Calm Pill 39

In this album, I would like to invite you to sample the world of awakened souls (awakenedsouls.bandcamp.com), an ambient music project of veteran electronic music producer James Bernard and his wife Cynthia. When I stumbled on their album how we heal, I knew I had found an artist who creates music for the same reason I create these mixes: to heal. Their mission is to “help others find the sense of healing that music brings to them” and their name comes from their “hope to be in touch with the most authentic parts of ourselves.” I think you will find that their music indeed lives up to this ambition and is conducive to quite reflection.

As always, if you like what you hear, check out the time-stamped track list and support awakened souls and all the other great artists featured on this mix by buying and streaming their music.

Also, did you know that I have another podcast called Chill Pills. It features the same quality of craftmanship and careful curation you’ve come to expect from this show but focuses on more up-tempo genres of music spanning chillout, lounge, jazz, instrumental, lo-fi chill hop, etc. Check it out:
https://link.chtbl.com/ChillPills

Tracklist

00:00
Gallery Six ― Under the Morning Mist

02:34
Rudy Adrian ― Shelter From The Storm

06:58
Andrew Tasselmyer ― Mai Khao Sunset

10:13
Warmth ― Reflector

17:06
Dreamware ― Periphery

21:02
Stijn Hüwels ― A kind of a path

23:36
awakened souls ― A New Era

28:24
Tonepoet ― A Lonely Dwarf Revolves In Peace

32:09
awakened souls ― bodhichitta

36:29
An Imaginal Space ― Circles

39:17
awakened souls ― nightly meditation

44:44
Murcof ― Chapitre VI

47:24
awakened souls ― citrus sunset

Chill Pill 38

This mix is dedicated to all people who dream of a better world, one without the conflicts and fractions that plagued our world today.

Sometimes I like to zone out and run my imagination wild and free. I like to think that one day, somehow humans will find a way to coexist. To be able to give and take. To share this planet Earth equally and fairly among all of us, and to nourish it so that our future generations will be able to do the same.

So when you’re listening to this mix, just set back, relax and imagine. Imagine you’re in a wide open green field, setting next to a tree in the early hours of the day. It’s the break of dawn and the sky above you is slowly but surely starting to light up from darkness. The clouds are clearing up and the early rays of sunshine are passing through, touching upon the grass and creating moving waves of lights. And while you’re enjoying the breeze in this peaceful atmosphere, reflect on what it feels like to live in a city of hope, a city were people loved and where kind to each other. They don’t speak the same language, have the same color or share the same religion, but they’ve found a way to embrace and accept one another, for better and worse.

I released this mix 9 years ago under my previous pseudonym DJ Seroton in a series called Unwind. It was one of my most popular Unwind mixes. Sensational, soulful and dreamy with influence from classical music, it was inspired by the fourth track of the same name by Gregorian.

For something calmer and quieter, check out my other podcast: Calm Pills, which are soothing atmospheric ambient albums, seamlessly mixed to help with relaxation, meditation, reading or deep sleep. Mostly consisting of instrumental ambient sounds and soft piano music, these mixes will help you completely relax your mind and body.
https://link.chtbl.com/CalmPills

Tracklist

00:00
Amethystium ― Break of Dawn

04:32
Ryan Farish ― Look To You

06:21
ATB ― City Of Hope

08:34
Gregorian ― Imagine

12:51
Vangelis ― Memories of Blue

17:49
Chris Botti ― Hallelujah

20:24
Yiruma ― Our Same Word

22:34
Enya ― Hope Has A Place

27:15
Terry Davies ― Epilogue (Beethoven Piano Concerto no 5 “Emperor”-II)

30:15
Roger Matura ― Time Is A River (Prologue)

32:36
Jon Hopkins ― Apparition

34:25
ATB ― Moving Backwards

38:13
Brian Eno ― Just Another Day

42:15
Hammock ― Losing You to You

48:01
Helios ― Hope Valley Hill

53:00
ATB ― Trilogy (The Final Chapter)

Calm Pill 38

Happy new year everyone. Let’s make the best of 2021. I’m energized and looking forward to crafting for you more mixes showcasing the best of what ambient genre has to offer.

