Abstract Radio... &#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Music for your mind, body and soul.

Wednesday 30 November 2022

AbstractRadio session - hearthis@ - november 2022

"The end of an ear-ache"

[Some of you may appreciate the irony of the above]

Luscious listeners...
Due to the impending restructuring of mixcloud's hosting plan, after the 1st December 2022 [St. Eligius' day, in case you're interested] we will very sadly not be able post any more mixes on that lovely platform.
However, all is not lost, as we've found another home for our sessions...

Firstly, to keep you in the loop, if you haven't done so already, please could you subscribe to us here: shrtco.de/YXWwRJ [don't follow us at your peril!?]

And we're migrating our mixes over to here: www.hearthis.at/abstractradio/ - if you can "follow" us there, we would be most grateful, as it's a new platform for us, and we'd love your support.

Anywho, before the doors were irrevocably slammed shut, we seized the opportunity to post one glorious final session on mixcloud as a undying thanks to you all for the support you've shown over the last eight years, and we decided to go out with a bit of a bang.

So...

We roped in a guest, chained them to the decks, blindfolded them, plied them with hooch, handed them the "golden horde" - a veritable treasure-chest of coveted tunes and, without any preparation, told them to play until we said "stop!" [for God's sake, please stop!]

Many bliss-filled, sweat-drenched hours later, the result - session 50 - our final session on mixcloud - is a loving wander through all the fine music we never had an opportunity to post onto that platform, with the odd old gem thrown in for good measure.

The mixing here is, well ... functional & acceptable - as stated, this was a one-take "live" studio set, and there was absolutely no prep. for this, so there's occasionally not much rhyme or reason to it, and mistakes were [often] made!
The tunes are blindingly good though - ranging from the sweet soulful end of house, to absolute end-of-night bangers, and pretty much everything in between, including a number of rather stupendous exclusives.

For your listening pleasure, we've broken down the session into six manageable parts ... five of which can be found on mixcloud, while the sixth and blistering final part can ***ONLY*** and ***EXCLUSIVELY*** be found here @ hearthis.at/abstractradio/, our new home!

And here it is : the final - sixth - part...it's a spiritual thing!

Hope you like - see you on the other side!

And, for everyone out there who likes this stuff - all the dancers, musicians, djs, producers, promoters, club owners, record labels and records shops, everyone who helps keep the vibe alive...

Thank you for the music,

Love and everything under the sun,

x

AbstractRadio

"I'll think you'll find this is a perfectly operational sound system."

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Sunday 31 July 2022

AbstractRadio session - july 2022

A BRIEF WORD FROM THE MANAGEMENT...

For the sake of clarity, here's a brief breakdown of the AbRad Session process:
As we hear tunes, we file them away for upcoming sessions [if they're deemed worthy, of course].
While some tunes are brand-spanking new, others we've heard countless times before, but they've recently managed to catch our ear once again.
To avoid undue complication, there's loads of different boxes covering a host of different genres... "House", "Funk", "Nosebleed", "Chill", "Weird shit" etc etc.
Everything usually has its place [though there's a fair amount of cross-over].

One such box is simply called: "Well, that's really rather good."
From a huge range of musical genres, from almost any era, this little box gets all the "good stuff", and just the "good stuff".
You can't miss it - it's fluorescent day-glo pink, and sits pride of place in the studio, lodged between the marble bust of Tony Humphries and the gold-plated Roland TR-808.
As we're quite discerning, it takes a fair while to fill this particular box with enough tracks to build a mix - at least couple of years, usually longer.
Once "full", we hand it over to our plucky elves, and they scuttle off with it down into the vaults beneath AbRad Towers, set with the tricky task of turning a ragamuffin selection of disparate tunes into a viable, transcendent musical "journey".
They must use all the tunes in the box.
They must not use any other tunes! [this makes things tricky, but from Session One these have been the AbRad rules.]

Clearly, these are not "live" mixes.
[NB: AbstractRadio has yet to post a "live" mix online... if you would like to hear us live ... well, that's an entirely different matter altogether - get in touch?]
In a "live" environment, DJs should invariably be playing from a large selection of tunes, allowing them to constantly adapt to the needs and mood of the crowd [well, that's part of what we hope to do], whereas for these AbRad sessions our dedicated elves are not granted such flexibility, and must laboriously piece together a composite whole that is intended to be greater than its pre-defined and consequently somewhat restrictive parts.

So, in actuality, these sessions are the diametric opposite of "live" mixes - they are highly contrived studio mixes, where there is a very stringent and often annoyingly incongruous playlist.

