Edges of Dreaming is back on the air today after a few weeks off. We have gotten ourselves back across the country to our mountain home, and are settling in for a retreat from the world.

The news is dire all over, and we’re being told to do things that seem to run counter to our nature — “social distancing” is a sterile way of saying “disconnect”, “don’t touch each other”. Humans are by and large social creatures, so this is alien to many of us.

Today’s episode had originally begun as a challenge episode weeks back. The entire challenge is a three-part series called “2020 Vision”; part 1 was “Peace”, which we heard back in January; part 2, “Love”, was delayed a few weeks; part 3, “Unity” comes up at the end of March.

We received a single entry for the “Love” challenge, a track by George L Smyth, which we’ll hear to start the program.

And then the music community stepped up! Posting a day-of notice on Facebook yielded a program of very interesting and beautiful tracks that take up the rest of the program. We’ll hear works by Chris Stack, Shaping Mind, Cousin Silas (with yours truly telling a “yikes” true story about dating in the 21st century), Joe Howard, M. Peck, His Divine Shadow, Perceptual Defence, Kevin Hay, Doug Lynner, embral, Soundician, Symmetry2010, Usufruct, and Robert Scott Thompson.

PS: We received enough recommendations for this to spill over into a second show next week. To be continued!!

• “Love” – George L Smyth – Love (2020)
  The single entry for the “Love” challenge.
• “Modoru” – Chris Stack (2020)
  A new one from Chris Stack, using real (not sampled) shakuhachi and Moog guitar
• “Mariage D’Amour” – Version – Shaping Mind (2017)
  This track takes its inspiration from
  Mariage d’Amour – Paul de Senneville
  www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoCG-WNsZio
• “Dating In The 21st Century – part 1” – Cousin Silas and Rebekkah Hilgraves – Silas & Friends | Volume 3 (2014)
  A real, no-bull$#!+ true story from my misadventures with online dating
• “Into Light” – Joe Howard (2020)

All alone, on a road, he seems to drive away, with no one else

And appears that it has crossed in a distant place
Where time stands still

When it creeps and it grows into another place, alone

When it creeps and it grows into another place,
Where time stands still

All alone, on a ride, on a big dark trail, into light, into anywhere

All alone, on a ride, on a big dark trail, seems too light, into anywhere.

Alone, alone, alone, alone…

• “Anchored In Light” – M. Peck – Secret Rituals For Atonement (+/-) Phase One (2020)
• “October Night” – His Divine Shadow – (2019)
  From the artist: “This is an early track of ours (me and my wife). It was certainly done with an intention of love and connection. When I listen to it, it’s like a conversation between us.”
• “…but at the End everything will be alright!” – Perceptual Defence – …but at the End everything will be alright! (2020)
  Just released yesterday (March 14th, 2020): “Track improvised in my Musart Studio in Roma utilizing my two Grp A2 and some Effects in these tragic Days here in Italy where everybody is at Home. It is a very emotive ambient Track but with a Light at the End like all the Drawings that the Italian Children are doing: a Rainbow with written it will be alright!! “
• “RD” – Kevin Hay (2020)
  Homage to Ram Dass
• “When Dark Clouds Dance” – Doug Lynner – Modular Tonalism (2019)
  Performed on the “Mystery Serge”
• “Metta” – embral – Immeasurable (2014)
  One of of four Buddhist virtues and the meditation practices made to cultivate them: Metta – Loving Kindness, the wish that all sentient beings, without any exception, be happy
• “Two Souls” – SOUNDICIAN – Evensong (2018)
  “Evensong, as a project, began several years ago as a response to the death of my favourite Aunt, Vera. I created music, as words utterly failed me at her loss. I then stored the tracks away with a mind to one day return to them and maybe release them at a future time.”
• “Awakening” – Symmetry2010 (2012)
  “…great for meditation. I had a stressful night at work several days ago and I meditated with this along with “Multidimensional” and “Not from Here” during my lunch hour. I felt like a completely different person afterwards.”
• “Upside-Down Wedding” – Usufruct – Windfall (2017)
  “The piece is called “upside-down wedding” because I had some sheet music I played at a wedding gig and I turned it upside down and played from it“
• “Refrain” – Robert Scott Thompson – Alchemy (2000)
  Recorded expressly for Jim Brenholts, and his book “Tracks Across the Universe – A Chronology of Ambient and Electronic Music”, in Fall of 2000, Alchemy proposed a new direction for Robert Scott Thompson’s ambient music. The disc is comprised of 11 tracks which are carefully sequenced for an evocative flow. The design of the album emphasizes a recurring thematic identity together with subtle shadings and perspectives.