Author: Jim Causey

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Show Playlists Specials

Episode 045 – 50th Anniversary of Tangerine Dream’s “Phaedra”

Tuesday, February 20 marks the 50th anniversary of Tangerine Dream’s masterpiece, “Phaedra”, released on Virgin Records in 1974. 

Convergence Zone airs on that very date, and I’m thrilled to honor this vital album — a crackly original vinyl copy introduced me to the Berlin School of space music many years ago, as it surely has with so many others over the decades.

“Phaedra” was a surprise sensation on release — despite virtually no airplay, the album reached #15 on the UK album charts and stayed there for 15 weeks.   “When Phaedra went into the LP charts, it was one of the great moments of my life,” said famed BBC Radio 1 presenter John Peel to an audience at London’s Rainbow Theatre in 1974, where he was introducing Tangerine Dream.

The album features the band’s strongest lineup, with Edgar Froese, Christopher Franke, and Peter Baumann — it defined the sequencer-driven form they realized throughout the 1970s during their golden age on Virgin Records.

This week on Convergence Zone I’ll honor “Phaedra” with tracks from the album along with homages, interpretations, and distant inspirations by Amon Tobin, Bernhard Wöstheinrich, Suzanne Ciani, Caterina Barbieri, Perge, Redshift, Alvin Curran, Panabrite, and more

Convergence Zone revels in the legacy of Tangering Dream and the 50th anniversary of “Phaedra” – Tuesday February 20 at 10:30pm PT on 90.7 KSER, 89.9 KXIR; streaming at kser.org

KSER playlist + archive link (opens in new tab)

Norm Chambers – Music for the Dome (excerpt) – 00:00
Tangerine Dream – Phaedra – 03:58
Hélène Vogelsinger – Incantation – 20:24
Ron Boots – Where Are They Now? – 26:30
Tangerine Dream – Mysterious Semblance At The Strand Of Nightmares – 37:30
[‘ramp] – salomon’s road – 47:41
Tangerine Dream – Movements Of A Visionary – Remastered 2018 – 58:19
Redshift – Bombers in the Desert – 01:05:55
Perge – Anfa (Part 1) – 01:16:15
Bernhard Wöstheinrich – Pixel (excerpt) – 01:31:57
Lisa Bella Donna – Inner Space – 01:46:15
Steve Roach – Seeking – 01:52:43
Tangerine Dream – Sequent “C” – 01:58:24
Norm Chambers – Music for the Dome (excerpt) – 02:00:54

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Show Playlists

Episode 044 – longer days are on the way

first aired 02.13.2024

Edging toward longer days with new music from LEATHERS, Garden of Magic, Leslee Smucker, Steve Roach, Erik Wøllo, Jill Haley, and Deborah Martin

Great regional releases by Patricia Wolf, Panabrite, Echo of the Low Light, Omni Gardens, and more

Convergence Zone arrives every Tuesday night at 10:30pm PT on 90.7 KSER-FM, 89.9 KXIR-FM, streaming at kser.org

KSER playlist link for Episode 044 (opens in new tab)

Artist / Song / Release / Duration / Released

Patricia Wolf / Pacific Coast Highway / See – Through / 6:00 / 2022

Echo of the Low Light / Shipwreck – Instrumental / Shipwreck (Instrumental) / 4:42 / 2019

Still Corners / Midnight Drive / Strange Pleasures / 4:24 / 2013

Slowdive / shanty / everything is alive / 5:47 / 2023

Talk Talk / Such a Shame (Remastered 1997) / It’s My Life (Remastered 1997) / 5:36 / 1997

Echo & The Bunnymen / Lips Like Sugar / Echo & the Bunnymen (Bonus Tracks Edition) [2004 Remaster] / 4:52 / 2004

LEATHERS / Crash / Artoffact Records / 3:26 / 2024

Drab Majesty / Induction / The Demonstration / 0:59 / 2017

Drab Majesty / Dot in the Sky / The Demonstration / 5:26 / 2017

New Order / Dreams Never End (2019 Remaster) / Movement (Definitive) [2019 Remaster] / 3:15 / 1981

Soft Release / Broken Number 13 / Broken Number 13 – Single / 4:07 / 2023

FM Attack / Mixed Signals / Dreamatic / 5:45 / 2009

Caroline Polachek / Butterfly Net (feat. Weyes Blood) / Butterfly Net (feat. Weyes Blood) / 5:33 / 2024

