Put your Heart in my Hand

 

„Every day can't be like a visit to the circus,

Sensations, orchestra, magic.“    -  Felix Meyer / Kaffee ans Bett

2024.

Twenty years of Echo and Rauschen. Actually. 20 years.

And no party, no compilation, no “best of” in sight.

And not a single mix so far in 2024. Is this the big break now?

2024 contrasts with the highly dramatic years of 2019 and 2021,

Still like a very distant relative. A third cousin, perhaps.

Nevertheless, it is a year with many obstacles.

Bicycle falls. Operations. Deaths and final farewells to people and animals.

And finally, a first Corona illness that rages within me, like bad-tempered 

football fans after a lost home game.

And still a lot of gratitude for the little moments in between.

An everyday life that demands a lot, but can be celebrated more and more by me.

And so it was a wonderful summer because of the many plasters on the soul 

not exactly to be expected this year. But we actually had a lot of good moments

by our sea. Many weeks in a row with a lot of sun, as well as in the period before and after. 

Somehow the sun followed us wherever we went. Otherwise it's more of the opposite.

The time at the sea is always characterized by reading a countless number of books, 

good food, lots of nature, good conversations and sometimes not so successful 

conversations, and actually from year to year, also by less and less music.

This year the former country road musician, singer and songwriter Felix Meyer 

played two wonderful concerts on our beloved island.

Both concerts in a rather small setting. So the first concert took place in a wonderful, 

enchanted garden, with what felt like only a few handfuls of enthusiastic listeners.

I had never heard the name Felix Meyer until then. 

Not surprising if you know my musical preferences. But of course this type of music 

is not entirely new to me. As a big fan of the German band “Element of Crime”, I am 

very familiar with this melancholic type of music. Friends of ours who knew about it 

made us promise not to miss it.

We arrived at the last minute on the wonderful summer evening, literally threw our 

bikes into the grass and rushed into the garden, occupying 2 garden chairs, which 

we would soon no longer need.

We had such a fantastic evening, always in close proximity to the wonderful musicians. 

After a drinking break, we went into the danceable second part and at the end they 

played the incredible “Kaffee ans Bett”. As I later found out, it is a ritual of the band 

to come down from the stage or whatever for this last song, to mingle with the audience 

and sing this beautiful song together with everyone present. I think it's the music 

we needed right now. Joy, pain and melancholy, hand in hand.

„Kaffee ans Bett“

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhnAEuJyMnM

We saw Felix Meyer again in September on a much larger scale in Berlin and, 

just like in the summer, spoke to each other a little.

An approachable person who speaks to you at eye level, with wonderful fellow 

musicians who have accompanied him on his journeys across Europe for years.

The soundtrack of our summer is the music of Felix Meyer. A new love of a 

completely different kind & which will last for a long time, probably forever.

All the other wonderful music that reaches my heart never disappeared, 

just a little quieter in the background. I think this music is coming back stronger 

and stronger now, without repressing anything. One does not exclude the other.

I think because of all these things (& I'm not even talking about what's happening in the world),

I've had a hard time posting anything over the last few months.

I hope it comes back slowly.

There is so much fantastic music to discover, share & make known.

Cherio.

Felix Meyer is on Bandcamp too.

LYL Radio - an Ambient / Fourth World / New Age Episode

 

Today, 4 Years ago. My Mix for LYL Radio goes online. 

German cassette-collector Aleksander Ling aka Echo And Rauschen 

joins the stream for one hour of smooth ambient, 

new age & fourth-world and exotic field recordings.

