Peinzing – Part 1 (mix)

  "Peinzing" (pondering, muse-ing) (2003) is the name of the musical collage in which the difference between 'music' and 'sound' will not always be clear to the listener. Over time, this has proven to be one of the most popular mix, especially with listeners that were not exactly familiar to ambient/electronic music. It is indeed one of the more accessible - which does nót necessarily mean this is 'easy listening'. Do nót expect 'New Age' music, despite some whale-, cricket- and other sounds of nature. At times the layers of sounds are dark and threatening, maybe even confronting. There's always the dynamic range between tension and release. The quiet piano sounds of John Cage and Arvo Pärt surround a broad spectrum of auditive landscapes. Inbetween, sometimes 'ordinary' pop-songs define the theme, like Paul Simon's 'Quiet':"I am heading for a time of quiet / When my restlessness is past / And I can lie down on my blanket / And release my fists at last". This particular sequence (Arno Peeter's collage of hectic life's answering machines, Paul Simon's detaching Zen-like song 'Quiet', and Jon Hassell seemingly rephrasing Paul Simon's last vocal line) is one of my all time favourite sequences. Because for me this part expresses what most mixes are about: Tension...Release...and then again: dark clouds gathering above strange landscapes... Please note that this 2-part mix is meant to be listened as one. Peinzing (Part 2) can be found here --- originally published on Ambientblog ---