If you live in a big city which somehow limits your contact with the natural world, Beatfarmer’s mix, prepared for UCR, will surely rescue your spirit and reconnect it with the elements. If such a connection is still strong inside of you, these vibes will raise you up further and make your body sway in a mystical dance. Beatfarmer’s sounds come from the woods of a secret island where this countryman settled with his family and made his home. There, the forces of nature and the spirits inhabiting those magical woods inspire his productions. While he mostly focuses on making the energy flow within and between people when he performs, Beatfarmer took the chance to enlarge the horizons of his soundscape when he produced this podcast. This masterfully blended live recorded mix comprises of his own exclusive productions, original tracks and remixes which is reminiscent of his tour through Germany last summer. His inspiration comes from the energy of the festival crowd which Beatfarmer describes as “playful, trancy, and a little wild”. The inspiration that comes to mind for us are the dancers, the forever-young and the wild-hearted. The energy we transmitted to him, now returns to us in the form of modern ritualistic music to rouse our spirits and take off for a mystical journey into the essence of nature. We at UCR are pleased to undertake such journey and invite our curious listeners to come along.

Find Beatfarmer here:

https://soundcloud.com/beatfarmer

https://www.facebook.com/beatfarmer/

Comprised of violins, violas, cellos and double basses, the strings form an emotionally powerful section of a symphony orchestra. Those instruments are Andi Otto’s specialties and passions; characterizing his early formation. After studying cello as a teenager, Andi stepped into the endless dimension of electronic music production and debuted his first releases as Springintgut. Once he had explored the possibilities offered by electronic devices, Andi's love for concert moved him to embrace his cello, and to develop an innovative system of sensors to mount on it. This prototypical instrument, which he re-named “Fello”, has become Andi’s companion in live performances and studio productions. Given his passion for strings, they are the main theme of the mix that the scientist-musician prepared for UCR. Moved by his insatiable curiosity, Andi has undertaken an exploration of the use of strings across modern music and decided to bring our listeners along the mesmerizing sound journey. The voyage begins with the notes of a legend, the inspired and inspiring musician known as Alice Coltrane. “This mix is my personal ode to her legacy”, Andi stated. The strings exploration gradually fades along the mix and leaves space to ambient sounds which inspired Andi for his latest productions. Abundant far-eastern motifs and chants confer profound spiritual energy to this mix, and that is the ultimate meaning of being musician according to Andi: “It’s about the spiritual energy which can be coded into sound by people, instruments, bodies, and ears." We at UCR cannot find better words to express such an inspiring concept and invite our listeners to absorb the energy that Andi sent to us with his rhapsodic selection.

Find Andi Otto:

@andiotto

www.facebook.com/andiottomusic

Comprised of violins, violas, cellos and double basses, the strings form an emotionally powerful section of a symphony orchestra. Those instruments are Andi Otto’s specialties and passions; characterizing his early formation. After studying cello as a teenager, Andi stepped into the endless dimension of electronic music production and debuted his first releases as Springintgut. Once he had explored the possibilities offered by electronic devices, Andi's love for concert moved him to embrace his cello, and to develop an innovative system of sensors to mount on it. This prototypical instrument, which he re-named “Fello”, has become Andi’s companion in live performances and studio productions. Given his passion for strings, they are the main theme of the mix that the scientist-musician prepared for UCR. Moved by his insatiable curiosity, Andi has undertaken an exploration of the use of strings across modern music and decided to bring our listeners along the mesmerizing sound journey. The voyage begins with the notes of a legend, the inspired and inspiring musician known as Alice Coltrane. “This mix is my personal ode to her legacy”, Andi stated. The strings exploration gradually fades along the mix and leaves space to ambient sounds which inspired Andi for his latest productions. Abundant far-eastern motifs and chants confer profound spiritual energy to this mix, and that is the ultimate meaning of being musician according to Andi: “It’s about the spiritual energy which can be coded into sound by people, instruments, bodies, and ears." We at UCR cannot find better words to express such an inspiring concept and invite our listeners to absorb the energy that Andi sent to us with his rhapsodic selection.