Fools - Thanks ( Music from Memory )
Entten - Fonts Ufanes ( Bamboo Shows Tapes ) 
Les Halles - Between two Desserts ( Constellation Tatsu )
Danny Scott Lane - Is it really nice ? ( Moon Glyph)
Haptic Feedback - Mood ( Silure Albino Fishing Club )
Spencer Clark - The Stimulated Australia - excerpt( Edições Cn )
V.Kristoff - Majolica ( Not Not Fun )
Vague Imaginaires - La-Haut sur la Dune - excerpt( Not Not Fun )
Saphileaum - Precious psalms ( Constellation Tatsu )
Scott Gailey - Sorgente Termale in un Cantiere (Seance Centre)
Dravier - Ercoupe ( Jungle Gym Records )
Private Mountain - Glow ( Élan Vital Recordings )
Carlo Giustini - Spore ( ROHS! Records / Lontano )
Sacred Aviary - Cave of swallows ( Big Ear Tapes )
Magnetophonique - Awakening ( Not Not Fun )
X.Y.R. - Captains pipe ( Ingrown Records )
Dolphins into the Future - Ke Ala Ke Kua - excerpt( Edições Cn )
Alex Crispin - Pharao ( Constellation Tatsu ) 
Wave Temples - Tales from Cymatic Abyss / Side B (excerpt)
( Not Not Fun )
Soda Lite - Nyth ( Inner Islands )

You can hear this here :

https://lyl.live/episode/echo-and-rauschen/

Or on my SoundCloud Page.

Echo and Rauschen | ° One with the Nature · LYL One-Off 08.10.2020 w/ Echo and Rauschen on LYL Radio

The Day before the game

 

OK. Summer break. 

As expected, the quarter-finals ended yesterday.

But please not like that. Anyone who saw the game knows what I mean.

Unfortunately, the best Team doesn't always win. The luck of the game wasn't in our favor today.

In the first half it was a game that was actually on equal terms with Spain having a slight advantage.

From the second and early 0-1, Spain didn't do much until this damn goal in the 119th minute. Deserved is forbidden to say. Germany had many, many chances even without that fucking missed penalty. It should not be.

The day before the game we had to let our 16 year old cat Mascha go.

Anyone who has or has had a pet knows what that means. Even though I've had a few scratches, 

this one probably won't heal for a while.

And so the outcome of this round of 16 was and is actually irrelevant.

It doesn't affect my happiness, or rather unhappiness, now.

We will now go to the sea and perhaps there will be some comfort and relief there.

The official Colourbox Worldcup Theme

 

Quarterfinals

No words.

Just this great single.

https://www.discogs.com/master/29349-Colourbox-The-Official-Colourbox-World-Cup-Theme

Nature Sounds of the Balearics

 

It's not always clear to me which musical themes come up every day and it's certainly often due to chance or perhaps the playlist that's currently playing. 

Last Sunday I listened to Mark Barrott's “Nature Sounds of the Balearics” several times on repeat. 

It was the weekend, the sun was doing its best, the air was rather oppressive & it wasn't difficult to imagine a Balearic environment.

After several "Sketches from an Island" albums and 12" inches, "Nature Sound" was, well, his "techno" album, but of course that's not the whole story. His Balearic philosophy of the “Sketches” releases can be found on most of the tracks. 

Mark Barrot has become somewhat rare in recent years, but that shouldn't stop anyone from (re)discovering his release from 2014 - 2018. 

My favorites from the “Nature Sounds” album are “Keltner & Chalkin”, “Aroon” & “Donchian Reprise”, which would also look good on any other Virtual Dreams album.

Overall a good idea.

Before the album came out, Running Back released a test pressing version. Normally something like this leaves me cold and I wait for the official release. Here I couldn't say no to 10 euros. I admit, it's a bit nerdy.

„Mark Barrott yields another lush study of life of the white isle, making his debut with the Running Back Incantations sub-division of Gerd Jansen’s label

“Most music does not come out of nowhere. Arising and appearing in a pre-existing system of influences, cross-references, roots, memories and desires, it either directly points towards a heritage or into the future. Mark Barrott’s Nature Sounds of the Balearics is a bit of both. The mastermind behind the International Feel label and the Sketches from an Island series presents an intermediary. 

