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JESSE SOMFAY

What is art...music in particular. It's language, it's a translator, a vessel for feelings where words can't do any good in describing. I was born like this, on all the time, my sight never ceases, my body falls asleep but I dream so real I don't really sleep. I remember growing up really young and just going out alone into the woods trespassing through neighbours' back yards and I felt at home out there...not in the typical way someone goes out into nature to escape, it was more, still is, like going home, like being released. In itself it was music to me. Those moments are music. Emotions, sensations, complex, simple, audible or not. All of it is an endless tune.

When I listen to the music of other people, it's listening to their heartbeat, to their soul's pulse. Sometimes I can tell if its from deep within or just the surface, and usually that is what gets me to like a piece of work or to stray from it. I like feeling that soul pulse of others. It's their gaslamp flickering...their lives, realities, stories. You hear/feel a version of what they felt in a moment. You feel a ghost of what might have caused those feelings within them to exist. You could feel their experience as an insect caught in amber for a thousand years, its shape is still present, but the insect is gone or it has changed.

This set is just shy of 18 hours of those pulsing souls that I felt deeply. I wish it could be more but I don't want to go on for days and days [laughs.] It is a prepared set so it isn't done live and it's not beatmatched, not mixed in the typical manner, it's more a focus on the music itself and the story(s) within the music and the journey of the set [if you decide you really want to listen to all 18 hours rather than flick through it. Either way is good.] It took me a while to decide which pieces I wanted to string together and the order I wanted them all to be in, and this story that is a collage of the pulses of others is the result.

You could say it's an inspirations kind of set but it's deeper than that to me. The best inspiration I usually derive from is usually not others work, aurally, as inspiring as it all really is. Usually it is in quiet moments alone in waking or dreaming where I find it. It could be walking alone in the rain, the smells of soaked spring blossoms just starting out, night air, the sound of distant traffic when falling asleep, being in someone's arms, losing that feeling, or longing for it, stresses, hopes failed and realized...all of those silences where the music is all that and just a heartbeat, a nervous system and the sounds of animate and inanimate life.

A lot of the pieces in this set remind me of these fragments of reality. Some of them sound like they were stripped from dreams directly. This is something so rare, I don't feel that many are able to do it, I wish I could, and I crave it like I crave the feelings that generated the final outcomes. Music that sounds like it came straight from inside, the sap of a dream. It captures these moments and bottles them. You can play those feelings over and over, and when it's done truly, it never grows old, you can always go back to it. You can't often do that with moments like that in life, can't play them over again. I sometimes wish it were possible to be stuck in those moments forever, but that would drain the possibilities of other moments out of life. I savour them while they happen, and then move away, the next will come at some point...

This is what compels me to do my own work. I'm addicted to capturing these feelings. I could do it just for myself but I'd rather share, share my glowings, maybe pass them on to someone else who could be inspired by it. It's difficult to describe this drive as anything other than pure compulsion. I don't know how else to transmit these feelings and I can't really feel those feelings in my own work afterwards. I know it is there because others react to it in ways that let me know those feelings are there, but it's strange how they aren't there for me. It's sacrifice and it is good this way… it keeps me going because I crave it so much. Even if it never comes for me in my work, I'll always want more, always want to bottle it. I can't stop even if I need to.

It's the closest thing I'll ever get to feeling home, like feeling where I should be. I never feel that way unless I am translating these feelings, otherwise I just want to be elsewhere, but I don't know where that elsewhere is, I can't find it. Music, hearing others' music, their flickering, comforts me, lets me know I'm not the only one, that a lot of us feel this way for so many reasons.

This set is the flickering of others and this is me flickering back, reflecting their flickering with a convex mirror for others to reflect on to further others, through inspiration, a smile, whatever. It's just another trigger for the butterfly effect. The people in this set all captured moments and I am more than sure that so many of them crave capturing them as much as I do. These are their moments strung together to form and reflect a hive moment, something that can only happen when everything is clustered. A new context, a new reality, emerges...

Note: Due to a ghost in the machine, the soundcloud player doesn't let the full length of the first part of the set play out, but it can be downloaded as a full length mp3.

