Those past two years have been quite a ride for most of us, resulting in a way different situation in the emerging spring of 2022 than we originally imagined at the beginning of the global pandemic. Like, who did expect long lasting wave pop heroes Chromatics to split up in 2021 (aka everybody leaving the band except for Johnny Jewel which pretty much says everything about that situation that there is to say)? I surely didn’t and maybe that’s the same for the band’s founding member Adam Miller who quickly turned to music to cope with everything that was going on.
The result of that is his freshly released first solo album Gateway, a selection of 18 meditative peices, recorded in his home studio. Mixed by Chris Coady who previously worked with Beach House and Slowdive, the sound of Gateway is a fascinating new take on the strengths you’ve come to love in Miller’s contribution to Chromatics. His distinctive cinematic, neo-psychedelic wave guitar play is still the heart of his sound but by being freed from conventional structures it allows the artist do dive deeper into the actual sound and its dream-like state. Gateway is an ambient album designed with and for guitars and that’s something you don’t see that often these days, I gotta say.
“Ever since I was a child music has been a sacred space for me to dream inside of,” Miller explains his artistic process to us and the trippy guestmix he produced for us exclusively really works as a continuation of the album’s vibe. One of the reasons he decided to call the album Gateway was because the artist wanted his music to open up that space to dream for the listener, as well as for himself while he was conceiving it. “I did not realize it at the time of writing and recording Gateway, but because I was able to allow myself the space to dream, my album became a gateway to healing and self discovery,” he tells us. And you can also sense that in the songs you’ll find in this mixtape.
“Each song in my mix is its own little world to me, and each song here creates that space for me to dream. Some of these songs have been standbys for the majority of my life. Others have entered into my awareness only more recently.”
So, without further ado please enjoy a mix of some of Adam Miller‘s favorite songs that have been his personal gateway to that world. “I hope you’ll step inside and stay awhile”, he says and we can only agree and wish you all a pleasant journey.
Adam Miller – NBHAP Guestmix – Tracklist:
01. Ash Ra Tempel – The Fairy Dance
02. Takashi Toyoda – Snow
03. Laurence Vanay – Soleil Rouge
04. Felt – Ferdinand Magellan
05. Mark McGuire – To Continue
06. Françoise Hardy – Si Mi Caballero
07. Cluster – Zum Wohl
08. Durutti Column – Jacqueline
09. Jacobites – It’ll All End Up In Tears
10. Annette Peacock – Sky-Skating
11. Alain Goraguer – Mira Et Ten
12. Gabor Szabo – Ferris Wheel
13. Mick Turner – Echidna
14. Sho Nikaido – Anna
15. West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band – Transparent Day
16. Lois Maffeo – The Way I Feel Inside
17. Ashra – Mistral
18. Roy Montgomery – Along The Main Divide
19. Michael Rother – Süssherz
20. Marie LaForet – Ton Coeur Sauvage
21. Wandering Lucy – Bizeum
Adam Miller‘s album Gateway is out now on Inner Magic.