Let’s start this year with another trip back in time to a mix I released 5 years ago as part of my Drifter ambient series, which I created under my previous pseudonym DJ Seroton. At the time, I dedicated it to the wonderful people behind Ambient-Nights (mixcloud.com/Ambient_Nights), who I had the pleasure of joining as part of the Ambient-Nights Mixer Family. Ambient-Nights was the site that got me hooked on ambient music since I discovered it in 2007. The quality of their mixes is really extraordinary, and they have a body of work that will sure take some time to go through, but the experience will be just as rewarding.

Fun fact: I decided to call this mix after the second track, Weightless by Marconi Union. Few years after this mix was released, scientists singled out this song as “the world’s most relaxing song.” The song is filled with dreamy, mellow synths, soothing melodies and instrumentation composed of piano, guitar and electronic samples of natural soundscapes. Read this for more information:
https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/relaxing-song-best-weightless-marconi-union-youtube-surgery-anxiety-a9011971.html

Also, did you know that I have another podcast called Chill Pills. It features the same quality of craftmanship and careful curation you’ve come to expect from this show but focuses on more up-tempo genres of music spanning chillout, lounge, jazz, instrumental, lo-fi chill hop, etc. Check it out:
https://link.chtbl.com/ChillPills

Tracklist

00:00
Another Green World ― Stream of Consciousness

06:16
Marconi Union ― Weightless

13:46
Andrew Lahiff ― Deserted

18:14
J Butler ― Grey

21:39
An Imaginal Space ― Cloudscape Timelapse 10.06.15 (Loop 16.05.15)

23:49
Jonson ― From the Outside Part Two

30:21
Cliff Martinez ― My Name On A Car

32:10
Bing Satellites ― 19 February 2012 part 2

35:04
Michael Stearns ― Procession (Sacred Ceremony) (Edit)

36:42
All India Radio ― Little Desert Ambient

38:43
Ben Woods ― Together Standing

42:10
Pete Namlook & Dr. Atmo ― Trip From Mars (Excerpt)

43:01
Eluvium ― Show Us Our Homes

47:26
Alio Die ― Spring Music

56:02
Secede ― Shrine

Chill Pill 37

Happy new year everyone!

This mix is inspired by a beautiful song called Love & Hate by Michael Kiwanuka, and the mix is dedicated to my brother Ahmad who recommended it when I asked him for his favorite song to make a mix around. I loved the empowering message of the song that I decided to make an uplifting mix themed around it.

Let’s make 2021 count!

“Always on the outside, through a window looking in
Never the right time, so the chance goes by again

The lines begin to show, when we feel broken
To move on we have to drop the pieces we’re holding

And no one is perfect
You don’t need to be strong, every single day

Chase the wind again, knowing just what they’ll say
Don’t care anymore, can’t stay still anyway

No one really knows along the way
that the best things in life won’t be, perfect anyway”

From track #7 Seraphine, the Starry-Eyed Songstress

For something calmer and quieter, check out my other podcast: Calm Pills, which are soothing atmospheric ambient albums, seamlessly mixed to help with relaxation, meditation, reading or deep sleep. Mostly consisting of instrumental ambient sounds and soft piano music, these mixes will help you completely relax your mind and body.
https://link.chtbl.com/CalmPills

Tracklist

00:00
Marga Sol ― Bliss Of Water (Original Mix)

05:49
Shaheen Sheik ― Wildflower World (Wild Orchid Mix)

09:36
Koru ― The Meeting

13:03
Michael Kiwanuka ― Love & Hate

19:09
Markus Gleissner ― I Will Rise up Now (Instrumental)

21:29
Alexandre Navarro ― Universes

21:47
League of Legends featuring Jasmine Clarke ― Seraphine, the Starry-Eyed Songstress

25:59
Blank & Jones ― Flowing

29:31
Flitz&Suppe, Gas-Lab ― Slice of Life

31:06
The Universe’s Howl ― Sehnsucht

35:18
Yağız Oral ― Light Me Up (Instrumental)

37:50
Christiaan Verbeek ― Things From Her

39:06
Conjure One ― Center Of The Sun (Solarstone’s Chilled Out Remix)

48:31
Paulsen & Stryczek ― Tripping Down A Desert Road

51:11
Guggenz ― This Love I’ve Met

55:02
Alejandro De Pinedo ― Wonderland

Chill Pill 36

I released this mix 9 years ago under my previous pseudonym DJ Seroton in a series called Unwind.  It was inspired by the first track, In My Secret Life, by the late Leonard Cohen.