Find Andi Otto:

@andiotto

www.facebook.com/andiottomusic

Somebody would trivially call this music “neofolk”, but that’s not the case of Jin Yerei, who instead prefers to call it “neurofolk”. This is the name which he likes to use to describe the nature of his sound. A mental combination of spacy effects and traditional motifs from his homeland Argentina bouncing on a pleasant lilting beat. This humble musician gifted of uncommon sensibility and skill is not accustomed to release podcasts or mixes, being instead focused on music composition and production. Nevertheless, here he comes with this jewel that he decided to offer to UCR. The artist produced this live set mixing exclusively his own productions, including some unreleased material. This is meant to be a time travel towards a dystopian future dominated by machines. Humans, living like outcasts of that society, would use their ancient music and chants to remind themselves of the good old times, when humans still had control over machines. Such dramatic scenario, so easy to figure and too often recognizable in some aspects of our societies, serves the artist to remind us of the immense power of music to evoke feelings, to revive lost civilizations, to survive the tragedies. Music is the utopia in the dystopia, or as Jin Yerei says: “Music saves the day, always!”. We at UCR couldn’t agree more and invite our listeners to live their own utopia while enjoying this wonderful mix!

Find Jin Yerei on:

https://soundcloud.com/jinyerei

https://www.facebook.com/jinyerei

After discovering the world of electronic music in 2000, today’s featured artist Muno has since experimented with classical, minimal house, and dance, before discovering his definitive ‘intercultural dark’ sound. Formerly performing under the alias Gurtz during his electronic dance phase, Muno also performs as part of the trio Kermesse. In recent years, while travelling Europe, a new musical dimension opened for Muno who decided he wanted his music to bring fresh vibes for both his listeners and himself. “I returned home from a two month trip in Europe, I had heard a lot of artists playing very similar music. I understood that I needed something different after this trip” he said, “a new challenge.” So for today’s podcast he offers us a blend of his remastered classic tracks, as well as a few unreleased ones. The result is a calm and relaxing, but also very playful mix, which evokes feelings of cool waters, dripping out through the speakers, with each new beat a colourful drop tapping against the water’s surface. Muno hopes this mix will remind his listeners to take a moment to slow down, to live simply, and to have patience. “Today we live in a hurry” he said, “many times without a clear destination. Let’s try go back to the simple, the spirit, the matter, and the music that connects it.” This mix is a call to reconsider what is truly necessary in our modern lives, to think about what you want from this life, and to live in the moment, to enjoy the music and forget about everything else. We hope you enjoy this mix as much as we have, and happy listening…

Find Muno on:

https://soundcloud.com/munomusic

https://www.facebook.com/munomusic

Perfectly in tune with the summer season upon us, Islandman presents a refreshing sound from the shores of the Black Sea with this splendid sunny mix. Originally from Turkey, this brilliant producer started out at a young age and made his way in music by playing a traditional long-necked lute known as a saz. It’s thanks to this early relationship with music that Islandman developed the technique and feeling needed to handle farfetched rhythms, sounds, and chants, inspired by the flowering cultures of the Mediterranean basin and beyond to blend them with mastery in his tracks and mixes. This eclecticism and understanding of music has helped him put together a wide range of melodies and musical styles which ranges from enchanting edits of traditional Bulgarian sounds to smooth Balearic disco. His mix is exciting and mesmerising, catching the mind in a gentle twine of melodies and rhythms. His perfect balance of percussions and electronic beats shakes and ripples throughout the track, and lifts you with ecstatic vibes. The mix goes on in a beautifully arranged journey set by the pace of your own inner dance, as if the concept of time ceases to exist and it’s just you and the music. So, grab your headphones, go for a walk amongst nature and let Islandman take you to that hidden place within. From us at UCR, we hope you enjoy the sounds of Islandman as much as we do.

Find Islandman on:

https://soundcloud.com/tolgabuyuk

https://www.facebook.com/islandmanmusic/

When you take off for a musical journey, the launch pad is known, but you can rarely forecast the landing strip and the journey in between. As Cosmonauts, that uncertainty is what we enjoy most: the wonder experienced along the trip, the polychromatic soundscapes revealed after a transition and the playful bounce between colourful beats along a track. In this episode of our podcast series, we bring you Da Iguana, a true sound explorer. This eclectic multi-instrumentalist started wandering the vastness of sound as a guitarist and bassplayer in his childhood and built his talent thanks to an astonishing variety of musical projects. In his mix prepared for UCR, he gifts us many of his latest unreleased tracks which are beautifully blended with past productions. Despite the multicultural flavor and prismatic style of the tracks in this mix, most of them resulted from an inspiring journey he had with his muse through Central America and the Caribbean, much like the voyages green iguanas take across those same lands and waters. We think this mix is as thrilling and mesmerizing as that journey, so close your eyes and let Da Iguana guide you through this musical experience.

Da Iguana and UCR wish you “Buen Viaje”!

