Just F*cking Relax – Season 1

“Just F*cking Relax” – Somebody said this to me recently and it kind of hit me like a Buddhist Koan, which is a paradoxical anecdote or riddle, used in Zen Buddhism to demonstrate the inadequacy of logical reasoning and to provoke enlightenment.

The Just F*cking Relax series is a companion to the Ambient Soundbath Podcast where for years, I tried to do a kinder, gentler type of new age-oriented musical thing. Imagery of sitting in yoga or meditation positions, lotus flowers, candles and all the holistic health tropes and those things are great, still bringing me a sense of serenity when I see that kind of imagery, but the reality is that life is much more abrupt, in your face and we have to take respite when and where we can; it also doesn’t hurt to add a bit of a sense of humor to the churn of daily living. You might not be able to afford a trip to Esalen or the Omega Institute to center yourself, but you can put music on, take a few breaths in your car, on the subway or in a booth at Applebee’s and get in touch with yourself. In all instances, there needs to be time for YOU. Self-actualization shouldn’t require a plane trip to an exotic retreat and these are some of the many reasons that I created the Just F*cking Relax series.

Anyway, it’s a bit irreverent, but it’s also just that simple, isn’t it: Just F*cking Relax!

Here’s a listing of all the tracks for the first season of Just F*cking Relax:

Just F*cking Relax 1 – Calm Sounds for Tired Minds
Just F*cking Relax 2 – Music for Anxiety and Exhaustion
Just F*cking Relax 3 – Music for Anxiety and Self-Soothing
Just F*cking Relax 4 – Music for Dealing with Energy Vampires
Just F*cking Relax 5 – Music for Insomnia
Just F*cking Relax 6 – Music for Social Anxiety
Just F*cking Relax 7 – Music for Reproductive Rights and Bodily Autonomy
Just F*cking Relax 8 – Don’t Wish Your Life Away
Just F*cking Relax 9 – Embrace the Suck
Just F*cking Relax 10 – Music for Deep Sleep on Hot Nights

Ambient Soundbath Podcast #103 – Time and Timelessness

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“The richness of a moment comes when it’s both full and empty at the same time. The truth is, we live simultaneously in time and timelessness.”

— Ram Dass

Ambient Soundbath Inner Peace Music

Ambient Soundbath Podcast #102 – To Be Alive

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“The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and so obvious and so simple. And yet, everybody rushes around in a great panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves.”

― Alan Watts

Ambient Soundbath Podcast Ep. 102

Ambient Soundbath Podcast #101 – The Giving Expanse

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The gift lies not
in the receiving,
but in the open
embrace of kinship
and connection.

Ambient Soundbath Podcast #100 – Cahokia Sunrise

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Ritual dance.
Solstice.
Kaleidoscope of life
Oranges and yellows
of rebirth
and renewal.

Ambient Soundbath Podcast #99 – The Rising Wind

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The Rising Wind

The rising wind
scatters remnants of memories;
forward to the breaking crest.

Listener Survey Results and Thank You!

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Listener Survey Results and Thank You!
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First off, thank you to everybody who took the survey. Understanding your preferences as a listener is very important to me.

There was a tie between respondents where the frequency of new programs was concerned:

  • 45% of the respondents wanted new programs bi-weekly.
  • 45% of the respondents wanted new programs monthly.
  • 5% of the respondents wanted them weekly.

This was an important one for me, as most podcasts are done weekly;  that’s hard to keep up. However, we landed in a place that seems quite manageable. Thank you for your feedback on this.

Additionally, there seemed to be a strong preference for mobile listening over desktop or other devices; that broke down like this:

  • 80% of the respondents listen on a mobile device.
  • 60% of the respondents listen on a desktop device.
  • 10% listen on some other kinds of devices.

The podcast is available in many apps such as Spotify, Stitcher, Spreaker, TuneIn, etc… however, I’m interested in exploring a mobile app for the Ambient Soundbath Podcast – That’s been put on the ‘to do’ list.

Finally, I received some personal responses from longtime listeners. I’ll be getting in touch with you, directly.

I’m always looking for feedback, survey or not, so please feel free to reach out with your thoughts through the contact form on the website.

Also, as we try to grow the Ambient Soundbath for featured artists and listeners, alike, your kind donations are appreciated. Please feel free to use our donation link in the top right corner of the home page or click here.

The Ambient Soundbath has a great community in you.

I’m continually touched by the emails and thoughts that people share with me. I’d love to bring everybody more closely together. I think there’s really something great there. Thank you for being there.

Matt

Ambient Soundbath Podcast #98 – Aerochord

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Deep meaning,
floating towards
fulfillment revealed.

This program exclusively features the work of Lauge (aka Henrik Laugesen) and the recording Latitudes. The work of Lauge is a new find for me and the work is some of the best, freshest ambient and drone music that I’ve heard in a while. Lauge also curates a great playlist called Ambient Soundscapes on Spotify.

Program/Track Index

00:00 – Floating
04:10 – Aerochord (Ambient Soundbath Edit)
14:10 – Altanen (Drone Edit)
18:10 – Windy Cooridor|
21:40 – Thule (Stretched Edit)
29:30 – Latitude North
42:00 – Harbourfront
44:20 – Sollys (Latitudes Edit)
48:30 – Nautilus
53:20 – Aerochord Reprise (Ambient Soundbath Edit)

Ambient Soundbath Podcast #97 – MindSpace

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There’s mindspace,
well-layered motion
without reversal moving us beyond

Ambient Soundbath Podcast #96 – Things Not Here Anymore

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Beginnings unfold
Restlessness dreams awake
Yearning passes in the folds of time

00:00 – Overwhelmed by Starlight – Altus – @altusmusic_ca

09:30 – The Spiral Heart – Steve Roach – @steve_timeroom

14:20 – Sentinel – Altus – @altusmusic_ca

23:40 – Therapeutic Ambience – cerkit  – @cerkit

26:20 – The Room Where You Dream – Tapes and Topographies – @tapesandtopog

29:30 – Infinite Ocean – zakè – @ZAKE_DRONE

36:40 – You Saw Nothing in Hiroshima – Tapes and Topographies – @tapesandtopog

39:50 – Our Last Dream (Single Version) – Crows Labyrinth – @CrowsLabyrinth

42:50 – Always the Last Time – Tapes and Topography – @tapesandtopog

46:50 – Slow Embrace (Single Version) – Crows Labyrinth – @CrowsLabyrinth

50:20 – The Nature of Silence – Philip Wilkerson – @philwilkerson