Shwantology Revisited

Shwantology, shwantology, shwantology... where to start with this strange little set? At the end of last year I signed myself and Slug up to take part in Subvert Central's nascent Podcast, which seemed like a project worth supporting. Due to the limited time available to get something done, we decided we'd have to take a different tack to our obsessively preened and time consuming Jungle/Electronica/Reggae beatmatched mixes if we wanted to get it finished by the deadline. The winter was closing in, I was suffering from a lack of a soundtrack to my frequent 6am starts in work, and it seemed like there was a dearth of mixes exploring the genre, so the idea developed to go back to our roots and do something in an ambient/electronic vein.

As previously mentioned, I started my DJng career playing chill-out sets on pirate radio, but the path that led me there started inauspiciously enough with exposure to Bowie's Berlin LP's in the early 90's. I still rate 'Heroes' and 'Low' as featuring some of the best ambient tracks ever made - their richness of melody and texture have yet to be equalled, and most importantly, it turned me onto to Eno, then Kraftwerk, and finally anything with 'ambient' in the title - which led me directly (and accidentally) to Aphex's Selected Ambient Works, Pete Namlook, and the early Mu-ziq LPs. Slug had a similar journey from the likes of Pink Floyd, Godflesh's 'Pure' LP, and the dissonant industrialism of Earache, so by the time we started DJng together on Power FM in '98, ambient and experimental electronica made up the majority of our sets.

One of the central tenets of the mangled melange of contradictions that pass for our 'philosophy' of Djng, is that the method and style of mixing should be tailored to fit the type of music being played. Thus for dance music like Jungle, Techno, Breakbeat (and anything in-between) you want ultra-tight beat-matching with synchronised breakdowns, drop ins, and rollouts. Electronica is more about the flow of the mix and getting the melodies in key whilst keeping a handle on the beats, and Hip Hop, Reggae and Dancehall all demand precise and focused overlaps and close attention to pace and sequencing. It seemed that the sizable collection of ambient, avant garde and experimental music we've amassed over the years demanded a different approach - something fresh.

Over Christmas, I used a bit of holiday downtime and started going through CD's and Mp3's looking for suitable candidates. When I found something worthy in a digital format I copied it onto a PC and soon collated enough to fill several CDs, which I then burned and labeled simply as 'ambient 1-5'. As for a tracklisting - instead of the standard notation of artist and track names, I listened to the CD's blind and wrote down the 'texture' of the tracks instead (see below). One of the restrictions of the discipline of beat-matching at all costs, is that it can suck the spontaneity out of your sets, so the idea behind this method was to bring an element of chance back into the equation. At the same time, we both started to go through Vinyl LP's and CD albums, picking out favourite tracks that we definitely wanted to play, during the process of which we discovered a few old bits of sets (dating back to the days before we could mix properly!), that we could use as 'corner' mixes, i.e: a small sequence of tracks which form a peak in the mix, and give you a predictable event to build and release tension around.


After a bit of technical jiggery-pokery we managed to set up 2 mixing stations in our cramped studio, Slug on a deck and CDJ, myself on 2 decks, CDJ and the Chaoss pad, all plugged into good mixers with total attenuation EQ's (very important that), and recording into a PC via a desk. Surprisingly enough it all went very well. 2 nights and 3 takes later, we had 60 minutes recorded, and the experience itself - improvisationally riding the shifts in sound, focusing on textural elements rather than arrangements, and using the CDJs and FX to timestretch, pitch and echo the tunes in and out of view was liberating after years of self-imposed anal perfectionism. There was a slight bit of slippage into old habits when we decided to add another layer 'above' the mix. Setting the desk up so we could record a live overdub (thereby keeping the manipulative potential of the CDJ's in the frame), burning some of the field recordings from the excellent SoundTransit site and drifting them in at various points in the set. The overall effect is a kind of sound soup, with elements rising up and then falling from the surface, melodies phasing in and out, and dynamic mood changes throughout.

