Shortly after lockdown we launched Radio Free Aquarium Drunkard — a 24/7 quarantine companion. After two months on-air, the experiment morphed into a monthly 4-hour program at Dublab. Tune in this Sunday at 4pm Pacific, with AD deejays along with special guest William Tyler.
Here’s a taste from May — episode two of In Sheep’s Clothing. Cole Kinnear is the selector.
With his “It’s Only Life, That’s All” playlist, Nap Eyes guitarist Brad Loughead created a mix “mainly as a way to occupy myself, [to] get lost in beautiful music and turn my brain off.” It encompasses familiar themes—”of love, mortality, troubled times…’ya know, the light stuff,” but like Nap Eyes’ fourth lp, Snapshot of a Beginner, it achieves a powerful effect by just easing on by.
Silent Ways offers an immersive submersion into the depths of “In A Silent Way.” Composed by Joe Zawinul and made famous as the title track of Miles Davis’ first all-electric LP, it’s a song that doesn’t attempt to stop time as much as it attempts control time. Speed it up, slow it down, stretch it out, turn it upside down
There’s something really comforting about a cover song…familiar while still feeling fresh, soothing and confounding at the same time. …
… which brings us to this mix… in tribute to Art Dudley, here are tunes from some of my favorite mono LPs recorded using an emt 930 turntable with a Miyajima zero mono cartridge on a 12” Schick tonearm fed into a Miyajima etr-mono step up transformer and a Shindo Monbrison preamp.
And now, for another exploration into the sounds of the 60s and 70s Jesus People Movement, here’s The End Is At Hand Vol. 5: God Is My Home. Continuing the tradition of the first four volumes, expect obscure, Jesus-centric, songs ranging in style from slow-burning psychedelia to loner folk. Glory!
In recent years, the smoky, mystical groove of Alice Coltrane’s “Journey In Satchidananda” has emerged as a go-to vehicle for musical travelers of varying stripes. This two-hour mix pulls together a selection of these journeys (along with some offerings from Alice herself). Hey, if you’re going to listen to a single bass line for 120 minutes, I can think of no better candidate than the god-like lope that Cecil McBee originally laid down back in 1970. No matter where these musicians go on their respective journeys, there’s a unifying questing vibe, a desire to tap into the cosmic imagination. Spend some time with them on a higher plane.
“Some for Bohannon,” a celebration and glance at the funky creations of Hamilton Bohannon: a drummer, song writer, and record producer who, as Ron Wynn noted, perfected a “formula of heavy, thudding bass accents and aggressive rhythms”. He passed away April 24, 2020. Rest in peace.
Whatever happened to the human race? This mix explores the darker sides of the much maligned “AOR” genre, typically associated with 1970’s overly-produced pop excess, while embracing it’s playful and uplifting side. From Thin Lizzy’s Phil Lynott’s lamenting a “Fatalistic Attitude” to the Monkees’ Michael Nesmith’s time capsule to “People A Hundred Years From Now”, from Emitt Rhodes lamentable solo swan song “Farewell To Paradise” to true FM radio classic jam Starbuck’s “Moonlight Feels Right”, here The Human Race is represented in all it’s conflicted glory.
…the golden period from the 1970s into the early 80s when jazz in Japan came into its own identity and sound.
100 minutes of library groovers – dance floor bangers – funky fusion – modal swingers – big band stompers – jazz rock psychedelia and the impeccable sound of TBM are all represented.
“Sing a simple song, you can’t go wrong” // Some slow and mellow songs for these not so mellow times …
A lot of friends have been reaching out for healing music. Here are some things that have felt like taking a deep breath over the past few weeks. Much love to everyone.
“Some for The Makossa Man,” a celebration and glance at the world of afrobeat giant, Manu Dibango: a trailblazer whose music laid the groundwork for what would become disco and hip-hop. He passed away today from COVID-19. Rest in peace, Makossa Man.
For years if you lived in Nashville you were lucky to have the soothing sounds of WAMB 1160 AM, playing glorious easy listening music from the past. But what was truly special about WAMB was their late night programming, from roughly 12 am to 5 am, dubbed ‘beautiful music in the night.’ During this time frame the station would play blocks of old reel to reel mix tapes assembled by the late Nashville radio personality Ken Bramming…
Not exactly easy listening, but something like counter programming against the ambient dread of the moment. “We try not to lose our hearts, not lose our minds.”