We've been led to believe that this is actually no easy feat to accomplish - the elves whinge that tracks "don't fit", and often need remixing, which takes time, effort and inspiration, and sometimes, when a mix is "nearly done", they then feel an overwhelming compulsion to start again from scratch, as [they insist] one track "still isn't quite working".
Sadly, they have only a limited understanding of the concept of "deadlines".
And yes, it can be most frustrating.

But, you know, it's worth it...

Love and hummingbirds,

x

The AbRad team

ps - many thanks to the fabulous @lathamjane for Blue Sky

File under: soul, disco, funk, jazz, hip-hop, dub, blues, latin, lounge, breakbeat, house, rap, trip-hop, chill, ambient techno, gospel, wtf

[any feedback, as ever, very much appreciated]

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[We're trying out a new player from Hearthis.at...]

Tracklist

Start	Artist	Track Title	Label
000:00	gianfranco & gian piero reverberi	nel cimitero di tucson	mocambo
002:16	lenny williams	'cause I love you	abc
008:51	billy ocean	red light spells danger	gto
012:07	lee fields	never be another you	big crown
016:37	tony joe white	I thought I knew you well	monument
020:40	fred buscaglione	guarda che luna	cetra
022:56	adriano celentano	I want to know	clan celentano
025:48	simon haseley	hammerhead	de wolfe
029:41	marcia griffiths	feel like jumping	trojan
033:32	derrick harriot	float on	charmers
038:18	lord echo	thinking of you	economy
045:19	fatboy slim	talking bout my baby	skint
049:33	gary toms empire	7-6-5-4-3-2-1	pip
054:32	quantic	atlantic oscillations	tru thoughts
060:08	kink	pocket piano	running back
067:07	smoove & turrell	elgin towers	jalapeno
071:29	paul simon	diamonds on the soles of her shoes	blanco
078:19	david boogie	ooh cabros	organized house
084:11	dinah washington	what a difference a day makes	mercury
086:36	cypress hill	when the ship goes down	columbia
088:20	bill withers	the same love that made me laugh	sussex
093:04	richard earnshaw	rise	groovefinder
098:42	bill withers	hope she'll be happier	sussex
102:45	agaetis byrjun	svefn-g-englar	fatcat
111:02	nina simone	I shall be released	legacy
114:33	donal leace	today won't come again	atlantic
117:55	michale kiwanuka	home again	london
121:28	fluke	blue sky	one little indian
125:15	kanye west	runaway	roc-a-fella
135:52	beatchild & the slakadeliqs	the only difference	big top
139:57	timmy thomas	why can't we live together	glades
144:38	george harrison	isn't it a pity	apple
147:36	anna leone	once	apple
150:39	sidney bechet	blue horizon	blue note
155:52	jorge ben	brother	philips
157:52	mahalia jackson	danny boy	cbs

-- Total running time – 2:41:07 --

Friday 27 May 2022

AbstractRadio session - ambient abstractions III - may 2022

Your questions answered ...

What is this? An accompanying piece to our ambient abstractions sessions from 2016 - consider it a six-decade-encompassing cinematic, meandering sweep through all things horizontal.

What should I prepare myself for? Well, for starters, there's the break into the strings in Romer's That Was a Good Feeling, which is simply breathtaking. Then there's Hannah Peel's and Bill Callahan's astounding contributions, which also send shivvers.
And after that, pretty much all of the rest of it.

Is this a requiem for those no longer with us? To some degree, occasionally yes, but in a life-affirming way.

Is it deeply moving in parts? You betcha!

Should I be using heavy machinery while I listen? No, this would be highly inadvisable.

It seems to go on forever? Yep, that's the general idea.

It just sends me to sleep - WTF? The last 15 mins should counter that.

Have you completely taken leave of your senses? The jury remains out on that.

How long did this take to make? You really don't want to know ... let's say we really wanted to go the extra mile on this one.

Why not make it more manageable and cut it into two halves? Well, we thought long and hard about this, and decided that it makes a lot more sense when listened to as a whole.

Sorry, but where's the banging house music? Coming back soon, we promise.

AbRad

Taking you to obscure places.
Not necessarily honouring the return fare.