In the end, we made our deadline with a few days to spare (the tracklisting took nearly as long to complete as the set), and believe it or not, this probably took us less time overall to research and execute than anything else we've done in the last 6 years, so all in all, the results were fairly satisfactory from our point of view. It got a good response from the Subverts and Dissensians, I got something nice to listen to whilst staring into Dublin's desolate blackness from the bus window, and (I think) we did justice to a relatively obscure genre of music joining a few sonic dots in the process. My only gripe is with my overuse of Chaoss Pad echo - its supposed to be soup - not mush!!

Just before I get into the tunes themselves , Id like to give mention to a few other mixes of a similar ilk thatve been doing the rounds - Soundslike 1981’s two avant-classical mini mixes that were posted on Dissensus; Adrift' (1969-2001) and 'Gloaming' (1731-2005) are both very nice selections, and The Rambler’s recent ‘Long Shadows’ mix is also very worthy of a mention.

Anyway – back to the mix. Most of you probably have the Subvert Podcast version of this one - but we thought it was about time we made a better quality version available - without the invasive SC ident popping up every 15 minutes. The link to a 198kbps version is below. Tracklisting is in the 'lyrics' tab of the ID3 tags in I-tunes, and I’ve reinstated the txt listing as well, as I remembered the original motivation behind it - so you can drag it into the 'notes' folder on your I-pod or MP3 player, and view the tracklist as you listen to the mix. Our Fear cohort Deasy provides the photos from the session which feature below. And a special mention has to go to the trendsetting Triple A for letting us use his word!

Droid + Slug - Shwantology : 1 - 63 Minutes Approx (89.5 mb.zip)

