DJ OL1VE - SLEEP (2001)

Future illbient hall-of-famer, G. Asch aka Olive aka The Audio Janitor, released this 13-track dream-salve in 2001 as a limited hand-crafted gift for friends who had trouble sleeping. Emerging from his time in the late 90s DJing for NY sleep-parties, this is the first installment of his sonic sleep medicines which has since yielded several albums and installations. The tones are warm, textured, graceful and suitably numbing. 

The project comes with instructions: "This is a sleeping pill. Please listen to it quietly."

SLEEPERS (1985)

This 1985 collection of "lull music," compositions and sounds from many of the now legendary sonic artists who found themselves in NY during the 80s. Whether this album of not-quite-soothing, dissonant timbres can fairly qualify as a "sleep aid" is debatable, but we'll take them at their word and label it so. Some people can sleep through anything. And I'm sure those were crazy days, where drifting off to this made sense. Thanks to P.E. for this, and many others. 

P. Oliveros, A. Lockwood, I. Mimaroglu, T. Johnson, A. Knowles, etc.

For you dedicated sleepers, you...

DREAM S0NGS AND HEAL1NG S0UNDS IN THE RA1NF0RESTS OF MALAYS1A (1995)

Traditional music from the peoples of the Malaysian rainforest to aid and guide dreams, interact with the spirit world, and provide curative benefits. While we can't attest to the last two claims, we did find, in our limited testing, that this music works best while fully asleep, or when you need some mental space while performing taskwork while awake.

Dream to dream ...

LULLAB1ES & DREAM S0NGS (2010?)

We'll end today's posting where all dreaming begins, with sleep. Mississippi Records Tape Series (#51) presents 25 folk recordings from around the globe: tribal melodies, field recordings, folk songs and pop ditties. Yoko Ono, Vashti Bunyan, and Brigitte Fontaine are featured.

Spin this at bed-time.

SEAW0RTHY - SLEEP P4THS (2012)

Sleep loops of guitars, music boxes, ukeleles and electronics...a sonic lullaby to settle almost any stomach ailment. More dreamtime gorgeousness from the Sleepwell record label from Belgium. Get well soon!

Sleep paths from sickness...

JEAN-J4CQUES PERREY - PRÉLUDE AU S0MME1L (1958)

Often described as a key early progenitor of electronic and ambient sonics, Perrey's groundbreaking work comes to us as our earliest-known sleep-aid recording. Pressed by Institut Dormiphone, a French sleep research outfit, this album was created for use in hospitals and mental institutions. Featuring the Ondioline, some kind of vacuum based instrument, this album was specifically composed to induce alpha-wave drowsiness. Its lilting melodies and drone worked like a charm for this writer, who can attest to its abilities. A great addition to our sleep-aid collection: more here, here and here.

Dream it...

PETER BR0DER1CK - MUS1C F0R A SLEEP1NG SCULPTURE OF PETER BR0DER1CK (2009)

A sleep-track to an artwork, courtesy of Slaapwel in Belgium, a label devoted to producing music with which to fall asleep. Here we have an Efterklang co-conspirator going full-on sleep therapist. Very beautiful. Shockingly effective. (More music for art here)

Dormez bien...

RAYM0ND SC0TT - S00TH1NG S0UNDS F0R BABY VOL. 1 (1962)

Accompanied by a booklet from the Gesell Institute of Child Development, Inc., this glorious record was on the cusp of the child-rearing self-help movement. Designed for infants from 1-6 months of age, the simple electronic repetitions may indeed help to produce somnolence in some kids or adults. It may also seem fairly jarring to those who prefer to relax their precious bundles of joy with whale sounds (particularly "Nursery Rhyme" with its incessant digital alarm-clock-sounding chime). At any rate, this stands as one of the first recordings designed specifically with the production of sleep in mind. A ground-breaking recording.

Dream...

REVEEN - RELAX W1TH REVEEN (1978)

The Master of Self-Suggestion gives us just over half an hour of guided meditation and 'planned suggestion.' He reminds us to "maintain at all times a calm, confident cheerful state of mind," which would be sound advice if the perpetually slowing tone of our teacher's voice wasn't so strange, or discomforting. We have tried this without much success five times, but invite you readers to try in earnest for yourselves. During our last session, some of us were able to let go. Some weren't.

"Beautifully at ease...so heavy...going down deeper..."

 

M4X R1CHTER - SLEEP (2015)

We have previously posted the benchmark of sleep-aid composition (Sleeping Tapes by Jeff Bridges), and Richter's own short, listenable version of this project. Today, we post the whole 8 1/2 hour sleepable version--researched and composed to sync with our sleeping patterns. We have tried this album once, and will try again before we post our thoughts and reactions in the comments. We would enjoy to hear your thoughts on the process or success of the work.

Sleep it all here: Part1, P2, P3, P4, P5

JEFF BR1DGES - SLEEP1NG T4PES (2015)

Music and musings to fall asleep to. Pure charm, delight and warmth. The Dude abides.