Panabrite / The Air-Conditioned Forest / Paramount Hexagon / 3:21 / 2009

Omni Gardens / Wild Marionberries / Golden Pear / 3:19 / 2023

Paul Speer & David Lanz / Rain Forest / Natural States / 4:18 / 1985

Sumner James, Robert Chamberlain, Volcano Lazerbeam & Saroon, / Attenuation / Dive 1: Refraction / 4:06 / 2024

Pauline Anna Strom / Morning Splendor / Trans-Millenia Consort / 6:06 / 2023

Garden of Magic / Feel / Feel (Single) / 5:05 / 2024

The Detroit Escalator Co. / Point Of Entry / Black Buildings / 5:11 / 2002

Deborah Martin & Erik Wøllo / Fort Apache Meadowlarks / Kinishba / 5:34 / 2024

Jill Haley & Eykamp String Quartet / Athabaskan / Alaskan Soundscapes: Music for Wrangell-St. Elias and Kenai Fjords National Parks / 4:19 / 2023

Leslee Smucker / Fixed Hills / Breathing Landscape / 4:06 / 2024
Steve Roach & Erik Wøllo / Stream of Thought 13 / Stream of Thought / 6:46 / 2008

Elbow / Mercy Street / Mercy Street / 5:37 / 2010

André 3000 / Ants To You, Gods To Who ? (excerpt) / New Blue Sun / 6:42 / 2023

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Show Playlists

Episode 043 – anniversaries and Grammys

first aired 02.06.2024

Convergence Zone arrives Tuesday nights at 10:30pm PT on 90.7 KSER, 89.9 KXIR, streaming around the world at kser.org – archives at https://www.mixcloud.com/farpointer

Nakhane – Do You Well (feat. Perfume Genius) – 00:00
LCD Soundsystem – Get Innocuous! – 01:37
ACTORS – L’appel Du Vide – 08:11
The Cure – Just Like Heaven – 11:57
Ladytron – Ladybird – 17:23
Kraftwerk – The Model – 21:47
Lemonade – Ice Water – 25:25
Depeche Mode – Enjoy The Silence – 2006 Digital Remaster – 31:09
Destroyer – It Just Doesn’t Happen – 35:34
Hibou – Amethyst – 40:35
Holy Ghost! – Epton on Broadway, Pt. 1 – 44:43
Holy Ghost! – Epton on Broadway (Part II) – 49:10
Massive Attack – Blue Lines – 2012 Mix/Master – 52:15
Style King of the Week – Eerie Blvd. – 56:37
Little H Collective – Avalanche Pass (radio edit) – 01:00:22
Soft Mirage – Courtyards of Atlantis – 01:06:45
Andreas Vollenweider – Night Fire Dance – 01:11:42
Pat Metheny Group – The First Circle – 01:16:23
Vijay Iyer – Tempest – 01:26:31
Matthew Halsall – Calder Shapes – 01:33:42
Colin Chin – The Alluvial Plains – 01:40:40
Arin Aksberg – Homecoming feat. Sam Rosenthal – 01:49:21
Eydís Evensen – Dreaming of Light – 01:55:52

KSER archive link

Categories
Show Playlists

Episode 042 – one more month of winter

first aired 01.30.2024

This week on Convergence Zone, I’m stoked for recent and upcoming live shows by regional artists – music by Mt. Fog, FUNERALHOMES, Steve Roach, Suzanne Ciani

Brand new songs from Conchúr White, naafi, Hollan Holmes, Nacht Plank,  and Brian Eno x Nicolas Jaar x Grizzly Bear

New sounds for the long rains by Jeff Greinke, and from Summer James, Volcano Lazerbeam, Robert Chamberlain, and Saroon – and looking back with Ray Lynch and Corey Holms

Convergence Zone arrives Tuesday night at 10:30pm PT on 90.7 KSER-FM, 89.9 KXIR-FM, and kser.org