1. Brian Eno - Brian Eno Speaks - Editions EG (Sonora Portraits LP)
2. Aphex Twin - Blue Calyx - Warp (Selected Ambient Works 2 LP)
3. Alarm Will Sound - Blue Calyx - Cantaloupe (Alarm Will Sound performs Aphex Twin LP)
4. Brian Eno - Sparrowfall 1 - Editions EG (Music for Films LP)
5. Seymour|Van Hoen -Tema - Leaf (Invisible Soundtracks 2 EP)
6. Brian Eno - Sparrowfall 2 - Editions EG (Music for Films LP)
7. Seefeel - E-Hix2 - Rephlex (Chi-Vox LP)
8. Daniel Figgis - Alison Creaking - Rough Trade (Skipper LP)
9. Dust Devil - Blood - Blood (Blood EP)
10. Brian Eno - Lanzarote - Opal (The Shutov Assembly LP)
11. Zrs - Wuhan: Dynamoelectric Frog - SoundTransit Field Recordings
12. Autechre - To Day Retreival - Thrill Jockey (Tortoise/Autechre EP)
13. Nick Miller - New York: Walk in Central Park West - SoundTransit Field Recordings
14. Brian Eno - Discreet Music - Editions EG (Discreet Music LP)
15. Kopernik - The Sea and the Marsh are One - Eastern Developments (Kopernik LP)
16. Queen - In the Death Cell - Elektra Asylum (Flash Gordon O.S.T.)
17. Sean O'Neill - Vientiane: Night Sounds, Bats, Crickets - SoundTransit Field Recordings
18. Biosphere - Startoucher - Apollo (Patashnik LP)
19. Godflesh - Pure II - Earache (Pure LP)
20. Tim Hecker - Arctic Loner's Rock - Substractif (Haunt Me, Haunt Me, Do it Again LP)
21. Oval - Do While (Christian Vogel Remix) - Diskont (Do While EP)
22. Hex - Shiny - Ninjatunes (Digital love EP)
23. Derek Holzer - Mooste: Walk in the Rain - SoundTransit Field Recordings
24. Ennio Morricone - Contamination - Varese (The Thing O.S.T.)
25. Brian Eno - Innocenti - Opal (The Shutov Assembly LP)
26. Tim Hecker - Untitled (5) - Substractif (Haunt Me, Haunt Me, Do it Again LP)
27. Seefeel - Me01 - Rephlex (Succour LP)
28. Brian Eno - Events in Dense Fog - Editions EG (Music for Films LP)
29. Goblin - Monster Child - Cinevox (Phenomena O.S.T.)
30. Eno - Kites II - Opal (Kite Stories LP)
31. Aphex Twin - Side D Track 2 - Warp (Selected Ambient Works 2 LP)
32. Joe Meek and The Blue Men - Glob Waterfall - RPM (I Hear a New World LP)
33. Vangelis - Deserters - OWM Bootleg (The Bounty O.S.T).
34. Krzysztof Penderecki - Psalmus - Phillips (Prospective 21e Siecle LP)
35. Future Sound Of London - Dirty Shadows - EBV (I.S.D.N. LP)
36. Aphex Twin - Side E Track 2 - Warp (Selected Ambient Works 2 LP)
37. Being - Cue - Leaf (Invisible Soundtracks 1 EP)
38. Deasy – Haul (Ambient mix) - The Fear (Unreleased)
39. David Bowie/Brian Eno - Moss Garden - RCA (Heroes LP)
40. Reza Tahami - Manjil Wood: River and Insects - SoundTransit Field Recordings
41. Michael Brook/Brian Eno/Daniel Lanois - Mimosa - Editions EG (Hybrid LP)
42. Autechre - VLetrmx - Warp (Garbage EP)
43. Brian Eno - Unfamiliar Wind (Leeks Hills) - Editions EG (On Land LP)
44. Tim Hecker - Untitled (6) - Substractif (Haunt Me, Haunt Me, Do it Again LP)
45. Christophe Havard - St Nazaire: Man with a Broom - SoundTransit Field Recordings
46. Howie B - Music For Babies - Polydor (Music for Babies LP)
47. Jon Hassell/Brian Eno - These Times - Editions EG (Fourth World Possible Musics Vol. 2: Dream Theory in Malaya LP)
48. Hex - Surf - Ninjatunes (Digital Love EP)
49. Harold Budd/Brian Eno - Lost in the Humming Air - Editions EG (The Pearl LP)
50. Bedouin Ascent - If Mountains Could Sing - Leaf (Invisible Soundtracks 2 EP)
51. Gyorgy Ligeti - Requiem for Soprano, Mezzo Soprano, Two Mixed Choirs and Orchestra - MGM/Polydor (2001 O.S.T.)
52. Eddie Newmark - Serenity: The Silent Surf - Audio Fidelity (Ambience: An Adventure in Environmental Sound LP)
53. Craig Safan - Joey’s Wet Dream - Varese (Nightmare on Elm Street 4 O.S.T.)
54. Deasy - St Theresa - The Fear (Unreleased)


1. Brian Eno - Brian Eno Speaks - Editions EG (Sonora Portraits LP)
2. Aphex Twin - Blue Calyx - Warp (Selected Ambient Works 2 LP)
3. Alarm Will Sound - Blue Calyx - Cantaloupe (Alarm Will Sound performs Aphex Twin LP)
4. Brian Eno - Sparrowfall 1 - Editions EG (Music for Films LP)
5. Seymour|Van Hoen -Tema - Leaf (Invisible Soundtracks 2 EP)
6. Brian Eno - Sparrowfall 2 - Editions EG (Music for Films LP)
7. Seefeel - E-Hix2 - Rephlex (Chi-Vox LP)
8. Daniel Figgis - Alison Creaking - Rough Trade (Skipper LP)
9. Dust Devil - Blood - Blood (Blood EP)
10. Brian Eno - Lanzarote - Opal (The Shutov Assembly LP)

We start the ball rolling with a snatch of vocal from ‘Brian Eno Speaks’, which is available on a couple of LPs, including the Bush of Ghosts ‘demos’. At one point in rehersals for this mix, we considered playing more of it along with some Henry Flynt, Tod Dockstader and Joe Meek interviews, but if you listen to the whole thing, you'll see that (from an Enoian perspective at least) it would have been both perverse and ironic to plaster vocals all over a predominantly ambient mix. Anyway, crude as it is to start a set with a bit of chat, that little snippet of Eno’s theories accurately announces our intentions as we head into the mix.

