My next guest for MLD is Narcotic 303 who runs the appreciated Deeptakt label. We cooperated recently because he did the mastering for my MLD Compilation and through that I got to know his huge experience and knowledge about producing and mixing electronic music.
So I invited him to contribute with a mix.
What he provided then was really surprising for me because I didn't espect such a low tempo! His set is full of mellow deepness together with an ongoing dub vibe. It makes me calm and relaxed, a mix one can listen to on repeat a whole evening while you hang out with friends or doing things for your selfcare. And it fits perfectly to cosy Winterdays and the magic time between the years - Rauhnächte are here again soon.

Tracklist:
Float & Rütz - Sansui
Venture - Never got to Goodbye
Lars Leonhard - Deep in the Fog
44 Mind & Subforms - Zlata (Gradient's Emotions Variant)
Phaeleh - Edge of Darkness
Claudio PRC - Domo
Subset - Khlav Kalsh and Crab Juice
Mr Bizz - Life
Federson - Octavian
El Choop - Procrationation Dub (Dub Reshape)
Jaymon - Zittau nad Nisou
Tom Cabrinha - Alone in the Forest
Segue - Summits & Spires

About the artist:
In 1996, Narcotic 303 entered the fascinating world of music production for
the first time - and thus began a journey that led him inexorably into the
depths of electronic music. He soon took to the turntables, and in 2004
Narcotic 303 conquered the DJ booths. His musical works are deeply rooted
in dub techno and techno, and his first single “Aura” found a home on the
renowned dub techno label DimbiDeep.
But that was just the beginning! With two impressive albums, two acclaimed
vinyl releases and a multitude of digital releases on labels such as deepindub,
Turmfalke, Deeptakt Records, Dreiton, Insectorama, Solid Capsule Records,
RNDMZR Records and Note Recordings, he has firmly established himself
in the scene. His DJ sets are a journey for the senses -
from atmospheric sounds to pulsating underground techno sets and
powerful hard techno.



Erscheinungsdatum :
14 Dezember 2024

It’s really such a pleasure to present my next special guest on my MLD Channel: Eric Fenessy a.k.a. Lava Brain from Melbourne/AUS. @lava-brain
We already had the opportunity to cooperate some months ago and during our conversations via mail I appreciated his thoughts and values about therapeutic effects of arts and music, something I could relate immediately. Thanks so much, Eric, you followed my invite to contribute with a guest mix for MLD!
Much Heavy Weight and experimental foot work inside, but also so much mindfulness for details in the frame of the love for Dub related bass music! An original MLD style -no-business-as-usual-Mix, I would say! 😊🙏
Some more words about Eric’s work as Lava Brain:
“Lava Brain (he/him) is the multidisciplinary creative project of Naarm-based (Melbourne) artist Eric Fenessy.
Eric’s practice works across sound & visual installation/projection mapping, music & video production, DJing & radio broadcast, photography, graphic design & animation, sculpture & space curation.
His work explores themes of fluidity, connection & self-exploration, encouraging the experiencer to look inward, outward & upward, creating space for expansive thought.
Eric is a community & mental health advocate; believing in the intrinsic power of intentional art & music to connect people, in order to create positive change in the world.”
Find more mixes from him on soundcloud here: @lava-brain
Special recommended mix: “Uncle Steezy’s Tropical Haze- Mix”: Unclesteezyshotsauceco – Uncle-steezys-tropical-haze-mix-1
Infos about his artistic work: www.lavabrain.com/

 
follow him on insta: www.instagram.com/lava.brain/
Some months ago, I had the wonderful opportunity to link up with him in an episode in his monthly radio show 'Triple Vision' on @area3000 Radio.
You can find the link to listen back the radio episode and also an interview what I gave to him here: www.lavabrain.com/music-words/trip…ision-sai-berlin
Enjoy! ❤️💫☯️ 

I find it very interesting to observe the range of different productions that fly under the banner of Dubtechno these days...
And although I like many of these variations, from the more ambient and chord-focused interpretations to the dry, atonal and polyrhythmic percussively focused productions, I've been getting a sense lately that something is a little wrong. By this I mean since a certain point there has been a development towards a generic sound and format that somehow seems very superficial bringing the same flat and trivial sounds thrown together and promoted as "Dubtechno" and to me, often it seems like fast food compared to the original models. There is even talk of a new wave. Both the production and the way it is presented seem somehow cheap, random and arbitrary to me. Often it is difficult if not impossible to avoid being interwined with these developments if you are enthusiastic about the often amorphous genre that is now labeled Dubtechno.
Don't get me wrong I am not saying that there is no place for this "new sound" but the more I reflect on my enthusiasm - from my first exposure to dub and its techno hybrids, through rhythm & sound and through sound system culture in the late 90s to my renewed immersion in recent years, I realize that I should use the terms Dub and Dubtechno more and more carefully - coming from a place of a certain respect and appreciation. Because often these genres, carry a lot of cultural heritage, standing for a level of quality in delivery that in reality is hard to develop, and often lost to the disposable imitation economy we are beginning to see more and more of, which only serves to dilute things to an accepted average.
 

