low light mixes

I have said many times that I love hosting guest mixes because many times the artist will approach their mix differently than I usually do. It's cool to get new song selections, new vibes, and new ideas. That is definitely the case with this set from Mark Cake & G9 LUV.

Mark sent me a copy of his new album, MCG9, and I was immediately taken with it. I love creative use of saxophone and this album has plenty of that. Here's what their Bandcamp page says about the album - "Foundationally a saxophone and electric bass duo, Mark Cake and G9 LUV use real-time audio processing, loops and modulation to layer, sample and resample their improvisations live."

After listening to their new album I asked Mark to create a guest mix for LLM and this excellent set is the result. It's so varied and interesting that it's hard to derscribe. Here's what Mark says about this mix:

"A mix created by instrumentalists and producers, Mark Cake and G9 LUV, taking music that influenced and inspired their latest album, MCG9. A collection of strange, intimate and well-loved songs connected more through subtext than genre."

 

The album and the mix are both excellent and worth checking out.

https://suchsweetrecords.bandcamp.com/album/mcg9

 

Cheers!

 

T R A C K L I S T :

00:00:00 - Skúli Sverrisson & Óskar Guðjónsson - Óli

00:01:42 - Mark Cake & G9 LUV - muckle flugga

00:04:02 - Björk - Anchor Song

00:07:31 - Junior Mesa - Quit Your Job, Runaway!

00:10:13 - Ben Van Gelder & Reinier Baas - Deo Volente

00:13:57 - Sebastian Rochford, Finding Ways - don’t know where it’s all leading

00:18:01 - Dove Ellis - to the sandals

00:22:01 - Jai Paul - All Night

00:25:00 - Aphex Twin - minipops 67 [120.2]

00:29:41 - Sweet Trip - Pro: Lov: Ad

00:35:23 - Boards of Canada - Naraka

00:40:10 - Alice Coltrane - Jai Ramachandra

00:46:09 - Aphex Twin - Rhubarb Orc 19.53 Rev

00:52:22 - Mark Cake & G9 LUV - honey and turpentine

00:54:57 - Show Me The Body - camp orchestra

00:59:37 - Sunn O))) - Novæ

01:03:11 - Arthur Russell - Being It

01:06:36 - Mark Cake & G9 LUV - unmixed/untitled/unreleased

You've probably seen the meme making the rounds called 9 Albums That Made Me. It's supposed to show the albums that formed your musical identity. It's an almost impossible task to come up with just 9 albums so I decided to do album groups that are more focused.

The first one that came to mind is 9 Albums That Made Me Love Prog Rock. All of these albums are from the 1970s, except for KC which is 1969. They came at a time when I was discovering my musical identity so in a sense these are the albums that made me.

I could have easily included more Genesis or more Yes or even more KC but that's the fun of creating these lists - cutting the list to just 9 albums. There are some pretty well known LPs here and a few lesser known entries. One side note - Bill Bruford is on 4 of the 9 albums.

What are your favorite Prog albums?

Cheers!

 

T R A C K L I S T :

08:17   Yes - Yours Is No Disgrace (The Yes Album 1971)

17:55   Triumvirat - Schooldays (Illusions on a Double Dimple 1974)

21:12   Genesis - The Lamia (The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway 1974)

28:00   Strawbs - Round and Round (Hero & Heroine 1974)

32:34   King Crimson - Starless (Red 1974)

44:40   Pink Floyd - Shine on You Crazy Diamond Pt. 2 (Wish You Were Here 1975)

56:28   U.K. - By The Light Of Day + Presto Vivace And Reprise (U.K. 1978)

63:52   Bruford - Fainting In Coils (One of a Kind 1979)

70:15   end

It's that time of year - time for a mix of autumnal music to go with falling leaves and shorter days. The last time I made one of these I used songs that had fall-like terms in the title - color, seasons, fall, leaves, etc. This time I just went for tunes that have an autumn vibe. 

Most of the tracks feature acoustic guitar because that seems to fit perfectly. The track list alternates between vocal tunes and instrumentals. I did that for the 2024 mix and I like the flow that creates. The music here is mostly new with 11 of the 16 tracks being from 2026 and the oldest being 2018.

