Life is a Waltz

Life is a Waltz

By The Micronaut   25 min. reading   View Comments

For every moment in life there is a waltz; and every waltz incarnates an entire life. The odd numbered 3/4 (and its compound 6/8) rhythm is more suited for dance rather than marching and perhaps there hides its magic.

“Life is a Waltz” is a series of mixtapes, featuring songs written in 3/4 or 6/8 rhythms. There is no restriction on the genre of the songs, although there is a fine bias towards folk and acoustic sounds. The first few volumes are just raw mixtapes. Through the course of time we realized the potential of mixing sounds (e.g. vol.7), speech excerpts (e.g. vol.9, vol.12), and poetry (e.g. vol.11, vol.13, vol.14) together with other tracks. Sounds from nature, cities, human activities, or even devices are seamlessly blended with poetry, inspiring speeches, and songs. Thus, these mixtapes have been rendered into something one may call ‘soundscapes’.

Longing for a cinematic outcome equivalent to motion pictures, the principal incentive is to go against a spirit which is driven and concurred by visual stimuli; to walk, instead, across a path that offers food to the brain by means of auditory stimuli. Alas, few people will tolerate such a path since in our times the human mind is addicted to visual information, a natural human torque that was boosted with the sovereignty of television over the radio, and matured with the help of the Internet and new technologies.

While listening to these mixes, one will come across popular and delightful ballads only to realize they are actually waltzes.

Here is the complete list so far. Enjoy!

Life is a Waltz

Tracklist: Dmitri Shostakovich - Waltz No. 2 | Animals - House of the rising sun | Gotye - Smoke And Mirrors | Renos Halarambidis - Valsaki gia 4 mavra kostoumia | The Beatles - You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away | Radiohead - A Wolf at the Door | Other Lives - E-Minor | Billy Joel - Piano Man | Dead Can Dance - Ulysses | Enya - Caribbean Blue | Great Lake Swimmers - I could be nothing | The Great Park - The Royal Canal | Apocalyptica & James Hetfield - Nothing else matters (Silent Dj Mix) | Eagles - Take It To The Limit | Elliott Smith - Between the Bars | Evelyn Evelyn - Evelyn Evelyn | The Cog Is Dead - The Death Of The Cog | Sivert Høyem - First day of somersaults | The New Pornographers - Go Places | Jimi Hendrix - Manic depression | Anastasia Moutsatsou - To vals tis zois | Ghostfire - The Last Steampunk Waltz | Placebo - My Sweet Prince | Beirut - A Sunday Smile | Red Hot Chili Peppers - Breaking The Girl | Mazzy Star & Jarvis Cocker - Fade Into You (Manchester Mix)

Jan 15, 2013

Life is a Waltz - Vol.2

Tracklist: Camille Saint-Sans - Danse Macabre | Dead Man’s Bones - My Body’s a Zombie for You | Seabear - Owl Waltz | Leonard Cohen - Take This Waltz | Tom Waits - Innocent When You Dream | Pearl Jam - I am mine | Elliott Smith - Waltz #2 | Calexico - Sunken Waltz | Carter the Unstopable Sex Machine - A Prince in a Pauper’s Grave | Built to Spill - Velvet Waltz | The Great Park - Lover O Lover | The Dear Hunter - Vital Vessel Vindicates | People Magazine Front Cover - Get Well Soon | Jon Brion - Here We Go | First Aid Kit - The Lion’s Roar | Giorgos Stavrianos - Stretto Cafe (Cayetano remix) | Cake - Mexico | Andrew Bird - First Song | Deftones - Anniversary of an Uninteresting Event | Bob Dylan - The Times They Are A Changing | Loch Lomond - Wax and Wire | Josh Ritter - The Curse | Calexico - Old Man Waltz | Okkervil River - Red | R.E.M. - Try Not To Breathe

