Release data: Carbon Entity – Within the Cosmic Void CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Zen Gate Music, 2019 Let’s spend some time in the timeless audio vacuum of the void created by Portland-based Gunter Platz, aka Carbon Entity, who uses hardware synths only such as the Access Virus, the Roland boutique series units and even an old Chroma poly. While personally enjoying more…
Release data: Bruno Sanfilippo – Pianette CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, AD21 Music, 2019 Including twelve original contemporary classical solo piano pieces, “Pianette” (housed in a premium anti-static cover digipack) is the musical expression of Bruno Sanfilippo’s childhood memories of mechanical toys, dolls, circus and puppets. The stunning imagery related to these dreamlike elements provides inspiration for tracks merging minimalism and thoughtful electronica…
Release data: ASC – The Waves CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Silent Season, 2019 I’ve been impressed by various ambient releases by James Clements, aka ASC, so won’t deny I had high expectations for “The Waves”. Well no worries as the 8-track/66-minute recording offers a vast ocean of freeform soundscapes again sounding impeccable, immersive, cinematic and highly atmopsheric. It’s a comforting, remote and rather…
Release data: James Bernhard – Atmospherics CD/LP/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, High Rising Records, 1994 Let’s take a ride with a fine example of old school ambient-trance classic made with classic instruments such as the Roland TB-303 (bass synthesizer), Roland TR-808 (Rhythm Composer) and Roland TR-606 (a programmable analogue synthesis drum machine). With “Atmospherics” UK-composer James Bernhard, now residing in the USA, brings…
Release data: Axs – Arctic Circle CD-r/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Silent Season, 2011 Axs’ “Arctic Circle”, a project by French composer and dj Alexandre Gouard, is filled with 61-minutes of polar ambiences incorporating hints of dub techno, all moving slowly onward and downstream like a glacier. Prepare for a calm, gentle resonating listen. Pity though the chilled-out music loses bits of impact and…
Release data: Jule Grasz – Earth Feelings DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Beats & Pieces, 2012 Jule Grasz is a female synthesist hailing from Northern Germany who started composing music around 2006. The 73-minute “Earth Feelings” is a spacious, highly emotive chill-out experience inspired by travels through Norway, encounters with its beautiful nature and its population. The theme and feel of travel is present…
Release data: Tim Stebbing – The Atmosphere Factory (Cassette Recordings 1985-1991) LP/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Ceres Motion, 2018 Synthesist Tim Stebbing was part of the league of UK’s DIY electronic music artists such as Kevin O’Neill, Greg Truckell, Paul, Nagle, Peter Tedstone, Michael Neil, Marvin Wilson and Colin Potter from the mid ‘80s. In those pre-Internet days, everything was still done by post,…
Release data: Chronotope Project – Lotus Rising CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Spotted Peccary Music, 2018 I can’t say the Chonotope Project releases on Spotted Peccary Music affected me as much as the independent (traditional space music inspired) recordings Jeffery Ericson Allen put out prior to signing with the label. It seems to me “Lotus Rising”, a series of musical reflections on foundational themes…
Release data: Three-Six (36) – Fade to Grey CD/LP/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, A Strangely Isolated Place, 2019 A profound sense of isolation and introspection is found in the pastel coloured textures, gentle melodic curves and rich emotive textures making up the 8-track “Fade of Grey”. It’s a release reflecting on current social paradigms, where social media has become a weak substitute for human…
Release data: Clifford White – Waterworld / The Speed of Silence / Robot Dawn / Cityscape (The Synergy Series) CD, Clifford White Music, 2019 Despite CD sales diminishing year on year, there are still many musicians and labels around the globe who continue to release multiple albums at the same time. Composer and producer Clifford White has just done just this…
Release data: Sensory ++ – Art of Sadness CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Wool-E Discs, 2017 What “Art of Sadness” has in common with releases dealing with the same subject (such as Paul Sauvanet-Tristesse) is the slow progression and calm, emotive impact. The 71-minute outcome –presented in one go on the cd only- is a, sensitive, introspective affair of occasional sequences accompanying a variety…
Release data: Eguana – Invisible Civilisation DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, CosmicLeaf Records, 2017 Calm ambient soundscape music comes in various forms. One arrives at the doorstep of Russian sound artist and producer Eguana (aka Sergey Severin) when you add ethereal, minimalism and imaginative to the aforementioned. Eguana’s enchanting “Invisible Civilisations” (of which the first six tracks appeal the most) leads us into…
