Ambient, Electronica, and Soundscaping single MP3s from Mark Rushton

Beat It (remix) by Phillip J. Caswell featuring Metro Man

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:00:02 CST

A spoken word version of Michael Jackson's "Beat It" by Phillip J. Caswell read into an answering machine in 2004 and then remixed with music and sounds by Metro Man. Made available on the day Michael Jackson died, June 25, 2009.

Mark Rushton - Storm Approaching Iowa City, June 21, 2009

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 12:00:02 CST

Recorded when the rain started in Iowa City on Sunday, June 21, 2009. The birds seem to be sending out a call.

Mark Rushton - Waking Up (A Field Recording)

Mon, 11 May 2009 12:00:02 CST

Like the previous week's field recording, I recorded outdoors behind my house on the morning of Sunday, May 10, 2009 for several hours to capture the birds before sunrise. This is a better recording due to less distant road noise thanks to a NW wind. This recording starts about 10 minutes after the first birdsong of the morning, so about 5:40am or thereabouts, and it gradually grows.

Mark Rushton - Field Recording, May 3, 2009

Sun, 03 May 2009 12:00:02 CST

I left my Zoom H2 out on the deck overnight on May 3, 2009. This section of bird song was recorded just before sunrise, about 5:30am, when the birds were really active. In the background you can hear the slight drone of I-80 (2 miles to the north), and the occasional car on Rochester Ave (3 or 4 blocks to the north). There's even a railroad horn 2/3s of the way through (the track is a couple miles to the south). The recording only had some minor "normalization" performed, and fades in/out.

Mark Rushton - Field Recording, March 17, 2009

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 12:00:02 CST

A recording off my back deck on St Patrick's Day. It was unusually warm for Iowa City, around 75 degrees, sunny and breezy.

Mark Rushton - Get Lost In This

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 12:00:02 CST

A birthday present from me to you.

Mark Rushton - Swillsure

Sun, 28 Dec 2008 12:00:02 CST

Noisy ambient sketch.

Mark Rushton - Grey Skies

Sat, 27 Dec 2008 12:00:02 CST

A little sketch featuring sustained synth drones, field recordings, looped tornado warning sirens, and various other sounds.

Mark Rushton - Traversing

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 12:00:02 CST

An ambient/electronica sketch built around improv Xiosynth-ing, numerous field recordings, and various loops.

Mark Rushton - Dead Drone

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 12:00:02 CST

It's a dead drone. I kind of want this sound to go on for another 20 or 30 minutes, or maybe an hour or two. For now, there's always "repeat". Recorded and released on December 23, 2008.

Mark Rushton - May Thunderstorm Soundscape

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 12:00:02 CST

"May Thunderstorm Soundscape" features multi-layered thunderstorm field recordings from my backyard in May 2008, along with an intentionally out-of-phase rhythmic backing. I wouldn't consider this a sketch; it's a finished piece. Recorded and released on December 22, 2008.

Mark Rushton - Inside Gates

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 12:00:02 CST

"Inside Gates" is a sketch built around a field recording I did waiting for food at Gates BBQ in Kansas City while visiting there in the summer of 2008.

Mark Rushton - Drone Storm

Sat, 20 Dec 2008 12:00:02 CST

Drone Storm is a free ambient/beats/field recording track released on December 20, 2008.

Mark Rushton - Under Treetops

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 12:00:02 CST

"Under Treetops" is a free ambient/field recording track released on December 19, 2008. It features low pulses, fog, rain sweep, wind chimes, bird song, and air.

Mark Rushton - Chuck Bird

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 12:00:02 CST

Remembering our friend Chuck Bird (November 11, 1957 - November 12, 2006) who died after a 30 year battle with diabetes in Nashville.

Mark Rushton and Jon Harnish - Esker

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 12:00:02 CST

Recorded at Public Space One, located in the Jefferson Building in downtown Iowa City, Iowa, on Sunday, October 19, 2008.

Mark Rushton and Jon Harnish - Drumlin

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 12:00:02 CST

Recorded at Public Space One, located in the Jefferson Building in downtown Iowa City, Iowa, on Sunday, October 19, 2008.

Mark Rushton and Jon Harnish - Weathering

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 12:00:02 CST

Recorded at Public Space One, located in the Jefferson Building in downtown Iowa City, Iowa, on Sunday, October 19, 2008.

Mark Rushton - Field Recording (October 9, 2008)

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:00:02 CST

Driving down Rochester Avenue in Iowa City on October 9, 2008 about 7pm.

Mark Rushton - Field Recording (September 7, 2008)

Sun, 07 Sep 2008 12:00:02 CST

A recording off my back deck on September 7, 2008, after dark, around 9pm.

Mark Rushton - Katydid and Fireworks

Thu, 26 Jul 2008 12:00:02 CST

A recording of katydids and crickets in my backyard, punctuated with the sounds of distant fireworks exploding 13 miles away in North Liberty for the RAGBRAI bicyclers

Mark Rushton - June 8, 2008 - Field Recording Of A Rain Storm

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 12:00:02 CST

More heavy rain storms passing through Iowa City on Sunday, June 8, 2008.

Mark Rushton - Field Recording Of Thunder, May 29, 2008

Thu, 29 May 2008 12:00:02 CST

A thunderstorm passed through Iowa City on Thursday, May 29, 2008.

