I created this playlist from bits and pieces I remember from my playlists in the early 2000s, but I find myself listening to it a lot lately, sometimes in play, but mostly to put my mind in that grounded but disconnected space. Synth music takes me out of the day-to-day. It is just so otherworldly, hence the playlist name and a play on Motherland.

These songs come from collections that worked for me in session because they are mostly without lyrics. Don’t get me wrong, and I love lyrics–poetry put to music, but these songs exist as soundscapes that put me in my mind, body, and movement.

Future Sound of London features prominently, which is strange in of itself. Aside from Papua New Guinea, most of their singles were harsh techno songs. Knowing their entire catalog from my days as a DJ meant I found them and utilized their more ethereal songs.

Orbital and Tangerine Dream are much less surprising and were often staples in dungeon CD players starting in the 90s. Aphex Twin was less so as a staple, but I think people missed out on the audio uncanny valley that their songs create, being simultaneously soothing and unnerving.