Tonebreaker & Noctum - America's Ghostwriters

If you notice between the last mix and this one was a five-year gap, six years from the last Libations and Oscillations mix. It’s not that the duo of Tonebreaker and Noctum split, or that I attempted to “retire” from music again. It’s just that sometimes life happens. During lockdown orders in this extremely unusual year, Tonebreaker reached out to me with an idea. A mixtape to raise funds for charity. I was completely down with this idea. The charity we found was Music by Black Composers, a project of the Rachel Barton Pine Foundation.

On a personal note as we explored this mix we also decided to lay the Libations & Oscillations moniker to rest. So much had changed since the last time we touched that moniker. This time we released this simply as Tonebreaker and Noctum.

Music is one of the tapestries by which humanity tells its stories. From Congo Square in New Orleans to CBGB in New York, personal expression and culture have always been socialized to a soundtrack. As contemporary electronic musicians ourselves, we wanted to raise money for this charity to honor the rich and diverse musical roots that came before.

“Tracklist:
1. DJ Shadow - Rocket Fuel (feat. De La Soul)
2. Gramatik - Halcyon
3. GRiZ - PS GFY feat. Cherub (Opiuo Remix)
4. DJ Shadow - C.O.N.F.O.R.M (feat. Gift of Gab & Lateef The Truth Speaker)
5. Barbatuques - Baiana (CloZee Remix)
6. Skrillex & Boys Noize - BREAK LAW
7. Lin-Manuel Miranda - Immigrants (We Get the Job Done) (feat. K’naan, Snow tha Product, Riz MC and Residente)
8. BRONSON - DAWN feat. Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs
9. Flume - Jewel
10. DROELOE - OATH (TWO LANES Remix)
11. Edamame - Kishi Kaisei (Tor Remix)
12. ODESZA - Memories That You Call (feat. Monsoonsiren)
13. Childish Gambino - This is America (WHITTE Remix)
14. The Glitch Mob - Saikuron (The Glitch Mob Remix)
15. Diamans - Egypt
16. Skrillex - Mumbai Power (feat. Beam)
17. BAAUER - REACHUPDONTSTOP
18. DJ Khalil - Elevate (feat. Denzel Curry, YBN Cordae, SwaVay & Trevor Rich)
19. Gramatik & Galactic Marvl - Voyager Twins
20. Run the Jewels - JU$T (feat. Pharrell Williams & Zack de la Rocha)
21. 1991 - The People
22. Flume - Let You Know (feat. London Grammar) (Nathan C Remix)
23. Orbital - PHUKU”

LoveBytes Vol. 5 - Submission + Surrender Mixed by Libations & Oscillations

Fifth volume in the new LoveBytes mix series ..." the evolution of a relationship. a journey through love."

We were contacted by Ideal Noise to be a part of their new LoveBytes mix series. This series tried to explore the theme of "Love" by reflecting and exploring different phases it may go through. Each stage (or theme) was guest mixed by a different well known or up and coming DJ/ Producer hand-selected from an international roster of hottest names in today's bass-heavy sounds. We were selected to be 5th in the series with the phase of Submission + Surrender as our theme.

Vocal Production & Mastering Vital (Jeffrey Evans)Vocals, poetry/ Spoken words by Zefora

“Tracklist:
1. Annie Drury - Let The River Flow (Jack Sparrow Remix)
2. The M Machine - Shadow In The Rose Garden (Matt Lange Remix)
3. Tealeaf - Voices From War
4. PANTyRAiD - Driving Back Home
5. Bwoy De Bhajan - Gipsy Otters of New Orlasia
6. Minnesota - Bloom
7. Submotion Orchestra - Blind Spot (Intro)
8. Bonobo - Towers
9. Jon Hopkins - Form By Firelight
10. Gaszia - You (Anvil Hands Remix)
11. Lana Del Rey vs. Congi - Somnium of The Young and Beautiful (Libations & Oscillations Cocktail)
12. Ludovico Einaudi - Experience (Starkey Remix)
13. Mr. FijiWiji & Exist Strategy - Voyager
14. Kerry Leva - Stay With Me
15. Bronze Whale - Say It (BAILE Remix)
16. Libations & Oscillations - Myriads Rise (echo conscious’ Reclaimed Wood Remix)”

