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.
Making this mix was a labor of love. If you feel like showing your appreciation, buy me a cup of a coffee (uppmixes.com/donate). You can also share this with your friends, rate it or leave a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you subscribed to this podcast. Thank you.
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 Mist02:34
Rudy Adrian ― Shelter From The Storm06:58
Andrew Tasselmyer ― Mai Khao Sunset10:13
Warmth ― Reflector17:06
Dreamware ― Periphery21:02
Stijn Hüwels ― A kind of a path23:36
awakened souls ― A New Era28:24
Tonepoet ― A Lonely Dwarf Revolves In Peace32:09
awakened souls ― bodhichitta36:29
An Imaginal Space ― Circles39:17
awakened souls ― nightly meditation44:44
Murcof ― Chapitre VI47:24
awakened souls ― citrus sunset
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.
Making this mix was a labor of love. If you feel like showing your appreciation, buy me a cup of a coffee (uppmixes.com/donate). You can also share this with your friends, rate it or leave a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you subscribed to this podcast. Thank you.
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 Dawn04:32
Ryan Farish ― Look To You06:21
ATB ― City Of Hope08:34
Gregorian ― Imagine12:51
Vangelis ― Memories of Blue17:49
Chris Botti ― Hallelujah20:24
Yiruma ― Our Same Word22:34
Enya ― Hope Has A Place27:15
Terry Davies ― Epilogue (Beethoven Piano Concerto no 5 “Emperor”-II)30:15
Roger Matura ― Time Is A River (Prologue)32:36
Jon Hopkins ― Apparition34:25
ATB ― Moving Backwards38:13
Brian Eno ― Just Another Day42:15
Hammock ― Losing You to You48:01
Helios ― Hope Valley Hill53:00
ATB ― Trilogy (The Final Chapter)
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
Making this mix was a labor of love. If you feel like showing your appreciation, buy me a cup of a coffee (uppmixes.com/donate). You can also share this with your friends, rate it or leave a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you subscribed to this podcast. Thank you.
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 Consciousness06:16
Marconi Union ― Weightless13:46
Andrew Lahiff ― Deserted18:14
J Butler ― Grey21:39
An Imaginal Space ― Cloudscape Timelapse 10.06.15 (Loop 16.05.15)23:49
Jonson ― From the Outside Part Two30:21
Cliff Martinez ― My Name On A Car32:10
Bing Satellites ― 19 February 2012 part 235:04
Michael Stearns ― Procession (Sacred Ceremony) (Edit)36:42
All India Radio ― Little Desert Ambient38:43
Ben Woods ― Together Standing42:10
Pete Namlook & Dr. Atmo ― Trip From Mars (Excerpt)43:01
Eluvium ― Show Us Our Homes47:26
Alio Die ― Spring Music56:02
Secede ― Shrine
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 againThe lines begin to show, when we feel broken
To move on we have to drop the pieces we’re holdingAnd no one is perfect
You don’t need to be strong, every single dayChase the wind again, knowing just what they’ll say
Don’t care anymore, can’t stay still anywayNo 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
Making this mix was a labor of love. If you feel like showing your appreciation, buy me a cup of a coffee (uppmixes.com/donate). You can also share this with your friends, rate it or leave a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you subscribed to this podcast. Thank you.
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 Meeting13:03
Michael Kiwanuka ― Love & Hate19:09
Markus Gleissner ― I Will Rise up Now (Instrumental)21:29
Alexandre Navarro ― Universes21:47
League of Legends featuring Jasmine Clarke ― Seraphine, the Starry-Eyed Songstress25:59
Blank & Jones ― Flowing29:31
Flitz&Suppe, Gas-Lab ― Slice of Life31:06
The Universe’s Howl ― Sehnsucht35:18
Yağız Oral ― Light Me Up (Instrumental)37:50
Christiaan Verbeek ― Things From Her39:06
Conjure One ― Center Of The Sun (Solarstone’s Chilled Out Remix)48:31
Paulsen & Stryczek ― Tripping Down A Desert Road51:11
Guggenz ― This Love I’ve Met55:02
Alejandro De Pinedo ― Wonderland
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
Making this mix was a labor of love. If you feel like showing your appreciation, buy me a cup of a coffee (uppmixes.com/donate). You can also share this with your friends, rate it or leave a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you subscribed to this podcast. Thank you.
Tracklist
00:00
Leonard Cohen ― In My Secret Life04:41
John O’Callaghan vs. Neptune Project ― Rhea (Chillout Mix)06:16
Bliss ― Remember My Name11:37
Vitam Venturi feat. Ben Hatten ― Walking On Clouds Part 116:41
Enigma ― From East To Innocence (DJ Seroton’s Mashup)21:16
Kira B.M.J. ― Stars Above The Beach23:58
Blank & Jones ― Balearic Blue30:07
Ulrich Schnauss ― As If You’ve Never Been Away36:22
Corderoy ― Born Again41:03
Vargo ― Relax (Blank & Jones, Vargo Vocal Remix)46:51
Chris Coco ― My Beach House53:47
Jon Hopkins ― Afterlife56:33
Enigma ― Goodbye Milky Way
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.
Making this mix was a labor of love. If you feel like showing your appreciation, buy me a cup of a coffee (uppmixes.com/donate). You can also share this with your friends, rate it or leave a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you subscribed to this podcast. Thank you.
