Ideas about the concept of time, music for a skier’s descent from an impressive mountain top, and sounds from a love and peace duo. 49 minutes with “Blue” Gene Tyranny, Phew, Pikacyu★Makoto, Suzanne Ciani, and others – realized between 1962 and 2021.
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Sleep – Dark Ambient Textures
Despite their gentle and surreal nature, these tracks weren’t necessarily made with the idea of sleep in mind; their dark ambient textures, however, are inspired by memories, sounds, or discoveries. 51-minute mix with works by Brian Eno, David Toop, Monolake, Thomas Köner, and others – realized between 1982 and 2020.
Their India – Inspiration From Abroad (1956-99)
During the 20th century, India attracted many artists and musicians, most of them in pursuit of answers to spiritual needs or wanting to leave something behind. 56-minute mix with works by Alice Coltrane, Coil with Lori Carson, Psycho Baba, Sun Ra, and others.
She Told Me – Experimental Music by Women (1969-2020)
An invented language, imitations of field-recordings, or the idea of a visual work with sound make these tracks express something not yet known. 38-minute mix with music by Buffy Sainte-Marie, Gazelle Twin & NYX, Glynis Jones, Valentina Goncharova, and others.
Obscure Music – Paving the Way for Ambient (1975-78)
With his label Obscure, pop star Brian Eno starts a series with experimental listening music in 1975. The artists involved want to leave their previous approaches towards making music behind and work with new technologies or take inspiration from ancient traditions. 71 minutes with Gavin Bryars, Harold Budd, Max Eastley, Michael Nyman, and others.
Relics – Radiophonic Miniatures on Air (1953-2019)
Relics tell stories, take listeners on acoustic journeys, or document situations. They can be poems, studio productions, field recordings, or something completely different. 53-minute mix representing my series Fundstück on DLF-Kultur with pieces by Anne Waldman, Helga Goetze, Mark E. Smith, Timothy Leary, and 26 other artists.
Jukebox (6): Twisted
The Jukebox gets expanded with improvised Baroque chamber music that’s rooted in rock, the inner voyage of a miserable soul, notions of the uncanny, and a forward thinking Jamaican collective. 42 minutes with tunes by Don Cherry, Gazelle Twin, Mariah, Sentimentale Jugend, and others – produced between 1969 and 2021.
The Tiger in Your Tank – Addressing Climate Change
“The ecological catastrophe begins rehearsing in the sixties”, writes Allen Ginsberg in 1970; and for more than half a century, political systems are unwilling to fight that development. 45 minutes with sounds of protest – uttered between 1969 and 2020 by Appleblim, Diane Di Prima, Leslie Winer, Piero Umiliani, and others.
Proper Krauts (West-Germany 1971-78)
The stoic, almost machine like drumming of so many German tunes from the early seventies becomes the trademark of a new sound – different from British pop or American rock, and in no way related to the country’s horrible nazi past. 48 minutes with Cluster, Faust, Harmonia 76, La Düsseldorf, and more.
Future Japan – Technopop (1979-86)
Yellow Magic Orchestra’s concept of connecting pop, dance music, and Far Eastern folklore quickly becomes synonymous with technopop in Japan. The band’s members also occur in each others solo recordings and cooperate with other musicians. 49 minutes with Apogee & Perigee, Friends Of Earth, Miharu Koshi, Ryuichi Sakamoto & The Kakutougi Session, and more.
Jukebox (4): Night Mode
Tunes beyond rock and post-punk, embracing a kind of glamour, energy, and irony characteristic of wave and synth pop. 43 minutes with works by Chris Carter, John Ruth, Judy Nylon and Crucial, Patrick Cowley, and others – realized between 1979 and ’85.
Perplex – Electronic Mood Music (1990-97)
After years of increasing harshness on the dancefloor culminating in Gabber, round 1992 the time has come for exploring more friendly grounds. 55-minute mix from the advent of personal computers and the internet for everyone – with tracks by Acid Jesus, The Black Dog, Cylob, Like A Tim, and others.
Reggae? – Some Seventies Soul Fire
Fuelled by collaborations between producers, singers, and studio musicians in ever new constellations, the seventies mark the transition from ska and rocksteady into a multitude of styles in Jamaica. 46 minutes with Keith Hudson, Norma White & Brentford Disco Set, Sound Dimension, Susan Cadogan, and more.
Reggae From Scratch – Lee Perry (1968-78)
Known for his innovative studio techniques, unique production style, and weird tunes, Lee “Scratch” Perry combines influences from soul, funk, reggae, and dub in the early and mid seventies. 46-minute program with 14 tracks from the Perry orbit.
