Once, years ago I started a short lived podcast that celebrated the calmer side of music. Nothing tied to any one genre, more a mood. One sometimes poignant, sometimes experimental, maybe a little meandering, melancholy, or joyful depending on your own perspective. Some of my favorite music is more than propping up traditions. I love music that is genuine, a trait that can be hard to find. That said, I’m not here to discount anyones talent, taste, or ability, this is a gut feeling sort of thing.
I’m of the belief that music should not be so specifically defined, only broadly. I can’t even start listing the ridiculous amount of sub genres the world has come up to categorize music, it’s exhausting and impossible so instead let’s set off on a mood. A mood that leaves you disappearing into sound or possibly one that guides your thoughts into clarity.
In this space you will find music, field recordings, and anything else that fits an understated sense of calmness of any kind. Sometimes it will barely whisper, and other times it may rest on the edge of noise, it’s hard to define but it’s easy to navigate. Press play, take a break, and get lost. I’m sure you could use it from time to time. I know I can.
Please note, music shared here is shared a listening guide, if you come across something you love I have included links directly to artists websites or Bandcamp pages. ALWAYS purchase an artists music as close to their pocket as you can get. At very least, use a streaming service to contribute further to their passion. Never copy or distribute this feed or its contents it will never be monetized in its current state.
Hopefully I can make this a recurring series, testing this as a platform. Podcast link for your feeder of choice: 50ft.net/podcast.xml
— Ep. 001
01 - On the original You Disappear podcast I would always open it with a single loop of one of my favorite audio toys, the timeless Buddha Machine and I wanted to continue to use it as an opening because it feels like a perfect way to set a mood. If you don’t purchase one of their little speaker units they do have the music available on Bandcamp and other platforms to enjoy and I highly suggest it.
02 - Lullatone, Shapes & Time (Piano Version). How could I not start this series off here. Lullatone has consistently brought so much joy to my music loving life with their charming and endlessly sweet melodies and sense for whimsy. You can never go wrong with their catalogue.
03 - Foxtrott - Take It Back. I stumbled across Foxtrott a while back and love her output. She explores a minimal pop sound that exists just outside the usual tropes and I love music that sits in that space, one that leans forward and into the future and in the process discovered something wholly unique.
04 - Brendan Eder Ensemble - #20 (Lichen) Aphex Twin cover. I came across Brendans music through earlier jazz forward projects but then out of no where he drops this amazing collection of acoustic chamber music that mimics and explores the dreamy ethereal soundscapes of ambient music classics. This was highlighted by a couple of covers of Aphex Twin tracks from his Ambient Works Collection. Highly recommended.
05 - National Park Service - What is the sound. There is a small label called Lily Tapes and Discs that I have followed for several years now and have always felt inspired by. The music they release has an ethereal grit to it that feels grounded in the earth and memory and I am always excited to hear what’s new from them. The National Park Service has released several times on the label and I have been quick to order a tape every time. I can’t speak much to their history but their discography speaks for itself.
06 - Viul - Canon (First Exhalation). I know ambient music isn’t for everyone. Many hear it and wonder how it’s considered music at all, or maybe it just seems creepy or haunting to them. For me, Ive been listening to music for so many years now that I have learned to appreciate more than the clear and present beat of a drum or ear worm vocal hook. I enjoy ambient for its texture and its ability to seek out meditative sound beyond traditional means. It’s among the most open and organic of genres because it doesn’t ask for your attention, it simply builds on your environment as it is. When it’s done well, it meets you halfway, between your own thoughts and the sound of the environment your in. I have heard my fare share of boring drones and endless halls of reverb and there are plenty of examples of lazy, half considered ambient music but from time to time you come across artists who use the format to explore sound in a delicate way that can be just as emotive as the sweetest of song smiths. This track by Viul from a recent full length is a great example of that as it etches its way across both synthesized sound and organic sounds interlaced with subtle melodies that find their way through the fog.