Mark Rushton - Can I Have Your Attention Please?

Fri, 23 May 2008 12:00:02 CST

This is a field recording made on May 23, 2008 at the elementary school near my house.

Mark Rushton - Dance Dance Electrocution

Thu, 07 May 2008 12:00:02 CST

Uptempo dance music from 2004, very much unlike what I produce today (or back then). It's still fun to hear.

Mark Rushton - April 20, 2008 Field Recording

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 12:00:02 CST

This was recorded in my backyard the night of Sunday, April 20, 2008. I think that sounds like frogs. And note my neighbor's sump pump hose draining just after the beginning.

Mark Rushton - Lengthy Stay

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 12:00:02 CST

Originally sourced from a Buddha Machine, Lengthy Stay has a lovely and hypnotic ambient dub nature to it, along with a considerable amount of underlying background tension.

Mark Rushton - Pulse Detector

Sun, 02 Mar 2008 12:00:02 CST

Originally sourced from a Buddha Machine, Pulse Detector has a lovely and hypnotic ambient dub nature to it.

Mark Rushton - The Ice Storm

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 12:00:02 CST

The Ice Storm features recordings done on my Zoom H2 on December 11, 2007 during the ice storm in Iowa City, Iowa.

Mark Rushton and Jon Harnish - Ten Foot Tomato

Sun, 21 Oct 2007 12:00:02 CST

Mark Rushton and Jon Harnish produced this improvisational live ambient electronica piece on October 13, 2007 at Jon's Weather Excuse studio in the New Bohemia section of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Jon is on bass guitar and effects. Mark is on a synth and also a keyboard controller. Recorded on a Zoom H2 that wasn't properly positioned in the studio.

Mark Rushton - July 31, 2007 Buzz

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 12:00:02 CST

Every night is different, but all nights are loud in the summer. The katydids keep going with their multi-layered, out-of-phase rhythms. The crickets buzz, although less often and with less intensity as the week before. There is only a slight hint of road noise from the north. A nearby neighbor has the central air running, which you can hear slightly on the right side. This was recorded using my old Sony minidisc recorder and a pair of binaural microphones. I only edited for time, provided the two fades, and turned it into a 128kb-encoded MP3. File under: field recording

Mark Rushton - The Buzz, Part 2

Sun, 22 Jul 2007 12:00:02 CST

The katydids are out in my neighborhood every night now (late July 2007), and since I have woods behind my house there's lots of them chattering away. Here's 6 minutes of the sound, along with numerous other buzzing and rhythmic insects. It's nature's orchestra. I like how the rhythms get off track and are imperfect, but are constantly interesting. In the background, because of a northerly wind, is ambient noise from Interstate 80. This was recorded using my old Sony minidisc recorder and a pair of binaural microphones. I only edited for time, provided the two fades, and turned it into a 128kb-encoded MP3. File under: field recording

Mark Rushton - Buddhametrics (live v2)

Sun, 08 Jul 2007 12:00:02 CST

This is a live remix of my track Psychometrics (originally released on my 2004 CD The Driver's Companion), but with many of the layered loops taken out and replaced with a loop from the Buddha Machine / Buddha Box. It was recorded live at the Ambient Matyk Cafe in the New Bohemia section of Cedar Rapids in March 2006. You can hear me walking around on the wood floor and occasionally some traffic going by. File under: mellow, pulse, chill

Mark Rushton - Memory Trigger

Sat, 17 Feb 2007 12:00:02 CST

From my February 2007 CD release Regeneration X. Get the CD at or listen to other samples at cafepress.com/regenerationx - It has such a nice SomaFM "Groove Salad" feel to it, if you know what I'm talking about. Very laidback rhythms and keyboard sustains. Nice flow and very subtle. I even stuck timpani in a couple of places and it works. Very accessible. File under: groovy electronica

Mark Rushton and Jon Harnish - Winter Wind Chimes

Wed, 11 Jan 2006 00:00:01 GMT

Taken from the podcast "What Does An Iowa Winter Sound Like?" Winter Wind Chimes is very quiet ambient based on atmospheric loops by Jon Harnish. Mark Rushton later arranged and mixed these with some recordings sampled from an earlier performance at the Ambient Matyk Cafe where Mark Rushton was providing laptop and loop improvisation and Jon Harnish was providing bass guitar and effects.

Mark Rushton - Sunday's Drift

Sat, 17 Feb 2007 12:00:02 CST

Four and a half minutes long. It's a slow and drifty thing with rhythmic acoustic guitars, floating keyboards, orchestra, and deep bass. You can almost feel the clouds passing by. From the album Hum and Drift, available on iTunes as a digital download or in CD format from markrushton.com, Amazon.com, CafePress.com, CDBaby.com, and BuyIowaArt.com. File under: low key, passive, meditative, relaxing, headphone music.

Mark Rushton - Theme From Lincoln Highway

Sat, 11 Jun 2005 12:00:00 GMT

Check this out... it's just over 4 minutes of guitar-driven, synth-washed, funky percussion groove. Great for cruising around in the car. From the album The Driver's Companion, available on iTunes as a digital download or in CD format from markrushton.com, Amazon.com, CafePress.com, CDBaby.com, and BuyIowaArt.com. File under: pop, trip-hop, accessible, slick, theme music, coffee table electronica.