Jukebox (3): Dream Dizzy
Filling up the jukebox with diluted krautrock, adapted muzak, lost technology, and a transformed Scientist riddim. 52-minute mix with tunes by Annie Anxiety, Leslie Winer, Sparks, Wrangler, and more – produced between 1974 and 2014.
Jukebox (1): Minimum Maximum
The Jukebox series starts with European ideas about reggae, some stoic drumming, a reflection on alienation, and a track capturing the atmosphere in Tokyo during the early eighties. 54 minutes with works by Alec Empire, Jun Togawa Unit, Pink Industry, The Red Krayola, and others – made between 1968 and 2008.
A Dandy From Heaven – Haruomi Hosono
Aware of musical traditions and eager to incorporate the latest technology in his productions, Haruomi Hosono is one of the most versatile and influential figures in Japanese popular culture. 44-minute program with various collaborations and solo works by the co-founder of Yellow Magic Orchestra – realized between 1975 and 1995.
More Poetry of DIY – Using the Means at Hand
A politician’s elusion becomes poetry, music of the collective subconscious is transferred into a dreamy landscape, and insects’ microtonal sounds get rhythmic. 36 minutes with pieces by Blancmange, Graeme Revell, Gregory Whitehead, Holger Hiller, and others – realized between 1967 and 2011.
Filed Recordings – Miking the World (1958-2018)
“Listen to your world. It may be more interesting than all the things you buy to escape from it.” 46-minute mix that proves Sasha Frere-Jones’ observation from 1999 right – with field recordings by Alejandra & Aeron, Bill Fontana, Chris Watson, Félix Blume, and others.
Ambient Japan (1981-2004)
Free of artificial ornamentation, well balanced, and designed with love for detail, some eighties Japanese ambient music resembles the concept of the countries’ traditional gardens. 51 minutes of music striving to enhance environments – with works by Haruomi Hosono, Inoyama Land, Masahiro Sugaya, Yasuaki Shimizu, and others.
Ambient Channel (3): Misty
Paying homage to flying machines and next generation’s minimalism, singing in an invented language that’s both mysterious and familiar, and a special kind of rain. 43-minute mix with pieces by Anna Homler and Steve Moshier, Ennio Morricone, Harold Budd, The Human League, and others – made between 1972 and 2011.
Ambient Channel (2): En Route
Re-configuring the past, drifting into a future, connecting different worlds, and shaping the profile of a fictitious ethnic group – 43 minutes with music by Bill Drummond, Dadang Dwi Septiyan, Jon Hassell, Malayeen, and others – recorded between 1971 and 2020.
Ambient Channel (1): Perpetual Drift
Minimal melodies from Japan and Arctic Norway, music for ex army gymnasts bounding about in rubber costumes, and something from New York‘s Downtown. 55 minutes with works by Aqua Regia, The Caretaker, Midori Takada, The Residents, and others – realized between 1969 and 2019.
Just Checking – A Blueprint
Blueprint for a longer series of mixes with ambient music from various backgrounds. 50 minutes with works by Ash Ra Tempel, Marina La Palma, Meredith Monk, Uchu, and others, realized between the early 1960s and 2017.
Tellus – Mapping New York’s Art Scene on Tape
Compiling a varied and dense collection of artistic concepts, the subscription only tape label Tellus documents New York’s expansive art scene between 1983 and ’93. 29-minute program featuring tracks from 13 releases, with works by Cardboard Air Band, Gretchen Bender, Liquid Liquid, Remko Scha, and others.
A Few Things From Japan – Rediscovering Traditions (1969-2000)
During the seventies, musical traditions are being rediscovered in Japan. By blending them with their own preferences, artists create new sound worlds. 48-minute program with works by Akio Suzuki, Haruomi Hosono, Jun Togawa Unit, Toshi Ichiyanagi, and more.
Flokati – Tunes for a Chill-out Zone
Reminiscent of a certain time or place, these tunes are for a chill-out zone. 49-minute mix with memories and fantasies by Cluster & Eno, Geir Jenssen, Graeme Revell, Muslimgauze, and others, realized between 1970 and 2014.
Sekt oder Karies – West-Germany in the 80s
Owing to a straightness rooted in punk, new things and personalities get invented everywhere and all the time in West-Germany’s music scene of the eighties. 53-minute program with Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle, Holger Hiller, Ingrid Wiener & Chor, Martin Kippenberger, and others.
Round World – Twisted Musical Traditions
Traditional instruments and music – twisted by composers, improvisers, rockers, synthesists, industrial and electronic musicians. 43-minute mix with works by The 13th Tribe, Don Cherry, Harry Hosono and the Yellow Magic Band, Sun City Girls, and more, realized between 1967 and 1994.
