189 - Sonic Solace For The Summer

 

All comments, questions, and general feedback can be sent to radiobsots@gmail.com.  Record a voice message and send it my way or leave one at the Speakpipe page!

Visit the BSOTS Linktree for all the podcast and social media platforms.

This episode's track list (title / artist / source / license):

1.  Kieron by Alphabets Heaven [WotNot] (CC-BY-NC-SA) (2018)

2.  Laces by Alphabets Heaven [WotNot] (CC-BY-NC-SA) (2018)

3.  Yellowish by Warik [Bandcamp] (CC-BY-NC-SA) (2025)

4.  LIFE IS A RHYTHM (feat. Cazeaux O.S.L.O) (Radio Mix 1) by Alexander Flood [Atjazz Record Co.] (CC-BY) (2024)

5.  DontLetGo by AMARAFLEUR [Bandcamp] (CC-BY-NC-SA) (2019)

6.  Energy by Cleveland Watkiss [Function Records UK] (CC-BY-SA) (2022)

7.  Peat by Rephazer [Kahvi Collective] (CC-BY-NC-ND) (2024)

8.  Rhapsody In Blue (1924 Recording) Part 1 by George Gershwin and the Paul Whiteman Orchestra [Internet Archive]  (Public Domain Mark 1.0)

More often than not, just thinking about social media engagement makes me exhausted, but I've found reasons to hang out on Mastodon more than other platforms.  It mainly has to do with an active and growing indie music community, including music makers, music lovers, and tech developers that are often a combination of the former two categories.  It's just nice to witness them all speak to each other, brainstorm in real time, and make things happen.  No social media platform is perfect, but what I'm learning on Mastodon gives me incentive to make return visits and engage with the community while I'm there.  It also makes sense to share what I'm learning there with the BSOTS listening audience, particularly if the information is related directly to music appreciation, sonic curation, and/or media preservation.  

There's an embrace of open source tools on Mastodon as well as Creative Commons licensed works, and I have stumbled upon a number of great CC music releases since I've been there.  Respect due to Ryno The Bearded for putting me on to Warik, an artist that reminds me of the beauty of well-crafted pop music.  The jangly guitars, catchy lyrics, and soulful bump of "Yellowish" have made it worthy of many rewinds on my player.  On the electronic side of things, there's Alphabets Heaven and their album Your Lifestyle, a gorgeous and sun-kissed psychedelic beat tape that straddles the fence between hip-hop and house.  Many of the songs on that release are brief, so I included two within this episode.  And I can't get over the crunchy programming of Rephazer's "Peat," full of foreboding bass tones and a lighter melody that floats right above the surface.

Half of the joy of searching through CC music websites is the discovery and surprise that happens along the way, but since you can't be everywhere at once, it's always helpful to tap into the tastes and preferences of other CC music fans.  I learned about AMARAFLEUR through watching one of her videos on the Friends Of CC Music YouTube channel.  Hailing from Johannesburg, South Africa, her left-of-center R&B displays a certain vulnerability that you can't turn away from.  "DontLetGo" benefits from Aule Whan's futuristic hip-hop styled production.  This is a head nod essential right here.  I also have been coming across some incredible drum and bass tunes lately, but I never thought I'd find a CC licensed joint featuring Cleveland Watkiss, arguably one of the most charismatic vocalists that the UK has given to the world.  "Energy" is a well orchestrated jazz stepper and a no-brainer to include within this episode.  

Live jazz for the dance floor is delivered in top form courtesy of Australia's Alexander Flood.  "Life Is A Rhythm" is a peak hour tune made with the house heads in mind.  The episode concludes with a rendition of "Rhapsody In Blue" that entered the public domain earlier this year.  It's rare that you get to hear a sound recording in the public domain from 90 years ago that represents the composer's original artistic intention, but this version of the composition actually features George Gershwin on piano.  It's amazing that this classic work is available for all of us to access and interact with now.  This is why I continue to crate dig within the CC music virtual bins:  you'd be amazed at the familiar names or few that you'll find.  Trust and believe that your curiosity for CC music discovery will always be rewarded.  With all of that said, here's hoping that you will enjoy the show and I thank you so much for listening.

Theme music edited by macedonia (originally produced by cy tru).  ID drop courtesy of Kahlee.  

Other key info:

Macedonia on Mastodon
Macedonia on Mixcloud
Radio BSOTS show no. 187 - Testing The Waters
Radio BSOTS show no. 188 - Netlabel Day Radio Takeover (2024)
Banjee Boombox presents All Things Audio
Netlabel Day
They Reminisce Over You
2 Clowns In A Closet
Remembering Radio Free Fedi
Radio Free Fedi Fest '25

Background music by SoulProdMusic from Pixabay.

Additional music by Coma-Media from Pixabay

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Radio BSOTS show #174 - Tranquil Beats: Fridays In August, 2016

 

All comments, questions, and general feedback can be sent to radiobsots@gmail.com.  Record a voice message and send it my way or leave one at the Speakpipe page!