Libations & Oscillations - Young & Beautiful

This is a live set for a private party that was never really made for release. It was made for the magic of one night. In October of 2013 a Great Gatsby party happened and it was the social event of the season. Everyone was there dressed to the nines, cocktails, and cigars between the pool and rotunda. Hors d’oeuvres of canapés, crudités, and patisserie by the grand foyer. A photo session in the drawing-room, and plenty of action in the ballroom. The creation of a proper mood for this event was crucial and began with crafting a new cocktail (mash-up) of Lana Del Rey’s song from the Great Gatsby soundtrack. Everything else was built from there using lounge, future jazz fusion, and a touch of hip hop. The cocktail was released on November 5th of that year but the setlist was lost to a cocktail napkin and found again inside a smoking jacket. Eventually to be released as a full the full mixset in Feb of 2014.

“Tracklist:
1. Lana Del Rey vs. Congi - Somnium Of The Young And Beautiful (L&O Cocktail)
2. Author - In The Sky Feat Jehst & Stig Of The Dump
3. Bonobo - Sapphire
4. Blockhead - Farewell Spaceman
5. Moca - Latein
6. Ella Fitzgerald - Wait Till You See Him (De-Phazzed Remix)
7. Esthero - Melancholy Melody
8. Chinese Man - Saudade Feat Femi Kuti and Liliboy
9. Waldeck - Addicted
10. Caravan Palace - Star Scat
11. Thievery Corporation - A Gentle Dissolve (Shawn Lee Ping Pong Orchestra Remix)
12. Wax Tailor - Only Once Feat Ali Harter
13. Michal Menert - Top to Bottom
14. Blockhead - Triptych Pt. 3
15. Chinese Man - He Said
”

theWaxhole.com January Mix Mixed by Libations & Oscillations

This was a fun promotional mix for theWaxhole.com. Our good buddy Hypo, then Editor-In-Chief for Waxhole was organizing mix series with various artists to weave the music featured on the blog into Mixtapes. This was a using November and December 2012 tunes as the palette which lead to some interesting choices for tracks, but ones that lead to some great audio moments.

“Tracklist:
1. Crywolf - Please Don’t Stop The Music (Rihanna Cover)
2. Trifonic - Santa Rosa
3. CloZee - Toulouse By Night
4. CloZee - Raging Strings
5. Tor - Moon II
6. Tor - Heikki
7. RIT - Terminal Illness
8. Rumtum - Birdeyes
9. Luxar ft Milo Mills - I Don’t Love Her
10. Tours - I Need U
11. Minnesota - Indian Summer (Feat G Jones)
12. Yuna - Lullabies (Adventure Club Remix)
13. Flume - Sleepless (PRFFTT & Svyable Remix)
14. Bondax - Gold
15. Chris B & jOBOT - Sevens on the Out
16. Ill.gates - The Demon Slayer Part 1
17. Trifonic - Baalbek (Hecq Remix)
18. Seven Lions - Days To Come (Culture Code Remix)
19. Draft - Vanish
20. Wanderhouse - Use Me Up (Ianborg Remix)
21. Neon Hitch - Gucci Gucci (VILLΛGE Edit)
22. The Weeknd - Twenty Eight (Ianborg & Bronze Whale Bootleg)”

Libations & Oscillations - Cadavre Exquis

So this is the fifth mix chronologically but the story this mix takes place after our duo Dr. Dirigible and The Outlaw Saint have left Professor Seaglitch's Isle. In this arrangement, we hear the newfound musical techniques of Dr. Dirigible and The Outlaw Saint. The former title could be, "The Exquisite Corpse of My Former Self," however that is a touch extravagant. Instead "Cadavre Exquis" describes both the technique and emotion that was put into this mix. This was put together and performed for the 38th Ambient Campout and lead to one of our favorite remixes we’ve ever done. The Portishead remix here was something that happened. There was a point in Cadavre Exquis where we thought, "Man, it would be nice to drop some Portishead right here, but it doesn't quite fit." So we remixed it. You have to be careful when remixing something as timeless as Portishead. The original is so beautiful, we didn't want to change that much but rather just amp up the groove a bit to fit the context of the mix.