jesse somfay - process part 217a by modyfier

001 RJD2 - Salud
002 RJD2 - Someone's Second Kiss
003 J Dilla - Waves
004 RJD2 - The Proxy
005 Murs & 9th Wonder - Fornever
006 C-Rayz Walz - We Live
007 Cannibal Ox - Scream Phoenix
008 Vordul Mega - Peanut Butta Up's
009 RJD2 - Work
010 Vordul Mega - Hard Times
011 Stereolab - Metronomic Underground (Wagon Christ Remix)
012 J Dilla - Lazer Gunne Funke
013 C-Rayz Walz - Music Take Ovah
014 J Dilla - Shouts (Alt) (Instrumental)
015 Babu - The Unexpected
016 J Dilla - In The Night / While You Slept (I Crept)
017 J Dilla - Take Notice
018 El-P - The Overly Dramatic Truth
019 RJD2 - Making Days Longer
020 J Dilla - Kaklow (Jump On It)
021 Sonic Sum - Circuit Breaker
022 J Dilla - Geek Down
023 Cannibal Ox - Pigeon
024 Aesop Rock - Keep Off The Lawn
025 Sonic Sum - Marathoner
026 El-P - Blood
027 Vordul Mega - Hattori Hanzo
028 Cannibal Ox - Raspberry Fields
029 Rob Sonic - Sniper Picnic
030 Aesop Rock - Dark Heart News
031 The Reavers - Nature
032 C-Rayz Walz & Parallel Throught - Vomit Chorus
033 The Reavers - Scoundrels
034 Vordul Mega - Broken
035 Rob Sonic - Shoplift
036 El-P - The League Of Extraordinary Nobodies
037 Aesop Rock - Five Fingers
038 El-P - T.O.J.
039 The Reavers - Hochiminh
040 Sonic Sum - Sara-Inge
041 El-P - Dear Sirs
042 Sonic Sum - Untitled
043 Burial - Fostercare
044 Foals - Spanish Sahara (Mount Kimbie Remix)
045 Take - Before You Think
046 The Bug - You & Me
047 Burial - Nite Train
048 Thom Yorke - Harrowdown Hill (The Bug Remix)
049 Vex'd - Killing Floor (MAH Remix)
050 Brothomstates - Qtio
051 East Flatbush Project - Tried By 12 (Autechre Remix)
052 Gescom - Viral Rival (Autechre Remix)
053 Meat Beat Manifesto - Prime Audio Soup (Boards of Canada Vegetarian Soup Remix)
054 Lamb - Gold (Autechre Remix)
055 Mira Calix - Sandsings (Boards of Canada Remix)
056 David Sylvian - Shadowland (Autechre Remix)
057 Autechre - Cichli
058 Gescom - Leritue (Autechre Remix)
059 Autechre - Zeiss Contarex
060 Autechre - Treale
061 Autechre - os veix3
062 u-Ziq - Goodbye, Goodbye
063 Boards of Canada - Red Moss
064 Beaumont Hannat - Psi-Onyx (Autechre Remix)
065 Autechre - Second Peng
066 Autechre - Acroyear2
067 Squarepusher - Square Window
068 V - Vliezwei (Autechre Remix)
069 Autechre - V-Proc
070 Squarepusher - F-Train
071 Aphex Twin - Vordhosbn
072 Squarepusher - Tundra 4
073 u-Ziq - Catkin and Teasel
074 Autechre - Flutter
075 Squarepusher - Theme From Ernest Borgnine
076 Squarepusher - Tundra
077 Autechre - Plezo
078 Squarepusher - I Wish You Could Talk
079 Squarepusher - Sarcacid Part 2
080 u-Ziq - London
081 Squarepusher - Beep Street
082 Mogwai - Sine Wave
083 Aphex Twin - Heliosphan
084 Aphex Twin - .215061
085 Autechre - Oval Moon (IBC Mix)
086 AFX - Where's Your Girlfriend
087 Stereolab - Refractions In The Plastic Pulse (Autechre Remix)
088 Squarepusher - Song, Underwater Torch
089 Squarepusher - My Fucking Sound
090 Autechre - Parhelic Triangle
091 Freeform - A.T. (Autechre Remix)

