Episode 1

Matthias Hacksteiner - This Sound I Ride Jingle

Hello everybody and welcome to the first episode of „This Sound I Ride“ – the adventurous music podcast. My name is Martin Bleicher, I am an Austrian music lover, DJ and concert promoter and for the next two hours, it is my absolute pleasure to share some of my favourite music with you.

This podcast will be released once per month and is a celebration of the power and beauty of diverse, passionate and contrary musical styles in their often unforeseeable and enthusiastic ways of expression.

I will play mainly new music from around the globe that will inspire and stimulate the listener´s imagination and curiosity in a way like a surreal train ride to foreign countries or a trip to an unknown culture which offers an unfamiliar and new view on life with different values.

What excites me is the adventurous approach to bring together different influences and musical languages and melt them into something unsettling and exciting at the same time.

I‘m digging deep to find fascinating music and sounds without boundaries and combine them for you, the listeners of this podcast. Stay curious, dive in and enjoy the dwell.

Bobby Krlic - Chorus of Sirens (Midsommar Soundtrack – Editions Milan Music)

Bobby Krlic - A Language of Sex (Midsommar Soundtrack – Editions Milan Music)

C. Diab - Street Scenes (White Whale – Injazero Records)

We started our journey in Hårga Sweden and were witnesses of a brutal sexual ritual where Christian was basically forced into by the community there. The music composed by Bobby Krlic was taken from the soundtrack for the film „Midsommar“, a truly irritating and provocative masterpiece of a horror film. This film puts horror for me into many yet unknown, quite strange new aspects.

You feel yourself like being a guest within this nice and lovely community of alternative thinking people in this beautiful province Hälsingland in Sweden just to understand more and more that even though the weather is sunny and beautiful, this community is a totally bizarre, strange and also dangerous bunch of freaks and murders. For me probably one of the best but very unusual horror films I have ever seen…. Highly recommended.

After this start you heard Caton Diab´s „Street Scenes“ – a haunting, meditative, also cinematic track of his new record „White Whale“ which was released a couple of weeks ago. To explain the title of the album Caton explains it like this: „the hope for security, for accountable humanitarian leadership, for affordable housing and fair income, for understanding, things which we learned were natural pieces of a progressive society, now seems like humanity´s great white whale in a darker, regressive world, once appearing on the horizon only to disappear again into the deep.

This record brings together an excellent mix of progressive ambient music, film score sound and also post-rock. Diab describes his sound as „post-classical-grunge. He uses a bowed guitar, flute, trumpet, synths and tape manipulations to create his really wonderful mix of sound. He sees his music as a motivation for self-healing and says: „It´s my hope that „White Whale“ will lend a small hand to the listener´s emancipation from inward fear and sadness and feelings of unworthiness and help you realize what it is you need to do in order to have that conversation or make that move and two steps forward in crushing that which seeks to crush you.

The next artist takes us to Zanzibar, which is an island east of Tanzania in Africa. The „Siti`s of Unguja“ story begins with Siti Binti Saad´s birth in 1890 in the small fishing village of Fumba to parents who had been freed from slavery. She became a pioneering artist in the Taarab Genre in Eastern Africa and was the first female to record her music on an album.

Her great-grandchild Siti Muharam has the golden voice of Zanzibar and carries the legacy of her great grandmother in this wonderful and passionate music that gives you a taste of the overwhelming joy this music can bring you. The song you hear is called „Alaminadura“.

Siti Muharam - Alaminadura (Siti of Unguja – Romance Revolution on Zanzibar – On The Corner Records)

Katie Gately - Flow (Loom – Houndstooth Records)

This song is called „Flow“ from the wonderful, often unpredictable American experimental music producer Katie Gately. It´s a track from her latest album „Loom“ which features a wide range of adventurous songs and sound design often supported by her unique and beautiful voice. The album was finalised during her mother suffered from a very rare form of cancer and Katie relocated to stay with her mother and finished the album at the same time. The lyrics for „Flow“ were written from the perspective of her mother and as Katie mentions this highly innovative and beautiful record is dedicated to her mother.

Next up we join a meeting of two absolute masters of their instruments and improvisation who share a mutual hunger and interest in musical exploration into often unthinkable territories. Marisa Anderson is a guitarist from Portland, Oregon who unwinds global guitar traditions into her own atmospheric composition and Jim White, the drummer of Dirty Three and Xylouris White, is a drum wizard from Australia who is known for his playful and joyous way of drumming which includes a wide assortment of various brushes, sticks and techniques that give any of his records this totally personal touch.

On their album „The Quickening“ they act and react with each other on a highly intuitional level and create an experience of otherworldly beauty. The track you will hear is called „Last Days“.

