Sleep Stories #2

This week's blog sees the return of 'Sleep Stories', a blog series which accompanies the Sleeplaboratory compilation series, now in its 6th edition. The brief the invited artists get for Sleeplaboratory is to create something sleepy and minimal and it's up to them to interpret this for themselves. Whitelabrecs is now 10 years old and since we have a wonderful private community called Inner Echo, with lots of artists and creatives, I thought it would be nice this year to ask them to produce something. The result, 18 superb tracks which remarkably fit so coherently together. (At the bottom of the page you can see a link to the album)

I've been making compilation albums since 2010 after collaborating with Jonathan of Hibernate Recordings on a series called Hidden Landscapes. There was a theme to it, with misty landscape photography stretching across a digipack and I absolutely loved working with the artists to make a couple of concept albums. I don't often buy compilation albums myself, because often they can be seen as a sort of sampler, with no real theme. For me, the album format is to be cherished and so from the very beginning, I wanted to make sure that the compilations I was involved with mean something.

For Whitelabrecs, the first compilation album 'Whitelabsounds' didn't follow this simple rule of mine - it was your typical label sampler. In 2018 I became a father and suddenly my relationship with sleep was about to change... at the tail end of that year I curated the first Sleeplaboratory compilation, complete with dreamy artwork by Federica de Luca. And this series has been on the go ever since, now in its sixth instalment!

Last year for the blog, I asked all the contributing artists to answer a simple question:

What track or album would you most associate with sleep and why?

I took a track from each of their selections and created a mix and I absolutely loved exploring and then sharing the sheer variety of sounds that came back! So this year, I had to repeat this exact format with some of the artists in our Inner Echo community, who have a track on Sleeplaboratory6.0.

You can take a listen to the mix below - read on to see what the artists each selected and why, along with a profile picture which if you click, links to their websites where you can explore more!

JUSTIN AMPLETT
On Thomas Köner’s Unerforschtes Gebiet

“No one does cold, dark, expansive soundscapes like Thomas Köner. This is a timeless album that makes you appreciate the warmth of your bed just that little bit more. It was a toss up between this, his album 'Permafrost' or the more violent but equally frigid 'Viento' by Lawrence English.”

NOCTILUSENSE
On Brian Eno & Peter Chilvers’ Bloom

“If I ever need help falling asleep (which is, fortunately, not too often), I will always turn on Peter Chilvers and Brian Eno's generative app "Bloom", and it instantly brings me into presence and relaxation -- you can also set it to run for extremely long periods of time and invite it in to soundtrack your dreams. If you don't have the app, they released a streaming version last year with an hour-long take and a shorter one, "Bloom: Living World"/"Bloom: Small World" with video versions as well.”

ANDY MAURER
On Taylor Deupree’s Faint

“For a long time now I've been listening to music to fall asleep to. This started when living in inner city locations, as a way to drown out street noise when trying to get some rest. I live somewhere much quieter now, but the sleep music habit has stayed with me. Lately I've been falling asleep to Taylor Deupree's Faint album. Its 5 long(ish) form tracks never stop evolving, but they do so in their own time, they're never rushed...like so much great ambient music, there's nothing in there that demands your attention, but if you're not straight off to sleep, there's plenty there that will reward it. I'd also recommend it as music to wake up to. lovely way to ease into the new day!”

PHONSONIC
On Loscil & Lawrence English Colours of Air

“Colours of Air by Loscil & Lawrence English is one of those albums I listen to, to clear my mind. Their use of textures and drifting pads on a solid but beautifully subtle bass provides just enough to make me listen without too much effort. The track Black is perhaps more soothing and dreamy Ambient with long drifting chords.”

PERCOLATOR
On Fennesz + Sakamoto’s Cendre

“I have spent most of my life falling asleep to music, otherwise I struggle to unwind my thoughts from the demands of the day. One of the albums I keep coming back to for this is Cendre by Fennesz + Sakamoto - the piano gently draws attention away from daytime concerns while the beds of texture are perfect to sink into.”

TIDES
On r beny’s we grow in a gleam

“Feels like a quiet cartography of memory, unfolding slowly enough to meet the pace of sleep. Guided by soft tones, distant echoes, and the recurring hum of a solitary voice, the track traces a landscape that gently erodes over time. Rivers glowing, pavilions emptying, forests reclaiming what once stood. This sense of gradual dissolution is why I associate it so closely with rest: nothing is rushed, and nothing demands resolution. Ambient music has always been my way of easing into sleep, and this piece, with its tenderness and acceptance of impermanence, creates a space where reflection can fade naturally into stillness.”

