10 albums for a mild & placid evening by Daniel Jahn
For our next mood list, we’ve invited one of our earliest supporters Daniel Jahn from the Hamburg-based label Bureau B. Founded in 2005, the label has amassed an extensive catalogue of reissues and new productions, with the spectrum ranging from pop to avant-garde. Aside from curating for Bureau B, Daniel is also a member of the unhappybirthday band. The trio revels in a deep sense of melancholy in their arsenal of dreamy, melodic yet ultimately upbeat and uplifting songs.
Always intrigued by Daniel’s picks in store, we were curious what mood speaks the most to him.
“One of my favourite moods could be described as mild & placid. Coming home after a stressful week at work or trying to find some escape from the daily tensions and struggles (especially in these weird times), lying down at the cosiest place in the apartment, putting on a couple of records and slowly drifting away. The moment when you are arriving in a dreamlike state, somewhere between half-awake and half-asleep and you get carried away completely by the magic of the music.”, shares Daniel.
Below are some of Daniel’s favourite albums to play on a mild and placid evening.
Lampront's Group – A Week In San Francisco (1984)
An almost invisible Italian library record, which actually sounds only a little like Italy, but – just as the title suggests – like a rainy day somewhere at a port in San Francisco. Sultry, longing and overwhelmingly beautiful.
Norberto Lobo – Muxama (2016)
Norberto Lobo from Lisbon has mastered an almost otherworldly way of playing his guitar. The interaction of his fingerpicking technique and the right intuition for effects and manipulation result in a very strange, unique music that will carry you far out to the edges of your mind.
Massive Attack – Protection (1994)
One of the first records I bought myself in the only record shop in my small hometown. The songs on it have been with me for a long time, so that today I always feel a strange nostalgia when I play the record. Nevertheless, I never get tired of it.
Baal & Mortimer – Deixis (2020)
One day I received an email with a recommendation: Baal & Mortimer from Düsseldorf. I liked the mysterious name and luckily, the music had the same seductive effect. A few months later, I had the chance to release Alex’ (Baal & Mortimer’s) debut album – a record like a secret that has not revealed itself to me to this day. Fortunately!
Jan Jelinek – Loop-Finding-Jazz-Records (2001)
This record is also an early love of mine which playfulness and melancholic undertone still impresses me deeply. The early 2000s always seemed to me like an unaesthetically time, but this album proves the opposite.
Cass. & Gianni Brezzo – Masala Kiss (2019)
I remember my friend Basso giving me this record on a rainy Friday. When I came home that evening and put the record on, I was immediately drawn into it. There is a sensitivity in it that gets me every time I listen to these fantastic jams.
Björn J:Son Lindh – Atlantis (1983)
Björn J: Son Lindh’s underwater journey never gets old. This LP takes you to wide beaches, washed by the waves of the ocean. Even if you are actually only lying in bed at home.
Jandek – On The Way (1988)
I think a brick is cracking, I think a window’s broken… I am a huge fan of this enigmatic artist. From his extensive work, this record is one of my favourites. Filled with a brittle, unruly beauty that will probably always remain unexplainable to me.
The Milk Factory – Aula (2020)
The cover photo of this album promises a kind of sparse beauty. You are roaming through your neighbourhood and return home filled with an inexplicable feeling of security. A promise that the music certainly fulfils, supplied with such complexity and fondness that you just can’t resist.
Steve Jolliffe – Journeys Out Of The Body (1983)
This album is a very special experience. Without cheesy esoteric ballast, the music actually invites you to go on a journey, leaving the body behind and discover the depths of your own dreams. What a trip!
