Midnight Radio

James A. Reeves

5.0 (4)
Arts
Updated Semimonthly

Inspired by the Electrifying Mojo, Midnight Radio is a short burst of late-night reverberations, inspirations, and a mixtape delivered ’round midnight on the 1st and 15th of each month. Some episodes will be available in partial form as a podcast. Many will not. But every episode of Midnight Radio is available in its full Technicolor glory at jamesreeves.co.

10h ago

Dream Theory

Read the full post. Dreams are about presence. It’s the only time we’re released from ego and intention. Dreams dredge up our baggage and drop us into the here and now of it, a thought that led to tonight’s soundtrack. It’s a busy swirl that begins with Pink Floyd’s “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun” (a few shades slower, naturally) and ends with Mika Vainio’s stark cover version. There’s also a pair of Seefeel remixes, a dash of Springsteen, some Spiritualized, and a lot of murmuring. I was aiming for something warm, maybe a little pretty and sinister, that feels like sinking into the soft ground of a dream. When I played tonight’s songs for C’s approval, she called it my “magical mushroom mix” and made groovy far-out gestures to underscore her point. She meant this in an encouraging way, I think, so I photographed her hands being psychedelic and that’s how we arrived at the artwork for this episode. Pink Floyd - Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun (19% slower) A Saucerful of Secrets • 1968Flavor Crystals - Cetecea (Seefeel Adjustment) Five • 2020 • BandcampAnthony Calonico - Collapsing Spacious Heart • Music From Memory, 2026 • BandcampAna Roxanne - Wishful (Draft) Poem 1 • Kranky, 2026 • BandcampBlackwater - Oaxaca Navigation • Ethbo, 2021 • BandcampBruce Springsteen - State Trooper (15% slower) Nebraska • 1982The Dengie Hundred - Tamar Brackenbank • Ethbo, 2022 • BandcampRoly Porter - Al Dhanab Aftertime • Subtext, 2011 • BandcampSpiritualized - Electric Mainline II Electric Mainline • 1993 • Archive.orgCocteau Twins - Cherry-Coloured Funk (Seefeel Remix) Otherness • Fontana, 1995Variant - The Setting Sun The Setting Sun • Field Records, 2009/2026 • BandcampMika Vainio - Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun Oleva • Sahko, 2024 • BandcampThank you for reading and listening. The request lines are open. Enjoy life and get the full Midnight Radio experience delivered directly to your inbox ’round midnight on the 1st and 15th of each month.

48 min
May 16

Star Demon

My first memory is sitting in a high chair in front of a small Zenith television. The opening credits for a sitcom played, maybe Happy Days or Laverne & Shirley, and there was a shenanigan that involved kissing a mannequin. It scared the hell out of me, and I screamed until my father patted my head, called me “big guy,” and changed the channel. For years, my mom couldn’t take me into a department store because I was so horrified by mannequins. Much of our shopping at Sears took place with her hand over my eyes. Read the full post. Maybe it’s the simultaneous knowing and not-knowing that makes anything resonate. Tonight we have some half-understood Midnight Radio variants of six songs from Andrea Mazzariello’s War Footing playbook—rewired, filtered, and slowed down between 21% and 94%: Fair Is Foul Is Fair (Astronomical Dub)43:1 (Tranquil + Justified)Aspirational Gardening (Cosmic Harvest)80s Death (Redshifted + Microwaved)Post Nova (Initial Singularity)Pre-Post (Final Singularity)Andrea Mazzariello (words, keyboards, synths, programming, drums), Brady Lenzen (bass), Jason Treuting (drums and percussion), JC Sanford (brass), Dan Trueman (strings), Mike Williams (acoustic guitars), Andy Flory (electric guitars) The request lines are open. Enjoy life and get the full Midnight Radio experience delivered directly to your inbox ’round midnight on the 1st and 15th of each month.