Shaping Intermedia Art – Avantgarde Women (1968-85)
In the late sixties, women composers start mixing various kinds of sonic material. Often their idea of intermedia art has a link to human life. 88-minute mix with Christina Kubisch, Eliane Radigue, Frankie Mann, Ruth Anderson, and more.
Vibrant Spaces – Henri Chopin’s Sound Poetry
Being one of the leading protagonists of avantgarde and experimental audio art during the second half of the 20th century, Henri Chopin was among the first to make use of a tape recorder’s true potential.
Ray-Dee-Oh
10 pieces about the mysteries, realities, and prospects of airwaves. 30-minute program with works by The Android Sisters, Dan Lander, Negativland, Phil Harmonic, and others – made between 1960 and 2004.
Fluxus Is…
Forming a loose community of interdisciplinary collaborators, Fluxus artists are rethinking the role of art in society during the sixties. 47-minute program with Carolee Schneemann, Henning Christiansen, Terry Riley, Yoko Ono, and more – with pieces made between 1959 and 2014.
Early Electronic Music – Fieldwork and Funny Sounds (1952-68)
The electrification of music during the 1950s leads to a multitude of artistic concepts. 50 minutes of fieldwork and funny sounds with Alireza Mashayekhi, Else Marie Pade, Enore Zaffiri, İlhan Mimaroğlu, and more.
We Are the Machine – The Concept of Polypoetry
Only the development of new technologies will mark the progress of sound poetry, states Enzo Minarelli in his manifesto on Polipoesia from 1987. On the basis of 11 sound poems, Minarelli talks about the concept of Polipoesia, and where it all started.
Enhanced Poetry (1956-1991)
With reel to reels, poetry reaches the next level in the 1950s. Language gets arranged in completely new ways. 37 minutes with Ernst Jandl, Henri Chopin, Neil Mills, Sten Hanson, and others.
Synthesis – Approaching a New Instrument
Synthesizers brought new sounds into the world. 43 minutes of music with oscillators, filters and envelopes controlled by Conrad Schnitzler, Daphne Oram, Erkki Kurenniemi, Laurie Spiegel, and others – between the early sixties and 1977 (plus an exception).
White Lady From Maghreb
White Lady I called a cassette bought in Morocco in the early nineties. It was traditional music like on this tape that Paul Bowles recorded in the fifties and sixties on numerous trips throughout the country. Artists like Allen Ginsberg, Brion Gysin, or William Burroughs were visiting the Tangier based author frequently.
Ten Magic Pianos (1912-2017)
For some, the piano is the instrument of instruments. Here are ten good reasons why. 40-minute mix with works by Charlemagne Palestine, Graeme Revell, Henry Cowell, Johanna Magdalena Beyer, and others.
Hello, USA! – Observations From the Land of the Free (1966-2002)
Snapshots on national pride, cars, country music, and human abysses behind proper facades – 52 minutes with Amiri Baraka, Ann Magnuson, Henry Rollins, Peter Roehr, and others.
Letters & Numbers – Ingredients for Sound Art
Letters and numbers as material for expression. 40-minute mix with ideas by Brion Gysin, Demetrio Stratos, Henri Chopin, Lawrence Weiner, and others – invented between 1917 and 2006.
Big Egos – Sound Works by Visual Artists (1981-2006)
Artists see things differently. 45-minute mix with sound works by Carole Caroompas, Dieter Roth, Jess Holzworth and Jutta Koether, Magazzini Criminali, and others.
New York in the Sixties – A Hotbed for Experiments
Whether conceptual or performance art, electronic music, counterculture, minimalism, drone music, or Fluxus. New York is a hotbed for all sorts of experiments during the sixties. 62 minutes with Angus MacLise, Henry Flynt, La Monte Young & Marian Zazeela, Richard Maxfield, and more.
Seriously Ambient
The other ambient – made for listening. 53-minute mix with slow-paced music by Jocy de Oliveira, Laurie Anderson, Paul De Marinis, Yasuaki Shimizu, and others – made between 1968 and 2013.
Tabla Love – Apart From Indian Classical Music
Since the sixties, tabla drums occur also apart from Indian classical music. 54-minute program with works by Geir Jenssen, Jon Hassell, Robert Ashley, Yoko Ono, and more – produced between 1967 and 2001.
The Poetry of DIY – Ideas Expressed With Sound
39-minute mix of ideas being expressed with sound – made up trains, works with found sounds, or a collective approach in making music. Works by Amy Taubin, Angus & Hetty MacLise, Can, Tom Recchion, and others, realized between 1956 and 2016.