The first musical number is Aphex’s sublime ‘Blue Calyx’ from SAW II. It’s a brilliant tune from a fantastic LP, and despite the fact that its practically sacred to us, we decided to corrupt it with a bit of dissonance courtesy of Alarm Will Sound’s out of key rearrangement. I know that this intro has put at least one person of the entire mix – but I cant stress the fact that this combination was deliberate. Theres moments during each swell and ebb of sound when the 2 melodies slide close to each other, and then away again, almost, but never quite in harmony – and that’s exactly the desired effect!


Eno makes the first (musical) appearance of many as the swells subside and the melancholy strings and piano of Sparrowfall 1 and 2 drift in and out of the mix – hunting for that brief moment of synthesis - but the main weight of continuity is carried by the woodwind and desolate ambience of Seymour|Van Hoen’s ‘Tema’ petering out when the orchesteral foghorns of Seefeel rise from the depths and clear a path through the mist. Theres a break in the clouds when the Cello from Daniel Figgis’s ‘Alison creaking’ appears at about 7:30, but things soon get murky again as the Dust Devils’ menacing symphonic ‘Blood’ combines with the vestiges of the Seefeel and the background ambience of Eno’s ‘Lanzarote’.


11. Zrs - Wuhan: Dynamoelectric Frog - SoundTransit Field Recordings
12. Autechre - To Day Retreival - Thrill Jockey (Tortoise/Autechre EP)
13. Nick Miller - New York: Walk in Central Park West - SoundTransit Field Recordings
14. Brian Eno - Discreet Music - Editions EG (Discreet Music LP)
15. Kopernik - The Sea and the Marsh are One - Eastern Developments (Kopernik LP)
16. Queen - In the Death Cell - Elektra Asylum (Flash Gordon O.S.T.)
17. Sean O'Neill - Vientiane: Night Sounds, Bats, Crickets - SoundTransit Field Recordings
18. Biosphere - Startoucher - Apollo (Patashnik LP)
19. Godflesh - Pure II - Earache (Pure LP)
20. Tim Hecker - Arctic Loner's Rock - Substractif (Haunt Me, Haunt Me, Do it Again LP)
21. Oval - Do While (Christian Vogel Remix) - Diskont (Do While EP)
22. Hex - Shiny - Ninjatunes (Digital love EP)

We have a distinct break at this point (around 10:45) – the unpredictable glitches and bass of Autechre’s ‘To Day Retrieval’ (from a split 12” with Tortoise) mops up the last echoes of ‘Blood’, with a piece from the invaluable Soundtransit synching up to the AE with (what sounds like) a fishing reel being unwound. The dark twinkling of Eno’s ‘Lanzarote’ from the last sequence makes a short re-appearance at 13:20 as things wind back down, providing a bit of distraction whilst the calming high end melody of Eno’s ‘Discreet Music’ hops the fence and sneaks into the sound field. Kopernik are also in there providing dark background atmos, and SoundTransit pop up again with the ubiquitous bit of birdsong (a legal requirment for ambient sets) and assorted city noises.

The moaning chorus of voices signals the arrival of Queen’s ‘In the death cell’ – taken from their surprisingly good soundtrack to ‘Flash’. Some swift-moving Cellos and a few snatches of dialogue are all we get before the Kopernik tune mentioned above finally gets going, with some equally short lived orchestral flourishes. We then drop right down into some cold atmospherics before the machine hums and ominous strings of ‘Startoucher’ makes themselves apparent – ‘Pure 2’ from Godflesh (available only on the cd version of this album) chimes in with some dark guitar distortions buried low in the mix.