Love and babirusas,

x

[any feedback, as ever, much appreciated]

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by genre:

Lounge

Chill

Broad

Tracklist

Start	Artist	Track Title	Label
000:00	gabrielle dennis	family first	marvel
000:01	ana roxanne	it's a rainy day on the cosmic shore	leaving
002:56	krill.minima	submarine poetry	native state
007:45	bubble	passing safely	carpe sonum
012:54	biosphere	kobresia	all saints
016:10	aisha badru	mind on fire	nettwerk
021:49	seigen ono	julia	saidera
026:04	william galison & madeleine peyroux	heaven to me	waking up
030:05	pharoah sanders	astral travelling	impulse
034:07	julie mintz	take me home country roads	daughters of cain
038:34	kan wakan	phantasmagoria pt 1	white
043:50	fatima	movie	eglo
047:04	lil greenwood	I must see jesus for myself	ace
049:04	james carr	the dark end of the street	glowax
051:27	tsegue-maryam guebrou	homesickness	buda
053:08	barefoot	born slippy	onetwo
057:14	irma thomas	anyone who knows what love is	liberty
061:04	kaitlyn aurelia smith	stratus	western
063:42	jónsi & alex somers	boy 1904	white
068:21	beautiful chorus	pachamama	white
069:58	jóhann jóhannsson	flight from the city	dg
074:42	gigi masin	celebration of eden	music from memory
079:21	dal	those days	genepool
083:42	opez	balera de mar	k7
087:00	solomon grey	the rift	decca
089:01	mary lattimore	never saw him again	ghostly
095:19	the crazy z's	my favorite show	azm
098:25	archive	old artist	island
101:53	superjaimie & danilo braca	homage to jean s	tsonyc
107:07	axel boman	chestnut heartsprite	mule musiq
113:54	hans zimmer	time	reprise
117:42	alice coltrane	journey in satchidananda	impulse
123:53	peter gabriel	the nest that sailed the sky	virgin
127:24	nils frahm	you	erased tapes
131:10	dan romer	that was a good feeling	ost
134:06	rare silk	storm	palo alto
139:20	donovan	hurdy gurdy man	epic
140:43	randy crawford	one day I'll fly away	warners
143:50	bark psychosis	pendulum man	circa
151:58	stars of the lid	dungtitled	kranky
154:27	mahalia jackson	I've been buked	columbia
158:47	romare	la petite mort	ninja
161:45	litmus	set world on fire	blanco
165:14	stanley cowell	lullabye	strata
169:02	the cinematic orchestra	that home	ninja
170:57	cat power	I found a reason	matador
172:47	top drawer	song of a sinner	wish bon
177:07	easy	d'ya dig	lsd
182:25	leon redbone	lazybones	third man
185:34	eunice collins	at the hotel	modart
187:51	stars of the lid	articulate silences pt 2	kranky
192:25	ulla straus	billow	quiet time
196:44	trent reznor & atticus ross	life on mars	null
199:34	bill callahan	one fine morning	drag city
207:58	hannah peel	sunrise through the dusty nebula	mop
213:05	prince	sometimes it snows in april	paisley park
219:30	black taffy	geraldine	leaving
222:53	hannah peel	particle g1	mop
228:08	hannah peel	the planet of passed souls	mop

-- Total running time – 234:58 --

Thursday 31 March 2022

AbstractRadio session - dirtydiscodubs IV - march 2022

Greetings AbRadders!

It's been five long years since our last DDD session - much has passed in that time, the vast majority of which is, by general consensus, pretty miserable stuff, and thus has sweet fa to do with the unbridled joys of lazy disco edits, jazzy cuts and loungey-house.

So, without further ado, here's our latest installment of laid back, nay!, almost horizontal house beats - featuring, once more, a host of reluctant stars including Marvin Gaye, Dee Dee Sharp, Luther Ingram, Bill Withers, Ann Peebles, Double Exposure and Fela Kuti.

As ever, please RE-POST if this gives you pleasure!

Love and vaquitas,

x

The Abrad Team

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Tracklist

Start	Artist	Track Title	Label
000:00	the whispers	planets of life	beat junkie
008:14	dee dee sharp	nobody can do what you do	chalkhill
012:58	groovemasta	give you love	and friends
016:34	typesun	last home	futureboogie
024:23	that needs an edit	let me show you	masterworks
030:45	just the two of us	litmus	white
036:15	the magic track	lifebuoys straws	deep cutz
040:54	musta	I like dance	midnight riot
045:38	assal	dr boogie	plaizir
049:27	henrik villard	p.s	mhost likely
052:30	oscar p	stay	mjd
060:43	coeo	like it is	razor n tape
065:11	bas roos & guy steve	piece of soul	black jukebox
070:31	cecilia chelo	listen	hermosa
074:09	angelo ferreri & blanco k	fanc de funk	mood funk
078:09	genius of time	same old place	aniara
082:23	double exposure	my love is free	salsoul
091:06	hotmood	the drum beat	poetry in potion
096:10	c da afro	funk-o-holic	springbok
101:22	lego edit	yeah alright	legofunk
106:23	dave mathmos	your love	delicieuse
112:45	lazylife	recline	shifted
118:46	conan the selector	the game	re-loved
123:37	marvin gaye	I want you	white

-- Total running time – 143:42 --

Tuesday 1 February 2022

AbstractRadio session - east coast two - february 2022

[east coast : part one can be found here ]

The story continues ...

