Mathias Van Eecloo - eisOtones 16

01/31/24 • 70 min

It's 2024, and Mathias Van Eecloo of LAAPS is back with another instalment (his 16th) of the eisOtones series, where he hand-selects and celebrates 50 pieces from 50 releases of the year . As is the case with other regular contributors to Headphone Commute (like Ryan Griffin of ASIP and Mike Jedlicka of Optic Echo), who continue this ongoing annual ritual, I always look forward to the eclectic sounds of eisOtones. We already know and celebrate the music featured on the LAAPS and IIKKI imprints (a separate showcase of which you can also stream here), and it's always a fascinating dive down the uncharted waters, spanning a diverse collection of genres, labels, and themes. I always think of it as a bit of a refresher (a "head-cleaner", if you will), to rinse the palette from the familiar and "normal" (whatever normal that may be) and check out the sounds on the outer edge of the musical universe, where, for some, they're at the centre, and it's ours that's on edge. So let's turn on, tune in, and drop out...

Previous Episode

A Strangely Isolated Place - Reflection on 2023

Yes, folks, I am still rejoicing in last year. What can I say – I love to listen to great music, especially when it’s picked by someone else. And not just anyone – a trusted source! Ryan Griffin and I go back more than a decade now. Secretly, I’m even jealous of his capacity to operate one of the best labels on the scene today. At times, I toyed with the idea of starting a label too – but then, when would I have the time to write these words and share this music? And so, I leave it to the rest. For this annual entry in the Reflections series, we spend three hours (!) in the company of 42+ tracks selected by your reliable guide of A Strangely Isolated Place, where you will surely find new gems and inspirations. I’ll drop a short quote here, but you should check out a detailed write-up on this mix on ASIP’s dedicated page. If this wasn’t enough amazing music, you can also check out Ryan’s previous years’ selections here.

Next Episode

Dustin O'Halloran - Blue Summer Mixtape

With all of my regular hectic programming, I completely forgot to invite other artists and create a mix for the HC Podcast! This is immediately rectified with this wonderful Blue Summer Mixtape by the one and only Dustin O'Halloran. Oh, and if you're just jumping on board this long-running series and want to catch up, there are a total of 330 mixes already published - almost too many to host in one place. So you can either stream them on your favourite platforms or even download the entire archive in one swoop (more on that is detailed here). But back to this fantastic modern classical voyage. Dustin is, of course, no stranger to these lands - I have been celebrating his solo piano career, collaborative film scores with Volker Bertelman (aka Hauschka), and, of course, his gorgeous project with Adam Wiltzie as A Winged Victory For The Sullen since the beginning of time. So, it's an absolute pleasure to welcome Dustin back to the podcast with his very special selection of inspirational music. Dustin is currently celebrating his latest album for Deutsche Grammophon, titled 1 0 0 1, which I have reviewed in depth here. He is also preparing for his upcoming European tour, and you can see the schedule for his shows in Groningen, Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris and Berlin on his website here. Well, those are enough words for now. I'll leave you with a quote about the mix from Dustin and, most importantly, the music!