Infinite Space Yoga 7.27.14 (ISY18)

[groovejedi]

It's been quite some time since we had class so I decided to record a new Yoga Mix at home. Hope you enjoy it.

https://soundcloud.com/samitee/infinite-space-yoga-72714-isy18

[annode]

Glad I ran across this tonight.
I listened to all of it. :lol:
I especially liked the 2nd half.
Was very inspirational for me. I see you have lots more on your Soundclound site,
i`ll do what I can.

Your clearly very skilled and have evolved your own identity in your music.
Laid back, harmonious, and as lite as air.
Expertly crafted slowly evolving minimal loops, with airy guitar swells.

Fine work Sami.

[groovejedi]

Thank you so much for the kind words! I especially enjoy playing Ambient and Chill Out stuff, particularly live in Yoga class. Dancefloor vibes are always great and I love that energy too, but there's something unique and special about connecting with people on a more emotional, melancholic and deep level. What I like about this music is that it really is for everyone. It works well in Yoga class, meditation, in the car or just relaxing at home before you fall asleep. I like to listen to it while studying for exams as well. I will be posting more of these types of mixes soon, including a live set from a Rooftop Yoga Class here in Denver, set to take place next Friday (weather permitting).

I also have two tone drums (a Hapi and a Lotus) that I'm hoping to incorporate into these mixes soon. Stay tuned!

Thank again for your support!

[annode]

I thought you were the producer of all this music.
I see now...after seeing a mix list of other artists in one of your 'mixes' from another site, your not producing the music yourself, as it seemed you were leading us to believe...only by not being clear.
You really should be more clear the degree of your involvement in these 'mixes' you make.
This site mostly if not all features electronic ambient artists.

[groovejedi]

Nope, definitely not a producer. Sorry for the confusion!

[annode]

Nope, definitely not a producer. Sorry for the confusion!

I listened to "Live @ Afterhours Anonymous - 5.17.14 (Closing Set for Daniel Avery)" and now listening to "Infinite Space Yoga (ISY 17)"
The former was EDM but seemed to be what i`d expect from someone sitting and twiddling with some gear...running loops and samples and such.
The ISY I see now, have set lists. So you don`t do more then assemble the sets, or do you also manipulate the music? I`m a little confused about this...you did mention you might be incorporating a few tonal drums into your stuff. This reinforces my guess that your working with the sound.

I like what you have presented on your Soundcloud page, but just curious if you do anything to them and if so what sort of stuff?

Thanks.

[groovejedi]

Nope, definitely not a producer. Sorry for the confusion!

I listened to "Live @ Afterhours Anonymous - 5.17.14 (Closing Set for Daniel Avery)" and now listening to "Infinite Space Yoga (ISY 17)"
The former was EDM but seemed to be what i`d expect from someone sitting and twiddling with some gear...running loops and samples and such.
The ISY I see now, have set lists. So you don`t do more then assemble the sets, or do you also manipulate the music? I`m a little confused about this...you did mention you might be incorporating a few tonal drums into your stuff. This reinforces my guess that your working with the sound.

I like what you have presented on your Soundcloud page, but just curious if you do anything to them and if so what sort of stuff?

Thanks.

Hi! The simple answer is, I am a DJ, not a producer or a musician although I have played some piano, trumpet and guitar in the past and currently play the Hapi drum and Lotus drum.

I play all sorts of styles from Deep House to Techno, Minimal, Disco, 80s music, Funk, Soul, R&B, downtempo and everything in between. I prefer not to use the term 'EDM' as that is a specific sound that I do not play. I play dance parties, weddings and yoga class which is currently my favorite. I do not manipulate the music other than adding some effects here and there. When playing ambient/alternative, I tend to do a lot of layering and harmonious mixing, blending the tracks together to build the energy as I see fit for what's happening live in yoga class at the moment.

