1. Krzysztof Penderecki | Threnody To The Victims Of Hiroshima (Performed by National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra; Conductor: Antoni Wit)
This piece introduced me to Contemporary Classical Music when I was 16 years old. I have discovered it randomly on a CD that my dad bought from Viena and it quickly escalated into a mad fascination with the brutally devastating yet mesmerizing force of this masterpiece. It’s also known for being featured in Kubrick’s infamous The Shining.
2. Goldfrapp | Human
Alison Goldfrapp at her most provoking, mysterious and sexy - therefore human - heights in this track from her debut album. A Trip Hop gem that could easily fit in a James Bond movie. Though unequal in her production throughout the years, Alison remains one of the most versatile female vocalists and songwriters around.
3. John Surman | Not Love Perhaps
Surman is my fave Jazz musician and this comes from a guy that was hardly impressed with the usual suspects that were the instrumental virtuosos of the genre. But Surman’s ethereal and playful soundscapes proved me that Jazz can be a dreamy affair too, filled with tones that come from Heaven, take you to a magic earthly ride and return up there like nothing ever happened.
4. Kiasmos | Driven
Simply put, my definition of a perfect atmospheric Techno track. Those minor-key piercing pads and the cleverly delivered beats are a wonderful combination that made Kiasmos one of my most listened projects from the current Ambient/Techno scene, which I usually find rather boring and dry.
5. Depeche Mode | Behind The Wheel
Dark, energetic and undeniably catchy, Behind The Wheel subconsciously hooked me since listening to it on my cousin’s casette tapes, when I was a kid. It resurfaced later on to become an anthem of Love-ridden teenage angst, with its accurate embodiment of the more sensual 80s Synth Pop aesthetics.
6. Laibach | WAT
Depeche Mode’s colleagues from the seminal Mute label, Laibach charmed me with their satirically epic, visionary & quasi-kitsch cocktail of sounds. WAT (We Are Time) displays some epic Martial Industrial Techno topped with lyrics that manage somehow to still be meaningfully fresh in today’s socio-political context.
7. Autechre | Silversub
A jewel of atmospheric IDM from 1995. Like a sort of Blade Runner on acid, those flangered Old School synths still give me THE shivers.
8. Dead Can Dance | Agape
Agape transports me in a world of lucid dreaming filled with graceful silhouettes seductively dancing in a hazed up ambience. It might come as handy as an efficient weed substitute as well, hehe.
9. Stromae | quand c'est ?
I was always a sucker for French culture and it was actually in France where I first heard of this Belgian singer/producer, around 2011. Impossible not to do that, his Music was all over: subway stations, restaurants, parks, etc. His uplifting Pop-House tracks, as well as the more insightful Jacques Brel-esque elegies like this one, caught my attention.
10. Devil Doll | Part 11 (from Dies Irae)
Progressive, Symphonic, Avant-Garde, Gothic and Theatrical Rock altogether, this project was one of the weirdest and most enigmatic Music outlets ever created. Devil Doll released five cult albums between 1989-1994 that most certainly deserve to be heard by the curious Music explorers.
+11. Igorrr & Ruby My Dear | Alain
Igorrr is one hell of a creative chap. I even listed him in my PhD thesis as one of the most ingenious Postmodern Collage Electronic artists, next to Amon Tobin, The Avalanches, Negativland and others. Mad, majestic and totally brilliant, here is a song that he made in collaboration with Ruby My Dear for an EP called Maigre. The whole material is definitely an unforgettable listening experience!
+12. Nils Frahm | Hammers
Minimal and somehow Cinematic piano frenzy, unfolding energetic arpeggios with a captivating sense of Adrenaline and Drama.
+13. Popol Vuh | Wehe Khorazin
Florian Fricke’s Popol Vuh was kinda famous for scoring Herzog’s Aguirre and this track from 1981 is a fascinating voyage due to its visionary Folkish Pagan vibes mixed with some Spacey Schulze-like atmospheres, in a New Age kind of way that proved to be rather influential for many musicians in the decades to come.
+14. ZHU | Palm Of My Hand
That’s a very recent tune released by a seemingly high praised Deep House producer that calls himself ZHU. I randomly clicked on it on Facebook, it turned out to be a really rewarding treat. Definitely a well-crafted atmospheric track with smooth vocals and a great Funky bass groove - all the right ingredients to conclude an imaginary mixtape such as this one.