Technically, it’s his departure from a software based workflow and onto (or back to) a hardware driven creative point of view. 

Philosophically, it deals with the schizophrenia of our times: the late Paul Virgilio’s dromology and logistics of perception versus a decelerated life outside of cities, internet algorhythmics (sic!) versus meditation, the excessive stock market (all track titles are derivates of that world) against a tactile way of living. 

Musically, it is the outcome of what Barrott himself described as his „techno album“. For people whose definition of techno has to do with speed (again) and kick drums that might seem like a misinterpretation. Listeners who remember the Artificial Intelligence and Freezone compilations, various chill out channels or Detroit’s mellow moments, will tend to agree. „Nature Sounds of the Balearics“ miraculously evokes those days and times, without breaking his neck. It is as much at home in a Caribbean water utopia between dolphins and old fishing boats as it feels current and applicable in a Ridley Scott dystopia. And if meta levels aren't your thing: it’s just a beautiful album.”

-boomkat-

 „Mark Barrott - International Feel boss, Talamanca System member and ‘the master of sunset music’ - drops a new LP on his mate Gerd Janson’s Running Back label. Nature Sounds Of The Balearics is not, as one might suspect from its title, a collection of field recordings. However, this LP does mix in some found sounds with a chilled take on the grooves that have pretty much become a natural sound on the Balearic islands over the past few decades. Barrott describes this as his techno album, and the influence is certainly there on tracks like ‘TRIX’ and ‘Ichimoku’. However, there are also strong strains of new age, downtempo and - of course - Balearic house here.“

-Bleep-

2 Goals without Sudden death Penalty Shoot out

 

Germany 2 Denmark 0

Ok, we still don't have a summer fairytale, just the downpours in Dortmund with the game being interrupted for half an hour made the game special. But the full-throttle football of both teams will certainly be remembered, with the happier ending for the German team. In the end it was certainly not undeserved due to the way the game went. However, a Danish victory would not have been impossible. A pretty crazy and exciting game.

If you're even a little superstitious, you might currently think that the football posts bring some luck in the game. I currently don't have an idea for a post for the upcoming opponent Spain. It won’t be “World in Motion.” But maybe Colourbox would be an option. Even though I believe that the superstition will be over after Friday evening.

Goal (Sudden Death Penalty Shoot Out)

 

The European Championship round of 16 begins today, Germany meets the previously unconvincing Danes, who were able to secure second place in the weak England group. This England is a mystery to everyone at this European Championship. I have quite a few people around me who support England, but Southgate's security football disappoints everyone here, not just the fans in the motherland of football.

Doesn't matter. Today the cards are being reshuffled; those who disappointed in the group games can suddenly shine in the playoffs and vice versa. Nevertheless, the task seems feasible today. In the quarter-finals it would most likely be against the Spaniards, who have so far been absolutely convincing and have achieved new qualities. A point where Germany and its team are far from reaching, even if we here in the country have the feeling that after a wonderful generation, the really bad years of football could be over and something new could emerge. So I think that we will say goodbye as hosts in the quarter-finals at the latest, even if nobody says it here and it will hurt a little when the others make themselves comfortable in the own living room.

I have no memory of how this 12″ got on my record shelf.

I assume I pulled it out of a Grabbel box, at least that's what the printed price suggests, which was reduced several times until I came along and had mercy.

J. Saul Kane was no stranger at the beginning of the 90s, that could have been the motivation. Maybe I was also looking for more football topics, intrigued by New Order's “World in Motion”. The 12“ was also released for the 90 World Cup and, with its combination of hip hop breaks, heavy Latin basslines and madcap samples from football commentators and fans, was a tribute to football legend Pelé and the Brazilian team.

So let's see if it brings us luck today. 

But Depth Charge is not The Barmy Army and the tracklist doesn't bode well either.

Goal (First Half)

Goal (Second Half + Extra Time)

Goal (Sudden Death Penalty Shoot Out)