Release data: Abbildung – At the Gates of Ouln CD, Winter-Light, 2019 Abbildung is a dark ambient project by Romanian sound artist Casian Stefan. Preceded by “All demons are horned” (2015, also on Winter-Light), “At the Gates of Ouln” is the second release of “The realm of the other dreamers”-series situated in an expansive alien space. The narrative and cinematic outcome…
Release data: Djen Ajakan Shean & Vidna Obmana – Parallel Flaming CD, Multimood Records, 1994 In the first half of the ‘90s quite some tribal-ambient releases saw the light of day. Steve Roach did a bunch, solo as well as together with musicians across the globe. In that period Dirk Serries (aka Vidna Obmana) was a major teamplayer and kindred spirit who…
Release data: Motionfield – The Passage DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2017 Ambient composers from Scandinavia such as Yagya, Biosphere, Erik Wollo and Boreal Taiga seem to have a special gift transferring and expressing the mood and feel of the beauty and remoteness of the cold weather conditions found in the those regions into enchanting, imaginary music. Motionfield, aka Swedish musician…
Release data: Gleisberg / Grassow / Seviroli – The Fall of the House of Usher DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2018 Released on the final day of 2018, “The Fall of the House of Usher” is the long-awaited follow-up of Nostalgia’s album “House on the Borderland”. It was successful Italian film composer Luigi Seviroli who came up with the idea to…
Release data: Massergy – The Vast Colure DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Arecibo Records, 2013 His impressive album “A Novel Sense of Calm” made me look into the back catalogue of US-synthesist Eric Jensen, aka Massergy. Its predecessor “The Vast Colure” -performed, recorded and mixed in Austin’s outdoors- may sound a slight bit more rustic and unpolished at first listen but the core of…
Release data: Proton Kinoun – Apeiron CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Omnitropic, 2009 I know there are quite some EM-fans out there who love to be catapulted and immerse into the wide expanse of the cosmos. For that purpose, skilled musicians such as Jonn Serrie, Telomere, Thom Brennan, Steve Roach or Michael Stearns have released some very fine albums. Now here’s Danish ambient…
Release data: Nightwalk – Music for Dreamers CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2018 Nightwalk is Spanish ambient composer Óscar Pereira García, also a member of the rock/pop project Meteoro, who refers to Steven Wilson’s Bass Communion, Max Corbacho, Thom Brennan, Max Richter and Numina as some of his musical influences. His debut “Music for Dreamers” came about in a search for…
Release data: Ran Kirlian – Distant Signals CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Altera Orbe, 2018 The first sketches of “Distant Signals” -planned as a personal soundtrack for a deep space exploration, both inner and outer, based on pure electronic atmospheres build on minimal structures- were created during summer 2010 based on live in studio sessions. The recording was shelved thereafter and finally rediscovered…
Release data: Parallel Worlds – Tonal Paintings LP/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Lost in It Records, 2018 Travelling back to and investigating the early years of a musician is always something special, in my opinion at least. “Tonal Paintings” is a vinyl featuring unreleased tracks by skilled Greek synthesist Bakis Sirros (aka Parallel Worlds) from the period of 1995-97. The 8–track outcome on this…
Release data: Serge Devadder – Taxon CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Groove Unlimited, 2018 As for Serge Devadder’s previous cds, the cover of this release features an abstract texture by abstract art painter Birgit Schweimler that somehow reminded the composer of an amphibian organism, which fits perfectly with the concept of the album. “Taxon”, as its name suggests, is heavily influenced by Serge Devadder’s…
Release data: Three-Six (36) – Ego Death DIGITAL DOWNLOAD/LP, 3Six Recordings, 2018 November 2018 marked 10 years since Dennis Huddleston’s finished his (still) excellent 36 debut-album “Hypersona”. From there his highly emotive and most captivating ambient music evolved step by step and invited its listeners into new uncharted territory on more than one occasion. “Ego Death”, a thank-you to his loyal…
Release data: Alpha Wave Movement – Somnus CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Harmonic Resonance Recordings, 2018 Alpha Wave Movement’s “Somnus” delivers a calming and overtly lush sonic canvas, a nice addition to Gregory’s already extensive discography. Drawn on the early ‘80s evolution of ambient music aesthetics, the 6-track outcome offers a warm blanket of gentle and slow unfolding freeform textures along pastel-colored sequenced…