LINKS TO ALL THE MUSIC IN THIS MIX:

https://kenpomeroy.bandcamp.com/album/cruel-joke

https://hughughug.bandcamp.com/album/hug

https://cinderwell.bandcamp.com/album/small-prophets-original-soundtrack

https://goldenbrown.bandcamp.com/album/amethyst-deceiver

https://kevinmorby.bandcamp.com/album/little-wide-open

https://philcookmusic.bandcamp.com/album/appalachia-borealis

https://store.deutschegrammophon.com/en-en/products/agnes-obel-the-meaning-of-flowers-121228

https://reverendbaron.bandcamp.com/album/daniel

https://damienjurado.bandcamp.com/album/the-horizon-just-laughed

https://open.spotify.com/album/2IUJXLynNY0ibJChxuJK7Y?si=CzaOafL7RgiSl3tiET6j4Q

https://bigthief.bandcamp.com/album/dragon-new-warm-mountain-i-believe-in-you

https://open.spotify.com/album/48R1rKuzDjPYMsI8VxCfAL

https://phoebebridgers.bandcamp.com/track/lost-boys-acoustic

https://panamerican.bandcamp.com/album/fly-the-ocean-in-a-silver-plane

https://billcallahan.bandcamp.com/album/my-days-of-58

https://acrossthehorizon.bandcamp.com/album/across-the-horizon-vol-1

 

Grab some apple cider or a pumpkin spiced latte 🤮 and give this latest autumn mix a listen.

 

Cheers!

 

T R A C K L I S T :

00:00   Ken Pomeroy - Days Getting Darker (Cruel Joke 2025)

05:06   HUG - Cucullatus' Dream (HUG 2026)

09:20   Cinder Well - The Wise Man's Song (Small Prophets Soundtrack 2026)

11:52   Golden Brown - Time Adventure (Amethyst Deceiver 2026)

16:30   Kevin Morby - Field Guide For The Butterflies (Little Wide Open 2026)

20:49   Phil Cook - Appalachia Borealis (Appalachia Borealis 2025)

24:07   Agnes Obel - The Meaning of Flowers (The Meaning of Flowers 2026)

27:51   Reverend Baron - Velasco (Daniel 2026)

30:48   Damien Jurado - Over Rainbows and Rainier (The Horizon Just Laughed 2018)

34:49   Rocco DeLuca - Raga for Shalon (Studio A Sessions 2026)

36:50   Big Thief - Change (Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You 2022)

41:37   CMF - Our National Treasure (If We're Apart, I’m Somewhere Missing You 2026)

46:30   Phoebe Bridgers - Lost Boys Acoustic (Lost Weekend 2026)

51:00   Pan-American - Honeyman-Scott (Fly the Ocean in a Silver Plane 2026)

54:25   Bill Callahan - Lake Winnebago (My Days of 58 2026)

58:08   Lake Mary(feat. Heavy Gus) - Neutral Crafting of Life (Across the Horizon Vol.1 2024)

61:29   end

The Berlin-schoolification of my brain continues. A few years ago I came back to sequencer based Berlin-school music thanks to friend of the feed, Paul Asbury Seaman. The exact artist or moment has been lost in the mists of my mind (hmm, possible mix title "Mists of My Mind"?). But it was Paul who turned me on to the scene of modern sequencer driven music. Paul has consistently provided us with excellent "train" mixes that feature heavy doses of Berlin-school tracks.

That brings us to his latest mix - Wishing Train, Desert Plain, a beautiful journey of hypnotic synth sequences. Here's what Paul has to say about this latest entry in his train themed mixes:

"A train-themed mix is inherently about journeys. Like much of ambient-electronic music, that journey is more than imagination, memories and nostalgia. It is an invitation to explore inner landscapes. Although some of my train mixes are intended to provoke a sense of excitement and adventure, traveling to new places, I mostly have in mind the long, quiet spaces beyond city life, with no distractions, the subtle rhythm of the train inducing a meditative state, a time of calm reflection, inner stillness or focus. All tracks 2026 except “Critical Zone.”