It was a personal mix to some extent. The following words by Gregory L. and Brenda Person sum up how I was feeling at the time. Perhaps you can relate to it. Either way, I hope you enjoy it. It certainly brings back memories for me.

“There are so many secrets about life I will never know. I may never know what road I should have taken, the one less travelled or the one I know.
There are the could haves, the maybes, should haves, never haves and must haves but will I ever know? Will I ever know for sure what life is really like? Will it be chock-full of promises or filled with disappointing doubts?
Who am I? Where am I going? Will I travel down the road of life not making a single stop? Will I recognize that awkward moment when my future is in sight?
I think before I bare my soul, I hold some back. Have I ever given my whole?
I may not be the person you see. There is no way of knowing all the possibilities that life could be.
Some of life’s secrets are meant to be kept forever more.”

My Secret Life by Gregory L. and Brenda Person

Tracklist

00:00
Leonard Cohen ― In My Secret Life

04:41
John O’Callaghan vs. Neptune Project ― Rhea (Chillout Mix)

06:16
Bliss ― Remember My Name

11:37
Vitam Venturi feat. Ben Hatten ― Walking On Clouds Part 1

16:41
Enigma ― From East To Innocence (DJ Seroton’s Mashup)

21:16
Kira B.M.J. ― Stars Above The Beach

23:58
Blank & Jones ― Balearic Blue

30:07
Ulrich Schnauss ― As If You’ve Never Been Away

36:22
Corderoy ― Born Again

41:03
Vargo ― Relax (Blank & Jones, Vargo Vocal Remix)

46:51
Chris Coco ― My Beach House

53:47
Jon Hopkins ― Afterlife

56:33
Enigma ― Goodbye Milky Way

Calm Pill 37

What a year 2020 has been! We’re not out of the woods yet, but we’re here and we have few things we can be thankful for as this years draws to an end.

I’m thankful for all of you listeners and supporters of this show. I have recently been graced by an uptick of positive reviews on Apple Podcasts and other apps where this show is available. I treasure each one because it lets me know the positive effect this music has on your life.

I’m also thankful for the artists whose music make this show possible. Whenever you can, check out the timestamped playlist in the episode description and look up the songs you like.

Happy holidays everyone. Stay safe and cherish your loved ones. Tomorrow’s lights will shine, and we will be together again.

Tracklist

00:00
Harry Gregson-Williams ― Mars

02:15
Dear Gravity ― Migrant

03:17
Dear Gravity ― Settled Odds

05:22
Michael FK feat. Solace ― Things We Wouldn’t Say

12:09
David Helpling & Jon Jenkins ― Above All

14:34
Hollan Holmes ― Threshold

17:06
A Winged Victory For The Sullen ― A Symphony Pathetique

22:29
Aurastore ― Drift

34:04
Antonymes ― 311210

35:48
Slow Dancing Society ― The Delicate Sound of Silence

39:03
Mnemonic45 ― Sud

42:40
TUNESURGE ― I Saw Three Moons

44:28
Wolfgang Gsell & Lutz Thuns ― Urban Midnight Constellations (Excerpt)

47:38
City Of Dawn ― As She Quietly Dance in the Wander of Stars

53:02
Endless Melancholy ― A Minute In Between

53:48
Not a Number ― Cryodream Two

57:11
Thomas Köner ― Dalmatinska, Beograd

58:38
Luttrell ― Outro (Original Mix)

Chill Pill 35

Most mixes I create are typically inspired by a single song that I hear and feel strongly about creating a themed mix around. This one, however, has two sources of inspiration.

