Headphone Commute Podcast

Since I started publishing free mixes on Headphone Commute, I guess it was only a matter of time before they got turned into a podcast. So what's the difference? Not much really. A podcast is an enhanced delivery method of our music directly into your digital players. Throw the URL listed below into your iTunes, and every time another mix is published, it will just show up in your library! Pretty neat, eh?


http://feeds.feedburner.com/headphonecommutepodcast
[ for iTunes - Menu : Advanced : Subscribe to Podcast...]



So act now, and don't delay! Click, copy, and paste, and we'll deliver our favorite selections right into your headphones! Maybe if you guys dig this new feature, our Podcasts will include occasional audio interviews, live shows, and special reviews. The "Mixes" section will continue to stay as is, with free mixes created by and exclusively for Headphone Commute, available for streaming and downloading. You'll still need to visit the site if you want to get the full track listing ;)

Over and out.
~HC

FREE MIX : Mr. Tom – Polar

It's a chilly early morning, and my feet sink into the hard shell of a snow that built up over the night. The sun warms my face, but the air is crispy and dry. I hurry towards my destination, in time with the beat, on my headphone commute. The music compiled in this mix by Mr. Tom features some of my favorite ambient dub and ambient techno artists, like Vladislav Delay, Lulu Rouge, Yagya, Trentemøller, and Gas, so I couldn't resist from sharing it with you. Appropriately titled Polar, the music wraps cold and empty white noise, into deep thumps of the bass and endless delays, so characteristic of the genre.

See full track listing, read the story behind the selection, plus stream or download the mix on Headphone Commute

Reflections on 2009 : Spekk, Hammock, Ólafur Arnalds, and Konntinent

Here comes the final installment from the Reflections series. There may be more to come, but this is indeed the last set of words from the initial batch. In this edition, we feature Nao Sugimoto of Spekk, a list of favorites from Marc Byrd of Hammock, some thoughts from Ólafur Arnalds, and the thoughts on music of 2009 from Konntinent.

Read this installment on Headphone Commute

Check out the rest of Reflections

FREE MIX : HC - DSM-IV-TR

As my mood shifts from one plane to another, and the music bombards my ears with various styles, tones and rhythms, it's hard to stay grounded to just one genre. Today, I feel like glitching along with IDM. Tomorrow, I bop my head to hard pounding techno. In anger, evil drum'n'bass takes over my soul, then collapses in half-time to the vibrations of dubstep. How do I capture all of these swings in one swooping hour?

See full track listing, read the story behind the selection, plus stream or download the mix on Headphone Commute

Woj - Yucca

Back in my past life, when I had a weekly DJ gig and a regular podcast, I met Woj. Sending me his mixes from Poland, Woj and I connected on a pure musical level, challenging each other to create a progressing story with our selections, showcase the latest releases, smooth out the rough transitions, and let the music speak for itself. We may have completely separates lives, but music keeps us connected. A few years went by with a period of silence. Then Woj appeared out of nowhere with a new mix. I am happy to share with you his latest installment of the freshest selections.

See full track listing, plus stream or download the mix on Headphone Commute

Jasper TX - From Midnight To Sunlight

Another exclusive mix prepared for Headphone Commute! This time, it's Dag Rozenqvist, aka Jasper TX, mixing up his favorite tracks to keep you warm in the night... In the past few years, Rozenqvist has really stepped up in his production of dark ambient and acoustic drone pieces. Jasper TX 2008 release on Miasmah, titled Black Sleep, received critical acclaim from all purveyors of minimalism. Last year, collaborating with Anduin, he released The Beinding Of Light (SMTG Limited, 2009), as well as one of my favorite albums of the year, Singing Stones (Fang Bomb, 2009).

Read a mini interview, see full track listing, plus stream or download the mix on Headphone Commute

Klimek - Random Noise Ballads Vol 3

Prepared exclusively for Headphone Commute, Sebastian Meissner, aka Klimek, mixes up his third installment of Random Noise Ballads. This 70 minute trip through a selection of hand-picked tracks is actually a composition of exclusive edits performed by Meissner to create an overwhelming acoustic journey via a less traveled territory of music.

Read more, plus stream or download the mix on Headphone Commute

Headphone Commute's Best of 2009 [part 5]

One final list for you from Headphone Commute's Best of 2009. Enjoy this installment, and I'll be back with more reviews for 2010!



Music For Synergizing The Synapse Of Ideas




Music For Grinding Your Teeth At Night




Music For Caffeine Free Car Chases

Headphone Commute's Best of 2009 [part 4]

Apologies for failing to keep this blog mirror up to date with Headphone Commute's Best of 2009 lists. Got a bit overwhelmed and distracted, but here are three more, if you missed them!



Music For Sonic Installations In The Cavern Of Your Skull




Music For Missed Friends, Barbecues And Turntables




Music For Vibrating Your Neighbors’ Dusty China

Headphone Commute's Best of 2009 [part 3]

Three more lists from Headphone Commute's Best of 2009 have been published on the main site!



Music For Walking And Not Crying In The Autumn Rain




Music For The Frosty Night When I Miss Your Warm Light




Music For Watching The Snow Slowly Fall In The Moonlight

Headphone Commute's Best of 2009 [part 2]

Three more lists from Headphone Commute's Best of 2009 have been published on the main site!