Marisa Anderson & Jim White - Last Days (The Quickening - Thrill Jockey)

Bada - Avslag (Bada – self released on Band Camp only)

After „Last Days“ you heard a track called „Avslag“ from a Swedish band called Bada, which is a new Drone-Doom-Ambient-Rock project lead by Anna von Hauswolff and the other bandmembers involved are Hannes Nilsson, David Sabel, Filip Leyman and Gianluca Grasselli. They released their continuous s/t debut album earlier this year on Bandcamp only. The highly intense music leaves no doubts that they would be a great live band to watch, once concerts are possible again, of course. They describe their sound in the following way: „Let high and low sounds resonate through your bodies. An act which reunites the essential bond between music and physical worlds.

After this trip to America and Sweden, I would like to introduce you to a wonderful composer – cello player from Berlin, Germany. Anne Müller who is known for her collaborations with Nils Frahm, BLPoysn and others released her first full solo album called „Heliopause“ at the end of 2019.

The album which is a start for her into new unknown territory as a solo artist is a collection of six great compositions which often connect classical with more modern elements. On the chosen song „Nummer 2“ you can hear repeated dramatic sounding arpeggios that lead into a wonderful modern masterpiece with voice elements and percussion being a part of the transformation in the middle. Sheer beauty.

Anne Müller - Nummer 2 (Heliopause – Erased Tapes Records)

Isokratisses - Enas nioutsikoas (Isokratisses – self released Band Camp only)

You just heard a rare live recording of one of the oldest world folk traditions called Epirus from Greece. This female vocal polyphonic group called Isokratisses perform this splendid and unaffected raw music as a heritage of their ancestors. This music was passed down from generation to generation and the roots can be found at pre-hellenic eras hundreds of years ago. I just love the pure clarity of the voices and the atmosphere they create

The next guest on the show is one of my greatest music discoveries this year – Joao Pais Filipe, a drummer, percussionist, sound sculptor and explorer and a very busy and hyperactive musician from Porto, Portugal. First up, I just noticed that he is a member of the mind-blowing HHY & The Macumbas Band which I was able to see live last year in Utrecht but after digging a little bit deeper I found out that Joao is involved in many sound projects and bands like Paisiel, Talea Jacta, Rafael Toral Space Quartett and many others.

For this show, I picked a track of his latest solo record „Sun Oddly Quiet“. What might be an interesting fact is that Joao is also a Gong maker and a cymbal smith, therefore I think his quite special relation to rhythmic music could be explained a little bit. I just love this music, it is so elegantly percussive, driving and floating at the same time. Sometimes I would love that these songs just never stop. Absolute brilliance which I hope you enjoy.

Joao Pais Filipe - XI (Sun Oddly Quiet – Holuzam Records)

Sex Swing - Garden of Eden / 2000 AD (Type II – Rocket Recordings)

After the hypnotic tribal ethno techno – whatever you want to call the brilliant sound of Joao Pais Filipe from Portugal you heard the also hypnotic, repetitive and uncompromising sound from the London Noise Rock Group Sex Swing with the awesome track „Garden of Eden – 2000 AD“. Sex Swing´s powerful sound consists of filthy guitar riffs, heavy bass, distorted keyboards, an unnerving sax, drums and inspiring vocals. Their latest release „Type II“ is a homogenous thunderstorm that is merciless, groove-driven and full of twisted lyricism.

As they describe it themselves: Type II is the lighting flash and unearthly roar of the primaeval battle between Godzilla and Mechagodzilla that provokes awe and disquiet in the realm of fantasy. It´s man vs machine where discord becomes harmony and it´s a fearsomely invigorating spectacle to behold. I just think this band is a monster, they are masters of their trade and the album to me is a haunting, brutal, a multi-layered masterpiece that stands out as a unique statement for a great band that I cant wait to see live in the hopefully not too distant future.

From these intense sounds out of the British capital we travel a bit further north to Scotland and meet up with the Scottish piper Brighde Chaimbeul, who is one of a few women to achieve success in a very male-driven part of Scottish folk traditions. I just love the contrast of the powerful, loud and intense sound of Sex Swing to the remote, isolated but very clear sounds of Brighde´s bagpipe. Enjoy „Moma e Moma Rodila“ from her debut „The Reeling.

Brighde Chaimbeul - Moma e Moma Rodila (The Reeling – River Lea Recordings)

Thomas Köner - Substrate / Binaural (Motus – Mille Plateaux)

„I dream of a dancefloor where this music would be enjoyed. What kind of world, rather what kind of society would allow that and when? Is this futuristic? A situation-to-come, where the understanding of music expands greatly when blissful moments are independent of simple melodies. These are the words from Thomas Köner describing the sounds on his latest album „Motus“. The track was called „Substrate (Binaural)“.

On this latest work, Köner dives deep into a more semi-rhythmic expression of his art, tries to explore and find dance, free of clock, and groove, free of rhythm. An absolute terrific and mindblowing masterpiece that lies somewhere on the edge of older Chain Reaction type sounds, something that could be dub techno but isn´t, it dives into an unexpected and fresh sound aesthetic in Köner´s solo work but delivers yet once more an unbelievable depth in sound.