Find Da Iguana:

https://soundcloud.com/da-iguana

https://www.facebook.com/DaIguana/

For this episode, we are delighted to present you an original mix created for us by that extraordinary producer known as El Búho. His ability to blend natural tones and traditional South American motifs with electronic beat grew along the past 9 years and is now renowned. The resulting music creates magical soundscapes, it feels like having a night walk in a forest, the air is filled with the buzz of the creatures swarming around, fireflies sparkle in the dark. Although El Búho’s acoustics are painted in vivid colours, this mix is inspired by Winter. It all begun on a cloudy day in one of those “hobbit-esque” villages in Northern England. You can imagine him sitting by the window, watching the clouds being pushed on by the wind, while the fire burns slow in the stove. There, the artist found inspiration and recorded many of the impressions that we can now listen to on this beautiful mix. The rain tapping on the ground, jackdaws cawing, crunchy leaves being caressed by the wind… Those organic sounds, so familiar and yet so ethereal, they free your mind and might let you fly to imaginary locations. They're able to evoke bygone memories or make us dream of new places to explore. From there, the mix develops along the Winter and welcomes the upcoming Spring. So now open your heart, feel this delicate sound touching it and unleash your imagination to let your mind travel to your own peaceful place.

Find El Búho here:

https://soundcloud.com/el-buho

http://sonidoelbuho.com/

http://facebook.com/elbuhito

Today in our podcast series we welcome Ali Kuru and present you the heap of wonder that he prepared for us!

The renowned Turkish DJ and producer delights us with a characteristic mixture of slow textured deep beats, oriental sounds, ethnic percussions and jazzy motifs. The mix that Ali prepared for UCR abounds with his original tracks and edits, cosmic disco gems that carry the listeners through lands and cultures to soar their morale and to make their bodies vibrate on the captivating beat. These are powerful charming vibes that give off passion, and unveil Ali’s eclectic music taste.

Despite the relentless growth in popularity throughout the years and many performances at acclaimed clubs all over Europe, Ali favors living in the nature on the shores of the Aegean Sea over the busy and noisy city life. Is it maybe this simplicity and clearness permitting the artist to listen to his feelings and emotions, and to unleash them through an admirable richness of sounds? We don’t know, but we know Ali’s rhapsodic talent so let’s turn up the volume and be transported by his enchanting sound!

Find Ali Kuru:

@ali-kuru

facebook.com/alikuru.info

After a little break, we are now delighted to welcome ALUNA to our podcast series.

ALUNA depicts the joined talents and complementary creations of Maywa and Steffen Kirchhoff, world travellers and soul explorers. Their music project aspires to the creation and spreading of ritualistic music, leading the listeners to reconnect with the Earth, to harmonize with Nature, and with its endless wonders. It’s healing music, it’s music to dance, it’s music to love.

Their vision is embodied by their selection of sounds, idyllic melodies, and fascinating vocals, all permeated of Latin American flavours. In fact, their music project finds its origin in the Columbian forests where these beautiful souls first met, as soloist artists. The word ALUNA also descends from the natives of that land. Among the Kogi people, it stands for the “invisible spirit realm”, the source and intelligence of life. After that magic encounter, the two artists gathered again in April 2017 on the shores of the Baltic sea, where their first melodies were produced. This marked the nascence of ALUNA. Since then, the two started their spiritual journey across Europe spreading their message of reconciliation through live-sets, often uplifted by cacao ceremonies.

Talking about this set, Steffen stated “For UCR we wanted to create something really unique”, an unparalleled production by two inspired and inspiring artists, created with pure love. The enchanting blend of Maywa’s live vocals and Steffen’s organic sounds reproduces the vibe of their ceremonial live-sets. The magical journey begins with an invocation by Maywa who gently guides the listeners to connect with themselves, with their higher mind, with their essence, and to open an ethereal connection with the whole, with the elements, with the cosmos. The energy of the moon inspired her to plant the seed for this podcast. A deep travel into her sensibility and vulnerability prepared her soul to connect with the sounds and melodies that would have then composed the podcast. Those drive listeners through heavenly forests, in the inviolate Nature. A travel in space and time till the origin of the world. A dark silent world purely animated by the potential of life to exist.

Now lay back comfortable, dim the lights, make sure nobody will disturb the listening. Relax, take a deep breath, and enjoy the journey.

Peace.

Find ALUNA here:

https://soundcloud.com/alunaritualmusic

https://soundcloud.com/maywa

https://soundcloud.com/steffenkirchhoff