How To Fall Asleep with Discovery Zone

5 Minute Read

Music

NYC based musician and multi-media artist JJ Weihl, aka Discovery Zone guides us through a playlist for sleep.

Discovery Zone is the art come music project powered by JJ Weihl – it sits somewhere between experimental pop, vintage disco, leftfield electronica and ambient. The recent release of an album via acclaimed label RVNG Intl. demonstrates a breadth and depth in sound design, challenging the preconceptions of genre narratives and reimagining them in an ever more fluid world.

Elegant, dreamy vocals are paired with luxurious soundscapes, reminiscent of the birth of the 80’s computer era.

As such it is understandable that JJ Weihl draws upon a broad array of influences and musical perspectives.

This playlist demonstrates a deep rooted knowledge of music as an ability to cultivate an enhanced meditative experience or state of mind. The focus of this particular selection is sleep, featuring tracks by the likes of Harold Budd, William Basinski, Pauline Anna Strom, Steve Roach and more.

Topics

Discovery zone

LISTEN

Emerald Web - Valley Of The Birds

“Tune into the cinema of dreams. This is a really special gem that I put on when I’m trying to transition out of conscious reality. There is a sort of mystical quality to it that makes me feel like I’m in a forest at dusk as the stars begin to shine and the sky softly darkens. I love the flute and synth combo – one of my all time favorites.”

Emerald Web - Valley Of The Birds

“Tune into the cinema of dreams. This is a really special gem that I put on when I’m trying to transition out of conscious reality. There is a sort of mystical quality to it that makes me feel like I’m in a forest at dusk as the stars begin to shine and the sky softly darkens. I love the flute and synth combo – one of my all time favorites.”
Brian Eno with Daniel Lanois and Roger Eno - Under Stars

“When I can’t sleep I try different combinations of zooming way in and way out. This entire record is a really great soundtrack to imagining the ever expanding boundaries of space. It helps me to quiet my mind and shift focus away from the earthly realm.”
William Basinski - Disintigration Loops 6 (D|p 6)

“Repetition helps to dissolve the debris. I love Basinski’s process of recording and collecting different sounds to create his very own analog sonic tape library . This track is part of “The Disintegration Loops” which came about when he was digitizing material from old tape recordings and found that it was literally falling apart. I like the idea of the conscious mind gently disintegrating each night as we fall asleep and reforming upon waking.”
Steve Roach - Quiet Friend

“Sometimes when I can’t sleep I pretend to sleep until I actually am sleeping. There is something really magical about this particular state between sleeping and waking. I love the long expansive sounds used in this track that never really end but rather melt into one another. There is something comforting about quiet that helps to stave off the loneliness of silence.”
Pauline Anna Strom - Gossamer Silk

“When I heard Pauline Anna Strom’s music for the first time it felt like I was unlocking an invisible door to a parallel universe. There is an eerie familiarity and intimacy I feel when listening to her music, as if I am tuned to the sound of her heart. It brings me a lot of comfort and peace.”
Harold Budd - Madrigals of the Rose Angel: Rosetti Noise / The Crystal Garden And A Coda

“Harold Budd has a way of creating these elegant and haunted soundtracks using the human voice as a sort of disembodied instrument. The presence of these voices is felt beyond the necessity of words.”
Hiroshi Yoshimura - Sleep

“Growing up in New York I always found it comforting to listen to the sounds of the city when falling asleep. The crickets in this track take center stage creating a natural carpet above the synth swells that blend really nicely with the city ambience outside of my apartment.”
Daniel Lanois - The Deadly Nightshade

“This track has something both soothing and a little melancholy about it. Letting go of all the time that has come and gone and making room for exploring the night. It’s a bittersweet way to end the day.”
The Necks - Open

“I guess this is both a track and an album. The Necks make music that feel like portals. This whole piece flows from beginning to end without pause and is intended to be experienced from beginning to end. It’s a way for me to tap into a different feeling of time passing and sink into the journey of slumber.”
John Moods - Relax Your Foot

“This is a sweet and silly track by my dear friend and close collaborator of many years John Moods. When he was recording his first record “The Essential John Moods” I was in the studio one day hanging out and he just asked me to listen to this instrumental track and say whatever came into my mind. I recorded the vocals in one take without thinking. He pitched it and just put it in un-edited. The guide contains a few suggested exercises like this one: ‘Remember everything that’s ever happened in your entire life. Now forget it.’ “