Release data: Andrew Forrest – Freefall (Source Quartet Volume 3) CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2018 A bit longer than expected Andrew Forrest hereby offers his listeners the third chapter of the Source Quartet trilogy. The 60-minute “Freefall”, a musical interpretation and celebration of the mystery of existence, is another ethereal space-ambient extravaganza presented in three expansive pieces (“Freefall into Mystery…
Release data: Telomere – Supergiant CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Evenfall, 2018 For synthesist Christopher Macdonald (aka Telomere), space music is and has always been about inspiring a transportive and meditative experience that is the product of the listener’s own imagination. To encourage this, he attempts to employ sustained and slowly-evolving melodic and harmonic motifs and sonic details that suggest an experience but leave…
Release data: Vangelis – Nocturne CD/LP/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Decca, 2019 Coined by Decca as a lunar album, “Nocturne” –subtitled the piano album- sees Vangelis turn up the New Age avenue which is a big surprise as the full outcome goes against almost everything he ever said and did about his own music through the years. The album -containing a collection of 17…
Release data: Seifert & Steinbüchel – Abandoned Places CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Pleasure Sound Audio, 2018 After finishing “Reverse Engineering“, Erik Seifert & Josef Steinbüchel decided to compose an ambient album with slow music to relax but demanding attentive listening at the same time. The result is music inspired by wonderful haunting images found on the internet of places, buildings and rooms that nature…
Release data: Ascendant – Meridian CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Synphaera Records, 2016/2018 Soothing, languid, deep and subdued dynamic are just a few keywords to describe the 86-minute ambient-space journey “Meridian” by Ascendant, aka California-based duo Chris Bryant and mastering engineer Don Tyler. Perfect for lucid dreaming and relaxing the mind, the flowing (at some parts also gently sequenced) outcome is celestial, expansive…
Release data: Spyra – Dunst CD/Digital Download, Groove Unlimited, 2018 Referred to as the follow-up album of “Staub” (2014), Wolfram Spyra takes his listeners on a trip of energetic contemporary electronics on “Dunst”, coming up with a fresh approach of the classic Berliner Schule sound of KS and TD for nowadays’ audiences. As such the striking outcome offers various chances to…
Release data: Steve Roach – Return to the Dreamtime -30 years deeper- CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Timeroom Editions, 2018 The music of this double album was created in the slipstream of and inspired by the 30th anniversary of Steve’s standout release “Dreamtime Return”, one of my all-time favorites. While preparing a celebratory concert at the Galactic Center, Tucson Arizona, in February 2018 new…
Release data: Max Corbacho – Horizon Matrix CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Silentsun, 2018 I’ve been following Max Corbacho since discovering his debut “Vestiges” in 1999. It opened a world of passionate ambient sonic splendour unravelling until this very day. A highly atmospheric, enchanting, vibrant and expansive ambient-space is found on the five tracks making up the 73-minute “Horizon Matrix”, an alternate aural dimension…
Release data: Bruno Sanfilippo – InTRO (remastered & expanded) CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, ad21 Music, 2006/2018 In 2006, the beautiful designed “InTRO” marked a new chapter in the nice organic ambient music of Bruno Sanfilippo of which the impact seemed to grow with every new release. The seven tracks on the 50-minute album explore the interest in the unfettered possibilities of dreams,…
Release data: Boreal Taiga – Greenland DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Wayfarer Records, 2017 The ambient music of this release was born out of the composer’s longtime fascination for the beauty and vastness of Greenland with the intent to reflect that in enchanting ambient soundings. A second incentive happened around 2009 – 2010 when New Zealand-based nature photographer and film maker Richard Sidey…
Release data: VelgeNaturlig – Kundalini CD, Winter-Light, 2018 On previous releases, soundscapist VelgeNaturlig (aka Ivo Santos) already took his listeners on a mesmerizing trip to far off places and worlds beyond. The brooding, intense and deep ambience featured on the 75-minute/12-track “Kundalini” is no exception, from the start ascending into a netherworld of darkness with assorted field recordings along vast…
Release data: Loneward – Protection DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2018 Loneward is a new side-project by Mike Carss (aka Altus) launched in August 2018. As the composer elaborates it will exist alongside Altus, however from this point on Loneward will be the source of Carss purer ambient and drone works. Recent examples would be “Innerspace” (2016) and “Komorebi” (2015) as…
