FAWM: "Ambient One"

Ambient One

1 week ago by @candle

Liner Notes

#syzygy #experimental #instrumental #jeskola #jeskola-buzz #the_conet_project #peer_machine_mayhem

An odd start for FAWM for me this year… I've been fighting with my "Live" setup in Jeskola Buzz, so in the mean time, I hobbled this odd track together in Buzz today, most of it coming together on my lunch at work (I'm currently working Sun-Thu shifts). Finished it off this evening at home. The clincher was the vocal/oddities in the middle section provided by one of the amazing cold-war era number station recordings from The Conet Project (which is always a great source of inspiration & sounds). If you're unfamilar, The Conet Project is a collection of recordings of coded messages by actual cold-war era spies (Russian, American, Brittish, & others) that used to be broadcast on radio via so-called "Number Stations".

On to the next…

Comments

@heliosonorous 1d

Really good, I like the metallic sounds ringing out, lots of changes in here as though floating through this metal structure in fascination.

@billwhite51 1d

imagine a world populated by messages in code. this may well be the noise hum of such a world. then we go through the hub and into the hubbub where the coded messages are re-encoded. what will the music sound like that arises from this post-primordial language-slime?

@candle 1d

You're inspiring me to mangle & remix this (re-encode the messages, so-to-speak). I might have to do that. Maybe post-FAWM, tho… Maybe then we'll hear some post-primordial language-slime.

@n1742 4d

Really great to listen to. my own attempts always seem to revolve around the trad bass drums piano combinations so this was just something that took me somewhere else entirely. like you say the voices are very haunting and evocative.

@candle 2d

Thank you so much for the great comment. I'm glad my sonic exploration took you on a journey!

@freddie13 4d

Very ominous and mystic... Good job

@candle 4d

Thanks for the listen & the lovely comment!

@headfirstonlyMod 5d

This plays out like a Lovecraftian version of Boards of Canada. Intriguing, dark and mysterious. Very entertaining!

Oh, and there are still plenty of active numbers stations out there. Aside from Conet, some interesting resources can be found here.

@candle 4d

As time goes by, it seems there are more & more artists/bands that people compare my music to that I have never listened to myself. Thank you for the comparion, Chris. I'll have to check them out.

As for the numbers stations, yes, they are still in use & that's a wonderful resource you linked. Thanks for pointing it out to me.

@williamjames 5d

This conjured to mind the manga BLAME! Endless automatons, impossible structures, vast open spaces thta still feel constricting. Like walking into a sea of shadows.

@candle 4d

That's one I hadn't heard of? Is there an anime version of it? Either way, thank you for the lovely comment!

@kanttila 6d

Very cool, really paints a vivid picture. Some real cool elements here and great sounds.

@candle 6d

Thanks Kurtis. Glad I was able to paint vivid pictures with these odd sounds. That was what I was going for.

@intoyourlight 6d

Feels like floating through the universe, or being in a very weird dream. I like the stereo image of all the sounds and with the buzzing in the back it reminds me of those meditative soundtracks with a specific frequency. Those vocals remind me a lot of Porcupine Tree in their first few albums which were very experimental.

@candle 6d

I really should listen to more Porcupine Tree. Thank you for the comparison, I'm humbly grateful. Glad you enjoyed the experiænce!

@sbs 6d

Felt this in my entire body as if I was swimming with whales and something ominous was chasing us. Quite intriguing!

@candle 6d

Glad you enjoyed the experiænce. Interesting that you felt like you were swimming with whales. Thanks for the listen & the great comment!

@fuzzy 6d

I feel like I'm exploring a vast and ancient abandoned space station. Really nice full headphone mix here. Yeah, those voices are nice in there, they up the creep factor. Nice flow and ebb, nice progression as it goes along. Gah, this is a boring comment; I'm not up on my commenting game yet, sorry. 😬

@candle 6d

Hey, it's early. You've got a whole month to up your commenting game. I'm just glad you enjoyed the song.

@intangible 6d

Ethereal and a bit chaotic at the same time, just how I like it. There are moments where it feels like the sound "swells", as if some weird physical law started to interact with the signal. Sound from another dimension? I don't know, but I most enjoy it.

@candle 6d

Dimensional frequencies, yes. As you know, I do like playing with such things. Wish I was able to play with actual dimensional frequencies, but unfortunately, I wasn't born on Gallifrey (Doctor Who's home planet).

Merci pour le commentaire!

@nahlej381 6d

Put this on while my kettle is heating up. I love planetary noise recordings. Have you checked any of the recent voyager data streams? There’s some weirdness out there and it’s all I can think about as I listen. This weird dance our solar system does with the cosmic radiation etc. surrounding us. The pressure, the motion, the strange. Always love your larger than life soundscapes they’re so big and full of life. Nicely done my man! Find me in the shadows…I’m lonely lol

@candle 6d

Yeah, some of those space tones are awesome as well. These are coded messages sent by cold-war era spies from various countries, so they're a little more Earthly in their origin. But now you've inspired me to find some "Space Signals" to play with. Stay tuned!

Thanks for your awesome comment!

@nahlej381 6d

Ya…I was pretty stoned…I shoulda just like read better…a college gave me a degree primarily for like…reading I’d guess…god I’m an IDIOT lmao

@esc4p3 6d

Cinematic soundscapes galore, eerie and mysterious. That constant feeling that anything could happen. And you just knew it might

@candle 6d

Glad I kept you on the edge of your seat! Thanks for the listen & the great comment.

@youraveragejoe 6d

It's 2026 and Candle is back! The choice to include those recordings was genius, great atmosphere here and it really bring you to another place, time, or dimension.

@candle 6d

I almsot didn't make it this year LOL. Thanks for the great comment. Glad you enjoyed the experiænce!

@rickatfulcrum 1w

I don't know if the generational starship is trying to warn me or eat me. Outstanding textures all around, well thought-out juxtapositions, entirely immersive.

@candle 6d

Thanks Rick! I'm glad the juxtapositions worked so well.

@innerspear 1w

Why does this make me think of Blade Runner. Great sound! Very compelling.

@candle 6d

Thankyou so much! The Blade Runner comparison is a huge complement!

@jessespillane 1w

This was such a cool experience listening to this. The piano in this is such a wild choice that I was not all expecting, but it works really in the context of vocal and metallic swirls of sound. Really cool soundscapes in this. Great work!

@candle 1w

Thank you so much! Yeah, I had lots of fun mixing the piano & Number Station recording tgether. Glad you enjoyed the track!