Calm Pills - Soothing Space Ambient and Piano Music for Relaxing, Sleeping, Reading, or Mindful Meditation

Tracklist

00:00

06:45

08:22

11:46

13:00

17:56

23:08

33:39

37:24

45:09

47:09

I dedicated my last Chill Pill mix to my best friend who left this world all too quickly last month from his short-lived flight with COVID. Since then, and following the funeral that I couldn’t attend in person, I fell into a deep existential breaking point as I realized the fragility of life, and grabbled with the conviction that this can’t be all that we are, all that we live for, and all that remains of us. I imagined that even if Chris was ready to go, that he’d want me to remember him, to tell the world that he walked this earth with kindness, humility and desire to make it a better place.

To me, what’s harder than the helplessness I feel against the raging monster of never-again, is the thought that with every passing day, his memory is slipping away, one tiny fragment at a time. I don’t know how long this mix will live on, but while it does, I hope it tells the story of a man who once existed, who was a best friend to me through thick and thin. I may or may never have a friend like him again, but for the rest of my days I’m going to remember and cherish all the moments I was blessed to have shared with him.

Tracklist

00:00

03:21

04:34

07:56

14:12

17:36

25:08

29:48

30:06

33:32

41:52

45:47

48:02

51:07

58:54

60:44

I’m happy to present the very first guest mix on this show, by none other than my friend and previous collaborator Tonepoet. His ambient mixes on his Spaceman’s Transmissions podcast are exquisitely crafted pieces of art, and he is gracing this show with a beautiful painting that he describes below. He also creates beautiful guitar-infused ambient music which I have featured heavily in the past. Check out his music and mixes below and enjoy the show.

mixcloud.com/Tonepoet

“Look up at the night sky, dear listeners, and tell me what you see. A vast and empty curtain that swallows up light? A void riddled with tiny diamonds? A dark and lifeless pasture? Now, look past that, and begin to transcend above these former descriptions of the cosmic drape. It is the cosmic ocean, and it’s much more vast that we can conceive. This galactic wall is graced with glistening stars like well-worn shells that are eroding to reveal a delicate sheen, planet illuminated that produce reflective shimmers not unlike ocean waves, and a stunning moon that drifts like a sand dollar in the sky. This is the true cosmic skyscape for all of us: the limitless sea of unimagined intensity and grace. See it for what it really is, and immerse yourself within its cleansing cosmic tide.

As we drift within the cosmic tide, allow the ceremony of cleansing your senses and mind with the sweet nectar of this aural current of sound and light that carries you into the ether. Allow this current to guide you to that destination that yields an oasis of wonderment, purity, and self-purpose. It is here on this island within the star speckled ocean in which you are rewarded with an awareness of your potential and creative drive. Spark your ambitions with this flame of enlightenment.

The staff here at Spaceman’s Transmissions takes deep pride in producing only the highest quality products for our clients. When you old boy Tonepoet steps out to get fresh air, do not think that he has abandoned you as an aimless, drifting co-pilot without a mission or destination. This detour is only an effort to reassess the correct pathway to our destination and forge new means for attaining the zenith of our journey. You, the co-pilot, are vital to all of our voyages. So it is said.

An absolute acknowledgement and ridiculously extreme ‘thank you’ goes out to Calm Pills for not only serving up like-minded initiatives, but for hosting this mix and being an amazing resource and friend. Cheers, Aladdin!

Peace.

Turn on, tune in, drift in the ether…”

00:00

00:30

03:13

09:26

12:14

15:10

20:26

25:45

28:28

29:55

32:55

33:24

37:03

39:41

41:28

46:16

48:31

51:09

55:21

In this album, I would like to invite you to sample the world of awakened souls (awakenedsouls.bandcamp.com), an ambient music project of veteran electronic music producer James Bernard and his wife Cynthia. When I stumbled on their album how we heal, I knew I had found an artist who creates music for the same reason I create these mixes: to heal. Their mission is to “help others find the sense of healing that music brings to them” and their name comes from their “hope to be in touch with the most authentic parts of ourselves.” I think you will find that their music indeed lives up to this ambition and is conducive to quite reflection.

As always, if you like what you hear, check out the time-stamped track list and support awakened souls and all the other great artists featured on this mix by buying and streaming their music.

Tracklist

00:00

02:34

06:58

10:13

17:06

21:02

23:36

28:24

32:09

36:29

39:17

44:44

47:24

Happy new year everyone. Let’s make the best of 2021. I’m energized and looking forward to crafting for you more mixes showcasing the best of what ambient genre has to offer.

Let’s start this year with another trip back in time to a mix I released 5 years ago as part of my Drifter ambient series, which I created under my previous pseudonym DJ Seroton. At the time, I dedicated it to the wonderful people behind Ambient-Nights (mixcloud.com/Ambient_Nights), who I had the pleasure of joining as part of the Ambient-Nights Mixer Family. Ambient-Nights was the site that got me hooked on ambient music since I discovered it in 2007. The quality of their mixes is really extraordinary, and they have a body of work that will sure take some time to go through, but the experience will be just as rewarding.