I do not use loops or samples (other than sound effects for transitions such as running water or birds for example). I prefer to let the tracks speak for themselves and try to get out of the way as much as possible. For me, it's more about selecting the right sounds and programming them in a way that tells a story.

Hope this answers your questions. Thanks again for listening!

Cheers!

[annode]

Hi Sami.

Yes this was very useful, thanks.
My friend owned a Philly club in the `90s (Evolution) and I was very interested in how the DJs worked. What your doing, to some extent, by multi-layering tracks is much like one might work in a DAW host like Ableton LIVE. Considering those who use soft-synth preset patches and the popularity of sample loop packages, you could actually consider yourself a producer in how you work.

When playing ambient/alternative, I tend to do a lot of layering and harmonious mixing, blending the tracks together to build the energy as I see fit for what's happening live in yoga class at the moment.

In another thread here at AO we had a discussion about the widening spectrum of ambient music and how to sub-categorize it. I came to close on accepting 'electronic/ambient/alternative' as a catch all for what was ambiguous. I see you used 'ambient/alternative' as well. I`m happy to see that...a DJ with your experience would know.

For me, it's more about selecting the right sounds and programming them in a way that tells a story.

This is the same ideal as any good producer. In a day and time when many ppl 'creating' music use automation/arpeggiation/step sequencing/loop sequencing/sampling/moving atmospheres, a DJ set can fit into this form of music manufacturing. Decisions are made between both producer and DJ but neither are necessarily generating the actual sounds. So where do we draw the line of who is a producer and who is not? For me it a personal choice. The mediums are sometimes different...tables/CDs/pan fader and so on.

I was very happy to have run across your DJ set page on Soundcloud. Even though there are some ambient radio shows and net-radio broadcasts, it`s been unsatisfactory for me to use these to audition new and older, quality, ambient music. You and I have similar tastes in what`s good, so it seems.
I can listen to a set with artist listings and find artists I want to investigate. You have already done the work, filtering what you hear and only saving what you like....which happens to be what I like also.
I do have 'Starsend' in Philly but it`s from 1:00am - 6:00am Sunday morn. I listen, but not that crazy about what he plays these days. It`s live, so I need to record it and review to match any artist names, and I don`t have the patience for that. 'Stillstream' is good, it`s live ambient with attached data. But besides this, it`s hard for me to find time to audition enough net music, filtering out the amateur and finding what`s/who`s worth later investigating. There`s just too much crap out there.

So, i`m very happy your saving/posting your sets...and I hope most have set lists.

Barry.


PS: EDM is a new term for me, so my apologies. I refereed to your Daniel Avery set which I think was marked as 'techno'....I used EDM to widen the category.

[groovejedi]

Hi Sami.

Yes this was very useful, thanks.
My friend owned a Philly club in the `90s (Evolution) and I was very interested in how the DJs worked. What your doing, to some extent, by multi-layering tracks is much like one might work in a DAW host like Ableton LIVE. Considering those who use soft-synth preset patches and the popularity of sample loop packages, you could actually consider yourself a producer in how you work.

In another thread here at AO we had a discussion about the widening spectrum of ambient music and how to sub-categorize it. I came to close on accepting 'electronic/ambient/alternative' as a catch all for what was ambiguous. I see you used 'ambient/alternative' as well. I`m happy to see that...a DJ with your experience would know.

For me, it's more about selecting the right sounds and programming them in a way that tells a story.

This is the same ideal as any good producer. In a day and time when many ppl 'creating' music use automation/arpeggiation/step sequencing/loop sequencing/sampling/moving atmospheres, a DJ set can fit into this form of music manufacturing. Decisions are made between both producer and DJ but neither are necessarily generating the actual sounds. So where do we draw the line of who is a producer and who is not? For me it a personal choice. The mediums are sometimes different...tables/CDs/pan fader and so on.