Tim Hecker, Hex and Oval are all on background duty towards the end of this section, providing fuzzy ambience, warm orchestral ambience, and glitcy ambience resepctively (stop me If im getting too technical!). This Hex 12” is an interesting record, as there was also a CD-Rom Version of it released in 1993 – check out this blurb:

“(The) Digital Love CD-Rom was specifically designed to help alleviate stress and aid meditation. Via a striking organic New Age Interface the user could participate in the specific therapeutic techniques of Yoga, by following the demonstration of a 3D animated figure, receive the benefits of Colour therapy based on the Chakras or join in with ancient Sanskrit Chanting. Alternatively they could simply relax to soothing ambient music (composed by Robert Pepperell) accompanied by calming and hypnotic computer generated visuals with the option of selecting a preferred palette."

Sounds terrible doesn’t it? The 12” is actually very good though!


23. Derek Holzer - Mooste: Walk in the Rain - SoundTransit Field Recordings
24. Ennio Morricone - Contamination - Varese (The Thing O.S.T.)
25. Brian Eno - Innocenti - Opal (The Shutov Assembly LP)
26. Tim Hecker - Untitled (5) - Substractif (Haunt Me, Haunt Me, Do it Again LP)
27. Seefeel - Me01 - Rephlex (Succour LP)
28. Brian Eno - Events in Dense Fog - Editions EG (Music for Films LP)
29. Goblin - Monster Child - Cinevox (Phenomena O.S.T.)
30. Eno - Kites II - Opal (Kite Stories LP)
31. Aphex Twin - Side D Track 2 - Warp (Selected Ambient Works 2 LP)
32. Joe Meek and The Blue Men - Glob Waterfall - RPM (I Hear a New World LP)
33. Vangelis - Deserters - OWM Bootleg (The Bounty O.S.T.)

As the background wash from the last section bleeds into this one, we come to another easy to identify point in the mix. The discordant and panicked strings of ‘Contamination’ (taken from the soundtrack to the peak of animatronic horror films, 1982's: ‘The Thing’) come in at about 24:50, complemented by a field recording of a rainstorm being pitched up and down in a blatant attempt to echo the dynamics of the Morricone. Tim Hecker contributes more high end fuzz and jerkiness, before another gap opens in the mix, and the sweet tinkles and keyboards of ‘Innocenti’ emerge – the second tune taken from Eno’s 1992 LP: ‘The Shutov Assembly’.


Some slightly older Seefeel – this time from their ‘Succour’ album signals the start of a darker sequence as it elbows ‘Events in dense Fog’ out of the way at about 31:30. Goblin gets buried in the mix, and Eno gets in there yet again with some more base tones – this time from ‘Kite Stories’. Things get truly dread as one of the more malevolent tunes from ‘Selected Ambient works II’ fades into visibility under cover of the Seefeel and the low ominous synths of Vangelis’ ‘Deserters’ from his soundtrack to the remake of ‘Mutiny on The Bounty’. The gurgling noises and random percussion of early electronic hero Joe Meek’s ‘Glob Waterfall’ add a bit of texture to the 3 way mix – cymbals crashing at just the right moment (39:28) to herald the entrance of the Future Sound of London tune from the next sequence.


34. Krzysztof Penderecki - Psalmus - Phillips (Prospective 21e Siecle LP)
35. Future Sound Of London - Dirty Shadows - EBV (I.S.D.N. LP)
36. Aphex Twin - Side E Track 2 - Warp (Selected Ambient Works 2 LP)
37. Being - Cue - Leaf (Invisible Soundtracks 1 EP)
38. Deasy – Haul (Ambient mix) - The Fear (Unreleased)
39. David Bowie/Brian Eno - Moss Garden - RCA (Heroes LP)
40. Reza Tahami - Manjil Wood: River and Insects - SoundTransit Field Recordings

The great Penderecki is reduced to a single drum flourish at the start of this sequence rolling out the red carpet for the only proper beatmatch of the set (other than the muddy one at the start). Starting with a bit of Deep forest action, and a sample from Barbarella, a fiveway mix commences with Future Sound Of London's 'Dirty Shadows' from the patchy 'I.S.D.N.' LP - which brings the percussion, piano and (eventually) the echoed out strings. Mixed throughrout is the 'Being' tune, beatmatched to the FSOL, deconstructed with Chaoss echo, and made up of some regular pulsing electronics which drops into a bassy breakdown at around 46 minutes. The Aphex Twin is layered quite low in the mix along with an unreleased tune from The Fear, Deasy's 'Haul' (Ambient mix). As the FSOL disintergrates, the dubbed out sitar and Kraftwerk swooshes from Bowie/Eno's 'Moss Garden' drift in, timestretched down to about -50% on the CDJs... oh - theres also a slice of a river and some insects, thrown in there to add a bit more organic texture...


