Release data: Steve Roach – Kevin Braheny – Michael Stearns – Desert Solitaire CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Fortuna Records, 1989 A special article on this album can be found in Ultimate Desert Soundtracks: Western Spaces & Desert Solitaire Website: www.steveroach.com You can see what reviews I have done of these artists on the Steve Roach, Kevin Braheny, Michael Stearns artist pages Sonic…
Release data: Steve Roach – Dreamtime Return CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Fortuna Records, 1988 A special article on this album can be found at “Steve Roach: Dreamtime “Revisited” Website: www.steveroach.com You can see what reviews I have done of this artist on the Steve Roach artist page Sonic Immersion
Release data: Three-Six (36) – Heather Spa DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, A Strangely Isolated Place, 2013 This is a concept album centered round the moorland area on the edge of the UK’s Yorkshire Dales National Park, which served as both a place of escape and inspiration for composer Dennis Huddleston aka 36. The 40-minute “Heather Spa”, which was the catalyst for the…
Release data: Steve Roach – The Dream Circle CD, Soundquest/Timeroom Editions, 1994 “The Dream Circle” is the first recording in an ongoing series of 70+ minutes recordings intended for infinite playback. According to Steve website, the music was first experienced as an atmosphere playing before and after the concerts in the early 90’s. Well, the continuous 74-minute outcome is a…
Release data: Steve Roach & Michael Shrieve – The Leaving Time MC/LP/CD, RCA, 1988 In the same time Roach’s ambient masterpiece “Dreamtime Return” was released, the rather forgotten “The Leaving Time” (referring to Steve’s trip to Down Under) saw the light of day. This collaborative album with Santana percussionist/drummer Michael Shrieve though always stayed in the far shadows and is…
Release data: Steve Roach – World’s Edge CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Fortuna Records/Timeroom Editions, 1992 The double album “World’s Edge” is a transitional work of inspired ambient music, also Steve’s first solo project created after his move to Tucson, Arizona in 1990. It’s an in-depth and intense journey merging the expansive soundscape delights from “Dreamtime Return” and “The Magnificent Void”, while also…
Release data: Leila Abdul-Rauf – Insomnia CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Malignant/Antibody, 2015 Isolationist drone music comes in various forms, but receives an even different treatment on the environmental ambient effort “Insomnia” by San Francisco-based multi-instrumentalist Leila Abdul-Rauf. The latter incorporates her ethereal voice pads (which remind slightly of the gothic vibe of Lisa Gerard and het DCD-project) with fluid brass textures, synths…
Release data: Troika – Faeries CD, Enso Records, 1999 “Faeries” welcomes the listener in a dreamy, pastel-coloured world of New Age mood music evoking a realm of magic and enchantment. David Arkenstone and co. have created another album of overtly soothing, romantic and relaxing musings where Gaelic, Native-American, Japanese and Indian flavours fly by. The joyful, uplifting and sweet all…
Release data: Forrest Fang – Gongland CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Projekt Records, 2000 Being an avid fan of ethereal ambient music, the smooth shifting atmospheres and exotic-flavored textures found on Forrest Fang’s classic album “Gongland” is still a release to cherish in this genre. The eclectic outcome of hypnotizing, slow morphing soundscapes with world music elements is poured into 13 vaporous tracks,…
Release data: Sphäre Sechs – Enceladus CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Malignant Records, 2015 It’s time for another stride through the galactic netherworld where the darker elements meet, one solely created on analogue gear without the use of computers. The continuous 53-minute aural alchemy of drifting synth drone tapestries and morphing atmospheres mapped out on “Enceladus” by Sphäre Sechs -aka Martin Stürtzer (Phelios)…
Release data: Sayer – Time Travelers DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2015 For this album, Sayer Seely spent a lot of effort in creating a work covered with a range of retro sounds referring to different periods in time. “Time Travelers” ended up eventually as a straightforward, sequencer-driven release where a range of infectious melodies and spheres merge. Well, the music…
Release data: The Gateless Gate – Landslag Norður Íslands (The Landscape of North Iceland) DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2014 Like many other ambient releases, this is an album trying to capture the feel, wonder and hidden power of the landscapes found in the Northern hemisphere of our globe. The focus here is on the coastal region and the living earth…
Release data: Ishq – Seascapes CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Virtual, 2014 Here’s another fine album meant for low-volume listening. For the 7-track album “Seascapes”, Matt Hillier (aka Ishq) has come up with a set of imaginative and textural soundscapes backed by subtle environmental recordings, all based and inspired by the winter seas in Cornwall and written as a series of seascape paintings…