29 min
May 2

The Studio of Gratifying Discourse

C. says it’s better to make tacos at home because we know what’s in them. But I think it’s the not-knowing that makes Taco Bell the spiritual choice. Read the full episode. Tonight's selections gratify me because they aim straight for the pleasure centers and risk looking foolish (especially the Orbital track, even though I slowed it down 220%). Yet they also retain some mystery, perhaps even to themselves, chanting and humming until language becomes a garbled holy tone—from the climactic minute of the xx's "Intro" to a loopy Enya edit to a Byzantine hymn from Father Dionysios Tabakis, a 52-year-old priest who dropped one of my favorite albums of the year via the crucial Heat Crimes imprint. Thank you for listening. (And thank you to Martin Essig for encouraging me to read Simon Critchley and Byung-Chul Han.) The xx - Intro xx • XL Recordings, 2005 • BandcampWalls - Sunporch (Holy Other Mix) Coracle Remixes • Kompakt, 2012 • BandcampSeraphim - A3 London Is Tired of Me • Lost Domain, 2026 • BoomkatDeath in Vegas - Girls Scorpio Rising • Sanctuary Records, 2002Frederic D Oberland & Radwan Ghazi - Squeal of Swine Eternal Life No End ليلة ظلماء ملعونة، كحياة طالبيها • Constellation, 2026 • BandcampEnya - Afer Ventus (DNTEL Remix) Enya Mixes • 2010 • BoomkatTears for Fears - Mad World (Midnight Radio Mix) The Hurting • 1982Walls - Burnt Sienna Walls • Kompakt, 2010 • BandcampFather Dionysios Tabakis - ΑΝΑΡΧΟΣ ΘΕΟΣ Βυζαντινά Κάλαντα των Χριστουγέννων σε α΄ήχο Paradise Metal • Heat Crimes, 2026 • BoomkatPlacid Angles - Saint Anne Canada • Oathcreations, 2026 • BandcampOrbital - Halcyon and On and On (Midnight Radio Mix) Radiccio • 1993 • BandcampThe request lines are open. Enjoy life and get the full Midnight Radio experience delivered directly to your inbox ’round midnight on the 1st and 15th of each month.

50 min
Apr 16

Noon Radio

Read the full post here. For tonight's episode, Steve sent me a file with selections from some of his favorite songs. He wanted to put together something that would be ideal for a warm afternoon because he's a contrarian who must test the limits of Midnight Radio. Fair enough. Here are the changes I made: Swapped the Topdown Dialectic track he selected for one I like better.Because he's the least self-aggrandizing person I know, it probably didn’t occur to him to include his own music. I’ve fixed this. A song from his Minor Hexachords project appears midway, and I love how the high-gloss majesty of a Burger & Ink classic gives way to "Radians," which shatters the dub techno template into glittery shards.Slowed down the last two songs by 39% and 210% because they sound fantastic this way.And of course, the usual reverb and static. This 44th episode is exactly 44 minutes long, which pleases me. Thank you for listening. Topdown Dialectic - 20170804-2 20170804 • Aught, 2017 • BandcampFoote/Dickow - Volcano Snail High Cube • Geographic North, 2026 • BandcampSa Pa - Ride High Ambeesh • Short Span, 2025 • BandcampBurger & Ink - Elvism Las Vegas • Harvest, 1996 • BoomkatMinor Hexachords - Radians Brinkmanship • 2025 • BandcampPaperclip Minimiser - B2 II • Peak Oil, 2026 • BandcampGramm - Legends/Nugroove™ Personal Rock • Source, 1999 • BandcampVehicular - Vehicular 02 (39% slower) False 5 • False Aralia, 2025 • BandcampKoen Holtkamp - Atmos 01 (210% slower) Atmosfera • Love All Day, 2021 • BandcampThe request lines are open. Enjoy life and get the full Midnight Radio experience delivered directly to your inbox ’round midnight on the 1st and 15th of each month.

