The Oscillation: The 'Monday Is Okay' Mix

Music

The Oscillation is one of the many aliases of Demian Castellanos, who makes underground psych-rock inspired by everything from krautrock and industrial to disco and funk. His fifth album as The Oscillation is out now on Fuzz Club Records. Composed of two monstrous 20-minute tracks, U.E.F finds him journeying further into post-apocalyptic electronics and sprawling drones.

Demian has kindly taken the time to put together an excellent mix for us, containing music from the likes of Klaus Schulze, Psychic Ills and Bowery Electric. Dig in below, and then scroll down for our Q&A:

Please introduce yourself – who/where/what are you?

I'm Demian Castellanos. I am based in London. I am currently trapped in a human body. I record music mainly under the pseudonym of The Oscillation but also under my own name and some other projects.

Tell us about the Monday Mix you've put together for us. Where was it recorded?

I put it together at my home studio in Walthamstow, London. I've concentrated on a lot of drone based pieces of music, I had some parameters of not having any beats or songs as such although I might have gone too far away for any kind of pulse as it's a very nebulous mix.

What would be the ideal setting to listen to the mix?

I think it would work quite well in a floatation tank, or perhaps under the influence of the Lucia no.3 light machine (hypnagogic light machine). Or going to sleep maybe.

What should we be wearing?

I'm pretty open on that, I wouldn't have the confidence to impose any fashion advice for listening to this mix. Any kind of clothing or lack of it would be suitable, whether the latest line of high street fashion, any kind of fancy dress including a space suit… anywhere between the two is fine.

What would be your dream setting to record a mix?

In a submarine with big windows would be nice.

Which track in the mix is your current favourite?

I'd forgotten how beautiful 'The Tired Sounds of Stars Of The Lid' is, kind of neo-classical drone, very peaceful and evocative.

What’s more important, the track you start on or the track you end on?

Parting words are usually the most poignant.

Who got you hooked on electronic music?

Probably Tangerine Dream was the first mainly electronic thing to really get me into synthesisers. I started out mainly being into guitar music but Tangerine Dream also used a lot of acoustic instruments and electric guitars so they were probably a gateway band for getting me into appreciating electronic music. There was also a track called 'Xstacy In Slow Motion' by Spacemen 3 that blew me away when I heard it for the first time, there's a never ending world of harmonics and slowly mutating frequencies in that track, I think that was just one synthesizer drone sent through loads of effects. I would have put it on this mix but I've already used it on a mix before.

What were the first and last records you bought?

I think the first actual record I got was the single 'Invisible Sun' by The Police. It's quite an unsettling, atmospheric track. I must have been a happy child. The last record I got was Richard Fearless' 12" EP a couple of weeks ago. I was really into Death In Vegas, especially 'Satan's Circus', and I really like the more electronic direction he's gone in.