KSER playlist link – Episode 042

Corey Holms – Containment Dilation – 00:00
Mini Disc – Frutiger Aero – 05:55
Martin Gore – Europa Hymn – 08:55
Hello Meteor – Dusk Weather – 12:22
Checkfield – Through the Lens – 16:47
Azymuth – Quiet Storm – 21:18
Yuri Misumi – The Wonderful Star’s Walk Is Wonderful (ステキ星のさんぽはステキ) – 25:50
Mt Fog – Dreams are Heavy – 26:44
FUNERALHOMES – Santa Cruz – 30:19
Conchúr White – Red House Parlour – 32:17
Naafi – Magnolia – 37:06
Byron Metcalf – A Teacher Appears – 40:08
Suzanne Ciani – Session 074 – 50:47
Grizzly Bear – Sleeping Ute (Nicolas Jaar Remix) – 59:43
Hollan Holmes – Drawn To An Intangible Energy – 01:07:13
Steve Roach – The Desert Winds of Change, Pt. 3 – 01:14:40
Nacht Plank – Lorotheato (Moss Garden Repaint) – 01:21:07
Sumner James, Robert Chamberlain, Volcano Lazerbeam & Saroon – Bathypalegic – 01:28:44
Jeff Greinke – Late Rain at the Station – 01:32:07
Benoît Pioulard – Ink Scrape – 01:41:01
Ketil Bjørnstad & David Darling – The River 7 – 01:42:17
Ray Lynch – Drifted In A Deeper Land – 01:51:00

Categories
Show Playlists

Episode 041 – Remembering Iasos

first aired 01.23.2024

Convergence Zone arrives every Tuesday night at 10:30 pm PT on 90.7 KSER, 89.9 KXIR, and streaming around the world at kser.org

KSER playlist link – Episode 041

Destroyer – Savage Night at the Opera – 00:00
The The – Slow Emotion Replay – 03:14
Pure Bathing Culture – Devotion – 07:01
Slowdive – kisses – 10:20
Tori Amos – Caught a Lite Sneeze (Remastered) – 16:11
Cocteau Twins – Ivo – 20:31
Soft Release – Find You Later – 24:24
Joy Division – Transmission – 28:18
Hello Meteor – The Northern Rim Archipelago – 33:32
Zak Vortex – Afterhours – 36:50
FM Attack – City Lights – 40:09
Hollan Holmes – Order Out Of Chaos – 43:24
Palancar – Voice from the Outer World – 49:00
Norm Chambers – Patternmusik – 52:37
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith – Check Your Translation – Hrishikesh Hirway Remix – 58:11
Cool Maritime – Secret of the Megafauna – 01:01:11
Bruce Mitchell – Dharma – 01:06:41
Iasos – Rainbow Canyon – 01:10:06
Iasos – Lagoon Night – 01:15:04
Iasos – Ulura Lagoon-S – 01:17:51
Constance Demby – Om Mani Padme Hum – 01:23:31
Extraworld – Trireme Approach – 01:32:36
Hello Meteor – Device Security – 01:38:45
Robert Rich – Galvanic Response (Live) – 01:43:52
Steve Roach – Spirals of Compassion (Live) – 01:52:05

Categories
Best Of Specials

Top music of 2023

Compiling a list of some of my favorite albums and singles from regional artists and beyond, along with links to buy the albums

You can find music from these albums and much more on my
Best of 2023 Playlists for Spotify and TIDAL, as well as in two “Best of 2023” episodes of Convergence Zone (archive links below)

Albums from PNW Artists
Omni Gardens, Golden Pear, Moon Glyph
Mount Maxwell, Littlefolk, Hotham Sound Recordings
Hello Meteor, Earth Journos
FM Attack, Cosmic
AeTopus, Cup, Spotted Peccary Records
Terminus Void, APEIRON, Groove Unlimited
Dreamstate Logic, Latent Images and Distant Dreams
Pure Bathing Culture, Chalice
Saloli, Canyon, kranky
Erwilian, Cascadia
Paul Ellis, Music for the Space Between Atoms, Cyclical Dreams
Methods Body, Plural Not Possessive, Beacon Sound
Brass Clouds, Escape Vessels, Bathysphere Records

Singles from PNW Artists
Echo of the Low Light, Disco
Soft Release, Find You Later
Little H Collective, Avalanche Pass
LEATHERS, Fascination

Albums from other regions
Suzanne Ciani and Jonathan Fitoussi, Golden Apples of the Sun
Frore, Biome
Siren and the Sea, Gravity Wave
Various Artists, The Stone Tape: analyzing a ghost by electronic means
Eydis Evenson, The Light
Pabellión Sintetico, Mies van der Rohe’s Dreams
David Arkenstone, Winterlüde
One Arc Degree, The Forest and the Milky Way
Various Artists, The NID Tapes: Electronics Music from India 1969-1972
Caterina Barbieri, Myuthafoo
Ryuichi Sakamoto, 12
Chuck van Zyl, Gwynedd
Ki Oni, A Leisurely Swim to Everlasting Life