First, I stumbled upon the dreamy, hazy and romantic style of a band called Cigarettes After Sex (the name beats me!). They became an instant favorite and their song Falling in Love was crying out to be the star of a mix. A little after that, Hans Zimmer and co. mesmerized me in the emotionally epic soundtrack to the Netflix original film Hillbilly Elegy. This mix begins and ends with music from the soundtrack, which gives it a particularly high note to end on that I hope would leave you with a lingering sense of love and hope.

Tracklist

00:00
Hans Zimmer, David Fleming, Derek Trucks, Nile Marr & Tina Guo ― We Respect Our Dead

02:01
Cerah ― The Things She Wanted to Say.

05:01
Cigarettes After Sex ― Falling in Love

08:47
Greetings From Tuskan ― To Forget (Edit)

10:56
Van Morrison ― Some Like You

14:33
Nordsø & Theill ― Sun fo Ni

21:56
Hans Zimmer, David Fleming, Derek Trucks, Nile Marr & Tina Guo ― Kentucky 1997

23:36
Hans Zimmer, David Fleming, Derek Trucks, Nile Marr & Tina Guo ― Usha

26:31
Lowercase Noises ― Song For No One

30:53
The Cinematic Orchestra feat. Patrick Watson ― To Build A Home

37:18
Hans Zimmer, David Fleming, Derek Trucks, Nile Marr & Tina Guo ― Transformation (End Titles)

40:40
Yanni ― Whispers In The Dark

44:27
Klaus Schoenning ― Sunlight In The Ripples

47:49
DJ Sammy & Yanou Featuring Do ― Heaven (Yanou’s Candlelight Mix)

51:49
Helios ― Halving the Compass

56:23
Bon Jovi ― Thick As Thieves

61:06
Aaron Zigman ― WE CAN MISS HER TOGETHER

61:28
Aaron Zigman ― PEACE, WE SHOULD GO

61:59
Hans Zimmer, David Fleming, Derek Trucks, Nile Marr & Tina Guo ― Steel In Our Veins

Calm Pill 36

On the eve of the 4th anniversary of Calm Pills (this series began back in Nov 15, 2016), let’s take a trip back in time to the very first ambient mix I ever created. This is mix number one! I created it 8 years ago under my previous pseudonym DJ Seroton, and to this day it remains one of the best ones I have ever done. This is what I wrote in the release notes back in Jan 16, 2012:

What puts you to sleep?

I bet the answer to this question will vary from one person to the other. For me, I like total darkness, comfy pillow, and believe it or not, the constant sound of AC, which I’ve grown to appreciate as a way of eliminating little on-off noises from around the building. On top of that, when I’m in the mood, nothing beats a good playlist of pure and peaceful ambient music.

I first came to discover this wonderful style of music back in 2007, when I accidentally stumbled on a great site called Ambient Nights. Not knowing what this style of music was all about, I decided to give it a try and downloaded few of the mixes, created by Alex Hephaestion. I was in the middle of preparing a public speech at the time, my first one ever, and while researching my material, I would put these mixes on.

To my surprise, these mixes magically helped me focus and zone into my work in a weird but awesome way. I said weird because when you’re listening to ambient music, the idea is not to listen intently, but in a passive way. You just let it play in the background, and it’ll do its thing. This is best described by Brian Eno, one of the most influential artists in this genre and the one believed to have coined the term “ambient music“, who was quoted describing it as the kind of music that can be “actively listened to with attention or as easily ignored, depending on the choice of the listener”, and that exists on the “cusp between melody and texture”.

Not all ambient music is created equal. Over the years since my discovery, I’ve been curating my collection of ambient music that’s truly relaxing and in no way disturbing or weighs too much on the dark side. I think all that boils down to what you’re going to listen to in this 1 hour mix.

But mixing this style of music has proved a little challenging for me. When I sat out to create this mix, I wanted a mix that’s perfect to sleep to. This is easier said than done, because when you’re trying to sleep to music, the slightest off beat or melody can wake you up. So the mix must flow seamlessly from start to finish, and not have any surprises in the middle since the person listening to it might, and most likely will, drift off in the middle.

Also while creating this mix, it’s not just enough to make sure tracks flow seamlessly into each other. You’ve got to listen over and over to the entire mix to make sure you’re setting and maintaining the right mood, in this case sleeping mode, throughout the mix.

