... the run-up to Christmas is all about the energy of anticipation ... anticipating the parties, the shopping, the gift-wrapping, the decorating, the big dinner, the kids on Christmas morning tearing into their presents ... and the adults ripping into theirs, too....

And then there's Christmas night ... after the presents have been opened, the wrapping has been swept up, the last guests have left and the house quiets down ... and now you're just sitting on the couch in the firelight ... or maybe just the candlelight ... basking in that mellowness that comes but once a year for most of us ...

If this is your Christmas night, then Spiritus FLY is your mix ... and if Spiritus FLY is your mix, then this WILL BE your Christmas night, if only for one hour ....


Included on the mix are a number of chant or plainsong examples from the vast amount of liturgical music from medieval times (the real old school, when it comes to Christmas music) including music from Anonymous 4, Pro Cantione Antiqua, Noirin NiRiain, Emily Van Evera & Sister Germaine Fritz, and a third version of Parce mihi domine by Jan Garbarek & The Hilliard Ensemble (the other two versions appear, respectively, on my 2004 and 2005 Christmas mixes.)

In addition, there are a few more modern takes on the seasonal song ... including artists such as Billy Paul Williams, Sub Santa, J Boogie, Julian Brody, John Fahey and Sarah McLachlan who turns in a sweet version of the Joni Mitchell song River.

... not the style of music most of us spend our year listening to, but pitch-perfect for conveying the spirit of Christmas....

This message has been edited. Last edited by: MadameFLY,

Heading into another Christmas and getting the seasonal show ready for the stream, I listened to this mostly-acoustic and voice mix and was shocked at how much more apparent the version 6 "bad sound" issue was to me now ...

During this past year, listening under the tutelage of Aaron, Tepmix and Moto, all of whom have very acute ears for music, has helped educate me about this issue that was the primary subject of the improvements in Studio 7.1.1.

Well, obviously, I needed to remake this mix in Studio 7 in order to improve the sound presentation ... so that's been my task for the last week or so .... The sound reproduction is loads better now, and where I had a transition that I simply could not recreate in v.7 (though it worked pretty well in v.6), I just saw that as an opportunity to spiff up the set-list a little bit.

Whether you heard this mix last year or not, I invite you to join us here on BeatConscious during December to catch this set ... sit by the fire, let your body relax, elevate your mind and feel your spirit FLY....

Here in Germany christmas is sooner a contemplative feast.
We sit around the christmas - tree and sing "Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht" (Silent night, holy night) and other
good old christmas songs. It´s different from the happy english version. So your mix matches surely hundred per
cent in this spirit! I´m look forward to catch it.

Furthermore I want to say thank you very much for your mixes, your work and your female kindness here! Thank you very much for that.

How is christmas celebrated by you in the states, dear MadameFly? Happy or contemplative?

Viele Grüße und einen schönen ersten Advent von (Many greetings and a nice first advent from)

Holger / "DJ Mojito" / "Mojito".

Holger, I think Christmas is celebrated many different ways within the USA ... for many people it is, as it is for you, a contemplative time and a time for family to be together. Some people use it as a time for holiday parties or vacation travel, some people focus on the gift-giving aspect while others get involved mostly with decorating the home with lights and other festive items -- in lots of towns, it is a holiday tradition to drive around and see the decorated homes (some of them even show up on YouTube because the decorations are so elaborate.)

In making the mixes for the Christmas show, we try to make music for the whole range of activity -- from the Christmas party with lots of friends and neighbors to the "quiet night" in front of the fire with just the family.

By Christmas Eve, the entire rotation on BeatConscious will be music of the season -- I will be most interested to hear your reaction to all the different mixes, and I thank you in advance for taking the time to listen and comment.