Moholy-Nagy is the latest incarnation of the musical brotherhood between Jefre Cantu-Ledesma, Danny Paul Grody and Trevor Montgomery. All three have been members of Tarentel and/or the Alps and the Drift in between various solo jaunts, and they have come together this time to bring us sprawling instrumental and largely improvised soundscapes with Like Mirage (out now on Temporary Residence Ltd.) We present to you this mix tape comprised of Montgomery’s “list of lost romanticisms” and Grody’s exporation of “the cosmic side of things.”
“Astronomy Is A Natural Science” (download):
https://magnetmagazine.com/audio/AstronomyIsANaturalScience.mp3
Talk Talk “It’s My Life”
Much attention gets paid to later Talk Talk releases, but for me this song was life altering. This was the first LP I ever purchased with my own money as a child. Great video: manipulated film, early experimental vibes! Video
The Payolas “Eyes Of A Stranger”
The unexploited genre of new-wave dub. This is a song that consumed hours of my imagination as a kid, before I knew or understood anything of life. I would think the sound of this song is what it must feel like to be an adult and in love. Video
Thompson Twins “Hold Me Now (Extended Version)”
Holy Shit!! What else is there to say? Brilliant composition and texture: romanticism at its best!!! Also N.W.D. vibes. Video
Duran Duran “Rio”
My friend Justin’s sister gave me this record on a tape with Agent Orange on the b-side and said, “I think you will like this.” My first crush. Duran Duran’s songs go so well with amorous feelings. I think of sounds from this album often when working on recordings, endless inspiration. This vid to me defines early MTV. Video
Tones On Tail “Go!”
I could do endless lists just with Bauhaus, Tones and L.A.R. Tones exploited repetition, and I love them with all of my heart. Video
Le Révélateur “Blue Nuit”
Video by Sabrina Ratte, who is also responsible for the album art to Moholy-Nagy’s new one. Both Sabrina and Roger (a.k.a. Le Revelateur) are creative partners, as well as a couple. This video so perfectly captures a shared language in sound and visual that totally melts my heart and mind. It’s an homage to all that came before, yet takes it somewhere new and contemporary. Lovely stuff! Video
Popol Vuh “Improvisation”
This has to be one of my personal favorite pieces by Popol Vuh. Florian Fricke busting out some gorgeous Moog sounds. The film gives a real intimate sense of creativity that you rarely get a glimpse of. So perfectly pastoral and quintessentially German. Video
Michael Hedges And Will Ackerman “Hawkcircle”
What’s not to love? The pure new-age guitar heyday, funky white-boy braids, clashing prints and a massive totally devoted audience. No really though, I’ve always had a soft spot for Ackerman and the thin-line of cheesy music associated with this period of music. It connects me back to the innocence of my childhood. Don’t hate! Video
La Düsseldorf “Rheinita”
Love the spirit is this performance: raw, goofy and totally weird in every way. They’ve got Hiromi Sudo interpretive dancing. Very performative and fun. Makes me wanna play synth on the ground more often. Video
Harold Budd And Brian Eno “A Stream With Bright Fish”
Not much in the visual department with this one, but this song stands to be one of my all-time favorite pieces by these two. It just never tires. It’s a balm for the ears. Ahhhh. Video
