The first episode of the series is a meeting of artists from different eras, countries, and styles. In my perception, all these tracks grow from a similar emotional sensibility. This mix is also an attempt to sketch the direction in which Velarium is heading as a space dedicated to niche cinema and music that exists outside the mainstream.
Tracklist:
1. Konrad Smoleński – Everything Was Forever, Until It Was No More (Michał Kupicz Remix)
We start in Poland. In 2017, while walking around Kraków near the Kijów cinema, I came across a small vinyl stall (it was during the Unsound festival). I’ve never been able to walk past a place like that without buying at least a few records. That’s when I stumbled upon Konrad Smoleński’s LP entirely by chance. As I later learned, he’s a fairly well-known visual artist, musician, and photographer.
The piece Everything Was Forever, Until It Was No More, which opens this mix, was originally presented at the Polish Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2013. To me, this composition perfectly captures the atmosphere of a Sunday morning in Poland making it an ideal opener.
2. Lotus eater – Pray
The collaborative project of Lucy and Rrose is, for me, one of the finest showcases of the Stroboscopic Artefacts sound. Pray comes from their second album Plasma, which lives in the shadow of the better-known Desatur. Despite that, it holds several true gems — one of which you can hear as the second track in the mix.
3. Bee Mask – Canzoni Dal Laboratorio Del Silenzio Cosmico (B)
If I had to describe Chris Madak in one sentence, I’d say: once you experience his live performance, you’ll be bound to his music forever. This track from the 2010 Gift Tapes release perfectly demonstrates Madak’s exceptional ability to fuse drone with a synthwave aesthetic.
4. Ben Nash – The Mineral Victim
There’s little information to be found about Ben Nash — which makes listening to his music feel like discovering something entirely new. The Mineral Victim captivated me with its perfect dialogue between guitars and synthesizers. I strongly encourage you to listen to the full 22-minute version. For me, it represents the essence of the sound we’re looking for at Velarium.
5. Coil – Where Are You?
If you’ve made it this far, there’s a good chance the name Coil isn’t new to you. You may even know their album Musick To Play In The Dark, which for me sits in the top ten most influential records in the history of ambient music. But if this is your first encounter with Coil’s work, I’d strongly recommend starting with that two-part release.
6. Jóhann Jóhannsson, ACME* & Theatre Of Voices, Paul Hillier – Triptych In Mass
Triptych In Mass is something of an exception to Velarium’s usual rule. Jóhann Jóhannsson was an outstanding and widely celebrated artist who needs no further recommendation. Yet this album holds a special place for me because of the Theatre Of Voices. Their choral passages never fail to stir something deep within me. Something almost mystical, almost sacred.
7. Gadi Sassoon – Chaos & Order
If I had to name the best contemporary ambient label, I’d pick A Strangely Isolated Place without hesitation. Gadi Sassoon’s Multiverse is a perfect example of what that label stands for and essential listening.
8. ASC – Throughout The Years
True to the title, James Clements is the artist who has had the greatest influence on me over the years. It was through his cult Deep Space Mix series that the world of ambient first opened up to me. Without those recordings, Velarium mix would probably never have existed.
9. Gabriel Saloman – Mine Field
The Soldier’s Requiem EP, from which Mine Field is taken, was created as a soundtrack to a contemporary dance performance on the theme of war. Listening to it, you can almost physically feel the tension — an extraordinary evocation of the fear and horror of war. This is another release I’d wholeheartedly recommend experiencing in full.
10. Vangelis – The Plum Blossom
We close with a classic. The Plum Blossom comes from the 1979 album China and serves as a perfect ending to Velarium’s first mix.