Jan 16, 2013

Life is a Waltz - Vol.3

Tracklist: Antonín Dvořák - Tempo di Valse | Led Zeppelin - Since I’ve Been Loving You | Eleni Karaindrou - To Vals tis vrochis | Elliott Smith - Going Nowhere | Dusty Springfield - “Guess who?” | Detektiv rån - E18 | The Godfather Music - Waltz | Pink Martini - Que Sera, Sera | Stavros Lantsias - To Vals ton mation | Yann Tiersen - La Valse D’Amelie | Creedence Clearwater Revival - I put a spell on you | Etta James - At Last | Eleni Karaindrou - To Vals tou Gamou | Beirut - Cliquot | Cat Steven - Morning Has Broken | Gilbert o Sullivan - Nothing Rymed | Jim Croce - Time In A Bottle | Yann Tiersen - La Valse des Monstres | Stamatis Spanoudakis - Vals gia tin A’ thesi | Spyros Samoilis - To Vals tis nostalgias | Manos Hadjidakis - To Vals ton xamenon oneiron | Johann Strauss Jr. - Voices Of Spring Waltz

Jan 22, 2013

Life is a Waltz - Vol.4

Tracklist: Voltaire - The Headless Waltz | Elliott Smith - Waltz #1 | Les Negresses Vertes - La valse | Detektiv rån - Hemvägen | Atlas Sound - An Orchid | Diablo Swing Orchestra - Pink Noise Waltz | Falconer - Waltz With The Dead | Loch Lomond - The Mountain | Queen - The Millionaire Waltz | Wojciech Kilar - Tredowata | 16 Horsepower - South Pennsylvania Waltz | Elliott Smith - Last Call | Beirut - La Llorona | The Moody Blues - Nights In White Satin | Taraf de Haïdouks - Waltz from Masquerade | Cinema Strange - Intermezzo Bright Violet Euphoria

Jan 27, 2013

Life is a Waltz - Vol.5

Tracklist: Sergei Prokofiev - Cinderella’s Waltz | Annie Lennox - Cold | Eskju Divine - Put Your Arms Around Me | Other Lives - It Was The Night | Koop - Waltz 4 Koop | Uyama Hiroto - Waltz For Life Will Born | The Cinematic Orchestra - Yoyo waltz | Rainstick Orchestra - Waltz for A Little Bird | Electric Litany - A Dream Worth Dreaming | Broken Records - Lies | Kostantis Papakonstantinou - Scrapped Song | Dusk - What are the chances | INXS - Never Tear Us Apart

Jan 31, 2013

Life is a Waltz - Vol.6

Tracklist: Birds Of Passage - Waltz While We Sleep | Demonika and The Darklings - Carousel of Flames | Louise Attaque - La valse | Placebo - My Sweet Prince | Oniric - Blessing | Little Miss Sunshine - La Llorona | Lolek - A valse of true romance | Martin Grech - Open Heart Zoo | Giorgos Stayrianos - Cercami | VAST - Lady of Dreams | Sophie Hunger - Walzer Fur Niemand | Radical Face - The Dead Waltz | Princess Chelsea - Ice Reign | Dirty three - I Remember A Time When Once You Used To Love Me | Urban and Hauser - Astronaut | Brett Anderson - The More We Possess The Less We Own of Ourselves | The tiger lillies - Thousand violins | Pascal Comelade - Paganini paga tot a nono | Abel Korzeniowski - Evgeni’s waltz | Bosques De Mi Mente - El vals de las marionetas rotas

Jun 16, 2013

Life is a Waltz - Vol.7 (summer edition)

Tracklist: Josh Benash - The Bodies of Trees | Lonesome Wyatt And The Holy Spooks - Terror on the Ghost Ship | Bon Iver - Michicant | Tim Buckley - Carnival Song | Aimee Mann - Amateur | Agnes Obel - Philharmonics | Nikos Boubas - Waltz No. 2 | Madeleine Peyroux - Between the Bars (Cover) | Katerina Polemi - Το Βάλς του Ορφέα (Orpheus Waltz) | Sneeuwland - Oskar Schuster | George Varsamakis - O choros tis petaloudas | Coeur De Pirate - Berceuse | Cortometraje - El Sueno del Pintor | Yasmin Levy - Una Noche Mas | Ghost Bees - Tasseomancy | The Bourbon Knights - A Watery Grave for Poor Heinrich | Stroggylo Kitrino - To vals tis nyxtas | The Stranglers - Golden brown | The Flaming Stars - Too Late To Turn Back, Too Early To Say Goodbye | Old Boy Soundtrack - The Last Waltz