Tracklist
00:00
Harry Gregson-Williams ― Mars02:15
Dear Gravity ― Migrant03:17
Dear Gravity ― Settled Odds05:22
Michael FK feat. Solace ― Things We Wouldn’t Say12:09
David Helpling & Jon Jenkins ― Above All14:34
Hollan Holmes ― Threshold17:06
A Winged Victory For The Sullen ― A Symphony Pathetique22:29
Aurastore ― Drift34:04
Antonymes ― 31121035:48
Slow Dancing Society ― The Delicate Sound of Silence39:03
Mnemonic45 ― Sud42:40
TUNESURGE ― I Saw Three Moons44:28
Wolfgang Gsell & Lutz Thuns ― Urban Midnight Constellations (Excerpt)47:38
City Of Dawn ― As She Quietly Dance in the Wander of Stars53:02
Endless Melancholy ― A Minute In Between53:48
Not a Number ― Cryodream Two57:11
Thomas Köner ― Dalmatinska, Beograd58:38
Luttrell ― Outro (Original Mix)
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.
Making this mix was a labor of love. If you feel like showing your appreciation, buy me a cup of a coffee (uppmixes.com/donate). You can also share this with your friends, rate it or leave a review on iTunes or wherever you subscribed to this podcast. Thank you.
Tracklist
00:00
Hans Zimmer, David Fleming, Derek Trucks, Nile Marr & Tina Guo ― We Respect Our Dead02:01
Cerah ― The Things She Wanted to Say.05:01
Cigarettes After Sex ― Falling in Love08:47
Greetings From Tuskan ― To Forget (Edit)10:56
Van Morrison ― Some Like You14:33
Nordsø & Theill ― Sun fo Ni21:56
Hans Zimmer, David Fleming, Derek Trucks, Nile Marr & Tina Guo ― Kentucky 199723:36
Hans Zimmer, David Fleming, Derek Trucks, Nile Marr & Tina Guo ― Usha26:31
Lowercase Noises ― Song For No One30:53
The Cinematic Orchestra feat. Patrick Watson ― To Build A Home37:18
Hans Zimmer, David Fleming, Derek Trucks, Nile Marr & Tina Guo ― Transformation (End Titles)40:40
Yanni ― Whispers In The Dark44:27
Klaus Schoenning ― Sunlight In The Ripples47:49
DJ Sammy & Yanou Featuring Do ― Heaven (Yanou’s Candlelight Mix)51:49
Helios ― Halving the Compass56:23
Bon Jovi ― Thick As Thieves61:06
Aaron Zigman ― WE CAN MISS HER TOGETHER61:28
Aaron Zigman ― PEACE, WE SHOULD GO61:59
Hans Zimmer, David Fleming, Derek Trucks, Nile Marr & Tina Guo ― Steel In Our Veins
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.
Making it was a labor of love. If you feel like showing your appreciation, buy me a cup of a coffee (www.uppmixes.com/donate). You can also share this with your friends, rate it or leave a review. Thank you.
Tracklist
00:00
Danny Elfman ― Friendship04:07
Brian Eno ― The Real06:12
Christopher Short ― Twilight13:28
Aeolian String Ensemble ― Eclipse15:42
Sven Väth ― Ballet Dancer20:45
David Brunn ― Crater Lake (Hephaestion Edit)23:53
Chris Spheeris & Paul Voudouris ― Passage30:24
ATB ― Under The Sky33:52
David ― Ruhe36:07
Harold Budd, Brian Eno ― Failing Light39:40
Mind Over Matter ― Brahman42:08
Byron Metcalf, Mark Seelig, Steve Roach ― Gone…Beyond52:04
Transambient Communications ― Ocean Waves At Sunset55:10
Moby ― Overland
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.
Making it was a labor of love. If you feel like showing your appreciation, buy me a cup of a coffee (www.uppmixes.com/donate). You can also share this with your friends, rate it or leave a review. Thank you.
Tracklist
00:00
Tonepoet ― Impulses (Excerpt)01:22
Nox Arcana ― Nyarlathotep01:52
Moonshine Blues ― Dawn (Excerpt)02:38
Pete Namlook & Tetsu Inoue ― Morning Spirit03:00
Rebekkah’s Cousin Silas ― the Rachel suite – part 00904:15
Jonn Serrie & Gary Stroutsos ― Sea of Clouds09:51
Ornament ― Ambeyond16:24
Darren Harper ― Vanishing Point (the receding edge pt.2)23:24
Cousin Silas ― Moving Away33:46
John Foxx & Harold Budd ― A Delicate Romance39:30
Tonepoet & Wings Of An Angel ― Dreaming Out Loud43:58
Matt Borghi & Michael Teager ― Convocation51:37
Diatonis ― The River Flowing
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.
Making this mix was a labor of love. If you feel like showing your appreciation, buy me a cup of a coffee (uppmixes.com/donate). You can also share this with your friends, rate it or leave a review. Thank you.
Tracklist
00:00
Rob Fleming ― First Light02:05
Rhythm Of Mankind & Nature ― Between Space And Time05:15
Aleksey Chistilin ― Mood (Edit)08:20
Erik Wøllo ― A Sublime Place (Excerpt)08:34
Mansions on the Moon feat. Codi ― More Than Nothing12:06
Fort Road ― Fluke (Subsets Remix)15:05
Equal Stones & Endless Melancholy ― Disappear in Light18:27
Ioflow ― Impermanence19:41
Barcelona ― Please Don’t Go23:25
Green Sun ― The First Birth27:15
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 Twilight46:14
Michael Bublé ― Always on My Mind50:34
The Eager Seas vs. Helios ― You Gave Me Clementine (DJ Seroton Mashup)55:54
Ensoul ― Fire