Leo Okagawa is a sound artist based in Tokyo, Japan.He makes multilayered collage works from recorded environmental sounds, analog noise, and electronic tones.I was impressed with Leo’s output from my first listen and I’ve been a fan ever since.His most recent releases are with Falt (of which he has numerous tapes) and with me on Dinzu.He’s put together and excellent mix here for you.

My cat woke me up really early so I figured I’d get up and put these songs together for you.

Gone for almost a year and now I’m back in mere days with another mix?Yes indeed… just try to deal with it.I’m here for you.Sit back and give yourself a break.Go ahead I’ll wait…Ready? Ok good.Enjoy… and don’t let Fabio fool you when you hear that silence… he’s not done quite so soon.

I’ve released work by both Riccardo Bandi & Matthias Urban on Dinzu in the past and I’m a big fan of both of their work.Super happy to get back to making these mixes and had to start off with something from their new split.And come to think of it I’ve also worked with Karl Fousek and Billy Gomberg both also featured here so I guess maybe I’m feeling nostalgic.Don’t worry Shuta you are on my list of people to work with.Keeping this one a bit shorter than past episodes in the hopes that it will allow me to imagine I can do them more often.Hope you enjoy.

I’ve been sitting on this mix for a while now aside for adding one track.It’s amazing how life can get in your way of doing things sometimes and what a massive waste of time being sick is.So if you are feeling down, feeling sick, feeling uninspired just know that you are not alone and that things will change and hopefully for the better.The only thing that’s permanent is impermanence.

I recently hopped on Skype and spoke with Joseph Sannicandro, one of the curators of A Closer Listen and the man behind the podcast Sound Propostions. You can read Joseph’s writeup HERE and if you enjoy his podcast, consider supporting him on Patreon for as little as $1 per month.

It’s finally spring.Many of my cacti and other plants are blooming.I have not spent a ton of time at the computer.But I had the urge to make a new mix.Put your headphones on and go pull some weeds.

I can always count on Billy to introduce me to something new and amazing to listen to and this mix doesn’t fall short in any way.I enjoy his own work so much that I’ve released two cassettes with him on Dinzu and I always make sure to grab his other releases  whether they are his solo works or his collaborations with Anne Guthrie as Fraufraulein. If you’re not familiar with Billy’s work, below is his artist statement.Read that, listen to the mix and hop online and support his work.His Slight At That Contact LP on Students of Decay is a personal favorite. “My interest is in creating a space, real or imagined, poetic or remembered, where a relationship can develop, where we can share some of each other’s inner language and experience.  Musical material from analog & digital synthesis and processing, in addition to various fidelities of field recordings, lay ground and illuminate our duration there. Broadly, I am making ambient music, formed from familiar sources but under the influence of less bucolic moods than the genre implies.  I am of the city as much as I am of nature, my practice brings me comfort through its exploration of emotion and experience, not a balm but a means to articulate a poetry of our inner lives made available in this exchange of performing and listening.”

Archive Officielle is one of my favorite labels and I'm pleased to bring you a great mix from it's founder S. Mercure. If you're not familiar with AO take minute to check it out. Every release is excellent and the package design is a cut above. S. Mercure is a multi-disciplinary artist working primarily in the field of sound and installation. Although his initial releases under the pseudonym Persona Mercure show a rather classical musicality, his recent work is developed using a conceptual approach and controlled by rigid constraints. Published on various international labels, he is also the founder and curator of Archive Officielle, a multidisciplinary platform and physical archive who's mission is to publish, document and archive conceptual work from international artists.

As I was finishing this last night, I had the thought, “Nobody wants to listen to all this noisy shit man!?” but then I put my headphones and gave it once over and I enjoyed the hell out of it. I hope you do too. New episodes are already queued up including some great guest mixes. If you like what you are hearing so far, consider sharing with a friend or on social media.