.bandcamp.com/album/portals
19. https://phelios.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-planetarium-erkrath
20. https://unisphereerikrene.bandcamp.com/album/opus-tria
21. https://drune-music.bandcamp.com/album/beyond
22. https://joerg-dankert.bandcamp.com/album/back-to-berlin
23. https://hellomrklaus.bandcamp.com/album/angels-memento-mori
24. https://mindphaser2.bandcamp.com/album/analogue-birth-of-the-universe
25. https://tectonia.bandcamp.com/album/luna-the-moon
26. https://cyclicaldreams.bandcamp.com/album/the-vanishing-point-cyd-0145
27. https://hrresonance.bandcamp.com/album/dream-mooring
28. https://quietdetails.bandcamp.com/album/yesterday-sky
29. https://tim-stebbing.bandcamp.com/album/spacehopper
30. https://colinrayment.bandcamp.com/album/optical-perceptions
31. https://galacticsoundstation.bandcamp.com/album/music-for-the-mental-health-of-astronauts-volume-1
32. https://astro-sphere.bandcamp.com/album/fading-sun-endless-blue
33. https://jayhosking.bandcamp.com/album/the-world-will-never-survive-without-you-ambient-works


Happy New Year to everyone and here's to 2026 being another fantastic year of music.

Cheers!

 

T R A C K L I S T :

01. 00:00:00   AE Van Elst Projects - Take-Off (The Art of AE Live)
02. 00:05:58   Fritz Mayr - Wind & Rain (Eye Of The Storm)
03. 00:07:12   Cosmic Cadence - Alien Artifacts (Alien Artifacts)
04. 00:11:45   Epigenetics - Leaving Everything Behind (Tunes for the Trip to Alpha Centauri)
05. 00:16:04   Rodrigo Passannanti - Blue Skies (Everything Dies)
06. 00:20:08   Andrea Cichecki - Fragmented Reality (Gemstones VI - Cyclical Dreams label compilation)
07. 00:25:00   Michael Brückner - Sequential Blue (A Sequence Of Colours)
08. 00:30:48   Peter Mergener - Julia Quantity (Chip Meditation 2025)
09. 00:35:14   MoonSatellite - Litanie Part 04 (Litanie Des Songes)
10. 00:41:34   Johan Tronestam - Pioneers (Settlers)
11. 00:48:36   Caught In Joy - Cathedrals Of Light (Equilibrium)
12. 00:53:03   Matthias Lehmann - Stubai Fall (Autumn Rhapsody - Season Quadrology Part IV)
13. 00:57:15   Sequentia Legenda - Love Feeds Love II (Timeless)
14. 01:01:03   Jim Ottaway - Cosmic Odyssey (Cosmic Odyssey)
15. 01:07:36   Däcker & Skoulaman - Hiraeth (Saudade)
16. 01:15:56   Lisa Bella Donna - Reach For The Light (Dawn Of A New Age)
17. 01:22:14   Fallen + Philippe Blache - Supplique Au Vent (Making Things Happen: Netlabel Day 10th Anniversary Compilation)
18. 01:26:22   Matt Goodluck - After Hours (Portals)
19. 01:29:35   Martin Stürtzer - Return To Earth (Live at Planetarium Erkrath)                         
20. 01:35:56   UNI Sphere - Shifting Your Horizon (Opus Tria)               
21. 01:43:10   Drune - Nucleia (Beyond) 
22. 01:49:44   Joerg Dankert - Checkpoint Velocity (Back To Berlin)
23. 01:53:12   Hello Mr Klaus - Uriel Angel Of Light (Angels "Memento Mori")
24. 01:58:36   MindPhaser - Mellotron Resonance (Analogue Birth Of The Universe) 
25. 02:00:32   Tectonia - Tranquility Base (Luna - The Moon)
26. 02:02:50   Grant Beasley - Zero Point (The Vanishing Point)
27. 02:10:55   Subtle Shift - Dream Mooring (Dream Mooring)             
28. 02:29:14   Shawn Rudiman - Psyconnex (Yesterday Sky)
29. 02:35:44   Tim Stebbing - Deep Freeze (Spacehopper)
30. 02:43:23   Colin Rayment - Mysterious Illusion (Optical Perceptions)
31. 02:46:26   Terminus Void - Zero Gravity (Music for the Mental Health of Astronauts Vol. 1)
32. 02:52:01   Astropilot - Fading Sun Endless Blue (Fading Sun Endless Blue)
33. 02:55:34   Jay Hosking - Prince, The Poet (The World Will Never Survive Without You)
end 03:03:44