Categories
Interviews

Interview: Terminus Void (J. Ronald Smith)

first aired in October 2023

J. Ronald Smith,
aka Terminus Void

Seattle-based ambient musician J. Ronald Smith – aka Terminus Void – sat down with Jim Causey to talk about his creative process, his new album APEIRON, and his collaborations with other musicians.

This recording collects excerpts first aired on Convergence Zone on October 27, 2023, along with the worldwide radio premiere of APEIRON. The album has gone on to win Best New Artist for 2023 at Germany’s prestigious Schallwelle Awards.

We discussed the making of APEIRON along with Terminus Void’s collaborations with Pat Keista, Mina, and much more.

These excerpts also include the following songs from Terminus Void’s 2023 release APEIRON on Groove Unlimited:

TRANSMISSION I

BOUNDLESS

APEIRON I & II

TRANSMISSION II (featuring Pat Keista)

Also included: UNSUNG HEROES by Mina and Terminus Void, from Mina’s 2023 album “Lost and Remembered” on Altar Records

You can learn more about Terminus Void at the project’s web site, https://terminusvoid.com/


Categories
Show Playlists Specials

Episode 049 – Spring Equinox, Spring Pledge Drive

first aired 03.12.24

KSER archive and playlist (opens in new tab)

Tuesday, March 19 marks the vernal equinox, the beginning of Year Two for Convergence Zone — as part of KSER’s Spring Drive for 2024

KSER brings news from around the world and music programmed by human DJs – a mix you can’t hear anywhere else. We need your support to make this possible – donate today at kser.org – click the big red DONATE NOW button, click the link for desktop mode, and you can mention my show in the Comments field if you value the mix of ambient atmospheres from the Pacific Northwest and beyond 🙂

For this Spring Equinox edition – I’ll have a surprise from my friends at Beacon Sound Records in Portland, along with regional music for the transition – by Select Level, Hello Meteor, Pure Bathing Culture, Terminus Void, AeTopus, and George Winston

Brand new music from Rudy Adrian, Steve Roach, David Helping & Jon Jenkins, Christian Fiesel, and more

Anniversaries from Depeche Mode and The Cure

Convergence Zone arrives on the spring equinox – Tuesday March 19 – 10:30pm PDT on 90.7 KSER, 89.9 KXIR, streaming at kser.org

Select Level – The Race – 00:00
Pure Bathing Culture – Devotion – Acoustic – 02:51
Slowdive – shanty – 05:49
The Cure – Pictures Of You – 12:37
Soft Release – Find You Later – 20:13
Midnight High – Perfect Sun – 25:23
Caroline Polachek – Butterfly Net (feat. Weyes Blood) – 30:17
Hello Meteor – The Move After Organization (Shining Tiger) – 35:46
Depeche Mode – Enjoy The Silence – 38:56
Depeche Mode – Sibeling – 43:21
LIGHTSPEAR – Traffic – 46:40
Cartas de Japón – Ostende – 51:29
AeTopus – Memento – 01:00:24
Lori Goldston & Stefan Christoff – Around points of convergence – 01:08:14
Lori Goldston & Stefan Christoff – Solar in duet – 01:11:24
David Helpling – A Treasured World – 01:23:07
Rudy Adrian – The Belt of Orion – 01:28:50
T. R. Jordan – On Air – 01:36:00
Mount Maxwell – Lozenge with Two Lines and Blue, 1926 – 01:40:11
Terminus Void – Waiting on Infinity – 01:46:40
Steve Roach – This is Why (excerpt) – 01:51:20

Categories
Show Playlists

Episode 048 – one year of Convergence Zone

first aired 03.12.2024

KSER playlist and streaming archive (opens in new tab)

This week marks the one-year anniversary of Convergence Zone’s launch on KSER. I’m celebrating with a special program honoring International Women’s Month — ambient, new age, experimental, and space music by women and femme artists from around the world

Regional selections including ann annie, Grouper, Raica, Saloli, and Domenica Diavolera

Legendary figures like Wendy Carlos, Pauline Anna Strom, Suzanne Ciani, Lisa Bella Donna, and Constance Demby

Music from Faten Kanaan, Mary Lattimore and Julianna Barwick, and Sign Libra

Convergence Zone- two hours of contemplative music from the Pacific Northwest, and beyond – Tuesday nights at 10:30pm PT on 90.7 KSER, 89.9 KXIR, streaming at kser.org