Release data: Sensory ++ – Planet CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2014 Sensory++ is a Belgium electronic music project by Joost Egelie, who releases various albums under his own name previously. “Planet” is a concept album about the fragile relationship between Human and Nature, and how in the end the two find their own way in a far, far future. To…
Release data: Valley Forge – Leaving to Nothing CD, Private Release, 1995 From time to time, there’s electronic music that sounds highly original and rather weird at the same time. In my view, the Valley Forge debut album “Leaving to Nothing” belongs to that category, featuring psychedelic electronic (post)rock with occasional symphonic elements made with analog synthesizers, electronic/acoustic drums and…
Release data: Optical Image – Interference CD, Soundart Productions, 1994 The instrumental synth-orchestral music featured on Tom Habes second album as “Optical Image” shows the same sound signature as his debut album, but delivered in a more thoughtful and better composed manner. Symphonic and cinematic airs fly by in the 59-minute melodic outing, which again is pushed forward by rhythms,…
Release data: Australis – Adrift CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Essential Noises, 2014 All Australis albums I’ve heard until now have been graced with many emotive components and a core that celebrates the wonders of life. “Adrift” though took shape in a period of the composer’s life where he endured many hardships which affected his personal life deeply and without remorse. Despite the…
Release data: Sequentia Legenda – Blue Dream DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2014 The inspiration and sound of the classic ’70’s, more specific those of Klaus Schulze and the Berlin School, has found another fine outlet by the means of Sequentia Legenda. The latter is a French musician from Mulhouse, who has established a tour-de-force with his range of hardware synths…
Release data: Howard Givens & Craig Padilla – Life Flows Water CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Spotted Peccary Music, 2015 “Life Flows Water” was performed one week after Craig Padilla gave several solo performances in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho and Seattle, Washington. All these occasions provided a lot of music within a matter of weeks. However, the live performance with Howard Givens (founder of…
Release data: Forrest Fang – Letters to the Farthest Star CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Projekt Records, 2015 One of the great things about the music of the skilled composer Forrest Fang is his ability to incorporate world music influences from Asia (focusing on stringed and percussion instruments most notably) with mesmerizing electronic textures into his ambient minimalist style in a most sophisticated…
Release data: Alio Die & Lorenzo Montanà – Holographic Codex CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Projekt Records, 2015 “Holographic Codex” is a peculiar sonic breed which sees introspective, moody ambient landscapes paired with IDM sequences and psybient textures. Moreover, the cross-pollination of the styles of the two ltalian composers has led to a progressive electronic amalgam of ritualistic soundscapes and technogenic aural landscapes…
Release data: Ovod – Between the Days DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2015 If you’re into ambient/cinematic music, the energetic but darker-shaded sonic ride making up “Between the Days” may be worth checking out sometime. It’s composed by Russian musician Ivan Lavrov, who came up with eight tracks which incorporate atmospheric density, glowing and mysterious (under)currents along a nocturnal-like feel. The…
Release data: Simon Slator – Magellan DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2014 “Magellan” is a 30-minute concept album inspired by the Arthur C. Clarke’s book “The Songs of Distant Earth” and the album of the same name by Mike Oldfield (along the composer’s own love of science fiction). The outcome delivers two 15-minute tracks of imaginary ambient space music with a…
Release data: Alex Farhoud – (A + M)² CD, Audiogram, 1988 Compared to “Nosso Nosso”, I characterize the music on Faroud’s album “(A + M)²” as a totally different sonic breed. The ten easy-going tracks feature a very light and faceless style of music that can line up next to muzak and new age without effort. Next to a low…
Release data: Todd Fletcher – Star CD, Arya, 1996 A lot of quality stuff can be found in the genre of ambient soundscape music next to loads of mediocre and amateurish work. This 1996 release by Arizona-based composer Todd Fletcher is one of the few from his catalogue that made it to a factory-pressed cd. Although “Star”, a fine aural…
Release data: Todd Fletcher – Byzantium CD/CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 1994/2002 “Byzantium” was originally put out as a real cd, and saw a re-release as the fourth cd-r album on the Mr Fletchers own Microrelease label (which appears defunct now). “Byzantium” is a 69-minute instrumental album clearly reflecting the composers growing fascination with Middle Eastern music. Singular sound atmospheres, samples…