To me a big slice of what is promoted as Dub or Dubtechno these days falls well short of these original benchmarks that were set a long time ago.

Through many conversations about these topics, reflecting on different perspectives, a mix was created recently where two fellows, I can call my friends, and I combined 3 sequential sets of 7 tracks each, to rest with and pay a little respect to some of the more remote but still relatable facets of dub in different ways. It's completely natural for styles to evolve and mix. It's great to see with how much creativity and depth some artists do this. And that's what this mix should stand for.
You can listen now to this wonderfull journey through these divergent realms..this is Sai - MLD in Session with DJ Sideways & Noosa Sound System. 

Some personal words about  this mix from each of us:
 

DAN: “a mix that i was asked so kindly to join in with..

and when sai first asked me, there was no way i could say no, as sai has become a very special friend. i just love her style of mixing and her personality shines through with every mix she does.

so thank you sai..x

the other player in the session is no other than my good friend

chris..aka..NOOSA SOUND SYSTEM. chris is a real pro when it comes to making music..as you`ve all probably heard his tracks by now. a real dub techno legend! and not just that, but has become a real good friend too. probably because he`s a fellow brit!!.. anyway, thank you both for this!! thank you both for your music and thank you both for your friendship...”

SAI: “When I start selecting tracks for a mix for me it feels always like creating a mixtape for a friend like I used to do in the very early days. Knowing that this  would stand in the middle of a wider picture with these two appreciated friends had a special meaning for me, like a manifesto for this strong connection no matter what. in my 7 track selection i integrated some dub related tracks in a diverse manner from more ambient,  experimental,  even really foggy and darkened atmosphere to more light full and reggae influenced tones..i recently discussed a lot with Chris about dub and dub poetry and it's history - technically, psychology and spirituality ..also the wide spectrum of gengres where you can find these raw fragments of dub sounds.... my selection is obviously influenced by that...and it relates perfectly by the way to my idea of "mld goes live" a little event, like a boutique festival so to say, i want to create next year with the aim presenting very diverse perspectives of dub. I like to use the phrase "facests of dub" as a frame what discribes a certain field but don't make it to concrete and determined what it has to be...from roots to more electronic like dubstep to more faster  technoid styles...and all the experimental crossovers inbetween. .. i also want to release a digital compilation as a crowdfunder to support the event.  you find more infos about that project on www.sai-mld-music.com/mld-goes-live/  “

CHRIS: “I can't remember who's idea this session mix was, but I recall the brief was easy, with no rush or expectation applied - seven tracks each - an open ended invite to contribute to a musical conversation between friends as if we were gathered at someone's house, sharing records at the decks, like we used to do so many years ago. 

Living in a remote location, years later after the advent of the digital revolution, these gatherings happen on a differnt level, crossing borders and time zones, yet the spirit of the connection is equally strong. Despite the relaxed brief, I had a feeling that this set would come together quickly, and I wasn't wrong!  If you are open to it, sometimes our selections, can fall into place with  synchronous meanings when applied in hindsight to life's flow, a track title or connections to life events current at the time perhaps. When I found  myself sitting down to plan my part, I had the luxury of hearing Dan and Sai's contribution to the narrative first, and in closing the set, I decided to draw on some of my formative influences, and a few oddities to take us somewhere maybe, as formative influences are something I have found myself going back to recently in conversation. I've found that story telling is becoming a bigger and much needed part of what we do these days, so for my part, we went into space somewhere of course, to meet up with Lee Scratch Perry! Before drifting off into the eternal towards our next sonic adventures! Hope you enjoy this session as much as we do.

thanks for listening - Chris H (Noosa Sound System)”
 

Tracklist 3x7 tracks 

Dan: 

QLTURA - FELIX KRULL 

REMINISCENT - HYDERGINE 

OLD TRICK - ERCOS BLANKA 

ENCODING (RCRGNV`S DECODING RMX) - NAE:TEK 

DRIFT - WARMTH 

GOVERLA - DMYTRO BOBRYK 

UNDEFEATED - ASPHALT LAYER 

Sai: 

Roger 23 -  Gathering Dust 

Pulshar - Dub by the river 

Desove  -SM Dub (remastered) 

Ghost Dubs - The Regulator 

Mono Peninsula -  Severnaya (Lamont Kohner Remix),  

Dialog -  If you know (feat. Benji & Josei) 

Bademah - Caligari's Dub 

Chris: 