41. Michael Brook/Brian Eno/Daniel Lanois - Mimosa - Editions EG (Hybrid LP)
42. Autechre - VLetrmx - Warp (Garbage EP)
43. Brian Eno - Unfamiliar Wind (Leeks Hills) - Editions EG (On Land LP)
44. Tim Hecker - Untitled (6) - Substractif (Haunt Me, Haunt Me, Do it Again LP)
45. Christophe Havard - St Nazaire: Man with a Broom - SoundTransit Field Recordings
46. Howie B - Music For Babies - Polydor (Music for Babies LP)

Brook, Eno and Lanois provide the overlap into this section before the keening electronics of AE's 'VLetrmx' combines with the cold ambience of 'Unfamiliar Wind' (from Eno's best LP?) - Tim Hecker again relgated to backround fuzz duty, dropped low in the mix along with some scraping and brushing noises from SoundTransit. You cant really miss 'Music for babies'. The hesitant piano of its intro runs through the start of this section, and then it kicks in at 54:10 building up to an overwhelming climax before it collapses in on itself about a minute and a half later. A remarkable tune from a great LP - and Im happy to admit that both myself and Slug own copies of the 4 x12" promo version with one track a side...


47. Jon Hassell/Brian Eno - These Times - Editions EG (Fourth World Possible Musics Vol. 2: Dream Theory in Malaya LP)
48. Hex - Surf - Ninjatunes (Digital Love EP)
49. Harold Budd/Brian Eno - Lost in the Humming Air - Editions EG (The Pearl LP)
50. Bedouin Ascent - If Mountains Could Sing - Leaf (Invisible Soundtracks 2 EP)
51. Gyorgy Ligeti - Requiem for Soprano, Mezzo Soprano, Two Mixed Choirs and Orchestra - MGM/Polydor (2001 O.S.T.)
52. Eddie Newmark - Serenity: The Silent Surf - Audio Fidelity (Ambience: An Adventure in Environmental Sound LP)
53. Craig Safan - Joey’s Wet Dream - Varese (Nightmare on Elm Street 4 O.S.T.)
54. Deasy - St Theresa - The Fear (Unreleased)

We enter the last sequence as the sound of Budd and Eno’s solemn piano from ‘The Pearl’ LP picks up the pieces of the Howie B. As usual theres a couple of tunes pushed low in the mix – Hex’s meditative tones and ‘These Times’ from Eno and Hassel’s ‘Fourth World – Possible Musics 2…’ are pushed way into the background, soon joined by the eerie vocal desolation of Ligeti’s (RIP) ‘Requim’. Pushed to the forefront is the duet between ‘The Pearls’ Piano and Bedouin Ascent on LEAF. I met Mr. Kingsuk Biswas in 1999 at the horrific ‘Monastry of Sound’ electronica ‘festival’ in Northern France, and when I asked him about this tune, all he could say was that it was a shit pressing with not enough bass! I still reckon it’s a great track – and its melodic feedback makes for a suprisingly good combination with the Budd and Eno.


The sounds of the sea soon washes it all away (another legal requirement this tune!), and theres a few brief moans from ‘Joey’s wet dream’ by Craig Safan (80’s soundtrack master who also scored ‘The Last Starfighter’ amongst others), before everything drops to silence - bar a brief flourish of melody from Deasys’s ‘St Theresa’ which wraps things up.

And that’s that!. Probably squeezed more tunes into 60 minutes there than we ever have in the past – but if you think this one is dense, wait till you see what we have lined up for you next week!