April 25, 2021

Ambient Folk & Cosmic Roots

1 hour 2 minutes

After the craziness of the last mix it's nice to slow down. And what better way to slow down than with a guest mix from James over at The Slow Music Movement. They have a wonderful new album called "Future Folk: Friendly Faces; Different Spaces."

https://theslowmusicmovement.bandcamp.com/album/future-folk-friendly-faces-different-spaces

After I heard it I asked James to do a guest mix featuring some tracks from that album along with other cuts that fit the vibe. The result is a unique journey through folk-influenced ambient and ambient-influenced folk.

While this mix only has three tracks from the new album they share a similar vibe and outlook. Here's what James has to say about his new compilation:

"This compilation came about with my increasing interest in folk music after years of focusing on the 25 year old golden age of musical fusion that is still playing out. Having ridden the industry waves and ripples since the MP3 & digital stones were rudely thrown into the music pond, I am constantly fascinated by 20th century holdouts looking back wistfully to the good old, bad old days of smoky venues, hounding newsagents for music magazines, easily damaged vinyl, ancient instruments, terrible sounding tapes, label dependency, photocopied fanzines and stamp licking.

So I contacted a few of the artists that had lit my folk flame to see what they had to say? Artists that know their roots, but who are keeping their eyes on the road ahead and the world of possibility they now enjoy. Shortly after, from home studios in spare rooms and internet enabled remote collaborations, wildly processed instruments from hazy late night jam sessions, digitally mutated acapellas and 13th century songs covered in an age that the long dead and sadly forgotten writer could never have imagined, started to drift into my inbox.

Is an evolutionary leap the key to folk’s survival? Time, the whims of the coronavirus gods, the folk community’s response to today’s existential stresses, adaptation to changing media consumption habits, marketing decisions and ultimately, people’s decisions on what style of music suits them best, will decide."

Here are some important links:

Slow Folk Playlist on Spotify

Future Folk on Streaming Services

Future Folk on Bandcamp

Cheers!

T R A C K L I S T :

00:00 El Conejo - Tres Tigres Tristes

05:40 Jörgen Kjellgren - Dulcet,

08:32 Adeline Hotel - Reliable Feelings,

11:10 Kerry Devine - Vehicle,

15:43 John Stammers - Waiting Around,

20:00 The Howard Hughes Suite - Smoke from a Future Fire,

24:08 Tim Linghaus - You Called it Love,

27:07 Boduf Songs - Unseen Forces and How to Use Them,

32:40 Roddy Woomble - Everday Sun,

36:50 Black Brunswicker - Black Grouse Raag,

41:25 M. Grig - Call, (45.50) Lightbath - Insinyur Cahaya,

49:00 Ben McElroy - The Silence Has Spoken,

52:00 Cynefin - Ffarwel I Aberystwyth,

56:00 Burnt Paw - Arthur's Sea,

58:40 Andreas Söderström & Rickard Jäverling - Klockan

62:53 end

...more

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By Low Light Mixes

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