Knocking this mix together has evoked a fair few memories, including those of hanging out on D'Arblay St on Mondays and Thursdays, waiting for the guy in the small blue van - sorry mate, can't remember your name - who delivered vinyl hot off the plane from New York - if you caught him before he could reach the shops, you might snap up some exclusive beauties before they forever disappeared behind the counters of all the indy dance music shops located nearby.

Still alive and well today, US garage is in great hands - with a constant stream of top-drawer tracks coming from the likes of Terry Hunter, DJ Spen and Glen Horsborough, there will always be soul running through this music's heart.

Though the elfin mixing presented here may perhaps not be to everyone's taste, if the wonderful tracks and truly glorious voices contained within are not entirely your cup of char, then may we humbly suggest that AbRad is possibly not the one for you, as we'll stand by these tunes 'til hell freezes over.
Perhaps for you some Genesis instead?

And, sadly, some of the tracks featured may no longer exhibit premier sound quality - suffice to say, that's probably because they're rare, and only ever existed on what is now 30+ year old vinyl. Only the lucky few had copies of some of these tracks, and we understandably thrashed them to death. And some of the vinyl was neither especially well-pressed nor mastered in the first place!

Finally, for those of you who can't get enough of this, there is also a complete version of these sessions, combining both mixes - let us know if you'd like a copy via the chat below and we'll get a link for you to download the whole mix in it's full, unadulterated glory.

Love and hutias,

x

The Abrad Team

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Click here to go back to
- East Coast One -
the first half of this mix

Tracklist

Start	Artist	Track Title
000:00	janet rushmore	joy
002:22	tears of velva	the way I feel
006:10	roy davis jnr	michael
011:48	sabrynaah pope	it works for me
019:17	aly us	follow me
023:44	maydie myles	keep on lovin - disco style
028:48	jomanda	I cried the tears
034:45	south steet player	who
039:25	kerry chandler	inspiration
043:54	astrotrax	the energy
048:14	mijan	alright
057:45	gisele jackson	love commandments
064:07	cookie watkins	I'm attracted to you
071:16	odyssey	feel my love
076:09	jasper street company	solid ground
083:21	mike delgado	get ready
086:53	groove committee	I want you to know
093:07	marc anthony	ride on the rhythm
096:13	amazon huntress	slo

-- Total running time – 105.53 --

Monday 31 January 2022

AbstractRadio session - east coast one - january 2022

[east coast : part two is here. ]

Once upon a time ...

... there was a nightclub called The Paradise Garage ... or at least, that's how many variants of the tale begin.

Way back in the 80's, a sophisticated new sound emerged from of a number of clubs and churches spread down a section of the North East US coast - this was a sweet, celebratory, soulful dance scene, centering on NY and New Jersey as its birthplace and spiritual hub.
The Garage itself was the home of the legendary Larry Levan and, emanating from there, this new sound slowly spread its tendrils and influences across the continent and, inevitably, into the underground clubs of London, Lisbon, Canada, Italy and beyond, onwards across the globe.

The hefty majority of this music was made at a time when the best producers on the NY scene had the luxury of easy access to splendid singers and nice big studios, and the lengthy and glowing roster of the sound's champions features many a lofty house dignitary; Humphries, Knuckles, Masters at Work, Basement Boys, Roland Clark, Benji Candelario, Victor Simonelli and, of course, Kerri Chandler.

For much of this era, Strictly Rhythm was THE label of choice, but Easy Street, Nu-Groove, Nervous, Sub-urban, King Street, 4th Floor and countless other independent labels, many long since gone, all left their mark on the genre.

Sometimes providing a stripped down sound, sometimes huge gospel-driven productions, garage came across as a softer, sexier, more soulful sub-branch of house; with disco as an obvious predecessor - and donating it's backbone 4/4 kick - it had a warm, natural vibe, and never strayed too far into the tougher, more accelerated, future-sounding style which came to dominate mainstream dance at the time, though it did occasionally surface from the depths of the underground, with tracks like Hardrive's "Deep Inside" thumping out of every car stereo in London over the summer of '93...

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