Space Music: DJ Luv's Solid Steel Mix and Music for Spaceports

Robert Lamb also co-hosts the "Stuff to Blow Your Mind" podcast and blog.

Space graffiti by Banksy. (Helen Duffett/Creative Commons)

Seeing as we didn't win those free Virgin Galactic tickets, space music is still the easiest way for most of us to get our butts in orbit. So here are a couple of free listening options to chill you out and re-write that brain of yours.

First, leave it to Ninja Tune to give us what we need. The UK record label's Solid Steel Radio Show recently rolled out a brand new space-themed mix, this time from guest DJ Luv. You can stream or download the track via SoundCloud.

Luv takes the listener through iconic sci-fi samples from "Star Trek" and "2001 : A Space Odyssey" before spiraling out through the works of such artists as Sun Ra, Bola and The Orb. It's a little more dreamy in the first half before upping the beats in the second. Luv even drops a little Scientist.

Ah, but what if you want to drift into deep space and really phase out to some ambient, IDM goodness? Well listen no further than the excellent "Music for Spaceports" mix from Space Weather Sounds. The mix came out on the allez-allez podcast last January, but I just discovered it a couple of weeks ago.

In addition to some of their own tracks, the Space Weather Sounds duo of Jon Tye and Pete Fowler drop the likes of Boards of Canada, Ducktails, Klaus Schulze and Vodka Soap. Be prepared for a few surprises too. You can find the mix on iTunes or at the allez-allez website.

Hey, and if you need more listening ideas, dive into all the other space music posts.

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