Aug 16, 2013

Life is a Waltz - Vol.8

Tracklist: Ai Phoenix - Storyteller | Emily Wells - Waltz of the dearly beloved | Joanna Newsom - Sprout And The Bean | First Aid Kit - Valse | Lenka - Like A Song | Patti Smith - Seneca | Marc Ribot - Delancey Waltz | Sparklehorse - It’s a Wonderful Life | Jacob Faurholt - Creatures in the Sea (feat. Sóley) | Boy & Bear - House & Farm | Kal Cahoone - Boomerang

Sep 8, 2013

Life is a Waltz - Vol.9 (The Greek Pragmatism)

Tracklist: Σήμα έναρξης ΕΡΤ - Τσομπανάκος | Νικόλαος Μάντζαρος/Διονύσιος Σολωμός - Ο Ύμνος εις την Ελευθερίαν (απόσπασμα) | ΜΆΝΟΣ ΧΑΤΖΙΔΆΚΙΣ: ΠΕΡΊ ΠΟΛΙΤΙΚΏΝ ΠΑΡΑΤΆΞΕΩΝ (ΣΧΌΛΙΑ ΣΤΟ ΤΡΊΤΟ) | Μάνος Χατζιδάκις - Το Βαλς των Χαμένων Ονείρων | Μάνος Χατζιδάκις - The Harmonica and The Waltz | Γιώργος Καζαντζής - Το Βαλς της Ουτοπίας | Sugar Factory - θβ | ‘Αγγελος Σπύρος - Το Βαλς των Πλοίων (La Valse Des Bateaux) | Egg Hell - Porto Madero | Your Hand In Mine - At the Bar III | Εmpty Frame - Πόσο λυπάμαι | Défilé des âmes - Eilem a est morte | Χείλια Λουλούδια - Δεν έχω κανέναν | Yianneis - Judas Tragedy | Στρόγγυλο Κίτρινο - To Βαλς της Νύχτας | Boomstate - Touzla | Ευανθία Ρεμπούτσικα - Ο Σταθμός | Νίκος Μπούμπας - Waltz of the little ship

Mar 23, 2014

Life is a Waltz - Vol.10 (The Werewolf’s Curse)

Tracklist: Dead Man’s Bones - Hypnotism | Arbol - Reborn | Agnes Obel - The Curse | The Stranglers - Waltzinblack | Great Lake Swimmers - I Will Never See The Sun | Mike Bruno - April Showers | Boduf Songs - Great Wolf Of No Tracks | O’Death - Ourselves | 16 Horsepower - Low Estate | Tiger Lillies - Avarice | Kiss the Anus of a Black Cat - Waltz for Wolves | Drowned Session - Nightsinging | Munly & the Lee Lewis Harlots - Jacob Dumb | Circus Contraption - If I Told You Once | Jerry Fish & The Mudbug Club - Back To Before | Last Harbour - The Loom | Mark Growden - Coyote | Nadine Shah - Dreary Town | Paul Roland - Waltzing the Square Ring Again | Love Like Birds - Manic

Jun 15, 2014

Life is a Waltz - Vol.11 (An Ocean of Lies)