Music For Crawling Through Abandoned Cities




Music For Withered Leaves And Lonely Fishtanks




Music For Kicking Your Brain Back Into The Groove



I've got 9 more lists to go! Each one is being revealed one day at a time, so stop by often and save all your money! :)

Headphone Commute's Best of 2009 [part 1]

Headphone Commute's Best of 2009 lists are being published one per day on our main site. Be sure to visit and check out the currently revealed lists:



Music For The Film Behind Closed Eyelids




Music For Bending Light And Stopping Time




Music For Awakened Spirits And Open Minds

Organic Ambient

OK. I screwed up... A year ago, right about this time, I made a set of mixes to showcase my favorite artists and releases of 2008. These were the Intelligent Breakcore and Modern Classical mixes that I already have shared with you on Headphone Commute. But there was one more that I have failed to publish. I can come up with many excuses for this - some of them are valid - hard drive crash has sent me on an agonizing search for backed up files across multiple media. But now the mix is here, and you can finally enjoy, before 2009 rolls over into another decade!

Download free mix, and see full track listing only on Headphone Commute

Reflections on 2009 : Stephan Mathieu, offthesky, Paavoharju, worriedaboutsatan and Klimek

We still have some time until the end of the year, and I'm in no rush to publish my list of favorite releases. Meanwhile, you guys are doing a great job at submitting Your Votes! These will be tabulated and aggregated at the end of the year to present the Reader's selections. Keep them coming! While the list is growing, I decided to reach out to my favorite artists and labels, and ask them to share their thoughts on the music of 2009. These are now presented to you, in the order that they have been submitted, one installment at a time.

This first part includes reflections from Stephan Mathieu, offthesky, Paavoharju, worriedaboutsatan and Klimek. I hope you enjoy!

Read part one of the article only on Headphone Commute.

50 (MORE!) Albums, EPs and Compilations of 2008

Hold up, hold up. Rewind selector! Before I attempt to sit down and put together my list of favorite albums of 2009, I must pay homage to the music that slipped past me in the year before. I have said this time and again - there is simply way too much music! Every year, I reflect on the year prior and attempt to catch up on all of the releases. And I refuse to let them go! So here is a list of albums that has not made it to my list of Headphone Commute's Best of 2008, but have been in my rotation since the publication, and deserve to be recognized in this flashback to 2008.

See the entire list only on Headphone Commute.

20 Compilations and Mixes of 2009 [part 2]

Here are ten more entries to complete Headphone Commute's 20 Compilations and Mixes of 2009. I've been trying to get these off of my chest for a whole year! Now that I'm finally sharing these recommendations with you, I feel much better. There is an amazing selection of music below, spanning across a variety of genres such as downtempo, psybient, modern classical, experimental, ambient, dark and crunchy IDM, dubstep, and everything in between!

Read part one of the article only on Headphone Commute.

20 Compilations and Mixes of 2009 [part 1]

Compilations are notoriously difficult to cover. Usually, when I write an article on a collection of tracks, I spend some time capturing a specific theme or concept that the volume is made up of, and then feverishly rattle off the contributors. It’s tough to encapsulate the theme otherwise. That doesn’t mean that I don’t listen to them, of course. There are plenty of mixes and compilations that make it to the top of my rotations.

Read part one of the article only on Headphone Commute.

Best of 2009 – Your Votes

December is here. Can you believe it? A year of music already gone. A DECADE of music, if you will, is behind us. And something barely audible is already stretching its tentacles into 2010 to begin another trend. But before we leap into the new year, I think it’s time we celebrate 2009 the only way that I know. So help me out with your votes for Best of 2009! Here’s what I need from you. I’ll make it easy, but please stick to the format in order to help me compile all of this at the end.

Submit your for best of 2009

Thank you!
~HC

Hecq Mixtape One

Oi oi oi! Do I have a treat for you! I'm about to set off for a two week vacation, but before I go, I want to present you with an amazing mix from none other than Ben Lukas Boysen, aka Hecq! As you could have already guessed from these pages, I am a big fan of Hecq's dark and crunchy IDM and his amazing modern classical compositions. I usually end up including at least one of his tracks in most of my mixes. In the beginning of this year I sang praise to his latest album, Steeltongued (Hymen, 2009), following up with Two and a Half Questions With Hecq. In 2008, his Night Falls (Hymen, 2008) album arrived at the tier 1 of our Absolute Musts, in Headphone Commute's Best of 2008. And when I revisited the Top 50 of 2007, his album, 0000 (Hymean, 2007) showed up on the list once again. Even the owner of Tympanik Audio, Paul Nielsen, has revealed that he would be honored to have a release by Hecq on his label, in our Tympanik Audio Label Profile. Enough said?

Download free mix, and see full track listing only on Headphone Commute

Arrhythmia Sound - Favourite Ambient

Following the success of the mixes appearing on Headphone Commute we decided to switch it up a bit, and invite a fellow music journalist for a showcase of his favorite tracks. This next installment includes a selection of ambient pieces (some of which are my favorite as well, may I add) from Dmitry Misharov of a Russian site, Arrhythmia Sound (arrhythmiasound.com). Dmitry writes about his favorite electronic music from a distant city of Abakan, capital of Republic of Khakassia, Russian Federation, in South Siberia (google map)!!! If it wasn't for the internet, not only would you not be able to hear this, but I doubt that Dmitry would be exposed to this music. And its reach is pretty far. Incredible, don't you think? I am proud to welcome Dmitry for this exclusive mix he made for Headphone Commute. I am sure we'll see more of his contributions in the future. Enjoy.

Download free mix, and see full track listing only on Headphone Commute