“Tracklist:
1. AMB - Skyway 2011
2. Hecq - With Angels (Trifonic Remix)
3. Massive Attack - Teardrop (Knight Riderz Remix)
4. Florence & The Machine - Cosmic Love (Seven Lions Remix)
5. Bird Of Prey - The First Step
6. Portishead - Roads (Libations & Oscillations Lori Petty Remix)
7. The Flashbulb - Teeming Disconnected
8. Phaeleh - Afterglow (ft. Soundmouse) (Akira Kiteshi Remix)
9. Phaeleh - In The Twilight
10. Bird Of Prey & Chillax’n - Pipe Dream
11. Made in Heights - SKYLARK INTERABANG?!
12. Kid Beyond - I Shall Be Free
13. Kaiori Breathe - I Have Ruined Everything I Care About
14. Kraymon - Slick Tricks
15. The Nomad - Devil In The Dark (Opiuo Remix)
”

Libations & Oscillations - The Cracked Chronometer

Typically during the burning of an effigy at a burn event there is no music. Not that it’s a law written in stone but it’s something that people had come to think of like a tradition. At the request of the effigy designer, Dottie Spearman, we challenged this line of thinking. Several things happened here the first being one of the most complicated mixsets either Tonebreaker or myself have ever put together and an L&O Cocktail at the end. Which is one of the strangest things I’ve ever put together. However, I still love it for it’s dark and cinematic feel.

In this tale, Dr. Dirigible (Tonebreaker) and The Outlaw Saint (Joseph Noctum) have affixed an ancient Duergar chronometer to their airship, the S.S. Discord. According to legend, this device will allow them to sail the temporal seas firsthand. However, upon entering the tesseract, the chronometer cracks and sends our band of ne’er-do-well’s skittering through the fabric of spacetime. The resulting adventure through past, present, and future is transcribed in sound for your listening enjoyment. We used all of our skills mixing, sampling, remixing and producing this arrangement to make a cinematic tour that spans a myriad of musical styles. Marrying the world of acoustic and electronic music, we hope you enjoy this auditory accompaniment to the stunning visuals, performances, pyro and ultimately, our 2012 burn

“Tracklist:
1. Miroslav Losonsky - Neanderthal
2. Griff - Improbability
3. Great Scott - Looking Good (Instrumental)
4. The Glitch Mob - Beyond Monday
5. Mongoose - Dragon Slayer
6. Kalya Scintilla - Caravan Planet
7. Birds Of Paradise - Lucid Dream
8. Cassette Culture - We Once Had An Empire (Jungle Fiction Remix)
9. Daft Punk - Rinzler (Kaskade Remix)
10. Akira Kiteshi - Iron man
11. Bassnectar - Boombox (Bassnectar & iLL.Gates Remix)
12. The Glitch Mob - Animus Vox
13. Muse - Knights of Cydonia (Gramatik remix)
14. Great Scott - Mad Hydraulic Bounce
15. Kalya Scintilla - Way Of The Tarot
16. Emancipator - Rattlesnakes (saQi Remix)
17. Pretty Lights - Something’s Wrong
18. Bird Of Prey - Pathfinder feat. Ryan Johnson and Robert Rich
19. Trifonic - Growing Distance Pt. 2 (Instrumental)
20. C2C - F-u-y-a
21. Benn Jordan - Sunrise In Blue Skies
22. Massive Attack vs. The Bug - Catch A Fire Sam (Libations & Oscillations Cocktail)”

Libations & Oscillations - Invasion Of The Soul Snatchers

It’s hard for me personally to pick-out a favorite Libations & Oscillations set. Tonebreaker and I made a lot of magic together in the studio piecing together songs from friends, remixing, and editing extremely avant-garde tracks. This mix would be up there at the top though. This was our set from Ambient Camping 36. We decided to construct a blend of haunting downtempo that creeps along and stitches together beautiful, yet somber melodies. In addition to being hauntingly beautiful, this places in some of our favorite artists and allowed us to really start putting our own flavor into those tracks through remixes and edits.