Release data: Deepspace – Slow Wave Cathedral DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2011 I’ve been following the ambient music by Mirko Ruckels, aka Deepspace, for quite some years now, and still think he’s a fine talent within and contributor with a unique voice to the genre. After a long hiatus, “Slow Wave Cathedral” was released in November 2011 containing pieces recorded in…
Release data: Mon0 – Colliding Textures DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2012 Somehow I missed out on this album by German synthesist Andre Zufall, aka Mon0, containing four tracks -all clocking over 10 minutes- of imaginary, overtly dense drone tapestries. “Colliding Textures” (52:30 min.) is a slow building and evolving aural travelogue of darker-flavored and remote spherescapes after a long fade in…
Release data: Mooma – Herd Forming DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2006 Imagine dwelling in a spacious, celestial, slow evolving and dreamy world of freeform textures with an overall relaxing impact. It’s an appropriate description for the mesmerizing aural landscape covered on the 61-minute “Herd Forming” by Finnish artist Mooma. The soothing ambience on each of the eight tracks (“They’ve killed our…
Release data: Bluetech – Dreaming into being CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Sounds True, 2013 “Dreaming into Being”, an exploration of expanded states of being, by Evan Bartholomew features seven tracks of pure, deep and spaced-out ambient soundscape bliss with embedded pulses and hypnotizing drones textures. For the composer the whole project proved a complete journey into in his personal dreaming practice and…
Release data: Michael Neil – Atmospheric Moods DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2009 These emotive soundscapes, all composed around the “Maisema” period, were made with the intention of offering music to soundtrack music producers in film and television. But after they had been sent out to a number of companies, none of them showed any interest. Slightly dejected Michael Neil decided to…
Release data: Klangwelt – The Incident CD/Digital Download, Spheric Music, 2018 “The Incident” sees the return of German audio designer Gerald Arend, aka Klangwelt, to the scene of electronic music after a pause of over a decade. The 79-minute result is a fresh vibrant and rather technical sounding display of contemporary electronic sounds and beautifully rendered textures. Still present are Klangwelt’s…
Release data: Pollard / Daniel / Booth – Eight CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Electronic Composers Outlet, 2018 UK-synthesists Brendan Pollard, Michael Daniel and Phil Booth are known for playing classic electronic music inspired by or reminiscent of mid 70’s TD using analogue gear only. In 2017 Brendan Pollard was very fortunate to be offered back to him three of his old modular system…
Release data: Wintherstormer – D.E.S.H. CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Pakusch Project Records, 2018 Since its birth, Terje Winther’s sonic endeavour Wintherstormer stands for none-conventional, totally improvised sequencer-based Berlin School-infused music. Besides a challenging and most peculiar approach, its soundings are also edgier, highly adventurous and overtly rough. The album’s title “D.E.S.H.”, an acronym for diatonic elaboration of static harmony, actually gives a…
Release data: Various Artists – The Sound of Syndae CD, Private Release, 2018 In January 2018 I was approached by Stefan Schulz, host of the German EM-podcast Syndae to join the jury to select music to go on Syndae’s 10th anniversary cd “The Sound of Syndae”, a compilation album scheduled for fall 2018. In total, 94 minutes of music/17 tracks (of…
Release data: Zanov – Open Worlds (live at Synthfest 2017) DVD, Private Release, 2017 This audio-visual release –limited to 100 numbered and autographed copies- documents Pierre Salkazanov’s performance at Nante’s Synthfest 2017 which was accompanied by beautiful cyberworld graphics as backdrop. The 60-minute disc contains tracks from the studio album “Open Worlds” mingled with two new themes. Characteristic Zanov sound design…
Release data: Jeff Pearce – Follow the river home CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2016 The spacious music on the 7-track “Follow the River Home” continues in Jeff’s signature sound of pastel-coloured guitar ambient paintings. The calming aural impressionist art displayed here by this Indiana-based composer flows onward peacefully and most harmonic while creating distinct atmospheric moods with the use of…
Release data: Parallel Worlds & Dave Bessell – Dystopia CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, DiN, 2018 The title of the duos second distance collaboration already suggests dark electronics -a style Bakis Sirros (aka Parallel Worlds) and Dave Bessell both appreciate a lot- and that’s what the listeners can expect here. As their debut “Morphogenic” already proved, Bakis has quite an intuitive approach to writing…