Cover image by Austrian synth maestro Fritz Mayr, commissioned specifically for this mix. Thank you, Mr. Mayr for your generous services (and generous heart!) Whoever says friendships we make on the internet are not real has not experienced the vibrant village life of the ambient/electronic cohort on Bandcamp and elsewhere."

Thanks Paul for another great trip.

 

LINKS TO ALL THE MUSIC USED IN THIS MIX:

https://robertrich.bandcamp.com/album/reunion-of-breath-and-waves

https://albaecstasy.bandcamp.com/album/endless-space

https://lvmorris.bandcamp.com/album/mindwarp

https://fritzmayr.bandcamp.com/album/musical-stories

https://tangerinedream.bandcamp.com/album/night-trains-cityscapes

https://stellardrone.bandcamp.com/album/kosmos

https://dtime.bandcamp.com/album/eternal-delta

https://phelios.bandcamp.com/album/dyson-sphere-beta-2

https://thombrennan.bandcamp.com/album/migration

 

Cheers!

 

T R A C K L I S T :

00:00   Michael Stearns & Robert Rich - Opening Sky (Reunion Of Breath And Waves 2026)

05:25   Alba Ecstasy - Critical Zone (Endless Space 2020)

14:50   L.V. Morris - High Pass (Mindwarp 2026)

19:57   Fritz Mayr - Chapter Four (Musical Stories 2026)

32:55   Tangerine Dream - Love On A Real Train 2026 (Night Trains & Cityscapes 2026)

41:06   Stellardrone - Crepuscular Rays (Kosmos 2026)

46:15   DTime - Shifting Dunes At Dawn (Eternal Delta 2026)

54:25   Martin Stürtzer - 00:33 (Dyson Sphere Beta 2026)

63:33   Thom Brennan - Migration Part 5 (Migration 2026)

73:10   end

This is another fairly straightforward mix theme. It dives back into tribal ambient featuring hypnotic, repetitive drums, electronics, traditional percussion, and field recordings. I've done several of these mixes over the years and it's always nice to revisit this style. 

I first got into this subgenre back in the 90s with the Steve Roach & Robert Rich album, "Strata." Like many musical phases, I overloaded on it and dismissed it for years. But now I really enjoy dipping into the sound every now and then.

 

LINKS TO ALL THE MUSIC USED IN THIS MIX:

https://anotherfineday.bandcamp.com/album/life-before-land

https://whitelabrecs.bandcamp.com/album/pacifica

https://elikeszler.bandcamp.com/album/harka-ost

https://sonicturtle.bandcamp.com/album/drift

https://projektrecords.bandcamp.com/album/tree-of-life

https://open.spotify.com/album/1lyRvVarASVKYuOPRazbt8?si=HiM2POs8R3i73L_H3WuXyA

https://byronmetcalf.bandcamp.com/album/spiral-exchange

https://bluelizard.bandcamp.com/album/where-are-they-and-other-stories

https://hubertdupont.bandcamp.com/album/trio-kosmos-3

https://johannaknutsson.bandcamp.com/album/dingsbums-homage

https://mindovermidi.bandcamp.com/album/never-leave

 

Cheers!

 

T R A C K L I S T :

00:00   Another Fine Day - Life Before Land (Life Before Land 1994)

06:25   Glasbird - Lokoteraina (pacifica 2023)

09:00   Vir Unis - Everthing Seeks Balance Pt. 2 (Pulseworld 2007)

16:22   Eli Keszler - Protest (Harka OST 2024)

18:05   Adham Shaikh & Tim Floyd - Estuary (Drift 1996)

25:25   Loren Nerell & Mark Seelig - Kayon (Tree of Life 2014)

32:20   Meh Met - Catacombia (Aludu Flow 2022)

35:15   Byron Metcalf - Spirits Of The Dreambody (Spiral Exchange 2025)

41:56   David Kollar - Requiem for Uncle (Where are they and other stories 2023)

49:35   Hubert Dupont - Bathyscaphe (Trio Kosmos 2020)

52:30   Johanna Knutsson - Bernsteinsee (Dingsbums Homage 2022)

58:00   Mind over MIDI - Like a Bird (Never Leave 2021)

60:49   end