Spotify playlist: Top music of 2023
Best of 2023 part 1 – first aired 12.12.2023
Best of 2023 part 2 – first aired 12.26.2023
Categories
Show Playlists

Episode 040 – dance sets to welcome 2024

first aired 01.02.2024

Welcoming us all to 2024 with danceable sets and remixes – including Romare, Mylo, Lusine, New Order, The Cure, Drab Majesty, and much more

Convergence Zone arrives every Tuesday night at 10:30 pm PT on 90.7 KSER, 89.9 KXIR, and streaming around the world at kser.org

KSER playlist link

Lusine – Cut and Cover – 00:00
The Cure – A Forest – Tree Mix [Remastered] – 02:55
New Order – Dreams Never End (2019 Remaster) – 08:50
Nation of Language – Across That Fine Line – 12:40
Drab Majesty – Induction – 18:27
Drab Majesty – Dot in the Sky – 19:13
Garbage – Cities in Dust – 24:28
Romare – Dreams – 28:07
Classixx – Hanging Gardens – 33:35
Mylo – In My Arms – Radio Edit – 38:40
Holy Ghost! – Bridge & Tunnel – 42:15
Giorgio Moroder – Chase – 46:18
Donna Summer – I Feel Love – 12″ Version (Excerpt) – 54:08
Khruangbin – Time (You and I) (Put a Smile on DJ’s Face Mix) – 59:47
Brothertiger – Everybody Wants to Rule the World – 01:09:09
Holy Fuck – Free Gloss (feat. Nicholas Allbrook) – 01:12:32
Deep Forest – While the Earth Sleeps – Long Version – 01:19:05
The Shamen – Move Any Mountian – 01:25:23
Influx – Revel Dub [Influx] – 01:29:52
Belinda Carlisle – Heaven Is a Place on Earth (Heavenly Version) – 01:34:19
Roosevelt – Everywhere – 01:40:00
Information Society – Peace and Love, Inc. – 01:43:14
Depeche Mode – Never Let Me Down Again – Eric Prydz Remix – 01:47:23
Orbital – The Girl with the Sun in Her Head – Lone Remix – 01:54:08

Categories
Best Of Show Playlists

Best of 2023 – Part 2

More of my favorite discoveries from 2023 from local and global artists, along with some fun throwbacks!

Convergence Zone: ambient soundscapes of the Pacific Northwest and beyond, every Tuesday night at 10:30pm PT on 90.7 KSER, 89.9 KXIR, and kser.org

KSER playlist (opens in new tab)

10:30 PM Little H Collective “Avalanche Pass (radio edit)” from Avalanche Pass 2023

10:37 PM Hello Meteor “Eso Waypoints” from Earth Journos 2023

10:42 PM Jeff Pierce “Serenity Fields” from The Road Ahead 2023

10:46 PM Erik Wøllo “Cloud of Strings” from Cloud of Strings 2023

10:57 PM MiDi BiTCH “Marmalade Skies” from Sonic Fiction 2023

11:01 PM Panabrite “Cortex Meridian” from Cortex Meridian 2013

11:10 PM Radio Massacre International “The Clockwork Time Dragon (Album)” from Time & Motion 2010

11:22 PM Lisa Bella Donna “Rahmenerzählung” from Portals: A Kosmische Journey Through Outer Worlds and Inner Space 2020

11:33 PM Matthew Halsall “Sunlight Reflection” from An Ever Changing View 2023

11:34 PM Matthew Halsall “Natural Movement” from An Ever Changing View 2023

11:39 PM North Americans “The Living End” from Long Cool World 2023

11:43 PM The British Stereo Collective “Lost in Aqua” from Sailing 1975 2023

11:56 PM Pabellón Sintético “Open Spaces” from Mies Dreams Live Session 2023

12:05 AM Ian Boddy “Memory Lane” from Berlin: A Tribute Album for Mark Shreeve 2023

12:11 AM Thom Brennan “Argo Pt. 3” from Argo 2023

12:21 AM Siren and the Sea “Gravity Wave” from Gravity Wave – EP 2023

12:28 AM Laurel Halo “Naked to the Light” from Atlas 2023

Categories
Show Playlists Specials

Winter Solstice 2023

first aired 12.19.2023

Humans have honored midwinter since times immemorial, with feasts and festivals, rituals and magic –   The festive season can be a time for connection and ecstasy as well as melancholy and isolation, and these moods inspire musicians from our region and around the world