Nancy Rumbel – Tree of Life – 00:00
Faten Kanaan – Trenchcoat – 07:00
Constance Demby – Waltz Of Joy – 09:10
Carol Nethen – Island Moon – 13:40
Sign Libra – Petrichor – Bonus Track – 19:22
Stephanie Sante – Jade Resonance – 24:47
Suzanne Ciani – AT&T Logo – 29:35
Suzanne Ciani – Clean Room – 29:44
Suzanne Ciani – Hot Streak – 32:34
Doris Norton – Norton Apple Software – 34:21
Pauline Anna Strom – Alpine Flight – 38:03
Wendy Carlos – I.C. (Intergalactic Communications) – 45:32
Enya – Orinoco Flow – 49:00
Patricia Wolf – The Culmination Of – 53:25
Siren and the Sea – Probably Hawai’i – 01:00:00
Ann Annie – Upstream – 01:03:19
Lisa Bella Donna – Cosmotopia – 01:06:56
Julianna Barwick & Mary Lattimore – Canyon Lights – 01:17:38
Domenica Diavoleria – Book of Postcards – 01:21:26
Grouper – Driving – 01:25:24
Saloli – Nighthawk – 01:29:03
Suzanne Ciani & Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith – Retrograde – 01:36:17
Raica – Entridam – 01:52:34

Categories
Show Playlists

Episode 047 – upcoming live shows

first aired 03.05.2024

KSER archive and playlist (opens in new tab)

new music from regional artists like Hello Meteor, Domenica Diavolera, and LEATHERS

Getting into some awesome upcoming live performances with music by Alex Johnston, Midnight High, Lane Lines, and Mt. Fog

Steve Roach is in town next week so I’ll have something from an album you may have heard of called “Structures from Silence”

Convergence Zone – two hours of atmospheric music from the Pacific Northwest and beyond, Tuesday nights at 10:30pm PT on 90.7 KSER, 89.9 KXIR, streaming around the world at https://www.kser.org

Michael Weber – Itamae – 00:00
Michael Weber – Omakase – 01:16
Mt Fog – Ingot in the Dark – 04:45
Hello Meteor – Talking Skies – 11:13
Hello Meteor – Weird Dreams Last Night (Cryosleep Hangover) – 13:57
Midnight High – Avenue – 16:29
FM Attack feat. Vandal Moon – Séance – 20:51
New Order – Ceremony [Alternate 12″ Version] – 25:07
LEATHERS – Crash – 29:32
Boy Harsher – Give Me a Reason – 34:08
LCD Soundsystem – Someone Great – 39:24
WMD – Ambrose – 45:51
Lane Lines – Time & Space – 51:49
LIGHTSPEAR – System – 55:49
Alex Johnston – Back And Forth – 59:12
Style King of the Week – Mt. Hope Reservoir – 01:03:13
EarthtoneSkytone – Chickachick – 01:08:03
Signer – 338 – 01:11:50
Thom Brennan – Wavemaker Pt 2 (excerpt) – 01:17:32
Steve Roach – Structures From Silence – Live 2019 – 01:30:19
Domenica Diavoleria – Fun Forest – 01:35:08
Secret Pyramid – Part VII – 01:46:03
Noel Brass Jr. – Threaded from a Distance – 01:55:31

Categories
Bandcamp Friday Picks

Eleven Picks for Bandcamp Friday – March 1, 2024

For the March 2024 Bandcamp Friday, I’ve selected 10 records that I’ve been listening to on repeat, including several from artists that you can see live in March! there’s no better time to support great artists than today, when Bandcamp waives their revenue share. Click the links to pick up this great music and find links for their upcoming live shows!

Swimming Lessons | Midnight High (bandcamp.com)

Seattle’s Nik Singleton and Luke Dumke have forged a crystal-clear pop sound with a synthwave edge – they’re reminding us to believe in perfect nights that never end.
On Sunday, March 3 they’re wrapping up the Freakout Weekender at Belltown Yacht Club in Seattle

Santa Clara | Cartas de Japón (bandcamp.com)

Driving beats and soaring pads from Lucas Tripaldi, Esteban Menash and Pablo Bilbao making me taste the salt air at the Atlantic Coast of Argentina

Feel | Garden of Magic (bandcamp.com)

Single from Toronto’s Daria Morgacheva that wraps you in a dreamy world of sensory bliss – who needs the metaverse with gorgeous tracks like this?

Night Supply | Hello Meteor (bandcamp.com)

Hello Meteor transports us to a sleek, future version of the Pacific Northwest, filled with efficient machines and cozy vibes; there’s no better place to begin exploring their prolific output than with “Night Supply”

Cancelled Plans | Lane Lines (bandcamp.com)

Lush dream-pop from Seattle’s Mandi Kime; lush harmonies exploring the pain and healing of a a breakup when the world came to an end, sentimental but never cloying. Touring this Spring including dates in Bellingham, Portland, Seattle, and at Everett’s Black Lab Gallery on Fri. March 8

Disco | Echo of the Low Light (bandcamp.com)

The Seattle collective returns with cinematic noirgaze that conjures aching, bittersweet memories of things that were bad for us but wish we could experience just one more time

Structures from Silence – 40th Anniversary Remaster | Steve Roach (bandcamp.com)

Steve Roach returns to Seattle and Portland on March 15 and 16, touring for the 40th anniversary of his ambient masterpiece “Structures From Silence”. This album never feels dated, and has served me for decades when I need to calm my racing mind to be productive, or as a timekeeper while I rocked my infant daughter back to sleep.

Spells of Silence | Mt Fog (bandcamp.com)

Seattle’s Mt. Fog summons magical spaces that feel like whimsical haunted houses, where the spirits play rinigng synths and Carolyn B.’s vocals tear the veils between worlds. Their Forest Cats tour includes a date in Everett on Friday March 9, along with shows in Bellingham, Tacoma, Portland, and of course Seattle


Balm of Gilead | INTERVALES (bandcamp.com)

Seattle’s Alex Vittum reflects on the early days of the pandemic and his transition from California to the Pacific Northwest with this collection of ambient textures and field recordings – at intervals soothing and soaring

Vestige House | Corey Holms (bandcamp.com)

Graphic designer and analog synthesist Corey Holms carved out time along the coast of the Strait of Juan de Fuca – transforming his struggles with burnout during the gloomy winter of 2020 into a weaving masterpiece of sequenced countermelodies that ironically ignite calm focus and creativity in the listener

Invisible Sounds: For Kenny Wheeler | Ingrid Jensen & Steve Treseler (bandcamp.com)

Paying tribute to the late trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, Ingrid Jensen and Steve Treseler convened a scorching quintet with sets at Seattle’s Royal Room and in Robert Lang Studios; sometimes flying, sometimes whispering, always astounding

Categories
Show Playlists

Episode.046 – anniversaries, upcoming live shows & remembering Mark Hollis

first aired 02.27.2024

KSER Archive + Playlist Link (opens in new tab)

Meltt / Within You, Within Me / Within You, Within Me
Altin Gün / Ordunun Dereleri / Yol
Mt Fog / I am the Sea, You are the Clouds / I am the Sea, You are the Clouds
Midnight High / Domino / Domino
Caroline Polachek / Spring Is Coming With A Strawberry In The Mouth / Desire, I Want To Turn Into You: Everasking Edition
Christine and the Queens / I disappear in your arms / La vita nuova
Talk Talk / It’s My Life (Remastered 1997) / It’s My Life (Remastered 1997)
Public Service Broadcasting / The Race For Space (instrumental) / The Race For Space (instrumentals)
Public Service Broadcasting / Go! / The Race For Space
Lykke Li / I Follow Rivers – The Magician Remix / De Maxx Long Player 24
Tears For Fears / Listen – Clean Intro / Songs From The Big Chair (Super Deluxe Edition)
Brothertiger / Everybody Wants to Rule the World / Brothertiger Plays: Tears for Fears’ Songs from the Big Chair
Sky Cries Mary / Deep River / Moon Bathing On Sleeping Leaves
Pink Floyd / One of These Days / Meddle
Mildlife / Yourself / Yourself
Lane Lines / Hard to Breathe / Cancelled Plans
Hello Meteor / Rain at the Marina / The Turn After a Storm
Talk Talk / Inheritance – 1997 Remaster / Spirit of Eden
Daryl Groetsch / Above the Shore (Radio Edit) / Above the Shore
Cartas de Japón / Chapadmalal / Santa Clara
Steve Roach & Robert Rich / Soma Waves / Waves of Now
Intervales / Balm of Gilead / Balm of Gilead
Laraaji / Ocean (Glimpse) / Ocean
Talk Talk / The Rainbow (excerpt) / Spirit of Eden

Categories
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

Categories
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

Categories
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