The Studio of Gratifying Discourse

C. says it’s better to make tacos at home because we know what’s in them. But I think it’s the not-knowing that makes Taco Bell the spiritual choice. Read the full episode.Tonight's selections gratify me because they aim straight for the pleasure centers and risk looking foolish (especially the Orbital track, even though I slowed it down 220%). Yet they also retain some mystery, perhaps even to themselves, chanting and humming until language becomes a garbled holy tone—from the climactic minute of the xx's "Intro" to a loopy Enya edit to a Byzantine hymn from Father Dionysios Tabakis, a 52-year-old priest who dropped one of my favorite albums of the year via the crucial Heat Crimes imprint.Thank you for listening. (And thank you to Martin Essig for encouraging me to read Simon Critchley and Byung-Chul Han.)The xx - Introxx • XL Recordings, 2005 • BandcampWalls - Sunporch (Holy Other Mix)Coracle Remixes • Kompakt, 2012 • BandcampSeraphim - A3London Is Tired of Me • Lost Domain, 2026 • BoomkatDeath in Vegas - GirlsScorpio Rising • Sanctuary Records, 2002Frederic D Oberland & Radwan Ghazi - Squeal of SwineEternal Life No End ليلة ظلماء ملعونة، كحياة طالبيها • Constellation, 2026 • BandcampEnya - Afer Ventus (DNTEL Remix)Enya Mixes • 2010 • BoomkatTears for Fears - Mad World (Midnight Radio Mix)The Hurting • 1982Walls - Burnt SiennaWalls • Kompakt, 2010 • BandcampFather Dionysios Tabakis - ΑΝΑΡΧΟΣ ΘΕΟΣ Βυζαντινά Κάλαντα των Χριστουγέννων σε α΄ήχοParadise Metal • Heat Crimes, 2026 • BoomkatPlacid Angles - Saint AnneCanada • Oathcreations, 2026 • BandcampOrbital - Halcyon and On and On (Midnight Radio Mix)Radiccio • 1993 • BandcampThe request lines are open.Enjoy life and get the full Midnight Radio experience delivered directly to your inbox ’round midnight on the 1st and 15th of each month.