Saturday, December 24, 2011

That was the year, that was...

Tune in to SoundScape on Yarra Valley FM 99.1 this Thursday (Dec 29) or get it streamed live from the website.

The last SoundScape for 2011 will be an eclectic mix of ambient from around the world, with items from the likes of David Gilmour, Dan Hasalik, Anflec, Frank Yamma, Enya and more. We will finish the show with a long piece by Big Toe Productions - 'Piano and Sax with Birdsong'.

The Goons this week will be 'Treasure in the Tower'.

I will be back in 2012 (no break) with more great ambient tracks every Thursday night from 9 pm on SoundScape.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

This Mortal Coil

Tune in to Yarra Valley FM 99.1 this Thursday from 9 pm for SoundScape, or get it streamed live from the website for some great ambient music.


First up we will feature This Mortal Coil, a gothic dream pop supergroup led by Ivo Watts-Russell, founder of the British record label 4AD. Although Watts-Russell and John Fryer were technically the only two official members, the band's recorded output featured a large rotating cast of supporting artists, many of whom were signed to, or otherwise associated with, 4AD. 

The idea was to allow artists the creative freedom to record material outside of the realm of what was expected of them; it also created the opportunity for innovative cover versions of songs personal to Ivo. About half of the songs released were cover versions, often of 1960s and 1970s psychedelic and folk acts, which displayed those two genres' place in the history and formation of dream pop. On each of the band's three LPs, at least one song would also be a cover of a 4AD artist, and most of the original songs were instrumentals.

Our Goon Show this week will be 'The Great  Regents Park Swim'.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Music to sooth...

This Thursday (Dec 15) tune in to SoundScape on Yarra Valley FM 99.1 from 9 pm or get it streamed live from the website.

We will start with the soothing abient sounds produced by Robert Carty.

Robert Carty is the independent's independent. He has released 41 solo CD's on his own Deep Sky label. Carty's career began in Kansas City, MO, where he founded Deep Sky and began creating his deeply emotional music and releasing CD's. He relocated to Murray, UT (near Salt Lake City) where he has absolutely flourished as an independent artist. From 97 through 99, he created and released CD's at the rate of about 3 or 4 per month.

His list of instruments includes analog and digital synths, Native American flute, didgeridoo, guitars, tingsha, gamelan bells, sampler and various percussion instruments, shakers and rattles.


We will then be able to enjoy a number of selected tracks from Kraftwerk's album 'Radioactivity'.

This week's Goon Show will be 'The Burning Embassy'.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Look to the East

Tune in to SoundScape this Thursday (Dec 8) on YVFM 99.1 from 9 pm, or stream it from the website to catch some wonderful abient music.



We will start with a very eastern flavour with our artist of the week - Sitar player and composer Anoushka Shankar is one of the leading figures in World Music today. She is deeply rooted in Indian classical music, having studied exclusively with her father, the legendary Ravi Shankar, from the age of nine. Thriving as a composer, she has been exploring fertile ground in the crossover between Indian music and a variety of genres including flamenco, electronica, jazz and Western classical music.

She made her performance debut in 1995 in New Delhi at the age of thirteen, and was playing venues such as Carnegie Hall by the age of fifteen, accompanying her father at his concerts worldwide. In 2007 Anoushka collaborated with the talented Indian-American musician Karsh Kale, to create the album Breathing Under Water. Co-produced by Gaurav Raina of the group MIDIval Punditz, this album featured guest appearances by Anoushka’s father, her half-sister Norah Jones, Sting, and others. 

In 2002 Anoushka conducted and performed at the historic Concert for George, a tribute to the late George Harrison. She has also appeared as a soloist with some of the world’s greatest orchestras, and premiered her father’s 3rd Concerto for Sitar and Orchestra with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in 2009, and his first Symphony, with the London Philarmonic Orchestra in 2010. 

Over the years Anoushka has maintained active, creative careers outside of music: in 2002 she authored the book Bapi: The Love of My Life, a biographical portrait of her father, and has served as columnist for prestigious publications like New Delhi’s First City magazine and the Hindustan Times. She earned a Best Supporting Actress nomination from India’s National Film Awards for her role in Dance Like a Man in 2004.


The Goon Show this week will be 'The Junk Affair'.