This sound vibrates, pulsates and moves in a way that is hard to be described but has to be experienced via headphones. To me, this record „Motus“ is also one of the highlights this year and one of his best solo work to date and you can become quite obsessive to this driven and hypnotic sound experience.

Next up we take a trip further south to Tunisia to meet up with Ammar 808 aka Sofyann Ben Youssef who brings us a mixture of deep TR-808 bass and beats this time in collaboration with the carnatic Indian singer Susha to create a wonderfully exotic, timeless electronic track called „Marivere Gati“ which is the first single of the new Ammar 808 album „Global Control / Invisible Invasion“.

For this new album, Youssef travelled to the Tamil Nadu region in southern India with setting up his base in Chennai to explore new musical territories for him which he found in Hindu mythology and brought him deep into the ancient Carnatic tradition of South India. Whilst the conceptual approach to the new album seems timeless the often analogue electronic music creates this gorgeous mixture between old world and new innovative ideas.

Ammar 808 feat Susha - Marivere gati (Global Control / Invisible Invasion – Glitterbeat Records)

After this exciting track from Tunisia, we take a stop in New York to meet up with the excellent and hyperproductive hip hop duo Armand Hammer consisting of Elucid and Billy Woods. They have been around for a couple of years and release almost annually solo albums as well as music under the Armand Hammer moniker.

Here they mix again fresh, sometimes a bit unusual music at least for hip hop albums with very fresh lyrics in their unique style. Whilst there are plenty of really great tracks on this album my favourite is „Flavor Flav“. Enjoy.

Armand Hammer - Flavour Flav (Shrines – Backwoodz Studios)

Lankum - Hunting the Wren (Livelong Day – Rough Trade Records)

From New York, we took a trip eastwards to land in Dublin, Ireland and you just heard the wonderful, heartfelt, passionate and also very soulful music of Lankum a four-piece band which interprets Irish folk music in their totally unique and often euphoric ways. Own compositions are combined with new interpretations of folk classics.

The magnificent voice of Radie Peat lead the vocals of the song „Hunting the Wren“ from their last album „Livelong Day“. The song is about an old tradition to hunt a wren, which is a very small bird. This ritual or celebration takes normally place on St Stephens Day – Dec 26th and may have originated from Celtic mythology.

Next up I m more than thrilled that I discovered the music from Caterina Barbieri, an Italian composer based in Berlin. Her often euphoric, polyphonic and minimal modular synth compositions are such a joy to listen and her refreshing take on this often very unlively music is just mind-blowing to me. She turns a very formal, automatic music writing technique into a creative psychedelic practice to generate temporal hallucinations.

Her intentions are to create a space of trance and wonder where the perception of time is distorted and challenged. When listening to this really sensitive music I very often lose myself completely in this kind of sound enigma which creates so much fascination and power that it´s really difficult to describe with words. Please enjoy the probably most unusual track „Arrows of Time“ from her brilliant album with the style-defining name „Ecstatic Computation“.

Caterina Barbieri - Arrows of Time (Ecstatic Computation – Editions Mego)

Jerusalem in My Heart - Layali Al-Rast (Daqa´iq Tudaiq – Constellation Records)

Radwan Ghazi Moumneh aka Jerusalem in my heart is the name of the Lebanese born artist now living in Montreal, Canada. This great exotic track „Layali-Al-Rast“ was taken from his latest album „Daqa´iq Tudaiq“ and features Radwan on Buzuk and electronics.

Jerusalem in My Heart continues here to expand their artistic approach of their conceptual and aesthetic engagement with Arabic-Middle Eastern tradition. The whole record shows him again as a very forward-thinking musician in the Middle Eastern Avantgarde Music Scene.

Our next trip brings us from the Middle East to Mexico and we visit Inigo Vontier an experimental Techno DJ. Inigo released his first Ambient album called „Siena“ earlier this year. Siena is also the name of his firstborn daughter. On the album, you can find an interesting mix of classic ambient sounds, sci-fi, as well as psychedelic and ethno elements and I want to play you the wonderful psychedelic-ambient track „Tiny People“.

Inigo Vontier - Tiny People (Siena – Calypso Records)

I hope you liked the first episode of „This Sound I Ride“ - the adventurous music podcast. If you did, it is of course, a great help for us if you share it with friends or on social media. For more information, the transcript or the full tracklist please visit our website www.thissoundiride.net or our Facebook, Instagram or Twitter sites.

I want to thank Marta Witkowska for all the great images for our cover artwork, Wolfgang Gollmayer for the fantastic video teasers and Matthias Hacksteiner for all his help and professional advice with regards to recording technics, the podcast jingle and everything basically how to set up a podcast.

I wish you all the best and I hope you join again next month. The new episode will be released on the third Sunday of each month but if you subscribe on your usual podcast platform you can make sure that you don´t miss a show.

And as a final acoustic goodbye, we move back to where we started in Harga, Sweden and get our final blessing by Bobby Krlic. Cheers

Bobby Krlic - The Blessing (Midsommar Soundtrack - Editions Milan Music)