Listen to works for voices and keyboards in an ambient vein from American composer Julianna Barwick, Chicago-based composer and multi-instrumentalist Macie Stewart, and musician, visual artist, and producer Brian Eno. Julianna Barwick is a composer, vocalist and producer who plays with sound, reverb and the voice, now working in Los Angeles. On her recent release Healing Is A Miracle, she got to thinking about the miraculous ways that the body heals itself and set about improvising vocal loops. Listen to some of that music, made using a different recording set-up with a gift of studio monitors from Jónsi and Alex —she had previously recorded all of her music on headphones. Hear the fist song she had made with the new tools, “Inspirit”, (Julianna Barwick’s Bandcamp liner notes). Also, there’s ethereal work for voice and electronics from the aforementioned Jonsi, who is the singer for the Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós, and musician/artist/producer Alex Somers, who collaborate as Jónsi and Alex – it’s a work about the last castrato singer, “Boy 1904”. Hear the latest from Chicago multi-instrumentalist, collaborator, and improviser Macie Stewart. It’s from her 2025 album – an 8-piece song cycle, When the Distance is Blue, and a return for her to piano, her first instrument. She describes the collages of prepared piano, field recordings, and string quartet compositions, as “a love letter to the moments we spend in-between”. Listen to a piece called “Stairwell (Before and After)”, which uses the prepared piano and wordless vocals, along with electronic processing. Plus, hear ambient pioneer Brian Eno’s seminal “Music for Airports”, which also uses voices and keyboards. And more. - Caryn Havlik Program #4992, Ambient Works For Voice and Keyboard (First aired 3/26/2025) ARTIST: Brian EnoWORK: Music for Airports 1-2 [1:10]RECORDING: Ambient 1: Music for AirportsSOURCE: EMI / EEG 17INFO: Available at Amazon.com, AppleMusic, Spotify, YouTube ARTIST: Macie StewartWORK: Stairwell (Before and After) [6:52]RECORDING: When the Distance is BlueSOURCE: International AnthemINFO: https://intlanthem.bandcamp.com/album/when-the-distance-is-blue ARTIST: Julianna BarwickWORK: Envelop [5:40]RECORDING: The Magic Place SOURCE: Asthmatic Kitty RecordsINFO: https://juliannabarwick.bandcamp.com/album/the-magic-place-2024-remaster ARTIST: Jónsi & AlexWORK: Boy 1904 [5:03]RECORDING: Riceboy SleepsSOURCE: XL Recordings INFO: https://ffm.to/ja_rbs2019.oem ARTIST: MobyWORK: A Seated Night [3:23]RECORDING: Wait for MeSOURCE: Little Idiot/MuteINFO: Available at Amazon.com, AppleMusic, Spotify, YouTube ARTIST: Julianna BarwickWORK: Inspirit [4:12]RECORDING: Healing is a MiracleSOURCE: Ninja TuneINFO: https://julianna.lnk.to/healingYo ARTIST: Odland + Auinger WORK: Kyrie [5:52]RECORDING: Requiem for Fossil FuelsSOURCE: Not commercially recordedINFO: http://www.o-a.info/rfffny/info.html ARTIST: Brian EnoWORK: Music for Airports 1-2 [11:28]RECORDING: Ambient 1: Music for AirportsSOURCE: EMI / EEG 17INFO: Available at Amazon.com, AppleMusic, Spotify, YouTube ARTIST: Joseph Branciforte & Theo BleckmannWORK: 3.4.26 [2:01]RECORDING: LP 1SOURCE: greyfadeINFO: https://josephbrancifortetheobleckmann.bandcamp.com/album/lp1
Listen to works for voices and keyboards in an ambient vein from American composer Julianna Barwick, Chicago-based composer and multi-instrumentalist Macie Stewart, and musician, visual artist, and producer Brian Eno.
Julianna Barwick is a composer, vocalist and producer who plays with sound, reverb and the voice, now working in Los Angeles. On her recent release Healing Is A Miracle, she got to thinking about the miraculous ways that the body heals itself and set about improvising vocal loops. Listen to some of that music, made using a different recording set-up with a gift of studio monitors from Jónsi and Alex —she had previously recorded all of her music on headphones. Hear the fist song she had made with the new tools, “Inspirit”, (Julianna Barwick’s Bandcamp liner notes). Also, there’s ethereal work for voice and electronics from the aforementioned Jonsi, who is the singer for the Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós, and musician/artist/producer Alex Somers, who collaborate as Jónsi and Alex – it’s a work about the last castrato singer, “Boy 1904”.
Hear the latest from Chicago multi-instrumentalist, collaborator, and improviser Macie Stewart. It’s from her 2025 album – an 8-piece song cycle, When the Distance is Blue, and a return for her to piano, her first instrument. She describes the collages of prepared piano, field recordings, and string quartet compositions, as “a love letter to the moments we spend in-between”. Listen to a piece called “Stairwell (Before and After)”, which uses the prepared piano and wordless vocals, along with electronic processing. Plus, hear ambient pioneer Brian Eno’s seminal “Music for Airports”, which also uses voices and keyboards. And more. - Caryn Havlik
Program #4992, Ambient Works For Voice and Keyboard (First aired 3/26/2025)
ARTIST: Brian EnoWORK: Music for Airports 1-2 [1:10]RECORDING: Ambient 1: Music for AirportsSOURCE: EMI / EEG 17INFO: Available at Amazon.com, AppleMusic, Spotify, YouTube
ARTIST: Macie StewartWORK: Stairwell (Before and After) [6:52]RECORDING: When the Distance is BlueSOURCE: International AnthemINFO: https://intlanthem.bandcamp.com/album/when-the-distance-is-blue
ARTIST: Julianna BarwickWORK: Envelop [5:40]RECORDING: The Magic Place SOURCE: Asthmatic Kitty RecordsINFO: https://juliannabarwick.bandcamp.com/album/the-magic-place-2024-remaster
ARTIST: Jónsi & AlexWORK: Boy 1904 [5:03]RECORDING: Riceboy SleepsSOURCE: XL Recordings INFO: https://ffm.to/ja_rbs2019.oem
ARTIST: MobyWORK: A Seated Night [3:23]RECORDING: Wait for MeSOURCE: Little Idiot/MuteINFO: Available at Amazon.com, AppleMusic, Spotify, YouTube
ARTIST: Julianna BarwickWORK: Inspirit [4:12]RECORDING: Healing is a MiracleSOURCE: Ninja TuneINFO: https://julianna.lnk.to/healingYo
ARTIST: Odland + Auinger WORK: Kyrie [5:52]RECORDING: Requiem for Fossil FuelsSOURCE: Not commercially recordedINFO: http://www.o-a.info/rfffny/info.html
ARTIST: Brian EnoWORK: Music for Airports 1-2 [11:28]RECORDING: Ambient 1: Music for AirportsSOURCE: EMI / EEG 17INFO: Available at Amazon.com, AppleMusic, Spotify, YouTube
ARTIST: Joseph Branciforte & Theo BleckmannWORK: 3.4.26 [2:01]RECORDING: LP 1SOURCE: greyfadeINFO: https://josephbrancifortetheobleckmann.bandcamp.com/album/lp1