Dark times call for vibrant music. Our new stay-at-home blog series bring together artists who are taking action through creativity. The very first podcast of such kind comes from Sjors Van de Ven, a folk you might have seen on our Friday borrels. Some ambient and jazz ‘’for when the walls are closing in on you’’. Here's Sjors' own words and some background on the mix:
''Dear all, I hope you and your beloved ones are doing well during these bizarre times called corona. Most of the world has been put to a halt and lots of people are stuck inside. The lockdown comes with a lot of uncertainty and worries about health and finances amongst others. However, these times also come with benefits that are easily overlooked. After the first wave of panic, crisis creates a feeling of we are in this together, where a lot of initiatives are started to help each other out. ‘Andrà tutto bene’ as the Italians now say to each other. And, this lockdown has given a lot of people the gift of time. In regular day-to-day life it is difficult to truly slow down due to everything you have to do and want to do. Now is the time and opportunity to get creative and just do whatever you feel like.
For the BRET podcast, I recorded a mix for when the walls are closing in on you. It helps you to let go of the corona-stress and really enjoy the slow time. Although I do miss the club during this lockdown, I recorded a mix of non-club music. It is mainly ambient and spiritual jazz to lose track of space and time. The tracks I included are included because they have (at least for me) a soothing and relaxing effect. They are listed in the tracklist below.
I included some Japanese organic ambient by H. Takhashi, Kaoru Inoue and Yoshio Ojima because this always works for me to unwind. The same is true for the more electronic variant of ambient, for instance the tracks by Pariah, S.A.M. and Aquarian. To create some contrast in the mix and keep it interesting the mix also contains music that is a little more stimulating and experimental. Examples are the tracks by μZiq, C. Memi + Neo Matisse and Howard Wales. Put it on and read a book, cook the dish you normally don’t have time for, watch a nature documentary (I recommend Wild Japan) or just stare out of the window. Enjoy the silence!''
Tracklist:
H. Takahashi – Körper
Pariah – Seed Bank
Kaoru Inoue – Wave Introduction
X.Y.R. – Golden Haze
Dogon – Feathers
μZiq – Preero
Regelbau – Sun And Steel (Timeman and CK’s Part II)
Planet Gong – Humid Empire
C. Memi + Neo Matisse – Dream’s Dream
Eitetsu Hayashi –風の使者 (Karabinka)
Raul Lovisoni – Amon Ra
S.A.M. – Baby I’m Sorry
Aquarian – New York, An Eternity
Aerial Service Area – Eternal
Rook Valard – Medlon
D.K. – The Three Realms
Howard Wales – Karnaval
Yoshio Ojima - Biodome
Take a look at S.Ven's SoundCloud.