lotusCast - The official blog & podcast from lotuspike

WINTER MUSIC: A music-only podcast, featuring Chad Hoefler, Ben Cox, Jeff Greinke, Darshan Ambient, and a preview of Johan Agebjörn’s upcoming Lotuspike release, Mossebo.

Welcome to a very special 13th edition of lotusCast. A video tribute to Michael Allison, a.k.a. Darshan Ambient.

Back in April, we received word from Michael’s wife, Nicky, that he had gotten ill very fast…and worse…he was in intensive care fighting a terrible infection due to an abscess in his liver. Over the course of the few weeks that followed, we all listened to updates from Nicky and watched for signs of improvement in Michael’s health. To follow this string of events, you can still read the entire thing courtesy of the folks at Hypnos Forum >

Today, Michael is back in contact with us and already making music again. As if there was any doubt?!

We wanted to take a few minutes and reflect on this, and we thought it only appropriate to share it with you all. We offer this small tribute…a visual vignette against the backdrop of music from Michael himself. The images you see are those captured with my miniDV camera while hiking and driving through an area of Virginia called Narrows, about 45 minutes outside of Blacksburg.

Enjoy!

• lotuspike (Ben, Jeff and Daniel)

Finally, after nearly a year, we are back with episode 12 of lotusCast and an interview feature with Markus Reuter! Our host, Daniel Pipitone, got a chance to ask Markus about his latest release, Trepanation, on lotuspike. Listen to Markus discuss his influences, production techniques and other thoughtful insights from his creative process on Trepanation. Also, be sure to tune in till the end for a special giveaway offer.

Download Now >

lotusCast - Lotuspike Podcast #11 -July, 2006

Lotuspike features Rudy Adrian and his debut release on Lotuspike Records, MoonWater.

Rudy also discusses his previous releases and the influences on his work.

Download the file here >>

lotusCast - Lotuspike Podcast #10 -April, 2006

On April 23, we were fortunate to be able to host Robert Rich as he stopped in Pittsburgh as part of his 2006 Spring Tour. Along with the Carnegie Science Center we hosted an evening with Robert at the CSC Buhl Planetarium. Robert’s performance was absolutely astounding and nothing could take the place of seeing it first hand, but we thought we would try to bring you a peice of it, along with an interview with Robert.

Download the file here >>

lotusCast - Lotuspike Podcast #9 -March, 2006

Lotuspike takes a road trip to discover what things are happening with other musicians and labels across the country.

Download the file here

lotusCast - Lotuspike Podcast for #8 - VALENTINE’S DAY 2006

Special Valentine’s Day edition. A soundtrack for a romantic evening featuring music from many of the Lotuspike releases.

Download the file here

Episode 7 of our lotusCast features our newest release by new artist, Chad Hoefler! Quiet Glow hits the streets today, so get a great preview and listen to a personal interview with Chad here:

Download here! >

This is our special holiday edition. 45 minutes of non-stop music for your holiday spirit.

Happy Holidays from Lotuspike!

Download here! >

lotusCast - Lotuspike Podcast for #5 - October, 2005

featuring music by Darshan Ambient, along with music and an interview with Jeff Pearce!

Download the file here

The fourth installment of LotusCast.

In this edition of lotusCast, we feature music from Darshan Ambient, Craig Padilla and Zero Ohms, Terra Ambient and an exclusive interview with Ministry of Inside Things from Philadephia…Plus new and event updates for the month of August 2005.

Download the file here or you can just copy / paste this URL into your podcast player : http://feeds.feedburner.com/Lotusblog

You can also subscribe to our podcast from any of these fine PodCast directories :

Jeffrey Paul Cox was born at 5:50pm EDT on Monday, June 27, 2005 at Magee-Women’s Hospital in Pittsburgh. He was 7lbs. 5oz. and 20″ long. Mom is doing great, and she and Dad and Jeffrey’s big sister Becky and his Mna are proud as can be.

Congratulations also go out to lotusFriends and fellow new dads Craig Padilla and Maurice Rickard!

The third installment of LotusCast.

This month we feature music by lotuspike artist and co-founder Ben Cox, new lotuspike artists Craig Padilla & Zero Ohms (Richard Roberts), and a track from ambient pioneer Robert Rich.

Download the file here or you can just copy / paste this URL into your podcast player : http://feeds.feedburner.com/Lotusblog

You can also subscribe to our podcast from any of these fine PodCast directories :

Welcome to our second installment of the lotusCast podcast!

This time we feature an exclusive interview with Michael Allison (aka. Darshan Ambient) and a rare track from Daniel Pipitone.

Download the file here or you can just copy / paste this URL into your podcast player : http://feeds.feedburner.com/Lotusblog

You can also subscribe to our podcast from any of these fine PodCast directories :

Well, here it is, our first lotusCast podcast installment. From time to time we will be producing these to keep you in the loop on Lotuspike goings-on, and all of the latest news and info related to music and artists on the Lotuspike label.

Download the file here or you can just copy / paste this URL into your podcast player : http://feeds.feedburner.com/Lotusblog

You can also subscribe to our podcast from any of these fine PodCast directories :

You decide. On the left: Jerome Bettis. On the right: Marvin Gaye.

OK, so here are the “founders’ picks”, or “recent favorites”, which we would say we’ve have been listening to most recently - most of them released fairly recently (in the last year…or so) :

DANIEL:

Steve Roach and Vir Unis - Blood Machine
Ian Boddy - Chiasmata
Steve Roach - Life Sequence
Numina - Sanctuary of Dreams
Brian Eno & J Peter Schwalm - Drawn From Life
Adham Shaikh - Fusion
Eno/Budd - The Pearl
H.U.V.A Network - Distances
AES DANA - [ Memory Shell ]
Robert Rich - Open Window

I find that my listening goes in phases. One week, nothing electronic or ambient at all, other times only radio streams (OEM RADIO, Groove Salad (somaFM), Drone Zone (somaFM), Digitally Imported - Chillout), and other times nothing at all. There always seems to be jazz around…Coltrane (naturally), Ella Fitzgerald, Hancock, and plenty of old school. Even some Charlie Parker (I highly recommend Birdland NYC 1949)

However, if you ask me what’s in my most recently played items in iTunes today, that list above is a safe bet.

…back to the grind.


JEFF:

These are the CDS that stood out to me this year. I will say that this has been a surprisingly “quiet” year for music. There wasn’t a whole lot jumping out at me as “WOW”. Nonetheless, these CD’s deserve merit.

Chad Hoefler -Twilight in the Offing [hypnos]
Roach/Sellig/Metcalf - Mantram [projekt]
Darshan Ambient - Autumn’s Apple
Patrick O’Hearn - Beautiful World [self-relelase]
Robert Rich - Open Window [self release]
Numina-Sanctuary of Dreams [hypnos]
Arc - Blaze [DiN]
Adham Shaikh - Fusion [self release]
Steve Roach - Life sequence [self release]
Ian Boddy - Chiasmata [DiN]
Lanterna - Highways [self release]

For myself… I only listen to what Daniel tells me to listen to.

So, after nearly hurting myself trying to sort this out…I’ve done it! I found a way to blog these images from the Inaugural lotuspike event @ the Mattress Factory from January 7, 2005.

For those who might be curious and could not be there, this is what it looked like: