Despite my rant the other day, sometimes creators & rights holders need no persuasion, because they're already on board. Cornwall's psychedelic ambient/downtempo prodigies Matt Hillier & Jacqueline Kersley, for example, are proponents of digital sharing, and Matt was kind enough to give his permission for my favorite selections from their repertoire to be made available here.
- Ishq - "Sky Blue (Live)"
This track was on the Ishq website for a while in the mid-2000s. It's very similar to the studio version which appears on the 2002 Orchid album, but I just prefer this one a little better because of the way it builds in the beginning. This song is rather unusual for Ishq, as it uses a straightforward Balearic-style breakbeat sample and prominent bass riff throughout. Between the bass and synths, there's an actual melody. I think of this as "their disco record." Maybe not their deepest, but it's still one of my favorites.
- Ishvara - "Nomad (Arabiq Mix)"
This, too, was on the Ishq website. It's a nice, long building track with churning percussion throughout. It never got a full release, but an edited version, "Nomad (Arabian Remix)" was released on the Vampire Sunrise compilation in 2009. The edited version doesn't have the long ambient intro and outro, but is otherwise the same as this one.
- Elemental Journey - "Air"
This is Hillier in collaboration with Matt Coldrick. The 2005 album it comes from is rather trancey in a way that's not my cup of tea, but this beatless track is much different from the others and is more in line with Ishq's catalog.
- Indigo Egg - "Clouds of Indigo" / "Shamballa" / "Smiling Buddha"
All three of these tracks were enhanced, remastered, and released on the official 2008 release of Ixland. What I'm giving you here are pre-release versions from around 1998. Another mix of "Clouds of Indigo" first officially appeared on a compilation in 2000. Other mixes of "Smiling Buddha" appared as Ishq - "Happiness" on a compilation in 2004, and also on the Ishq website in 2005. "Shamballa" was retitled to the pair of songs "Clearlight" and "Home" on the 2008 release of Ixland.
- Ishq - "Opal (Opaque Mix)"
This is a c. 2000 pre-release mix, slightly different than the one which later appeared on Orchid.
And here are some links for further research:
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2 comments:
I'm listening your music, thanks!!!
Since you seem to be a fan of high quality free downtempo music - check out www.generalfuzz.net. I've got five albums for you to peruse.
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