44 min
Apr 2

Neglected Utopian Energy

Read the entire post here. In its common form, nostalgia is a taunt because it fetishes a time that can never be reclaimed. But when dealing with mid-1990s electronica, perhaps it can also be an invitation. To reclaim the energy from a time when dozens of naive albums were inspired by Koyaanisqatsi or the incense-soaked rhythms of Kingsuk Biswas's Bedouin Ascent project. It was a time of creating for its own sake without an eye on any marketplace or notion of virality. Of making things simply because new tools were there. So maybe I’ll just sink into this plush couch with cigarette burns in the cushions while Strange Days plays on mute and someone tells me all about the benefits of globalization and the Information Superhighway. Introduction: Stonecirclesampler, Air Liquide, Mojave 3, assorted radio static, etc.Dr. Atmos & Oliver Lieb - Music to Films Movement V Music to Films • Fax, 1994Pete Namlook & Richie Hawtin - Silent Intelligence V From Within III • Fax, 1997Bedouin Ascent - Mammon [Midnight Radio Edit] Science, Art, and Ritual • Rising High, 1994 • BandcampMassive Attack vs. Mad Professor - Protection (Radiation Ruling the Nation) No Protection • Wild Bunch Records, 1995B12 - Radiophonic Workshop Time Tourist • Warp, 1996 • BandcampPhotek - T’raenon Version T’raenon • Op-Art, 1996Bedouin Ascent - Transition R Science, Art, and Ritual • Rising High, 1994 • BandcampMakyo - Devabandha Rasa Bhava • Silent Records, 1996 • BandcampEpilogue: Stonecirclesampler, Patsy Cline, assorted radio static, etc.Now I'm in Minneapolis after a viciously turbulent flight because a snowstorm is on the way. They're talking about 8 to 12 inches. I mention this because Midnight Radio seems to be the only deadline I honor and I'm pressing the button at 11:54pm Central Time. It counts. More importantly, a new version of Spite is available in your local App Store or you can learn more and download it directly here. The request lines are open. Enjoy life and get the full Midnight Radio experience delivered directly to your inbox ’round midnight on the 1st and 15th of each month.

58 min
Mar 16

Return of the Gods

Read the full post. I often think about Leonard Cohen's observation that religion is the greatest form of art. When I'm moved by a painting, I am not thinking about its veracity. I do not question whether my emotional response is true. With thoughts like this in my head, I'm grateful that Martin Essig will join us tonight to talk about the history of faith. M. first appeared in episode 23 to tell us that desire is a demon. Because synchronicities abound, he came into my life at a time when I was grappling with the meaning of me, and he was hellbent on making sure I understood symbolic failure and the Lacanian Real. Along the way, he became a reliable friend, ensuring that I never wander too far into doubt or belief but instead learn to enjoy the dance. Tonight M. will discuss animism and disenchantment on top of some songs he selected, several of which I've bludgeoned into unrecognizable shapes. But first, he must answer the Very Special Guest Question. Do you believe in god or any spiritual dimension to the universe? "I guess the real question is: Does God believe in Himself? I prefer a God who isn’t really sure if He exists or not. In all the best religious experiences, nobody’s certain about what’s going on, including and especially God." XDCVR - Psalm 68 I Hate That Shit, I Hate All That Shit • Ooh Sounds, 2026 • BandcampLuke Slater - Love (Burial) Love Remixes • Mote Evolver, 2019 • BoomkatSun Electric - Episode VI Episodes • Detuned, 2026 • BandcampBlawan - 993 Nutrition • Ternesc, 2017 • BandcampJürgen Paape - So Weit Wie Noch Nie (Midnight Radio Edit) Total 3 • Kompakt, 2001 • BandcampThe Field - Reflecting Lights (Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith Remix) Reflecting Lights Remixe | Kompakt, 2016 | BandcampKakuhan - Kak-Juk KAK • Nakid, 2026 • BoomkatPatche - Motorik (60% slower) Patche • Popop, 2023 • BandcampCan - I Want More (500% slower + filtered) Flow Motion • Harvest/Mute, 1976 • BandcampBabe Ruth - The Mexican (21% slower) First Base | Harvest, 1972 | MoreThe request lines are open. Enjoy life and get the full Midnight Radio experience delivered directly to your inbox ’round midnight on the 1st and 15th of each month.