Tracklist: Sir Walter Raleigh -The Lie (poem) | Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra and Tra-La-La Band with Choir - Mountains made of steam | Shakespeare - Sonnet 138 | The Black Heart Procession - A Cry For Love | Deleyaman - Sweet Space | Janel Drewis - In the Pines | Those Poor Bastards - At the Crossroads | The Bookhouse Boys - The Valley | Lord Huron - Ghost On The Shore | Johnny Flynn & Laura Marling - The Water | The Dead Brothers - How Deep Is The Water | Josh Garrels - Sailor’s Waltz | Crippled Black Phoenix ft. David Eugene Edwards - Just Like A Mexican Love | Kele Goodwin - Free | Rome - Swords To Rust Hearts To Dust | Oil On Canvas - Dove Coloured Fools | Glen Porter - Um | Crooked Fingers - Let’s Not Pretend | Elbow - The Fix | Wendy McNeill - Ask Me No Questions | The Great Park - Lover O Lover | The Kills - The Last Goodbye

Oct 5, 2014

Life is a Waltz - Vol.12 (An Ode to Starlings, Natural Law & Science)

Tracklist: Oskar Schuster - Fjarlægur (Cypix Remix) | Chinawoman - Waltz #1 | Low - Especially Me | Kwoon - Bird | Slow Skies - Bodies | Sangre De Muerdago - As Sendas De Monfero | Le Cardamomò - Valse de Meduse | Radical Face - Nightclothes | Nature And Organisation - To You | Tindersticks - Jism | The One Ensemble of Daniel Padden - Sleep Norway Sleep | The Black Heart Procession - Last Chance | The Sterling Sisters - Shallow Blood | Low Roar - I’m Leaving

Jan 11, 2015

Life is a Waltz - Vol.13 (The Road Not Taken)

Tracklist: Your Hand In Mine - Foreword | Unwoman - Flowering Vines | Sangre De Muerdago - Vellos camiños de vellas àrbores | Luluc - I Found you | Natasha Luna - Every Time You Seek The Answer | Tír na nÓg - Time is Like a Promise | The Coral - The Curse of Love | Heroin and Your Veins - Waltz of Regret | Gaë Bolg - La Valse Du Fou | Yann Tiersen - Slippery Stones | Wolf Larsen - If I Be Wrong | Siskiyou - Hold It In | Hexvessel - Woods to Conjure | Canasta - Appreciation | Sonne Hagal - The Three Ravens | Bansheerie - Daughters of the Twilight | Katie Kim - Heavy Lightning | John Williams - The Chairman’s Waltz | Lauren O’Connell - House of the Rising Sun

Feb 21, 2015

Life is a Waltz - Vol.14 (An Ode to Spring)

Tracklist: Dmitry Evgrafov - Obscured Obstacle | The White Birch - The Weight of Spring | Asaf Avidan - Bang Bang | Dos And Dust - Sallow | Fleet Foxes - Lorelai | Baptiste W. Hamon & Alma Forrer - Peut-être Que Nous Serions Heureux | Hannah Cohen - The Crying Game | Simon & Garfunkel - Scarborough Fair | A Silver Mt. Zion - Horses In The Sky | Kristin McClement - Drink Waltz | ALSO - Perfect Acting | A Xustiza Pola Man - Sangre de Muerdago | Sons of Perdition and Jaran Hereid - My Blood in These Hills The Afghan Whigs - Night by Candlelight | Orcas - Until Then (Broadcast cover)

Apr 27, 2015

Life is a Waltz - Vol.15 (An Ode to Love Letters)

Tracklist: Shady Bard - The Lava Waltz | Scott Matthew - Every Traveled Road | Sea Oleena - If I’m | Jim Yamouridis - The Dirge | Kathryn Joseph - Bones you have thrown me and blood i’ve spilled | David Maxim Micic - Universe in a Crayon | House of Wolves - One | Brendan Perry - Medusa | The Enchanted Wood - Monster Parade | Marissa Nadler - Solitude (Black Sabbath Cover) | Shady Bard - Trials | Emily Jane White - Silhouette | Jean Ritchie - One I Love | Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan - Seafaring Song

Aug 24, 2015

Life is a Waltz - Vol.16 (An Ode to Starmen)