I was very happy to have run across your DJ set page on Soundcloud. Even though there are some ambient radio shows and net-radio broadcasts, it`s been unsatisfactory for me to use these to audition new and older, quality, ambient music. You and I have similar tastes in what`s good, so it seems.
I can listen to a set with artist listings and find artists I want to investigate. You have already done the work, filtering what you hear and only saving what you like....which happens to be what I like also.
I do have 'Starsend' in Philly but it`s from 1:00am - 6:00am Sunday morn. I listen, but not that crazy about what he plays these days. It`s live, so I need to record it and review to match any artist names, and I don`t have the patience for that. 'Stillstream' is good, it`s live ambient with attached data. But besides this, it`s hard for me to find time to audition enough net music, filtering out the amateur and finding what`s/who`s worth later investigating. There`s just too much crap out there.

So, i`m very happy your saving/posting your sets...and I hope most have set lists.

Barry.


PS: EDM is a new term for me, so my apologies. I refereed to your Daniel Avery set which I think was marked as 'techno'....I used EDM to widen the category.

It is so refreshing to talk to folks who have a true appreciation for music, especially ambient stuff. I really appreciate your kind words and support.

I recorded another live set for a sunset rooftop class in Denver yesterday and will post the recording as soon as I'm done editing.

Cheers.

[annode]

Glad to hear that Sami. Very anxious to listen.I`ll keep an eye out for it.

[groovejedi]

Glad to hear that Sami. Very anxious to listen.I`ll keep an eye out for it.

midnightneighbor,

In response to your previous post ...

I definitely try to approach my mixes (especially ambient and the like) as a producer. Like I mentioned, it's all about telling a story, for me and providing the yoga students with a journey that compliments the class rather than interrupts it. Students definitely love it and I enjoy trying to come up with new creative ideas. I'm constantly looking for new music, it's a neverending quest.

One of the things I play around with is tempo. I play a lot of the tracks at a slower tempo than they are recorded, I just like the way it feels. I do this with dance music as well. Slower the better, for me in many instances. Blending these tracks together to create a very special energy during mixes is what makes for a really special yoga class. I use 4 decks, so there is usually some layering happening. On the other hand, it's a fine line because less is always more! I do like to have the tracks do the all of the talking. I'm just a guide.

I forgot to mention that I have updated the link to the Infinite Space Yoga 18 soundcloud. It is now available for download and I've added the tracklisting.

Cheers

[annode]

Hi Sami.

I'm constantly looking for new music, it's a neverending quest.

I`m very happy you do...and that you take the necessary time to save and post your mixes.
Last night I listened to ISY 16 with phones uninterrupted focusing only on the music and I loved it.
The weekly radio show here 'Starsend' has not produced a show up to the standard of ISY 16 in many years. He, Chuck Van Zyl, used to find and play music like that, but for whatever reason doesn`t anymore. Luckily I have many of his `90s shows on hi-fi VHS tape for archiving.

I will be giving the other mixes my undivided attention as time permits.
I`ve listened to Rooftop Renew Sunset Yoga with Cher Aslor but I was also reading. The music doesn`t seep into my brain like it does when I pay attention...haha...so i`ll have to listen again.

Thank you Sami. I value what you are sharing with me.

[groovejedi]

Thank you! I really enjoy the dialogue. It's always interesting to hear which mixes people like (compared to others). ISY16 happens to possibly my least favorite of all of them, haha! So it's good to know that others enjoy it. I am with you on the listening versus multi-tasking thing. Sometimes it's nice to have music in the background while you're doing other activities but yes, it won't really sink in the same way as if you're listening with intent.

The Rooftop class was great but like I mentioned, we had to cut it short because it got cold. That changed my plan towards the end, so unfortunately it didn't flow the way I had planned, but that's part of being a good DJ I guess, being able to adjust on the fly. I would have preferred to bring the energy down gradually over the last 15 minutes. It was supposed to be a 75 minute class, but I think it turned out okay.

Thanks again for your support and the conversation.