Release data: Soundician – Wise Trees DIGITAL DOWNLOAD EP, Private Release, 2015 Since the beginning of 2000, the UK-duo Soundician writes and produces their own style of electronic music, a perculiar as eclectic mix of electronic minimalism and experimental/classical alongside a touch of ambient/space and lush melodic EM. According to the liner notes, the EP “Wise Trees” is a sonic…
Release data: Lambert – Drachenreise CD, Spheric Music, 2015 When you’re a fan of general-melodic, highly accessible synth music, Lambert’s newbie “Drachenreise” (his first new album after almost 20 years) will most surely be of your liking. The composer considers his music an outlet to express his personal life and feelings, an inner flight within two worlds: the one on…
Release data: Alpha Wave Movement – System A CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Harmonic Resonance Recordings, 2015 The beauty, mystery, grandness and awe of the solar system have been an inspiration for many albums by Gregory Kyryluk’s project Alpha Wave Movement, founded in 1992. “System A”, influenced by enigmatic cosmology, adds another fine chapter to the journey in these ever fascinating environs. The…
Release data: Bruno Sanfilippo – Inside Life CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Ad21 Music, 2015 “Inside Life” is a contemporary classical work of art built upon piano and strings, which see Bruno Sanfilippo continue his quest through the quiet sonic landscape of minimalist piano and electro-acoustic music. Piano, cello, treatments and voice (on two tracks) form the heart of the 44-minute recording, a…
Release data: Jamacaru – Nebelland DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2014 I became aware of this album through the site of Johannes Schmoelling, which mentioned German visual artist Peter Uhlig (known for the pictures on the cover of Johannes “Instant City”) had released his debut album of electronic music using the moniker JamaCaru (named after a type of cactus). In the…
Release data: Audiometria – Somewhere CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2014 Audiometría is the synth-duo Javi Cánovas and Miguel Justo. Both musicians already know each other since the mid ‘80s, but it took until spring 2014 before they founded Audiometria eventually. The project incorporates the philosophy and spirit of the Berlin School and was created with the aim to fill a…
Release data: Alio Die & Parallel Worlds – Elusive Metaphor CD, Hic Sunt Leones, 2015 Compared to the duos previous recording “Circo Divino”, the listener will run into a much more ambient-oriented outcome on “Elusive Metaphor”. Then again, the sonic outcome of their previous effort wasn’t really matching my taste, proving quite a challenge to listen to and find appreciation…
Release data: Johan Agebjörn – Notes LP/CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Paper Bag Records, 2015 Those who know the previous music of Johan Agebjörn (Swedish songwriter and producer of Sally Shapiro) will hear a different sound on “Notes”. The almost drumless 47-minute album, that heavily features the Casio MT-52 electric piano along other sounds, opens with the joyful and melodic “The Right to…
Release data: Dave Bessell – Black Horses Of The Sun CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, DiN, 2015 The title of Mr Bessell’s second album comes from a Navaho myth about the sun: each day the sun rides across the sky on a horse, on a clear sunny day the horse would be blue, on a cloudy day white, and on a stormy day…
Release data: Erren – Fleissig – Schöttler – Steffen – Ouddorp Tapes CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2011 This debut release of the German quartet started the journey of alchemy where good old Berlin School style was executed and graced with new, unusual sonic splendor. The 79-minute outcome happened in November 2010 when Jorg Erren, Bert Fleissig, Jochen Schöttler and Christian…
Release data: Phillip Wilkerson – Wondrous Encounters CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2014 “Wondrous Encounters” invites you to an imminent world of gentle sonic streams offering a collection of space music, atmospheres, and soundscapes suitable for stargazing, cosmic sightseeing or cloud watching. Imagine calm, freeform and overtly drifting textures, swelling smoothly and carrying on to occasional elevating effect. This is what…
Release data: Robert Rich – Filaments CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Soundscape Productions, 2015 “Filaments” is an album roaming in the same league as Robert’s sonic endeavors “Electric Ladder” or “Geometry”, where he explores some of the cyclic interlocking patterns he always has been intrigued about since. The 60-minute ambient effort seems an attempt to get closer to some of the language of…
Release data: Arcane – Revenants DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2014 Cinematic and progressive retro-power is just one of the thoughts that crossed my mind when I sat down and had a focused listen to the sonic narrative “Revenants”, Mr Lawler’s last album for the year 2014. Not sure if the album’s music is inspired by the same-titled French and US…