Release data: Biome – The Shores of Temenos CD-r/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Harmonic Resonance Recordings, 2018 Biome is a new side project of accomplished synthesist Gregory Kyryluk (better known and successful as Alpha Wave Movement since many years) with a sound spectrum far less spacey/Berlin School but roaming further in ambient-soundscape mode. In this respect the listener might pick up traces of ’90s…
Release data: Sayer – Interplanetary CD, Private Release, 2017 The sonic journey US-synthesist Sayer Seely undertook until now has brought the Em-community some interesting stuff. I’d even dare say any fan of melodic sequencing mixed with spiced-up electronics that hasn’t yet digged his stuff should keep an eye on this musician as his output ranks above average. Same as his…
Release data: Ashen Simian – Shambhala Mc/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Retroduction, 2018 Ami Hassinen’s “Shambhala” contains a collection of rather varied tracks -made with analog and digital synths as well as electric and acoustic guitar- intended to let the music take its own shape anyway it wants to. The 12 tracks sound contemporary, feature a slab of Berlin School style (“E Voice Phenomena”),…
Release data: Syn – Fauni-Genus CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2017 What I got here is a mini-album/Ep by David T. Dewdney aka Syn delivering another very moody and at times dreamy tribute to the classic Berlin School sound of the ‘70’s, most notably the atmospheric work by Tangerine Dream or Edgar Froese solo back then. Some tasty Farfisa organ along…
Release data: Ogre – Murals DIGITAL DOWNLOAD/MC, Private Release, 2017 UK composer, producer and synthesist Robin Ogden, aka Ogre, performed and captured the 30-minutes of music on “Murals” all in one take. Imminent from the start is the imaginary soundtrack flavor as well as a fascinating mysterious current found in two 15-minute long tracks, sonically staying close to spaced-out 1970s…
Release data: Robert Schroeder – New Frequencies Vol. 3 CD, News Music, 2018 The third volume in the series (kicked off in 2010) sees Robert Schroeder moving further into the domain of contemporary up-tempo, melodic electronics with various vocal samples along a distinct groovy as well as loungy touch. Its lushness and airiness also remind slightly of the 12 inches…
Release data: Nothing but Noise – eXistence Oscillation (possible) Future CD/USB-Stick, Private Release, 2018 As was the case with their two previous releases in the eXistence Oscillation trilogy, this third chapter steps out of the ordinary once more, pushing the boundaries as it wanders into the terrain of stark, minimalist and daring vintage electronics. For “eXistence Oscillation (possible) Future”, the duo…
Release data: Brock Van Wey – White clouds drift on and on CD/Lp/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Echospace, 2009 Being an avid fan of emotional-driven ambient music it was just a matter of time before I would run into the postmodern minimalist ambient of musician and dj Brock Van Wey, who seems better known as dub-techno act Bvdub. His debut “White clouds drift on…
Release data: Meg Bowles – Evensong – Canticles for the Earth CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Kumatone Records, 2018 Although the word “Evensong” most often refers to the traditional Anglican Church service, various forms of prayer and song at the end of the day have been practiced by humankind across cultures for thousands of years. On a personal level, US-based composer Meg Bowles…
Release data: Matthew Florianz – Onontgonnen DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2017 Many of the works of accomplished ambient composer and sound designer Matthew Florianz feature carefully moulded intrinsic and deep ambiences with an adventurous approach. “Onontgonnen” (a Dutch word meaning uncharted) is an aural journey for the slow lane leading the listener into uncharted terrain, a 60-minute atmospheric ambient world…
Release data: Three-Six (36) – Circuit Bloom MC/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, 3Six Recordings, 2018 Dennis Huddleston’s EP “Circuit Bloom” -serving as a companion to an upcoming full-length album to be released in the second half of 2018- contains six piano-based tape loops exploring the themes of loneliness, emptiness and escape. These are peaceful, gentle swirling soundscapes with a profound sense of mournfulness…
Release data: Arc – Arclight DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, DiN, 2015 Similar to bands like AirSculpture, ARC is at their best when they play live in front of a dedicated audience, busy delivering an outcome suitable for release. “Arclight” is another fine testament of that, containing the full, almost 90 minute concert performed in Liverpool’s Capstone Theatre in November 2014. As usual…