Tracklist: David Bowie - Space Oddity (Intro, Aleh mix) | David Bowie - After All | Jo Yeong-Wook - The Last Waltz (Oldboy OST) | David Bowie - Five Years | Migala - The Guilt | Lilium - Sleep Inside | David Bowie - Maid Of Bond Street | Parra For Cuva - Stairway Wishes | Gargle & Bosques de mi Mente - Echoes Of Our Memories | David Bowie - Little Bombardier | McCully Workshop Inc. - Stargazer | Explosions in the Sky - So Long, Lonesome | Sivert Hoyem & The Opposition - Theme from Bambi | David Bowie - You Feel So Lonely You Could Die

Jan 17, 2016

Life is a Waltz - Vol.17 (Alone Together)

Tracklist: Francisco Tárrega - Gran Vals | In Gowan Ring - Cupped Hands Spel | Current 93 - Mockingbird | Radical Face - Black Eyesby | Kiss the Anus of a Black Cat - Salt | Kristin McClement - Blackfin Gulls (acoustic) | Moongazing Hare - Wild Nothing | Fanfarlo - I’m A Pilot | Natalie Merchant - Equestrienne | Empty Frames - Welcome To The Dollhouse | Two Step Slumber - Dark Waltz | Emily Jane White - Frozen Garden | Joan Baez - Annabelle Lee | Jenny Lysander - The Witch’s Brew | Sangre De Muerdago - Onde As Almas Van A Morrer | Nino Keller - Farewell Waltz | Matt Elliott - Gone

Apr 3, 2016

Life is a Waltz - Vol.18 (An Ode to Love)

Tracklist: Sherese Chrétien - Greensleeves | Gustaf Spetz - Saknaden | Her Name Is Calla - The White And The Skin | Flora Cash - For Someone | Dakhabrakha - Specially For You | José Carreras (with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra) - Greensleeves | Iain Morrison - Eas | Signed D.C. - Love | Bat For Lashes - Joe’s Dream | Beach House - House on the Hill | Loreena McKennitt - Greensleeves | Eskju Divine - Put Your Arms Around Me | Hero Fisher - The Cause | Leonard Cohen - Leaving Green Sleeves

Jun 19, 2016

Life is a Waltz - Vol.19 (Ode to Seafarers & Dreamfarers)

Tracklist: Constantine Y. - Ναοί Στο σχήμα του Ουρανού (ποίηση - απαγγελία Οδ. Ελύτη) | David Lynch & Lykke Li - I’m Waiting Here | Corrie Folk Trio and Paddy Bell - Fear a Bhata | Erica Buettner - Time Travelling | Jacob Faurholt - Floating In Space | Fleet Foxes - Tiger Mountain Peasant Song | Sam Moore & The Bad Palace - The Hedgehog | Migala - Dear Fear | Carol Anne McGowan - Sycamore Trees | The White Birch - The Hours | Sorgfyllt Avsked - Saknad | Beth Hart - Caught Out In The Rain | Rachel’s - A Warm Body | Adrian Crowley - The Hatchet Song | Tasseomancy - Anubis (from The Crypt Sessions) | William Ryan Fritch - You Remain | The Illusion Of Silence - The Old Seaman

Aug 17, 2016

Life is a Waltz - Vol.20 (The Glimmering of Mneme and the Waltz of Waltzes)

Special anniversary edition

Mar 19, 2017

Life is a Waltz - Vol.21 (An Ode to Airplanes, Promises, and Anna’s Waltzes)

Tracklist: Out Lines - Buried Guns | Ludovico Einaudi - Nefeli | Sieben - Sleep Clara Bow | Madredeus - As Montanhas | Oniric - Blessing | Remi & the road - The low days | Faun Fables - I’d Like to Be | The Monroe Transfer - Waltz | Mute Swimmer - Reckoning | Shigeru Umebayashi - Yumejis Theme (Extended Version) | The Black Heart Procession - Last Chance | DeVotchKa - The Last Beat Of My Heart (Siouxsie And The Banshees cover) | Mae West - Trailer Bride | Rome - La Rose et la Hache | Andrea Schroeder - Until The End | Oniric - Lautre | Deine Lakaien - The Walk To The Moon | J. Ralph & Anohni (F.K.A. Antony) - Manta Ray | Dave Gahan & Soulsavers - My Sun | In Gowan Ring - Cupped Hands Spell