You can subscribe to Radio BSOTS via the following options:
RSS feed ||| Apple Podcasts ||| Spotify ||| Google Podcasts
Amazon Music ||| Stitcher ||| TuneIn ||| iHeartRadio

Connect with Camp Lo-Fi via social media: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

This episode's track list:

1.  KRTS - Light Of The Harvest
2.  Julien Dyne - Fog
3.  CASTLE - Memory Bank
4.  Night Owl Committee - Manual Retro (CC BY 3.0)
5.  Sir Froderick - Someolbull$hit ft. Josh Hey
6.  Will Sessions - Memory Lane
7.  Chief & Deheb - Elements
8.  Jesse Futerman - I Love You So
9.  DJ Harrison - One Way Downtown (CC BY 4.0)
10. Just Plain Ant - Too Thymez (CC BY 3.0)
11. Jef Gilson & Malagasy - 1973
12. Long Arm - Double Bass In Love
13. Beat Inc. - Black Tea Morning (Squeaky Lobster Re-Funk)
14. Machinedrum - Center Your Love
15. Elephant And Castle - I Will
16. DF Tram - Body Fizz

I suppose it was a foolhardy notion that I would have this done by Election Day.  Real talk: as long as this lands in the podosphere before November's over, I'll chalk that up as a win.

As the last installment of the Tranquil Beats series, I think this one is far and away the best of the five.  The blend session for this playlist of songs was recorded on Halloween and it feels really inspired.  This one will probably speak to the beat junkies and sample hunters more than the others.  From the live take on a Nas instrumental by Will Sessions to Just Plain Ant messing around with Donald Byrd to CASTLE's psychedelic head nods infused with the work of The Rotary Connection, there are a number of beautiful selections here.  Jesse Futerman's "I Love You So" represents those moments with instrumentals like these where one can't tell where the sampling ends and live instrumentation begins.  The sonic sweetness of Machinedrum's "Center Your Love" remains a high point (one of my favorite cuts from his Vapor City album), as well as the swirling emotional rush of Elephant And Castle's "I Will."  DF Tram's "Body Fizz" makes for a wonderful closer with its playful lyrical refrain and Alice In Wonderland soundbites.

If you're new to the Tranquil Beats series of episodes, I certainly hope that you will take the time to listen to them all.  I have linked to the previous shows below. 

Radio BSOTS show #162 - Tranquil Beats: Mondays In August, 2016
Radio BSOTS show #166 - Tranquil Beats: Tuesdays In August, 2016
Radio BSOTS show #170 - Tranquil Beats: Wednesdays In August, 2016
Radio BSOTS show #172 - Tranquil Beats: Thursdays in August, 2016

ID drops courtesy of EJ Flavors, India (Astronauts Of Antiquity), Darren Keith, and DJ Redlox. Theme music by Cy Tru (edited by Macedonia). Background music is "Vanity (Instrumental)" by BADLUCK (CC BY 4.0).

Other key info:
Macedonia on Mixcloud
BSOTS on Bondfire Radio
The Sarah Awards | PodTales 2020
Accession Podcast Episode #23: Take Me To The Water

Radio BSOTS show #172 - Tranquil Beats: Thursdays in August, 2016

 

All comments, questions, and general feedback can be sent to radiobsots@gmail.com.  Feel free to record a voice message and send it my way or leave one at the Speakpipe page.

You can subscribe to Radio BSOTS via the following options:
RSS feed ||| Apple Podcasts ||| Spotify ||| Google Podcasts ||| Stitcher ||| TuneIn ||| iHeartRadio

Connect with Camp Lo-Fi via social media: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

This episode's track list:

1.  Lee Rosevere - What Did I Miss (CC BY 3.0)
2.  Ziga Murko - Marjana Flip
3.  Lavender Worm - Hot Barbeque
4.  Blocktreat - Hipbones
5.  Aeon - GoodbyeLove
6.  Ohbliv - Send It On Down
7.  Eddie - 晚10点 (10pm)
8.  Floyd The Locsmif - Flowtation Device
9.  Presto - Smooth Flow
10. The Greg Foat Group - The Dancers Waltz
11. UKU - Forest 5am (Yoggyone Remix)
12. Affelaye - Whir
13. Leaks - Give
14. Jon Hopkins - Form By Firelight
15. Funki Porcini - Long Road
16. Tha Silent Partner - Dance Of The Black Geisha (CC BY 4.0)
17. The Jet Age Of Tomorrow - Orange Juice Simpson
18. Heathered Pearls - Beach Shelter
19. Lovespirals - Why Not Today?

Returning to the podcast feed after being away for months at a time (sometimes over a year) is something that I've done several times within the last few years, but this time feels somewhat different.  Perhaps it's the delicate nature of life in general as a global health pandemic and increasing social and racial unrest threaten to take us all hostage while election season ramps up in the States, but the need to be creative during this uncertain and unstable time has been lighting a fire under me.  It made sense to return with a set of instrumental tunes on the chill side of things, although one could argue that a number of these songs aren't necessarily as "tranquil" as the episode's title would lead one to believe.