“Tracklist:
1. KiloWatts - Interlude
2. The Flashbulb - A Raw Understanding
3. Frank Riggio - Tryk Alimba
4. Eskmo - Moving Glowstream
5. Ill.Gates & MiM0SA - Never Alone
6. Two Fingers - Moth Rhythm
7. Beats Antique - Siren Song
8. Florence & The Machine - Heavy In Your Arms (C Berg Remix)
9. Phaeleh - From a distance
10. Emancipator - First Snow (Ooah Remix)
11. The Flashbulb - Kirlian Changes
12. Mercan Dede - Istanbul (L&O’s Two Broken Edit)
13. Beats Antique - Alto
14. See - I - Blow Up
15. THIEVERY CORPORATION - Is it over?
16. Bluetech - Three Worlds
17. Zero 7 - Ghost sYMbOl (L&O’s Finalflash Edit)
18. Leftfield - Swords”

Libations & Oscillations - Bridge Burner

This is the second in the Libations & Oscillations mixtape saga. Tonebreaker and I both decided to play our various sets at various sound camps throughout the Flipside event. The close however was a joint L&O set that we performed after the effigy burned at the Amalgam Coast camp. Well, here it is... Another twisted construct from us to you. As always we have a story to go with the audio. This one starts in the waste of a crushed empire and ends elsewhere. We are but the poets who tell the story in between.

“Tracklist:
1. The Flashbulb - Undiscovered Colors
2. MiM0SA - Stairway
3. Karton - Play Our Game
4. DJ Mutiny - Responded (Under This Remix)
5. Andy Page - SERPENT
6. Bjork - Joga (Matta refix)
7. Cassius - The Sound Of Violence (Tha Trickaz Remix)
8. Love & Light - Squish City Feat. Chestshure Von Scribbles
9. Pretty Lights - Finally Moving (remix)
10. B-Complex - Beautiful Lies
11. Karton - The Only One
12. Culture Shock - Bad Red
13. Sub Swara - Scheme Feat. Shamik
14. Blunt Instrument - TURTLE sLAP.
15. Gramatik - Stairway To Hip Hop Heaven”

Libations & Oscillations - Professor Seaglitch's Isle of Aural Decadence

The very first Libations & Oscillations mix. This one is a special mix as it cemented my longest-running musical partnership. It started with Tonebreaker wanting my help in a remix project he was working on. It then moved to us finishing an original track he was working on. That track became “Going Baroque”. The next thing we knew we were working on a live set to play together. This first one was not played as a duo as he had a DJ reunion show in Dallas to play and I had a show on the beach for Ambient Campout to play. So separated by 550 ish miles on the opposite ends of Texas we played this set. Later we released it on the nurevolution studios podcast. This marked the beginning of the journey by Dr. Dirigible (Tonebreaker) and the Outlaw Saint (Joseph Noctum).

“Tracklist:
1. Of Porcelain - Signal The Captain
2. The Glitch Mob vs. Le Roux - Bad Wings (Castle) / In For 3. The Kill (Acapella)
4. Ill-esha - Smoke and Mirrors
5. The Glitch Mob - Between Two Points ft. Swan
6. M83 - Skin of the Night (Of Porcelain)
7. Eskmo - Cloudlight
8. Fever Ray - I’m Not Done (R/D)
9. VibeSquad - Empower the Wallflower
10. R/D - Ballad of Melted Rapture
11. Truth - Perfect Combination
12. Nico Luminous - Speaker Box ft. Reva Devito
13. Ill-esha & Kitsch Palace - Shiki Miki
14. James Zabiela - Human (Stephan Jacobs Late Night)
15. Love & Light - You’re the Reason Why
16. Libations & Oscillations - Going Baroque”