jesse somfay - process part 217b by modyfier

092 Squarepusher - Parallelogram Bin
093 Hecker - Itiso161/ae (Gescom Remix)
094 Einsturzende Neubauten - Finger Und Zähne
095 Stereolab - Percolations
096 Einsturzende Neubauten - Unseasonable Weather
097 Aphex Twin - Gwarek2
098 Einsturzende Neubauten - Airplane Miniature #4
100 Death In June - Lord Winter
101 Laudanum - Procession
102 Ben Frost - Killshot
103 Gnaw - Haven Vault
104 Khanate - Dead
105 Sunn O))) - Big Church (Megszentségteleníthetetlenségeskedéseitekért)
106 AEthenor - III
107 Sunn O))) - Belurol Pusztít
108 Blood Fountains - Cold Flood / In
109 Fear Falls Burning Vs Freiband
110 Ghengis Tron - The Feast / Ergot (Dntel Remix)
111 Fennesz - June
112 Aphex Twin - Gwely Mernans
113 Einsturzende Neubauten - Negativ Nein
114 The Skull Defekts - Unholy Drums For Psychedelic Africa
115 Einsturzende Neubauten - Das Schaben
116 Slipknot - (515)
117 The Observatory - Lowdown
118 Sonic Youth - Providence
119 Einsturzende Neubauten - Halber Mensch
120 A Storm Of Light - Alpha (Law Of Nature Part 1)
121 Burial - Untitled
122 Callisto - 31 46°N, 35 14° E
123 Grouper - Cover The Windows And The Walls
124 Belong - Same Places (Slow Version)
125 Grouper - Vessel
126 Grouper - Follow In Our Dreams
127 Julianna Barwick - Cloudbank
128 The Sight Below - Fervent
129 Fennesz - Perfume For Winter
130 Lovesliescrushing - Elephai
131 Lovesliescrushing - Last Blue Ray
132 Pyramids - The Echo of Something Lovely
133 Belong - I Never Lose. Never Really
134 Nine Inch Nails - In This Twilight (Fennesz Remix)
135 Pyramids With Nadja - Into The Silent Waves
136 Leyland Kirby - Memories Live Longer Than Dreams
137 Burial - Forgive
138 Sigur Ros - Untitled
139 Olafur Arnalds - ...Og Lengra
140 Tangerine Dream - Sequent C'
141 Richard Skelton - Undertow
142 Burial - Night Bus
143 Autechre - Vletrmx 21
144 Tortoise - To Day Retrieval (Autechre Remix)
145 Mamiffer - Suckling A Dead Litter
146 Fennesz - Transit (Featuring David Sylvian)
147 Nine Inch Nails - The Day The World Went Away (Quiet Version)
148 Brian Eno - Music For Airports Part 1
149 Autechre - see on see
150 Nine Inch Nails - A Warm Place
151 Autechre - Nine
152 Eluvium - Under The Water It Glowed
153 Kraftwerk - Heimatklange
154 Boards of Canada - Untitled
155 u-Ziq - 27
156 Tangerine Dream - Rubycon Part 2
157 Cluster & Eno - Schone Hande
158 Kraftwerk - Kristallo
159 Neu! - Lila Engel (Lilac Angel)
160 Sonic Youth - Sugar Kane
161 Stereolab - Refractions In The Plastic Pulse
162 Stereolab - K-Stars
163 Sonic Youth - Sweet Shine
164 Stereolab - Super Falling Star165 Depeche Mode - Waiting For The Night
166 Cocteau Twins - Blue Bell Knoll
167 Depeche Mode - Freelove
168 Depeche Mode - Insight
169 Depeche Mode - When the Body Speaks
170 Depeche Mode - I Want You Now
171 Japan - Ghosts
172 This Mortal Coil - Mr. Somewhere
173 Nine Inch Nails - Hurt (Quiet)
174 Swans - In My Garden
175 This Mortal Coil - Song To The Siren
176 Dead Can Dance - Emmeleia
177 Squarepusher - Love Will Tear Us Apart
178 Swans - Love Will Tear Us Apart (Black Version)
179 Abronzius - Charlotte Sometimes (The Cure)
180 Swans - Mother's Milk
181 Sonic Youth - Flower
182 Joy Division - She's Lost Control
183 Einsturzende Neubauten - Seele Brennt
184 The Skull Defekts - Six Sixes
185 Swans - I Am The Sun
186 The Angels of Light - My Brother's Man
187 Nausea - Lie Cycle
188 Einsturzende Neubauten - Der Schacht Von Babel
189 Jodis - Follow The Dogs
190 Earth - Hung from the Moon
191 Jodis - Ascent
192 Kodiak - Beginning
193 Ascend - Dark Matter
194 Bohren & Der Club Of Gore - Welk
195 The Observatory - The Boring
196 Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter - Spectral Beings
197 Coalesce - We Have Lost Our Will
198 Inga Liljestrom - Fall
199 A Storm of Light - Sister
200 Isis - The Minus Times
201 Slipknot - Skin Ticket
202 Celeste - Ces Belles De Rêve Aux Verres Embués
203 Isis - Hive Destruction
204 Integrity - Heavens Final Word
205 Isis - Celestial (The Tower)
206 Floor - Sunday
207 Antischism - Freedom At Last
208 Thou - Out Of The Mouth Of A Fool
209 Antischism - Pets Or Meat
210 Korn - Swallow
211 Korn - Ball Tongue
212 Korn - Lost
213 Deftones - Bored
214 Forensics - Crashing
215 Year Of No Light - Abbesse
216 Jesu - Friends Are Evil
217 Boris - …And Hear Nothing
218 Isis - Threshold of Transformation
219 Pelican - Final Breath
220 Jesu - Mother Earth
221 Russian Circles - Malko
222 Alcest - Percées De Lumière
223 Junius - [Elan Fatale] 1
224 Jesu - Farewell
225 Iroha & Fragment - Bittersweet
226 Year Of No Light - Sélénite
227 Fall Of Efrafa - Simulacrum
228 Junius - At The Age Of Decay
229 Envy - Zero
230 Boris - Akirame Flower
231 Floor - Serendipitous Montag