28.9.07

white sands, golden branches



Okay, so I flaked out on yesterday's post-- got kind of busy. So today, I'll have two tracks for you rather than one.

First off is a new remix by Ink & Needle of James Mowbray and Leiam Sullivan's "Tropical Heights," put out recently by Four:Twenty. While the original is a pleasant if not altogether exciting mid-tempo house track, the Ink & Needle remix is a gorgeous techno banger. It moves along at 128 bpm with nicely padded kicks and great bass bounce. A hi-mid, well-panned synth note performs much of the work in the first part of the track, being twisted in and out of itself, stretched, crazily-filtered. By the track's mid-point, after we have heard the vocal sample drolly say "tropical heights" twice, an effervescent melodic line comes in just in time to complement a sampled monologue about...well, tropical heights. Hi-frequency washes, powerful hand-claps and subtle, stick-like secondary percussion also mark the track. If you can't make it to the end of Ibiza's season, this might just transport you there for a good nine minutes-- Ink & Needle's work has been impeccable this year, and let's hope the trend continues.

James Mowbray & Leiam Sullivan- Tropical Heights (Ink & Needle Remix) Removed by request



Next up is a 1970 piece written and performed by Harold Budd, a pioneering electronic musician based in California. The piece, "The Oak of the Golden Dreams," might just be one of the more warmly gorgeous works of its type and time. Written for and performed on one of the infamous Buchla synthesizers, the piece is a pulsating, overtone-filled, quite relaxing bit of oscillatory music, sounding a bit like an electronic South Indian raga. While not necessarily keeping with the usual program of new(ish) techno, house and d'n'b, "The Oak of the Golden Dreams" is much too wonderful to not share. Bliss out!

Harold Budd- The Oak of the Golden Dreams

Next up? You'll just have to wait, but I'm thinking something special.

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