44 min
Mar 2

Conversations With the Drum

Read the full post. I’ll admit, I flew too close to the sun on this one. First off, the Concept series has become such a personal landmark that it’s hard to approach it objectively. Of the 32 songs across these records, I have 23 favorites, which would be a four-hour mix. Eventually I had to turn the process of selection into an exercise in subtraction until I was left with an hour of my favorite bits. Second, I’ve never been good at matching beats. It’s hard and boring. And these songs are phenomenally difficult to mix, filled with analog drift and reversed stutters as if they were designed to ratfuck any crossfade. Thomas Brinkmann’s variations make this even more challenging. He built a custom turntable with two tonearms that had separate outputs for the left and right channels. By splitting the stereo field across two needles in the same groove, unexpected rhythms and phase shifts emerged, creating what Brinkmann described this as "a little intervention and displacement of elements.” There's a lot of displacement in tonight's tribute: hard cuts, truncated tracks, and rips of static that remind me of late nights in high school when I would futz with the tuner trying to catch a faint signal of the alien sounds from Deep Space Radio. When I listen to Concept series today, I hear the wild sense of play that only emerges from routine and parameters; I think about the commitment to a regular cadence that teaches one to live with imperfect results. Most of all, these tracks succeed because they are a dialogue with the listener: they stake out a rigid framework so expectations can be f****d with. The offset of a snare becomes high drama. A glitched drum or an abrupt silence plays off what I expect to hear. 96:01 01:00 96:01 02:00 VR96:05 09:00 96:05 10:00 96:07 13:00 96:08 16:00 96:11 21:00 VR96:12 23:00 96:12 24:00 VRRichie Hawtin - Concept 1 96:12 | Bandcamp Thomas Brinkmann - Concept 1 96 VR | Bandcamp The request lines are open. Enjoy life and get the full Midnight Radio experience delivered directly to your inbox ’round midnight on the 1st and 15th of each month.

59 min
Feb 16

Bodies Without Organs

A very special episode with Candy Chang—read the full post here. Do you believe in god or any spiritual dimension to the universe? “Yes. Watching Carl Sagan’s Cosmos was my first spiritual experience. It made me feel existentially connected to all of time, space, and life. That feeling pulled me out of despair and it was my first understanding of god: a widescreen kinship.” Bertrand Belin - Choses Nouvelles Persona | Cinq 7, 2019Füxa - Dirty D Dirty D | Rocket Girl, 2013 | BandcampDamien Jurado & Richard Swift - Radioactivity Other People’s Songs Vol. 1 | Secretly Canadian, 2016 | BandcampCliff Martinez - Abscess The Knick Soundtrack | Milan, 2014The Cure - Plainsong (Studio Rough Guide Vocal) Disintegration | Fiction Records, 1989 | BoomkatCliff Martinez - Son of Placenta The Knick Soundtrack | Milan, 2014A Flock of Seagulls - I Ran (620% slower + filtered / 28% slower) A Flock of Seagulls | Jive, 1982Peter Schilling - Major Tom (Völlig Losgelöst) Error in the System | Elektra, 1982Belong - Perfect Life Common Era | Kranky, 2011 | BandcampBrian Reitzell & RJ Manning Jr. - On the Subway Lost in Translation Soundtrack | Emperor Norton, 2003 Aural Indifference - The Park The Sound of Indifference | Minimal Wave, 1981 | BandcampAir - Au Fond du Rêve Doré (150% slower + filtered) Love 2 | Astralwerks, 2009Also worth noting: this 40th episode of Midnight Radio is exactly 40:40. As always, synchronicities abound. Thank you for listening. The request lines are open. Enjoy life and get the full Midnight Radio experience delivered directly to your inbox ’round midnight on the 1st and 15th of each month.

41 min

5

out of 5

4 Ratings

Inspired by the Electrifying Mojo, Midnight Radio is a short burst of late-night reverberations, inspirations, and a mixtape delivered ’round midnight on the 1st and 15th of each month. Some episodes will be available in partial form as a podcast. Many will not. But every episode of Midnight Radio is available in its full Technicolor glory at jamesreeves.co.

Creator

James A. Reeves
Years Active

2025 - 2026
Episodes

31
Rating

Explicit
Copyright

© 2026 Midnight Radio
Show Website

Midnight Radio