Fun fact: I decided to call this mix after the second track, Weightless by Marconi Union. Few years after this mix was released, scientists singled out this song as “the world’s most relaxing song.” The song is filled with dreamy, mellow synths, soothing melodies and instrumentation composed of piano, guitar and electronic samples of natural soundscapes. Read this for more information:

Tracklist

00:00

06:16

13:46

18:14

21:39

23:49

30:21

32:10

35:04

36:42

38:43

42:10

43:01

47:26

56:02

What a year 2020 has been! We’re not out of the woods yet, but we’re here and we have few things we can be thankful for as this years draws to an end.

I’m thankful for all of you listeners and supporters of this show. I have recently been graced by an uptick of positive reviews on Apple Podcasts and other apps where this show is available. I treasure each one because it lets me know the positive effect this music has on your life.

I’m also thankful for the artists whose music make this show possible. Whenever you can, check out the timestamped playlist in the episode description and look up the songs you like.

Happy holidays everyone. Stay safe and cherish your loved ones. Tomorrow’s lights will shine, and we will be together again.

Tracklist

00:00

02:15

03:17

05:22

12:09

14:34

17:06

22:29

34:04

35:48

39:03

42:40

44:28

47:38

53:02

53:48

57:11

58:38

On the eve of the 4th anniversary of Calm Pills (this series began back in Nov 15, 2016), let’s take a trip back in time to the very first ambient mix I ever created. This is mix number one! I created it 8 years ago under my previous pseudonym DJ Seroton, and to this day it remains one of the best ones I have ever done. This is what I wrote in the release notes back in Jan 16, 2012:

What puts you to sleep?

I bet the answer to this question will vary from one person to the other. For me, I like total darkness, comfy pillow, and believe it or not, the constant sound of AC, which I’ve grown to appreciate as a way of eliminating little on-off noises from around the building. On top of that, when I’m in the mood, nothing beats a good playlist of pure and peaceful ambient music.

I first came to discover this wonderful style of music back in 2007, when I accidentally stumbled on a great site called Ambient Nights. Not knowing what this style of music was all about, I decided to give it a try and downloaded few of the mixes, created by Alex Hephaestion. I was in the middle of preparing a public speech at the time, my first one ever, and while researching my material, I would put these mixes on.

To my surprise, these mixes magically helped me focus and zone into my work in a weird but awesome way. I said weird because when you’re listening to ambient music, the idea is not to listen intently, but in a passive way. You just let it play in the background, and it’ll do its thing. This is best described by Brian Eno, one of the most influential artists in this genre and the one believed to have coined the term “ambient music“, who was quoted describing it as the kind of music that can be “actively listened to with attention or as easily ignored, depending on the choice of the listener”, and that exists on the “cusp between melody and texture”.

Not all ambient music is created equal. Over the years since my discovery, I’ve been curating my collection of ambient music that’s truly relaxing and in no way disturbing or weighs too much on the dark side. I think all that boils down to what you’re going to listen to in this 1 hour mix.

But mixing this style of music has proved a little challenging for me. When I sat out to create this mix, I wanted a mix that’s perfect to sleep to. This is easier said than done, because when you’re trying to sleep to music, the slightest off beat or melody can wake you up. So the mix must flow seamlessly from start to finish, and not have any surprises in the middle since the person listening to it might, and most likely will, drift off in the middle.

Also while creating this mix, it’s not just enough to make sure tracks flow seamlessly into each other. You’ve got to listen over and over to the entire mix to make sure you’re setting and maintaining the right mood, in this case sleeping mode, throughout the mix.

Overall, I think I’ve done a pretty good job with this one. I’ve even took it for a spin and tried sleeping to it. After a few tweaks, I think I’ve managed to perfect it. Well, at least I hope you do think so.

Tracklist

00:00

04:07

06:12

13:28

15:42

20:45

23:53

30:24

33:52

36:07

39:40

42:08

52:04

55:10

I’m back with yet another guest mix. This time I approached Alessio who hosts Corsica One, a series that showcases carefully curated selection of uplifting and evocative soundscapes. His show is all about variety, and that inspired me to do something a bit different to start this Calm Pill mix with, something a bit more mystic. I think you’ll like it.

Tracklist

00:00

01:22

01:52

02:38

03:00

04:15

09:51

16:24

23:24

33:46

39:30

43:58

51:37

In his seminal album Ambient 1: Music for Airports, Brian Eno proclaimed “Ambient Music must be able to accommodate many levels of listening attention without enforcing one in particular; it must be as ignorable as it is interesting”. Over at AmbientSoundbath.com podcast, Matt has been curating and producing longform ambient albums that are faithful to that aspirational ideal of ambient music. I really admire the work Matt is doing, including his YouTube channel, that I reached out to him with a proposal to create a guest mix, and he graciously accepted.

Check out Matt’s Ambient Soundbath podcast:

And his ambient guitar albums:

Tracklist

00:00

07:48

17:20

23:21

25:34

30:21

34:47

37:52

41:00

48:32

54:40

59:56

I call to you in longing

In the stillness of this night,

You smile inside the clouds

— The Stillness of This Night by James Casey

19:36

24:12

26:40

29:20

33:12

36:56

40:31

46:00

49:18

54:12

57:06