Overall, I think I’ve done a pretty good job with this one. I’ve even took it for a spin and tried sleeping to it. After a few tweaks, I think I’ve managed to perfect it. Well, at least I hope you do think so.

Tracklist

00:00
Danny Elfman ― Friendship

04:07
Brian Eno ― The Real

06:12
Christopher Short ― Twilight

13:28
Aeolian String Ensemble ― Eclipse

15:42
Sven Väth ― Ballet Dancer

20:45
David Brunn ― Crater Lake (Hephaestion Edit)

23:53
Chris Spheeris & Paul Voudouris ― Passage

30:24
ATB ― Under The Sky

33:52
David ― Ruhe

36:07
Harold Budd, Brian Eno ― Failing Light

39:40
Mind Over Matter ― Brahman

42:08
Byron Metcalf, Mark Seelig, Steve Roach ― Gone…Beyond

52:04
Transambient Communications ― Ocean Waves At Sunset

55:10
Moby ― Overland

Calm Pill 35

I’m back with yet another guest mix. This time I approached Alessio who hosts Corsica One, a series that showcases carefully curated selection of uplifting and evocative soundscapes. His show is all about variety, and that inspired me to do something a bit different to start this Calm Pill mix with, something a bit more mystic. I think you’ll like it.

Tracklist

00:00
Tonepoet ― Impulses (Excerpt)

01:22
Nox Arcana ― Nyarlathotep

01:52
Moonshine Blues ― Dawn (Excerpt)

02:38
Pete Namlook & Tetsu Inoue ― Morning Spirit

03:00
Rebekkah’s Cousin Silas ― the Rachel suite – part 009

04:15
Jonn Serrie & Gary Stroutsos ― Sea of Clouds

09:51
Ornament ― Ambeyond

16:24
Darren Harper ― Vanishing Point (the receding edge pt.2)

23:24
Cousin Silas ― Moving Away

33:46
John Foxx & Harold Budd ― A Delicate Romance

39:30
Tonepoet & Wings Of An Angel ― Dreaming Out Loud

43:58
Matt Borghi & Michael Teager ― Convocation

51:37
Diatonis ― The River Flowing

Chill Pill 34

This is a throwback mix released 5 years ago under my previous pseudonym DJ Seroton in a series called Unwind.

The mix was inspired by the 5th track (More Than Nothing), and is centered around our desire to sometimes “turn back the hands of the clock” and do something we missed out on doing. Even though the song describes a man’s regret for not pursuing a relationship, I’d like to think of this idea more generically to include everything we procrastinate or never get to do that we later wish we would have done, or at least tried!

Musically, this mix was by far the most time-consuming 1-hour mix I’ve ever created! It almost burnt me out trying to perfect all aspects of the mix, especially the first of the two mashups, track 13, which is made up of two equally amazing songs by DeYarmond Edison and All India Radio.

Tracklist

00:00
Rob Fleming ― First Light

02:05
Rhythm Of Mankind & Nature ― Between Space And Time

05:15
Aleksey Chistilin ― Mood (Edit)

08:20
Erik Wøllo ― A Sublime Place (Excerpt)

08:34
Mansions on the Moon feat. Codi ― More Than Nothing

12:06
Fort Road ― Fluke (Subsets Remix)

15:05
Equal Stones & Endless Melancholy ― Disappear in Light

18:27
Ioflow ― Impermanence

19:41
Barcelona ― Please Don’t Go

23:25
Green Sun ― The First Birth

27:15
Erik Håkansson ― Summer Vibe (Chill version)

32:08
Andrew Lahiff ― Ascending to the Dream Horizon (Excerpt)

32:18
DeYarmond Edison vs. All India Radio ― Lucky My Whole Life Long (DJ Seroton Mashup)

38:39
Constance Demby ― Eternal Return (Unfolding, Enfolding, Return) (Edit)

42:43
Brian Keane & Omar Faruk Tekbilek ― Desert Twilight

46:14
Michael Bublé ― Always on My Mind

50:34
The Eager Seas vs. Helios ― You Gave Me Clementine (DJ Seroton Mashup)

55:54
Ensoul ― Fire