This week on Convergence Zone, music for the solstice and inspired by the season — from Michael Stearns, Erwilian, Clannad, David Arkenstone, Benoît Pioulard, Carbon in Prose, George Winston, Steve Roach, the Fischersund project, and more

Convergence Zone arrives on Tuesdays at 10:30pm PST on 90.7 KSER in Everett, 89.9 KXIR in Freeland, and streaming around the world at kser.org, TuneIn, and smart speakers everywhere

KSER Playlist (opens in new tab)

Fleet Foxes – Can I Believe You (Solstice Version) – 00:00
Pure Bathing Culture – 2000 Miles – 04:02
Caroline Polachek – So Cold You’re Hurting My Feelings – 07:01
Future Islands – Last Christmas – 10:11
Cocteau Twins – Frosty The Snowman – 14:51
Sally Shapiro – Holiday – 17:13
Khruangbin – Christmas Time Is Here – 24:38
Clannad – Newgrange (2003 – Remaster) – 28:04
Friedemann – The Man From Caesarea – 32:10
Erwilian – Whiteout – 37:19
Ralph Towner, Jan Garbarek, Eberhard Weber, Jon Christensen – Winter Solstice – 48:10
Jose ‘Juicy’ Gonzales Trio – O Tannenbaum – 52:55
David Arkenstone – Darkening Skies – 54:35
Low – Little Drummer Boy – 58:32
Ryuichi Sakamoto – MERRY CHRISTMAS MR. LAWRENCE – ELECTRIC YOUTH REMODEL – 01:03:24
Michael Stearns – Corridors of Time – 2022 Remaster, Film Printmaster Stereo Fold-down – 01:05:47
Paul Ellis – Blue Ice – 01:13:45
Dreamstate Logic – Transmissions From Alcyone – 01:16:51
Steve Roach – Kingfisher Flight. – 01:23:20
SUSS – Winter Was Hard – 01:30:20
Luke Wyland – Pendulum (Live) – 01:33:27
Sin Fang/Kjartan Holm/Fischersund – In The Bleak Midwinter Re-Imagined – 01:39:03
Mount Shrine – Moon’s Distrust – 01:42:17
Benoît Pioulard – The accident of nature – 01:48:00
Carbon In Prose – The Cold Sea – 01:53:20
Fischersund – Heims Um Ból Re-Imagined – 01:56:10
SUSS – Winter Was Hard, Reprise – 01:58:28

Categories
Best Of Show Playlists Specials

Best of 2023 – Part 1

first aired 12.12.2023

Part 1 of my review of the best music from 2023 – tracks by Hello Meteor, Omni Gardens, Future Islands, Erwilian, Pure Bathing Culture, David Arkenstone, Mount Maxwell, Terminus Void, Dreamstate Logic, and much more

Convergence Zone: ambient soundscapes of the Pacific Northwest and beyond; every Tuesday night at 10:30pm PT on 90.7 KSER, 89.9 KXIR, streaming at kser.org – more information at https://convergencezone.fm

KSER playlist (opens in new tab)

FM Attack – Timeless – 00:00
NAVVI – Clemency – 04:38
Future Islands – The Tower – 09:56
Hibou – Night Fell – 13:28
Echo of the Low Light – Disco – 19:30
Altin Gün – Rakıya Su Katamam – 23:36
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – The Silver Cord – 27:16
Pure Bathing Culture – The Memento – 33:35
Crumb & Melody’s Echo Chamber – Le Temple Volant – 37:22
NCY Milky Band – Aphex Twin – 39:17
Hello Meteor – Earth Journos – 43:59
Saloli – Waterfall – 47:00
Pabellón Sintético – Bauhaus – 51:25
Brendan Pollard – Steel Blue Sphere – 59:31
Dreamstate Logic – Lost But Not Forgotten – 01:02:34
AeTopus – Sundial – 01:11:17
Omni Gardens – Rain Jacket – 01:18:19
Volcano Lazerbeam – At Sea – 01:21:14
Terminus Void – Flow of Order – 01:29:46
Erwilian – Masters in This Hall (Live) – 01:36:15
Makushin – No More Rush Hour – 01:43:20
David Arkenstone – Darkening Skies – 01:49:29
Mount Maxwell – Sky Eye – 01:53:07
Hotel Pools – Metro 地​下​鉄 – 01:58:17