Streets, Dreams and Memories (mix)

Streets, Dreams & Memories

 

 


I guess I should start with a warning for regular visitors: this mix is different from what you’re used to.

First: it’s definitely not an “ambient mix”, although there’s quite a lot of ambience involved in this music.
Second: it’s not a compilation mix, but a mix featuring the music of one artist only: Michel Banabila.


Banabila (photo: Martijn Kappers)

Ever since I heard Banabila play a live set for VPRO’s radio program Spleen (way back in 1983, mind you!), I have been addicted to his music. This particular track has remained one of my favourite over the years…although the sound quality slowly deteriorated because I had to copy it a few times from cassette to cassette to preserve it…(that’s the reason it is not included in this mix).

Looking back to the musical output of almost 30 years, Banabila’s music is hard to categorize. He has released ambient music, as well as world fusion and sample jazz music (“Voiznoiz 3 – Urban Jazz  Scapes“, recorded with dutch jazz trumpeteer Eric Vloeimans was awarded an Edison in 2003).
His tracks has been used in many theatre productions and television documentaries!

Banabila’s music is very experimental at times, yet it conveys emotions one can easily relate to – and it is exactly that which makes him a unique musician…as well as one difficult to market because he cannot be ‘pinpointed’ to any contemporary style.

When I started on this mix, at first I wanted to focus on the ambient music Banabila has created. But in fact that would not do him right, it would represent only a small part of all the music he created.

This mix is not a ‘Best of Banabila‘, neither is it a collection of personal favourites  (in that case it would be a lot longer!). Looking back on this mix, I see a painful amount of tracks-that-should also-have-been-included….
But it covers a lot of different aspects of Michel Banabila’s musical world.
A world built from “Streets, Dreams and Memories”, waiting to be discovered by those with open ears..

banabila mix - sequence
Banabila – Mix Sequence

Playlist:

  • 00:00 T A P E (Mix 2), Unreleased, 2008
  • 00:23 Intro Harbour Set, Harbour Set, 2010 (for Geert Mul)
  • 02:07 Phonema 2, Phonema, 2003 (with Rotterdamse Improvisatie Pool)
  • 02:36 Satellite Queens, Satellite Queens, 2007
  • 04:11 Phonema 4, Phonema, 2003 (with Rotterdamse Improvisatie Pool)
  • 05:31 A Man in a Room, Precious Images, 2008
  • 06:30 My Mother’s Voice, Vuka! Vuka! theatre show, SA, 2005
  • 08:51 Watercolour, A Living Thing, 1998
  • 10:14 UAV, Sperics, 2003 (+ UAV – Sanjana Mix, 2006)
  • 13:42 Buildings, Changing Structures, 2008
  • 14:23 A Strong Sense of Urgency, Spherics, 2002
  • 17:47 Babylon, Precious Images, 2008
  • 17:56 Untitled, Unreleased, 2010 (with Mehmet Polat)
  • 22:12 Azmignie, Voiznoiz – Urban Soundscapes, 1999
  • 24:02 Do Something About it, Voiznoiz – Urban Soundscapes, 1999
  • 25:05 SMS-ing, Hilarious Expedition, 2005
  • 26:06 Quietly Descending, Changing Structures, 2008
  • 27:20 My Name is Johnny, Banabila-Monoscope live, 2005 (with Anton Goudsmit)
  • 29:04 Lost in a Big Building, Changing Structures, 2008
  • 30:40 Bicycle Exotica (reworked), Hilarious Expedition, 2005
  • 35:25 The Perfume Route (for Maher Al Sabbagh), O.S.T. The Perfume Route, 2010
  • 36:20 X-Zone, A Living Thing, 1998
  • 37:04 Friedrich Remixed, Recyclopedia, 2009 (with Eric Vloeimans & Frans Friedrich)
  • 41:37 Voices from a Secret World, A Living Thing, 1998
  • 43:06 Intro, Vuka! Vuka!, 2006
  • 45:47 Hosanna, Voiznoiz – Urban Soundscapes, 1999
  • 47:00 The Monitor is Dead, Spherics, 2003
  • 51:24 Zeer Duister (Voor Peter van Cooten), unreleased, 2007
  • 53:06 My Brain is Electric, Hilarious Expedition, 2005
  • 54:30 Magical Day (Huiskameronweer Mix), Precious Images, 2008
    (+ Voix du Fou Remix, with Eric Vloeimans)
  • 56:52 Small Talk (Off Balance Quasimodo Mix), Drone Download Project, 2009
  • 58:26 The Holy Mountain, Precious Images, 2008 (with Eric Vloeimans)

(c) All compositions by Michel Banabila

 


Download Streets, Dreams & Memories Now102Mb (63:00 min.)

links:
Banabila Website
Soundcloud
Myspace
Flickr

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

17 Comments

  4. Emlyn Gear

    Reminiscent in places of some of the stuff by Black Dog, then echoes of Burnt Friedman, echoes of David Sylvian, peppered with the ghosts of Dead Can Dance. It made me smile from ear to ear at times, just because of some of the surprises and unexpected events.

  10. Matthew Florianz (via Facebook)

    Het is voor mij een eerste echte kennismaking met een componist waar je al jaren met veel respect en enthousiasme over spreekt. Ik ben erg benieuwd!

  13. Jaap Drupsteen (via Facebook)

    So what, one may ask, might his personal musical direction be? In fact, that is a tough question to answer…

    Deze laatste vraag wil ik graag een beetje aanvullen:
    So what, niet dicht bij jezelf? Dit zijn toevallig wel hele mooie kleurrijke tracks! M’n hele zonnige zondagmorgen staat er al in te glanzen.