In the 1980s, both old and new styles developed in Jamaica. Ragga evolved and electronic production tools found their way into studios, contributing to the establishment of the digital dancehall era. 37 minutes with Bunny Lie Lie, Charlie Chaplin, Don Carlos, Johnny Clarke and others.
Wearing eyeball helmets is the trademark of the Californian artist collective The Residents. Inspired by avantgarde and pop, the band anticipated the idea of audio piracy and developed groundbreaking multimedia projects. A 42-minute mix featuring some of the group's conceptual thematic compositions and deconstructions of Western pop music.
Traditional instruments and music – twisted by electronic musicians, composers, improvisers and rockers. 56 minutes with The 13th Tribe, Don Cherry, Harry Hosono and the Yellow Magic Band, Sun City Girls and others.
As a boy in the 1930s, Soliman Gamil accompanied researchers to the pyramids to learn about the music of the pharaohs. After completing his musical training in Cairo and Paris, he used a tape recorder to record traditional rituals throughout Egypt. Gamil developed his 20th-century compositions together with village musicians who played instruments that had been in use for thousands of years.
War is eternal, but its accompanying phenomena changed in the 20th century. 45 minutes with artists who reflect on the presence of war in the media, their traumatic experiences, the home front and the utopia of world peace. With Ami Shavit, The Android Sisters, K Foundation, Sun Ra and others.
Equally at home in the art world and the artists’ pub, Ata Tak‘s proprietors run their label from a nice office in Düsseldorf. In the adjoining music studio, they pursue the idea of a global rebellion through sound – as Der Plan. 32 minutes with Holger Hiller, Minus Delta T, Picky Picnic, Wirtschaftswunder and others.
Quiet ambient music may have its roots in cybernetic spirituality or be played in hospitals. It can be cinematic or resemble a landscape, and vast quantities of graph paper may be used in its production. 61 minutes with Anthony Manning, Inoyama Land, Joanna Brouk, Laurie Spiegel and others.
Ideas about the concept of time, music for a skier’s descent from an impressive mountain top, and sounds from a love and peace duo. 49 minutes with music by Patrick Cowley, Phew, Roedelius, Suzanne Ciani and others – realised between 1962 and 2021.
Despite their gentle and surreal nature, these tracks were not necessarily composed with the idea of sleep in mind; however, their dark ambient textures are inspired by memories, sounds or discoveries. 51 minutes with Brian Eno, David Toop, Monolake, Thomas Köner and others.
In the 20th century, India attracted artists and musicians who were seeking answers to spiritual questions or wanted to leave something behind. 56 minutes with Alice Coltrane, Coil with Lori Carson, Psycho Baba, Sun Ra and others.
An invented language, imitations of field recordings, or the idea of a visual work with sound allow these tracks to express something as yet unknown. 38 minutes with Buffy Sainte-Marie, Gazelle Twin & NYX, Glynis Jones, Valentina Goncharova and others.
With his label Obscure, Brian Eno began curating a series of experimental listening music in 1975. The participating artists left their previous approaches to music production behind, worked with new technologies, or engaged in challenging group situations. 71 minutes with Gavin Bryars, Harold Budd, Max Eastley, Michael Nyman and others.
