Before I started this year of mixes shenanigans I spent some time thinking about how I would approach it and how would I keep things interesting for myself as well as other people? One thought was that I'd occasionally have a mix or selection based around an artist or label that I am particularly keen on. I did it with number 36, but it would have been quite a miss not to feature the artist 36 that week.
As the weeks have rolled on and the fact this whole project hasn't really gone as well as I had hoped I've ebbed and flowed in my enthusiasm for doing this. I let a couple of negative comments get to me and I ended up not really sticking to what I originally had been thinking about. I've decided to at least make the effort to get this one done before coming to the end of the year because it's one of, if not my most favourite label in recent times.
Gondwana is a mountainous and hilly region in India, it was also the name given to a massive landmass (or super-continent) around 500,000,000 years ago. It's also a label that features heavily on my record shelves. The label was set up in Manchester in 2008 by one of my favourite artists, Matthew Halsall. I could extol the qualities of this label and many of the artists that feature on it but that's kind of what the mix/selection is about. I've pulled together a small sample of some wonderful music but really it could have been hours longer with more artists, but trying to keep these selections around an hour or so, it's just a sampling of what is on offer. I would encourage you to dig deeper yourself, visit Bandcamp and Spotify (Matthew Halsall has an excellent spiritual jazz playlist he curates himself), start with Matthew Halsall's work and also look out for Hania Rani (and check this video and this one). Anyway, I hope this gives a nice taste and perhaps pulls one or two listeners to the label. As always, I will link to where you can buy the music featured below the player and will add some additional links for the label too.
This weeks cover picture is an edited photo I took in Grindelwald, Switzerland which is nestled in the heart of the alps and surrounded by the mountains of Faulhorn, Schwarzhorn, Wellhorn, Wetterhorn, Mettenberg, Schreckhorn, Lauteraarhorn, Agassizhorn, Fiescherhorn, Mönch, Eiger, Lauberhorn and Männlichen. Nearby Lauterbrunnen is said to have been inspiration for Tolkein's Rivendell in The Hobbit / Lord Of The Rings.
Finally, as always, I must briefly explain the purpose of these weekly mixes. At the start of 2022 I decided to try and raise some much needed funds for the excellent work done by the Sue Ryder charity by posting a weekly mix, hoping if people enjoyed what I shared they might put a small donation over (I was thinking the price of a coffee etc). The Sue Ryder organisation helped care for my Mum in her latter years and need all the help they can get. You can find a little more out and donate via my Just Giving page (100% of all money goes direct to Sue Ryder). You can also find out more digging around the blog here where I really have used the space to vent a little about the care system and the impacts of that, as well as the world in general.
Tracklist
Dwight Trible ft. Matthew Halsall - Black Is The Colour Of My True Love's Hair
Portico Quartet - With, Beside, Against
Matthew Halsall - The Temple Within
Paradise Cinema - Possible Futures
Jasmine Myra - Words Left Unspoken
Links for Gondwana -
Website // Spotify // Bandcamp // Twitter // Instagram // Facebook // Youtube
No comments
Post a Comment