I freely admit that there's some nervous energy to some of these selections, but it mirrors the unease of society right now.  The glitches and twitches that can be heard in the Yoggyone Remix of UKU's "Forest 5am" remind me of moving with caution through a world where COVID-19 constantly reminds us why it's imperative to do so.  The bleeps and squelches of Lavender Worm's "Hot Barbeque" remind me of the need to have fun and be silly, to carve out a space where moments like that can exist in the midst of so much confusion and frustration.  Then there are songs that just SLAP, like Presto's "Smooth Flow."  It's a song that I first came across over a decade ago on IODAPromonet (a podsafe music source that went extinct back in 2013) and still makes me bob my head to the point of where it may permanently separate from my neck.  Vocal samples weave their way in and out of these songs, but I let Lovespirals have the last word with their new single "Why Not Today?"

Considering how volatile the world is right now, even the noisiest moments of this mix are tranquil in comparison.  Hopefully, these selections will allow listeners to take a much-needed breather, even if only for an hour. 

ID drops courtesy of TGrundy, DarrenKeith, Kahlee, and EJ Flavors.  

Background music includes the following:

qpe - milk
BADLUCK - Vanity (instrumental) (CC BY 4.0) 

Other key info:
Macedonia on Mixcloud
BSOTS on Bondfire Radio
Macedonia's guest mix for the SOUNDWAVE mix series
Joseph Aleo on Mixcloud

Radio BSOTS show #170 - Tranquil Beats: Wednesdays In August, 2016

Feedback: I hear that it's nice to receive some every once in a while.  Please feel free to get in touch via email, Twitter, or leave a voice message on the Speakpipe page.

You can subscribe to Radio BSOTS via the following options:
RSS feed ||| Apple Podcasts ||| Spotify ||| Google Podcasts ||| Stitcher ||| TuneIn ||| iHeartRadio

Connect with Camp Lo-Fi via social media: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

After Episode #169 hit the Web in June of 2018, everything went quiet for the BSOTS podcast feed, but it's not like I planned it that way.  Consistency existed in the radio broadcast form of this show, with a new episode airing on Bondfire Radio every other Friday.  Meanwhile, the podcast feed has been no stranger to pregnant pauses between episodes over the past few years.  I used to refer to it as "podghosting" - just disappearing from the scene for months at a time only to pop up in someone's podcatcher of choice unannounced like everything was normal.  A lot has happened since I first started this show in August of 2005.  Even though I was releasing two episodes a month in the early days, I never wanted to record an episode just to record one.  It was important for me to know that I had something to say, that there was a purpose behind whatever episode that I was releasing next.  As the years progressed and the length of time between episodes grew from weeks to months, that belief of not speaking until I have something to say became more entrenched in my being.  I haven't changed my opinion where the podcast is concerned, but it's more than that.

I had a really good talk with my best friend while I was typing this and we discovered that we were experiencing the same creative crisis.  We had become isolated and separated from those that inspired us, those that helped spark our creative energy.  Between that isolation and the weekly routine of squandering energy at our respective day jobs (never getting back the same amount that we put in), it's no wonder why we found ourselves in a place of creative apathy.  And then there's the question of "who's going to actually care about this?"  I haven't said it out loud, but in a world of hundreds of thousands of podcasts, that thought has certainly kept me from releasing a new episode until now.

So this is me getting back to home base and back to basics.  This is me fighting off creative apathy and self-doubt.  This is me reminding myself that I am so much more than a customer service rep during the day.  This is me reminding myself not to neglect what I had before I had a radio show.  This is me remembering that the podcast was the place where I could get personal.  This is me slowly reintroducing myself to what it was that I loved about podcasting in the first place.  They say that you can't go home again, but I need to give this a shot, to reclaim the space that I had carved out for myself back when it was a lot harder to do so, back when I didn't have high-speed internet or a computer capable of having iTunes installed and I still made it work because I wanted to be a part of this THAT much.

I figured that I would ease myself back into the podosphere with a mix of chilled out instrumental music for chaotic times such as these.  Should you feel the need to take a breather, this one's for you.  Thank you for listening.

This episode's track list:

1.  Beautiful Eulogy - A Bridge Between
2.  Kratos Himself - Emerald City
3.  Oddisee - The Carter Barron
4.  Onra - Lying Besides You
5.  J57 - Bravery
6.  Damu The Fudgemunk - Colorful Storms (Official Mix)
7.  Jonny Faith - Slumber
8.  Willy Sunshine - Back
9.  Georgia Anne Muldrow - Pad Kontrol
10. Tall Black Guy - From Home, To Work, And Back...
11. Letherette - Blad
12. SpyMusic - The Start Of Something Big
13. Weedy of 40 Winks - For Us
14. Romare - Nina's Dream
15. Dr. Who Dat? - Braziliant Thought
16. Brian Auger - Fire In The Mind
17. Lovespirals - Breath Of Life
18. Late Era - Verde

ID drops courtesy of Kahlee, Mr. Ivory Snow, DarrenKeith, and EJ Flavors.
Background music includes the following:

Peter Bark - sega genesis
BADLUCK - Vanity (instrumental)

Other key info:

The Weeksville Project
Macedonia on Mixcloud
Radio BSOTS on Bondfire Radio
BSOTS on Bondfire archives and subscription feed