Mads Emil Nielsen - Constellation 

John Hassell - The Moons of Titan 

Marconi Union - Weightless pt.2 

Richard H. Kirk - November X-Ray Mexico 

The Orb & Lee 'Scratch' Perry - H.O.O 

Biosphere & Higher Intelligence Agency - Snapshot Survey 

Billow Observatory - Nulstil 

It's such a big pleasure for me to have Dan a.k.a. DJ Sideways now on my channel, presenting his session for some Moments Of Light 'n Darkness (MLD).
I really love his way not making big words about huge things he gets spinning and rolling - also with his growing YouToube Channel, where one by one well known gives each other the handle to present themselves with a dubtechno mixtape. Actually this channel it was which makes me switch to Youtube more often now, listening to his uploads regularly with much interest! His passion how he is doing it impresses and inspires me. I'm really happy about this supportive and kind connection, also with other kind cooperations in the sourroundings, which will result in nuff cool things in future, I can bet!
This is what Dan says about himself:
"Hi I'm Dj Sideways, I play dubtechno and ambient, with a sprinkling of deep house mixed, using rekordbox dvs with 2 turntables.and phase.
Vinyl is the future!!!
I'm just a 53 year old bloke having some fun on the decks.. 

And I certainly ain't no pro DJ..
So if it's perfection you are after, your in the wrong place..lol..
Enjoy the music.."

If you don't know his YouTube Channel yet you should devinetly check it out here:
www.youtube.com/@DjSideways

But you find him also here on Soundcloud:
@sideways2k

and Insta:
www.instagram.com/sideways2k/

Enjoy! 💕✨

Tracklist:
1 transversal, planetary, capsule - submersion
2 aerostat - r.hz
3 the adult - g.u.a.
4 cloudwalk - rian van bergen
5 tysjoarna - markus masuhr
6 above the clouds - zoa
7 dorift ice - silentwave
8 skyline - giacomo pellegrino
9 distant reverie - stygmata
10 cosmic drift - mjulev
11 sent to sky - genning
12 raizel - grush
13 dismay - nicolas barnes
14 canoe - jackpot

It turns out, that my platform becomes a space for guestmixes now. This month in December 2023 there are even two successively. And I would say, it started without any force because actually it wasn’t something I had in my mind and I did not expect, it would ever come to a point where this would be possible. You can read some personal thoughts about it here:   www.sai-mld-music.com/blog/ 

So I am very pleased to share another guest mix on my channel! 🙏✨
This one comes from (n:ar) -- aka *nautical edits* @artificialrepeats
When I listened to it, I thought, this one is the perfect guidance through the magical time during the years, the time in German we call "Raunächte". (25th Dec - 6th Jan)
Here are some thoughts from (N:ar) himself about this mix:
"Blending ambient lo-fi dub techno and dreamlike sequences mixed with the occasional rhythmic kick track for this set of mixes. All done with a push 2/Ableton, a lot of processing and even more feeling.; gaining a deep but direct finish that is completely immersive.
--The mix here is freeform and with the help of the fantastic artists I bring you this set with the aim of lifting your gaze leading you into the ambient wilds."
Enjoy! ❤️

Tracklist: 

*spoken - ‘someone can be’
peony - ‘catharsis’
hilyard - ‘fragile wraith’
post apocalyptic - ‘mental sphere 1’
marine eyes - you’ll find me’
toki fuko - ‘spring ray -reshape ‘
hilyard - ‘whispers by firelight’
sachi kobayashi - shimmer (awakened souls remix)
arkaean - ‘ring cairn aurora’
taennya - ‘talismatic’
rhucle - ‘future river’
gregory teck - ‘red backcloth’
daar - ‘entire’
ubriaco separatisa - ‘there is no you to be forgotten’
foundation - ‘terminalia’
marine eyes - roses all alone
taennya - earth citizen
costallic - ‘transcendance’
*spoken - ‘someone can be’

Listen more from him here:
@artificialrepeats 

 
It's a great pleasure for me, to present another guest mix on my channel.
This time from Sa3b from Beirut/ Libanon who is also one of my continuous motivators what really means a lot to me!
Sa3b is a talented DJ and producer/remixer specializing in dub techno, renowned for his captivating sets and deep, atmospheric soundscapes. With a passion for electronic music rooted in the genre's history, Sa3b has honed his skills and developed a unique musical identity.
What I personal like the most of his sets are his really raw and monotone minimal taste and flavours which he has already shown on many podcast series.
He lives for his passion what makes him also creating the dub techno volumes "Beirut Nights". One of his transmissions you can listen now here in this guest mix.
Tracklist:
1. Owen Ni - Echoes Of The Troubled
2. Ort3d - Odi
3. Lotech/Hijack - Wood Knot 2
4. Sensual Physics - Zwischen Lyon und Orange
5. Nunc - Subterranean Chords
6. Valeria Croft - Keokuk
7. Thomas Fehlmann - Tree
8. dEEPoint - Lo-Fi Story
9. Julian Perez - Canal Cruise
10. Mario Tamasi - Baselement
11. Paul St. Hilaire + Rhauder - Stabilize (Ion Ludwig Reconstruction) 

Find more from him on SoundCloud here: