idle: Music Non Stop

idle: Music Non Stop

idle is a selection of about 75 hours of low-intensity, high-density music to get played continuously in shuffle mode. Each featured project is represented by one track. For Sounds Central Radio, works from artists with the letters A-C got shuffled twice, relying on the sophisticated AI of Apple’s Music app.

Ata Tak – Die neuen Herrn (1980-84)

Ata Tak – Die neuen Herrn (1980-84)

Equally at home in the art world and the artists’ pub, Ata Tak‘s proprietors manage their label from a nice office in Düsseldorf; in the adjoining music studio, they pursue the idea of a world rebellion with sound – as Der Plan. 32 minutes with Holger Hiller, Minus Delta T, Picky Picnic, Wirtschaftswunder, and others.

Relics – Miniatures on Air (1953-2019)

Relics – Miniatures on Air (1953-2019)

Relics tell stories, take listeners on acoustic journeys, or document situations. They can be poems, studio productions, field recordings, or something completely different. 53-minute mix representing Paul Paulun’s series Fundstück on DLF-Kultur with pieces by Anne Waldman, Helga Goetze, Mark E. Smith, Timothy Leary, and 26 other artists.

Proper Krauts (1971-78)

Proper Krauts (1971-78)

The stoic, almost machine like drumming of so many West-German tunes from the early seventies becomes the trademark of a new sound – different from British pop or American rock, and in no way related to the country’s horrible nazi past. 45 minutes with Cluster, Faust, Harmonia 76, La Düsseldorf, and others.

Future Japan – Technopop (1979-86)

Future Japan – Technopop (1979-86)

Yellow Magic Orchestra’s concept of connecting pop, dance music, and Far Eastern folklore quickly becomes synonymous with technopop in Japan. The band’s members also occur in each others solo recordings and cooperate with other musicians. 49 minutes with Apogee & Perigee, Friends Of Earth, Miharu Koshi, Ryuichi Sakamoto & The Kakutougi Session, and others.

Ambient Japan (1981-2004)

Ambient Japan (1981-2004)

Free of artificial ornamentation, well balanced, and designed with love for detail, some eighties Japanese ambient music resembles the concept of the countries’ traditional gardens. 51 minutes of music striving to enhance environments – with works by Haruomi Hosono, Inoyama Land, Masahiro Sugaya, Yasuaki Shimizu, and others.