A stunning collage of immersive ambient

Brisbane producer Josh MacGregor returns to the series, shedding his Dream Coast guise and re-emerging as Spirit Lights. In support of his latest EP, Josh has crafted a lush blend of his favourite ambient music interspersed with his own productions.

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Can you tell us about the genesis of Spirit Lights? How does it differ from Dream Coast?

Ambient has always been a part of Dream Coast (see lazydaze.16) but I started heading in that direction properly in early 2020. Clubs shut, the dance music work dried up and I found myself alone with synth gear that I luckily bought from Marketplace just before lockdown. I challenged myself to record a song or sketch each week to push my production and sound design and soon found a new way of working that has been inspiring me ever since.

You’ve just released your first EP. What can you tell us about this release?

There are four tracks but in those songs there are sequences, drones and modular blips from probably 15 different weekly sketches from 2021. The process of sound collage has meant the EP has captured a lot of personal moments from a tough time. There is a narrative to it all and it honestly took a lot of courage to release anything after a bit of time off, especially from such a raw place. It’s been very rewarding and cathartic, as ambient should be.

How did you decide to approach your Lazydaze mix? Was there a concept behind it?

The concept was to put together songs that inspired me while putting the EP together. There are few of my own unreleased sketches in there from the same time period to bridge transitions.

Are there any particularly special tracks or moments in there for you?

Jon Hopkins, Rival Consoles and Floating Points are some of my favourite acts, definitely had to include them. Space 8, Time We Have and [storm rolls in the distance] are very emotive pieces that I don’t think I will ever get tired of listening to. Finishing with Radiohead too, had to be done. Codex would have to be one of my all-time favourite songs.

What’s coming up for you in the near future? Anything you’d like to share?

I’m playing Yonder Festival at the ambient stage this Friday! Then more music in the first half of next year.

Favourite album of 2022?

Szun Waves - Earth Patterns. An incredible record of modular inspired jazz.

You can check out the full tracklist for the Spirit Lights mix over at SoundCloud.