In the Clouds - Lullaby Edition

by Massa and Lydia Takemoto

In our first edition of what we hope will become a regular posting here, Massa has compiled a list of three beautiful tracks available for streaming on SoundCloud. This month we focused on a few deep, chilled tunes for late-night listening and sorted through some of our favorites to bring you the following electronic lullabies, which we feel are certain to carry you gently beyond the threshold of consciousness and into the dream world.

Inner Landscapes cover art

Stage 1: Enter the alpha wave transition with Softwaver's "New Colours," from Softwaver's 2010 album, Inner Landscapes.

Deep-chilled but with a good groove, a slightly upbeat tempo, and a touch of melancholy, this dreamy and sensual track is composed with with a simple structure. But despite its simplicity, it carries a well-textured sound that touches the soul, putting the listener in connection with the composer's intentions.

About the composer: Softwaver is Alex Houser of Berlin, Germany. He also happens to be a (if not the) main member of the music label IdealMusik – the force behind the Ideal Chill compilation albums.

Available on the following albums:

Inner Landscapes Softwaver Original Release Date: 8/16/2010 Label: IdealMusik Copyright: 2010 IdealMusik

Ideal Chill Various Artists Original Release Date: 3/18/2010 Label: IdealMusik Copyright: 2010 IdealMusik

New Colours by Softwaver
Edit: Sorry! It has come to our attention that this track is no longer available on SoundCloud.

Stage 2: Slip into sleep spindles with "Unpredictable Thoughts," by Daddy's Rooster.

Despite the title's name, this track seems to put the mind into a down-to-earth and focused state. Like most of his songs "Unpredictable Thoughts" employs spacey synthesizer sounds, but the combination of the bass drum and snare drum set a relaxed rhythm to this peaceful composition.

About the composer: Daddy's Rooster is a bit of an enigmatic figure on the independent ambient scene with little public info, so we don't know much about him other than the fact that he's based in Switzerland somewhere. His tracks can be streamed from his SoundCloud page and dedicated listeners can receive regular notifications regarding new uploads by following Daddy's Rooster on twitter.

Unpredictable Thoughts - Chillout by Daddy's Rooster

A Year After cover art

Stage 3: Dip into delta-wave depths with "Dream Unique," from Nikosf.'s free EP album, A Year After.

The meditative quality of this track is accented by deep, pulsating beats and skittish background sounds, the combination of which results in a deep-house electronic track that certainly lives up to its name. Definitely well-suited for after-hours listening...

About the composer: Nikosf. is a Greek electronic musician based in Crete, producing tracks of a wide, dynamic range. His compositions possess a crystal-clear, water-like texture and a deep, driving bass line; it all combines to give an overall sound that is warm and seemingly tangible.

Available on the following album (free download):
A Year After
Label: Electronica Netlabel
Released: 9/1/2008

Dream Unique by nikosf.

Sweet dreams,

Massa and Lydia