Nov 19, 2017

Life is a Waltz - Vol.22 (An Ode to Identity, Personas and the Unborn)

Tracklist: Radical Face - Black Eyes | Out Lines - The Left Behind | Efrat Ben Zur - I’m Nobody | Circuit des Yeux - Black Fly | Δ (alt-J) - Pleader | Kat Frankie - Happy | The Cranberries - Will You Remember | Laura Frances - Restless Bed of Water | Lean Year - Come and See | Perfume Genius - My Body | Emma Gatrill - Cocoon | Fleet Foxes - I Should See Memphis | Sumie - Night Rain | Samantha de Siena- You laugh at the Moon | Great Lake Swimmers - Think That You Might Be Wrong | Sibylle Baier - The End

Jan 28, 2018

Life is a Waltz - Vol.23 (An Ode to Peace & the Eternal Dawn of the Moon)

Tracklist: Six Pack (A Cappella Comedy-Show) & Monserrat Caballé - Hijo de la Luna | Isaac Albéniz - Asturias (Leyenda) No. 5 Classical Guitar | Art Of Empathy - Good Morning Sick World | Nate Hall - A Great River | Kathleen Mary Lee - The Dreamer | House of Wolves - Holy Roller Coaster | Sangre de Muerdago - A Danza das Ánimas | Narsilion - Lost Horizons | Sophia - Its Easy To Be Lonely | Matt Elliott - Whats Wrong | Kwoon - Tinklëh | Shy Low - Presence | Slow Meadow - Clouds Not Clocks | Sunday Driver - Concubine Waltz | Bonnie “Prince” Billy - Grand Dark Feeling Of Emptiness | Sangre de Muerdago - Deixademe Morrer no Bosque (intro) | Hilary Woods - Black Rainbow

Oct 13, 2018

Life is a Waltz - Vol.24 (Volatile times in Stagnant Air)

Tracklist: Woven Hand - The speaking hands | Tristan Eckerson - Cartographer | Mountainess - Raisins and Almonds | Jim Croce - Time in a bottle | Ruído/mm - Valsa dos desertores | Agnes Obel - Its Happening Again | Grey River and the Smoky Mountain - The King and the Crow | Radiohead - The Tourist | Muse - Blackout | Wio - Green (Grass) | Sophia - The sea | La Rive - La Jetée | Steve Von Till - Black Crow Blues | In Ruin - Let Us Kiss And Part

Jan 27, 2019

Life is a Waltz - Vol.25 (And ode to long-lost jauntiness)

Tracklist: Francesco Berta - Intimacy | Steve Jansen - Sow the Salt (feat. Thomas Feiner) | Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - The Carny | The White Birch - Donau Movies | Ghostlight Orchestra - Just | Emmylou Harris Mark Knopfler - Alone Forsaken (Hank Williams cover) | Steve Jansen - Sow the Salt (feat. Thomas Feiner) | Shels - Butterflies (On Luci’s Way) | Narsilion - A Night in Fairyland | Aukai - La Joya | Radical Face - Waltzing In the Ashes | Soap&Skin - Creep | The Irrepressibles - To Be | Ghostlight Orchestra - Just

Aug 4, 2019

Life is a Waltz - Vol.26 (summer edition revisited)

Tracklist: Josh Benash - The Bodies of Trees | Emily Jane White - Washed Away | Lhasa de Sela - Rising Up | Father John Misty - Anthem | Ghostlight Orchestra - North Korea | Kishi Bashi - Violin Tsunami | Other Lives - Sideways | Ida Wenøe - Oh My Heart, Sweetheart | Audrye Sessions - Waltz 2 (Elliot Smith Cover) | Novemthree - Ashes | The Great Park - You Are More Needed Here | The Abyss Inside Us - Summer in Her Heart | Помни Имя Свое - Родина | Scott Matthews - Obsession Never Sleeps | Asaf Avidan - Anagnorisis

Aug 9, 2020

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