StandardTapes 24: Evening Hymns

"I would slide open the little window in my bunk and watch the landscape roll by listening to all these ambient tracks; it was pretty special to me"

Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Jonas Bonnetta, and my musical project is called Evening Hymns. I live in Toronto sometimes, a tent other times, and currently in the woods near Perth, Ontario.

Where and how was this mix recorded?

I came up with most of this playlist while sleeping on the floor of my brother’s apartment in Toronto. I compiled all the tracks I wanted to use and then dropped them into Logic to mix them up, process some of them, and to add a bunch of field recordings I’ve made over the years.

What was the idea behind the mix?

The idea behind the Sleepytime Tea Mix was to create one long, flowing soundscape to put on late at night to fall asleep to. I had originally thought of making one really long drone tape, but then decided that I wanted it to have some more movement. I had been working on a good late night sleep mix on my iPod, and these are some of the tracks from that. Last year, I spent the fall touring across Europe on a bus and, at night, I’d put these songs on pretty loud to block out the engine noise, so that I could fall asleep as we rolled across Italy, Germany, and the rest of Europe. I would slide open the little window in my bunk and watch the landscape roll by listening to all these ambient tracks; it was pretty special to me. I’ve peppered the mix with field recordings that I’ve made over the last couple years. Some of them are from my tent this summer, some from up here in Perth, and a few from other places. My favorite recording on here is one I made this fall in London, at Westminster Abbey, of the boy’s choir. It appears a little later on in the mix, and I think it’s one of the most beautiful pieces of music I’ve ever heard.

In your own words, can you describe the sound of Evening Hymns?

I think Evening Hymns is folk music. Sometimes it gets a bit rocky. Sometimes it gets a little ambient.

Where can Toronto Standard’s readers see you perform next?

We are playing our final show of the year at the Music Gallery in Toronto on December 20, 2012 with Neil Haverty of Bruce Peninsula. Tickets to the show are soldout online, but some can still be purchased at Soundscapes and Rotate This. Make sure to follow Evening Hymns on Twitter (@eveninghymns) and Facebook. 

Anything to add?

This mix is best listened to with a mug of sleepytime tea at your side. Thanks for listening.

1. Jim O’Rourke – Track 5
2. Stars of the Lid – Articulate Silences Part 1
3. Max Richter – Autum Music 1
4. Evening Hymns – Irving Lake Access Road (Toronto Standard Redux)
5. Fennesz – Chateau Rouge
6. Max Richter – Harmonium
7. Eluvium – Show Us Our Homes
8. Akira Kosemura – Hicari
9. Brian McBride – Mélodrames Télégraphiés (In B Major 7th), Pt. 2
10. Nat King Cole – This Is All I Ask

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Igor Bonifacic is a writer working for the Toronto Standard. You can follow him on twitter @igorbonifacic.