CLARILOOPS
On Nat Bartsch’s Forever, and No Time At All

“Forever, and No Time At All”, an album by Nat Bartsch is my number one sleep album! I’ve fallen asleep to it countless times while lying with my toddler for his naps haha. I often find listening to music while trying to sleep quite distracting as my brain is often going “what chords are these?” or “what instrument is that?” but Nat’s music washes over me perfectly for drifting off.”

AKIRA FILM SCRIPT
On Masanori Nozawa’sくおん

“I've been falling asleep to ambient music for the better part of 30+ years now regularly - I believe I started around 13 years old with Eno & Lanois' Apollo: Atmospheres & Soundtracks if memory serves - so my playlist has evolved a lot over time. I'd have to say nowadays, Masanori Nozawa's Kuon from his Kuon no Awai album is my favourite for drifting off to; it's just as perfect for an afternoon nap as it is to call it a day.”

PETE KVIDERA
On Deepchord's The Coldest Season

“It may be because I’m currently in the thick of winter, but The Coldest Season by DeepChord is a comforting sonic blanket enveloping you in the hiss and crackle of the digital fire. Anytime calm and patience are needed, this album always does the trick.”

THE INVENTORS OF AIRCRAFT
On Steve Roach's Quiet Music

“My pick is Steve Roach’s Quiet Music and particularly the piece ‘Music for Sleep and Dreaming’. This music comes from Roach's 1980's output and has a more minimal and restrained approach compared to his other works. The album and this track in particular is as mysterious and mesmerising as the act of sleep itself. I often listen to it when I want to either sleep or just have a pause from the world. It is a beautiful work and quietly moving.”

ARIES MOND
On David Lang's Just (after song of songs)

“Thinking about this question makes me realise how tastes change with time! I immediately remembered the sensation of a 10 hour bus trip at night just after I had my first Walkman for Christmas in 1986. I clearly remember what I listened to. Checking it 40 years later, I worry there’s nothing to share with people with good taste!

I remember a splendid acoustic post rock album from Chicago. I used to play it to my daughter when she was born in 2008 to help her fall asleep, it turned in loop on the CD player during entire nights because she was sleeping on my chest and I couldn’t move. It’s in my memory forever, but listening to it 18 years later, I realize it was super experimental, and I just feel lucky my daughter could grow up safely in such a sonic environment. But, what track or album could I share here? Ah, got it! I tried many times to share one of my favourite pieces of music with my wife when we met, but she always fell asleep after 4 minutes and the piece lasts 18. Checking it, it’s a depressive sound in fact!

One thing is sure - the music I listen to daily is generally soporific and boring for everybody… but it just makes me awake. This one by David Lang, for example, is perfect for me right now.”

MIST SIGNALS
On Broken Dog's Silver Canopy

“In the early 2000s when I lived alone, I would often play obscure London band and John Peel favourites, Broken Dog, as I went to sleep. I could name any album as they're all pretty sleepy in different ways, but Brighter Now (2001) ends with a beautiful track called 'Silver Canopy' which sent me drifting off on many nights."

[BONUS]

MOSAICIST
On King Crimson's Moonchild

“I often fall asleep listening to my own Ambient music, even while I'm still making it. I've decided that this means I'm on the right track! But in terms of other people's music - the best example I can give is this King Crimson track. I saw them live in their hometown (Bournemouth) in 2018, and it was a truly epic performance - some of the most virtuosic playing I've ever seen, with three drummers trading licks. Nevertheless, I somehow managed to fall asleep during the concert. So a decent prog-rock wig out can do it for me. Here I've selected their most Ambient track to see if it can do it for you!"

GREGORY PAUL MINEEFF
On Boards Of Canada's Tomorrow's Harvest

“I really love all sorts of music for sleep and find nothing more restorative than an afternoon nap in my darkened studio aided by music. The deepest sleeps I have ever had have been when listening to Boards of Canada’s Tomorrow’s Harvest. The organic nostalgia, the narrative, the minimal complexity all combine to drift me off to a perfectly deep sleep. I wake to memories of dreams listening to tracks i don’t consciously remember, somewhere between waking and sleeping."

MIX TRACKLIST

01 Thomas Köner - Unerforschtes Gebiet B
02 Brian Eno & Peter Chilvers - Bloom: Small World
03 Taylor Deupree - Dreams Of Stairs
04 Loscil & Lawrence English - Black
05 Fennesz + Sakamoto - Aware
06 r beny - we grow in a gleam
07 Nat Bartsch - And Until Tomorrow
08 Masanori Nozawa - くおん
09 Deepchord & Echospace - Winter In Seney
10 Steve Roach - Dreaming and Sleep
11 David Lang - Just (after song of songs) ft. Trio Mediaeval
12 Broken Dog - A Silver Canopy

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