8-Trck(x2.5) Engineer Ep.08, SummerSundaySleep

I couldn't contain this episode of 8-Trck to 8 tracks. I had to multiple it by 2.5 and I have the number needed for this playlist to be the most enjoyable and also have the most impact.
Wired|Listening Post posted about an article in the Times titled :"Does Music Have the Power to Send Us to Sleep?: A recent experiment in Japan tested the power of music to send us into a deep slumber."
I absolutely love reading about Music and it's neurological power. The experiment took place in Japan where Dr Takuro Endo filled 1,500 people into a theatre. He then seduced them for three hours of carefully chosen music ranging from Chopin and Tchaikovsky to folk singer Mary Hopkins and Japanese tenor Masafumi Akikawa. I would have loved to be in that audience!
I took a Classical appreciation class in college and remember sometimes it was like a battle for my life to stay awake. I would have been an experience to sit among 1500 other people and collectively fall asleep.

After reading both the blog post and the Times article about Dr Takuro Endo and his experiment with music and sleep, I took up Wired's challenge and created my best 8-Trck Engineer episode yet. Except it's 20 tracks of pure mellow bliss for your summertime sunday nap needs! I hope you press play and open a new window and read those articles. It's great stuff. After reading go lay down and take a nap.

8-Trck Engineer Ep. 08, SummerSundaySleep

I know I could have gone all Brian Eno and Fennesz on you guys but I tried to keep this away from just another slumber inducing ambient mix. Hope you liked it

Trck list:

1. Lullatone - Bedroom Bossa Band (frm 2006: Plays Pajama Pop Pour Vous)

2. This Is A Process Of A Still Life - Constantly Under Surveillance (frm 2005: Light)

3. Bibio - Maroon Lagoon (2006: Hand Cranked)

4. Casino Versus Japan - Marilyn Set Me Free (2004: Hitori + Kaiso)

5. Daedelus - Quiet Now (2002: Invention)

6. Boom Bip - Last Walk Around Mirror Lake, Boards of Canada remix (2004: Corymb)

7. Guitar - Red & White (2006: Tokyo)

8. Epic45 - The Stars In Autumn (2007: May Your Heart Be the Map)

9. Tycho - Send and Receive (2006: Past is Prologue)

10. The Cinematic Orchestra - Everyday (2002: Everyday)

11. Balmorhea - Greyish Tapering Ash (2008 Rivers Arms)

12. Denzel & Huhn - New Kerwe (2007: Paraport)

13. Phonem - Currents (220V Offshore) (2000: Hydroelectric)

14. El Perro Del Mar - Inner Island (2008: From The Vallery to The Stars)

15. F.S. Blumm - Lilli (2006: Summer Kling)

16. Vincent Gallo - I Wrote This Song for the Girl Paris Hilton (2001: When)

17. M83 - Sister (part 2) (2007: Digital Shades Vol. 1)

18. Library Tapes - Skiss Av Trad (2007: Hostluft)

19. Eluvium - Indoor Swimming At The Space Station (2007: Copia)

20. Stars Of The Lid - That Finger On Your Temple if the Barrel of My Raygun (2007: And Their Refinement of the Decline)

8-Trck Engineer Ep.05, The Coming of Age

I've created this 8-Trck Engineer as if I was creating the soundtrack of my float and fly through space. Past stars and planets, through gas clouds and planet rings. This is dedicated to the progress we Humans are making in becoming a Space-faring species. Press play then read. Then if you love space honk your horn...or just leave a comment

8-Trck Engineer, ep 05: The Coming of Age

download the mix here.

if you have any questions about any of the music, leave a comment and I'll comment back!

There's this great sense of wonder going on with all the action between Humans and Space. There's always been action, I bet, but not in the mainstream media. First there's the new Phoenix Space probe and it's Mars landing. Then there's the new amazing(!) NASA Spitzer Space Telescope galaxy panorama. And as I type this, I'm watching Discovery Channel's "When We Left Earth" series. 

If you were one of those neo-nature geeks that was glued to Discovery Channel every Sunday for "Planet Earth" then your probably one of these neo-space lovers excited about this new series. from NASA: When We Left Earth is the story of mankind’s greatest adventure, leaving the earth and living in space. For the first time this series has digitally re-mastered the original film and audio recordings from NASA’s vault, including and all the key on-board footage filmed by the astronauts themselves. For DC's series trailer click here.

