Mixtape Reflections – WelTraum – Empty Space and Գոյություն

 

 

Mixtape Reflections – WelTraum – Empty Space and Գոյություն

 

“At night, your vision of the universe is not obscured by the sun, and you can see the universe as it truly is. A black void filled with distant stars, too distant for us to ever reach within our brief lifespans, which we view from a minuscule blue speck. This frightens some people, whether they realize it frightens them or not. They stay indoors with their electronic devices, make sure their streets are well lit, and that their cities cause enough light pollution to block out their view of the universe, and avoid the uncomfortable truth. A lot of people don’t like to truly think about it.”

-          Me, being all goth on Facebook

 

Last year I started a series of mixtapes that include songs that make me think about questions of existence and the universe, in one way or another. The tapes are called WelTraum. The word Weltraum is German for “universe”, literally “world space”. But the interesting thing about it is it includes the word “traum”, German for “Dream”. Is our universe a merely dream? A simulation? Hence the spelling “WelTraum”. The first tape was subtitled “Empty Space”, for a few reasons. Firstly, it is the name of the opening track, “Empty Space” by Hante. But, the tape begins with a voice clip from the film The Adventures of Mark Twain, at the end of the segment covering “The Mysterious Stranger”. Satan says “Life itself is only a vision. A dream. Nothing exists save empty space, and you. And you, are but a thought.” After this it segues into the opening track. This presents the very thesis of these mixtapes; existential nihilism and solipsism. The name brings to mind the sometimes enormous voids between galaxies in the universe, such as the Bootes Void. The rest of the tracks vary some by theme but not as much by feel, generally sticking to a dark coldwave genre. The final song, “Sparkles and Wine” by Opale, is one of my all-time favorite songs, a song that feels like a psychedelic trance.

 

This year I made the second tape in the series, titled “Գոյություն“ (Go-yoo-tyoon), the Armenian word for existence. This tape ponders the very nature of our existence, filled with songs about existentialism and the universe at large. The opening track, “Ոչինչ“ (Voh-cheench) by The Deenjes (an Armenian electronic group), is the Armenian word for “nothing”. Next, we have “Existence” by Buzz Kull, as a counterpoint, contrasting from nothingness and existence. The tape has a similar feel to the previous tape, with even more space-themed songs. Quite a few are songs I’ve discussed on the blog before. The last song, “Back to the Stars” by Vitas, is kind of on there as a joke, but it has to do with space so hey, why not?

 

I tried to reproduce the mixtapes on Spotify for all to hear. As usual they were missing a lot of stuff (Side A of the first tape takes a big hit, and the absence of The Deenjes was particularly troubling), but I got a nearly 3 hour playlist out of the three and a half hour combined length of the two mixtapes, so not bad overall. With a meditative couple of tapes like this though, if you find yourself wanting to reproduce this mix you’re better off making your own CD mix or mixtape, sitting back, closing your eyes and doing a deep listen. Spotify has too many ads. Unless you’re rich and pay for ad-free Spotify, I guess.

 

WelTraum – Spotify Playlist

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/64gU8Q006r82MtLakDR6gZ

 

WelTraum – Empty Space

Side A

1.       Hante – Empty Space

2.       Noir for Rachel – Outdoor Hands

3.       Cold Kill – We Believe

4.       KINO – Spokonaya Noch

5.       Grey Gallows – She Ends Herself

6.       Diary of Dreams – Soul Stripper

7.       The Deenjes – Թող ու Կնա

8.       Opale – Sleepless

9.       Hord – Lrn

10.   Hante – Waiting for a Hurricane

11.   Spiritual Sky – Ecoutez et Repetez

12.   The Kovenant – Star by Star

13.   Boy Harsher - Fate

14.   Opale – Hedoniste

Side B

15.   Kalax – The Ride (into the Midnight)

16.   The Midnight – Shadows

17.   Boy Harsher – Face the Fire

18.   Glaare – First Rain

19.   Hante – Live to Die Another Day

20.   Hord – Speak

21.   Brotherhood – Reasons

22.   Buzz Kull – Ode to Hate

23.   Kill Shelter w. Hante – Kiss Me Goodbye

24.   Diary of Dreams – A Dark Embrace

25.   Holygram – Acceleration

26.   The Midnight – Nocturnal

27.   Opale – Sparkles and Wine

 

WelTraum – Գոյություն

Side A

1.       The Deenjes – Ոչինչ

2.       Buzz Kull – Existence

3.       Lebanon Hanover – Avalanche

4.       SYZYGYX – In Pieces

5.       Tearful Moon – The Stars Have Fallen and Died

6.       Kraftwerk – Hall of Mirrors

7.       Endless Forms – Rope to the Cosmos

8.       La Scaltra – Astral Kiss

9.       Forever Grey – Lost in a Moment

10.   Svetlana Mart -  Moon Eclipsed the Sun

 

Side B

11.   Velvet Acid Christ – Futile

12.   Shad Shadows - Cosmic

13.   Hord – Bodies #16

14.   Sara Stuttgart - Vortex

15.   Lebanon Hanover – Northern Lights

16.   Forever Grey – The Style is Death

17.   Kalte Nacht – Humans Are Mistakes

18.   The Frozen Autumn – Is Everything Real?

19.   Vitas – Back to the Stars