Help us sleep together.

November 4, 2010 4:29 PM

I like to listen to voices when I am trying to sleep. My OH likes trippy dancy techno. What should we listen to together?

We like to put something on to get us off to the land of Nod. I listen to something like Answer Me This, the Adam and Joe Show, or BBC spoken word things. I find gentle voices really comforting.
My OH likes something trippy and we both enjoy dance, electronica and techno kinda things. Think Air, Portishead, etc.

Are there any songs or artists you think might cover both? It would be cool to make a playlist. Obviously nothing to beat-y or mean, nice, etheral, twinkley sparkle sleep music please.

posted by Neonshock to Grab Bag (22 answers total)

I assume you've cherry-picked through Boards of Canada's catalogue already.
posted by mykescipark at 4:43 PM on November 4, 2010 [1 favorite]

What you want is some trip hop.
posted by griphus at 4:46 PM on November 4, 2010 [1 favorite]

Hooverphonic may fit the bill. Their music is on our sleepytime mix and seems to fit your requirements for voice/electronica, particularly the Blue Wonder Power Milk album.
posted by macska at 4:51 PM on November 4, 2010

Also, Burial.
posted by griphus at 5:00 PM on November 4, 2010 [1 favorite]

Chris Morris monologues would be exactly perfect but for the fact that they will give you both nightmares.
posted by moxiedoll at 5:01 PM on November 4, 2010 [1 favorite]

Terrence McKenna talks bollocks about mushrooms and things over some pretty decent trancey stuff
posted by pompomtom at 5:05 PM on November 4, 2010

You like x, he likes y. I think you should listen to x and he should listen to y.
posted by Biru at 5:16 PM on November 4, 2010

try School of Seven Bells.
posted by lex mercatoria at 5:19 PM on November 4, 2010

I'm not going to list specific songs, but your question made me think of Azure Ray. Listen to some clips of theirs. They do some tinkly electronic stuff along with their guitar playing, and the singing is very delicate.
posted by wondermouse at 5:34 PM on November 4, 2010

Maybe some Kid Koala?
posted by purlgurly at 5:36 PM on November 4, 2010

Miss Kittin and the Hacker?
posted by pecanpies at 5:43 PM on November 4, 2010

The Books (sorta/total self-link)
Cocorosie - Not For Sale (La Maison De Mon Reve is pretty great.)
posted by carsonb at 5:50 PM on November 4, 2010

Eh, what the heck. Here are a couple specific Azure Ray songs that seem like they would fit the bill:
Azure Ray - The Drinks We Drank Last Night
Azure Ray - Rise
posted by wondermouse at 5:54 PM on November 4, 2010

Also, Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works 85-92 is superb drifting off music. The vocals (samples mostly) fade in and out in various intervals; there might not be enough for you.

Pulsewidth
posted by carsonb at 6:00 PM on November 4, 2010

Listening to the whole album, I'd probably only cherry-pick a few of the songs. Some are not exactly ambient, and others have women moaning in the background.

I definitely uncheck those ones out of the playlist when I put it on to fall asleep.
posted by carsonb at 6:11 PM on November 4, 2010

Royksopp
posted by 4ster at 8:18 PM on November 4, 2010

Actual Sounds + Voices, Subliminal Sandwich, or Satyricon: all albums from Meat Beat Manifesto.
posted by infinitewindow at 9:51 PM on November 4, 2010

Maybe a little bit of The Orb? I haven't listened to them in quite some time, but I remember their songs having quite a bit of spoken word in them.
posted by Hactar at 11:30 PM on November 4, 2010

The Orb - Little Fluffy Clouds
The Orb - The huge ever-growing pulsating brain that rules from the center of the ultraworld
lost Tribe - gamemaster
Marshall Jefferson - Mushrooms

any show on Radio 1 has both djs and techno -- especially essential mixes -- I highly recommend the following essential mixes:

(warning, filestube has tons of ads, but you can usually find the mixes there pretty easily)

Paul Oakenfold - The Goa Mix

Paul Oakenfold - 1997 (a rare treat)

Portishead

massive attack - essential mix

Psychonauts - essential mix

Paul Oakenfold's two Global Underground mixes are also amazing to go to sleep to.

I also really like the stuff Pandora gives you if you use 'm83' as a seed.
posted by empath at 5:50 AM on November 5, 2010 [2 favorites]

I find dj mixes to be better than actual songs because they don't have jarring transitions and volume changes. And trance is the best, because, well, it puts you in a trance.
posted by empath at 5:52 AM on November 5, 2010

Ken Nordine, Word Jazz
posted by Jasper Fnorde at 2:33 PM on November 5, 2010

Blue Jam - assuming you like spoken word, trance, and somewhat disturbing and bizarre humour.
posted by Artw at 10:44 AM on November 9, 2010