The Most Beautiful Songs in the World

...sharing a few suggestions from my collection, which formed part of my recent Grounded mix

I was asked to record a mix for Grounded, a beautifully presented vinyl mix-series presented by the lovely folk behind Shai Space in south London. Being asked gave me the opportunity to dig through my record collection and find the music that has had the biggest impact on my home listening, away from the dancefloor.

I didn’t have much of plan going into the mix, other than to have packed a range of my favourite records and to be intent on not being rushed during the recording. I was determined not to focus on one genre, era or place - instead trying to cover as many bases as possible - territory and era agnostic - but trying to maintain the all important ‘flow’. I see they have framed it as Ambient & Spiritual Jazz: Nature, Ritual & Deep Listening but that is only part of the story.

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I thought it would be interesting to give you a deep dive into the selection, highlighting some of the songs that made the cut:

00:35 - Jungle Book by YAS-KAZ

One of my most treasured records from Japan in the 1970s. Incorporating a range of environmental sounds and traditional instruments and laying the ground work for the new age movement that followed.

10:54 - Vrindavana Sanchara by Alice Coltrane

I picked this record up in Osaka, obviously anything by Alice Coltrane is buy-on-sight, but this one is particularly good. The words ‘spiritual’ and ‘Alice Coltrane’ seem to go hand in hand but for good reason - this does get you closer to some higher plain of universal consciousness. Alice’s harps unlock those gates to heaven, don’t they?

14:43 - Resistance (Ji Dru & Sandra Nkake Remix) by Ashes To Machines

This one is from closer to home from the Firecracker records crew in Edinburgh. Around the early 2010s they put out some incredible music with equally incredible screen printed artwork and marble vinyl. It has this black spiritual jazz feel rooted in ‘resistance’ - powerful stuff.

21:26 - Hyperballad by Sono (Bjork Cover)

This one has been a treasured part of my collection for looonng time, picking it up as a student in Fopp in Edinburgh around 2006. It’s a very tastefully done jazz version of Bjork’s ‘Hyperballad’ - which I’m always surprised the number of people pick up on.

29:45 - Sonnengesang by Sigi Schwab

I got this in a record shop in Rotterdam. Solid new age album from the bargain bins.

33:22 - Ei Dvipa by Merope

This is an all time favourite - from Lithuania. I discovered this during my Ambient Flo era coming out of lockdown and out of the hundreds of thousands (literally) of ambient-adjacent songs I listened to during that time, this is a stand out. The choir is simply ecstatic.

37:20 - The New and Improved Guide to Birdwatching, Vol. 1 by Fadi Tabbal

Another from the Ambient Flo era, where I spent 2 years spending around £200 a month on ambient music. Fadi ended up being one of our guest curators and really interesting to hear his selection of Lebanese and Levant music.

41:13 - Dream Interpretation I (Old Theatre Mix) by Kazuya Nagaya

I discovered Kazuya Nagaya during a festival in Den Haag many years ago. He was performing live in the early morning on the 4D surround sound system in an old abandoned factory. We’d been there all night for another performance - by John Connell and Florence To playing all night and experimenting with dream states. We all had mattresses and experienced different states as we drifted in an out of sleep throughout the night. When we woke, Nagaya performed the most wonderful live set on his variety of singing bowls.

48:21 - Fleuve V (léger retour) by Flore Laurentienne

One of my favourite contemporary composers on one of my go to labels RVNG Int from New York.

52:27 - Another Old Story (옛날이야기) by Okkyung Lee

This was a favourite of mine during lockdown. A Boomkat discovery as many of mine are outside of record shops.

55:20 - Path to the Cave of the Bear by Alice Damon

The blend of music and nature is something that interests me, so anything that explores this terrain is buy-on-sight. This one begins with many minutes of just water sounds before the music enters.

01:00:08 - Blues Nile by Jon Hassell

John Hassell is an inspirational figure, and his music still sounds well ahead of its time. The inventor of the ‘4th World’ framing of a music that blends locations, instruments and technologies - it provides me a good way of housing a lot of the music that perks my interests - from a non-place, not of the now, not necessarily from the past and perhaps not from the future. He sadly died a couple of years ago but his musical canon and vision continues to inspire

01:09:42 - Dream by Saba Alizadeh

Wow! this is part of an all time favourite album of mine, originating from Persia/Iran and blending traditional instruments with modern production. It carries a weight but a beauty that perhaps comes from a place of strife that has seen better days.

01:12:46 - Libanon 4 by Rayon

I know next to nothing about this other than it’s a special little 10” record that has remained in my regular rotation for the best part of 20 years. The sleeve doesn’t reveal anything really, which sometimes is for the best as I’m still intrigued…

01:15:40 - Voce In Xy by Lino Capra Vaccina

Another album favourite of mine discovered during the Ambient Flo era, this was was originally released in 1978 but thankfully re-issued and now happy to see Vaccina is working on new material.

01:20:18 - Zvichapera by Chiwoniso

A record that could make me cry. I was gifted this in Lyon by Antoine who runs the label. Chiwoniso is from Zimbabwe but sadly died weeks after recording this song. It’s beautiful and sad at the same time, whenever I’ve played it out people have asked its name.

What do you think? Please share any of your most beautiful, transcendental and other-worldy songs! Be very interested to hear…