If you haven't seen NASA's Spitzer's pics then eventually you will. "This is the highest-resolution, largest, most sensitive infrared picture ever taken of our Milky Way," said Sean Carey of NASA's Spitzer Science Center. From Sciencedaily.com: Because Earth sits inside our dusty, flat, disk-shaped Milky Way, we have an edge-on view of our galactic home. We see the Milky Way as a blurry, narrow band of light that stretches almost completely across the sky. With Spitzer's dust-piercing infrared eyes, astronomers peered 60,000 light-years away into this fuzzy band, called the galactic plane, and saw all the way to the other side of the galaxy.

 

8-Trck Engineer Ep.04, The Human Inspired

OK so here’s my two part answer to the question "What does it mean to be human?" discussed in the previous post.

A. What we are is the brain. The simplest, yet most complex, answer is that to be human is to have what we all have in common, our brain. Everything we think we are, see we are, feel we are or hear we are, is all coming from one place. Don’t mistake that for an idea that our senses make us human; it’s what’s piecing it all together. We could have purple skin, guys could have vaginas, girls could have penises, and our eyes could be attached to tube-like membranes sticking out from our necks… But we would still call ourselves humans so long as that’s the way we always were. Only humans can experience abstract external stimuli as (emotional, creative, physical) inspiration.

B. 8-Trck Engineer ep. 04, The Human Inspired

There are countless ways to answer this question using this format, but I wanted to keep this at a level of “I’d-like-to-play-you-some-music-you-haven’t-heard-yet. So don’t ask in some Spiccoli voice “Hey bud, where’s Beethoven? Where’s Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd?” Yada yada yada. I’ve answered this question this way in the hopes that any person can come along and listen, enjoy, then think about making their own mix. “What is it to be human?” is practically a rhetorical question. It has no answer other than what you feel is the answer.

This is a collection of 8 songs- put together spontaneously and without too much thought other than I know each one of these songs reminds me of what I am in this existence. It’s 8-Trck Engineer episode 04.

Pedal, Sump, Pedal, 2008, Staubgold Records. This piano duo from Sydney just released this album of improvised piano awesomeness. Some of the tracks are brilliantly unnerving, and some are just brilliantly moving like Sump. Staubgold says this: “What are they thinking? These guys are doing a record of acoustic piano music in this day and age! And let me tell you something, my prejudice was totally crushed within the first minute of listening to this CD. Just when I was thinking two grand pianos, four hands have nothing to say in this 21st century...”

The Radio Dept., What Will Give?, Pet Grief, 2006, Labrador. I have a feeling The Radio Dept is going to move me just as much when I’m 85-years-old. This is timeless timeless timeless music for us emotional pop lovers. They’re just friends school friends from Sweden that create wonderful music only Humans can create.

Tycho, Past Is Prologue, Past Is Prologue, 2006, Merck. Tycho, aka graphic designer ISO50, aka Scott Hansen, is from San Francisco! What!what! This guy is amazing. His beats are bliss and his design is dope. This song just KILLS me. I don’t know why, but it does. He needs to play more sets here in SF, that’s all I need to say. Bring back Beats and Boardgames!

M83, Teen Angst, Before The Dawn Heals Us, 2005, EMI France. I could have chosen any M83 song and it would have fit well in this mix. M83 has an extremely unique sound that has this quality about it that really makes you feel human. I feel like M83 is emotion in music form. It’s raw, LOUD, chaotic and intense but beautiful, balanced, and calming. One of my all-time favorite bands.

Tristeza, Balabaristas, A Colores, 2005, Better Looking. Another all time favs. The Album Leaf and Tristeza both hold special places in my heart. You can hear every stroke and touch of their fingers playing. Tristeza’s guitar and bass are almost unmatched by anyone in this genre. They tried playing with a stand in guitar player last tour and he couldn’t hang. It would hard to hear their live set being messed up, but at the same time it reinforced the complexity and strenuous rhythms they use.

Epic45, England Fallen Over, England Fallen Over EP, 2005, Make Mine Music. A highly inspirational band for me. If you like this song, just seriously by everything Epic45 has done. It’s really all that good. Hopefully your listening to this mix with headphones or good speakers cause this track uses GREAT channel techniques. I LOVE this band.

Radiohead, Weird Fishes/Apreggi, In Rainbows, 2007, self released. Another all-time fav for me. Shouldn’t have to say much about this song or band other than Brilliant.

DJ Shadow, Blood On The Motorway, The Private Press, 2002, MCA. I know I know. This song is a little old. But I BET you forgot about it. I BET you forgot how amazing it is. Well Junia (my girlfriend, Tonteria) DIDN’T! Honestly I forgot this song within the depths of my hard drive, but she called it out. If only Shadow could go back to this! He gave us a little taste with the live set release he did with Cut Chemist.