8 Tracks: To Help You Build A Soul With Random Gods
This month saw the release of Random Gods debut solo release on Swiss label Danse Noire. Based in Lisbon, Timóteo Azevedo captures elements of the darker side of electronics and blends them with end of the world esque brilliance. It's weird, wonderful, horrific and beautiful all at the same time. His music was originally heard on one of the earliest Danse Noire radio shows on NTS having been played by Aïsha Devi, the label boss. Now, some time later the record has finally emerged. We caught up with Random Gods to talk about tracks of soul, or at least tracks which might help you to build yours.
Buy the release HERE.
After a noisy beginning this song keeps building this life-like feeling of ups and downs, where the choirs rescue the track from its “rawness” and take it to a more transcendental mood.
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Tim Hecker - Castrati StackAfter a noisy beginning this song keeps building this life-like feeling of ups and downs, where the choirs rescue the track from its “rawness” and take it to a more transcendental mood.
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Gavin Bryars - Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me YetThere’s something haunting about this long piece of Gavin Bryars. Released in 1975, it’s based on a street recording of a homeless man singing an old hymn, with Gavin adding the orchestral arrangements later. There’s a more recent version with Tom Waits singing along. Besides the story behind it, I think the portrayal of hope in the soulless big city that it carries is what makes it so beautiful.
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Harold Budd - As Long As I Can Hold My Breath (By Night)Calm, beautiful and meditative. It’s one of my favourite pieces of ambient music. (Oh, lay back if you want to go through the entire piece. It’s one hour long.)
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Ktl - Phill 2What can I say about this track? It’s not surprising for me that I like it so much since it reminds me 2001: Space Odyssey. We almost can feel our bodies being sucked into the void, we feel afraid, we don’t understand a place like this and we are terrified by the experience, until we reach a state of quietness, freedom and clairvoyance, overcoming the mundane fear of the unknown. Stephen O’Malley and Jóhan Jóhannsson did an incredible job on this one. “Oh, this feels like KTL’s Phill 2” – will say the first human passing through a black hole.
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Huun-Huur-Tu - The Orphan's Lament3 words: Tuvan throat singing. The ambience with the strings and the chanting is so powerful on this song. You may not understand the lyrics, but you can feel the whole thing. (Stating the obvious: It’s about an orphan lamenting his own life)
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Africa Express Presents: Terry Riley's In C MaliThe best interpretation of Terry Riley’s In C, in my opinion. This is serious joyful music.
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E2 E4 - Full SuiteThis is the first track of the whole trip that is Manuel Gottsching’s E2-E4. Even though it is not exactly designed for the dance floor, we can totally shake-our-soul-out-of-our-body to this.
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Bismillah Khan Raga BhairavDivine and superior music. Bismillah Khan said in a interview that while exploring the ragas, when he played certain notes, he could feel that he was reaching the realm of God. This is music as a way of life. It is poetry.
Doing a list with this title and not including Bismillah Khan, would be the same as talking about gangsta rap without mentioning Tupac. And probably this is the first time that someone read the name of the shehnai master and Tupac in the same sentence.