Release data: Node – Node 2 CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, DiN, 2014 It’s been a very long wait, but what a joy it is to finally see a new release by the legendary vintage collective Node since its debut in 1995. “Node 2” is the culmination of two recording sessions of Ed Buller, Flood (aka Mark Ellis), Dave Bessell and new member…
Release data: Steve Roach – Invisible CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2015 Released on Bandcamp the first day of 2015, “Invisible” is Steve’s New Year’s gift and gesture to his loyal fanbase. Created in the last week of 2014 during a few cold and rain infused days, Mr Roach came up with a continuous 58-minute longform piece. The latter is a…
Release data: Javi Cánovas – Eunomia DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2015 Canary Islands based synthesist Javi Cánovas kicks off 2015 with a work of sonic art showing resemblances of his 2009 release “In this moment, in this place”. Four long tracks, culminating in 70-minutes of accessible and contemporary e-music, open with atmospheric intros, later replaced by dynamic, multi-layered sequencer patterns,…
Release data: Ron Boots – Standing in the Rain CD, Groove Unlimited, 2014 From the beginning, movies, tv series and books have always been an important source of inspiration for the music of Ron Boots. Just check out “Bookworks” or “The X-Files”-series, while almost all other solo albums contain a few cinematic tracks of their own. “Standing in the Rain”…
Release data: Polaris – Way Out CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Ricochet Dream, 2014 The 55-minute album “Way Out” contains tracks which aka Polaris (aka Polish synthesist Jakub Kmieć) recorded between 2009 and 2013. The energetic, in-your-face “Entrance” already makes a great kick-off with its massive bass line and slight ’80’s TD-flavor. The groovy-oriented feel continues on the next, always bright and transparent…
Release data: Ian Boddy – Slide CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, DiN, 2008 The electronic music found on the upbeat, abstract-oriented “Slide” is pure and definitely of analogue origin, featuring the usual gear-suspects like the massive Roland 100-M and Doepfler A-100 systems. One should not be put off by the ghostly spheres of the experimental opening piece “The Probability of Doubt”, as what…
Release data: Spyra – Staub CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Butterfly Collectors, 2014 With his 16th album “Staub”, Wolfram Spyra presents the electronic community a different yet daring sonic experiment. What initially started out as something organized, logical and back-to-basics ended up more and more chaotic, deranged and unpredictable as the project evolved. There’s no sign of compromise on anything on the 50-minute…
Release data: Deborah Martin – Under the Moon CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Spotted Peccary Music, 1995 Deborah Martin is one of the talents within the Spotted Peccary community who would create an atmospheric ambient world of her own in later years. Previous to this debut-album, which further expresses her ongoing passion to visualize and create music that takes each listener on a…
Release data: Alpha Wave Movement – The Edge of Infinity CD, Groove Unlimited, 1997 Thoughtful yet subtle ambient with a distinct mysterious angle would be a appropriate description in a nutshell for the music making up “The Edge of Infinity”, the second album by Gregory Kyryluk, aka Alpha Wave Movement. Compared to his debut “Transcendence”, the music has matured a…
Release data: Llyn Y Cwn – III: Ka DIGITAL DOWNLOAD EP, Manky Music, 2015 Since I ran into the environmental ambient by Welsh composer Ben Powell (aka Llyn Y Cwn), I’ve become quite fascinated by the in-depth outcome he delivers each time. The aim of the Llyn Y Cwn-project is to try and emulate the type of environment encountered at…
Release data: Spacecraft – Hummel CD, Lektronik Soundscapes, 1998 On “Hummel”, Tony Gerber, Diane Timmons and John Rose (aka Spacecraft) persue their journey through the fantastic and the cosmic, clinging to improvised, unstructured space music with psychedelic, rough edges. The 70-minute recording is the outcome of a live performance at the Hummel Planetarium at Eastern Kentucky University, USA, firmly addressing…
Release data: Simon Slator – The Lake DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2014 “The Lake” is the first brand new release by UK composer Simon Slator (who some might know as Cold Sun) after an 8-year break.The digital-only ambient release contains three tracks dealing with solitude/isolation from two different points of view, yet addressing an ultimately positive view upon it. The…
Release data: Radio Massacre International – Frozen North CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Centaur Records, 1995 “Frozen North” is the (still) amazing debut official album by synthesists Duncan Goddard, Steve Dinsdale and guitarist Gary Houghton aka Radio Massacre International (RMI), who were at the forfront of the EM retro-revival in the ’90’s together with Airsculpture and Node. The band’s name and music both…
Release data: Brian Eno – The Shutov Assembly CD, Opal Records, 1992 Dedicated to Russian artist Sergei Shutov and his fine art installations, the outcome on this album hails back to Eno’s thoughtful ambient explorations from the mid ’70’s. On “The Shutov Assembly”, a lush and elusive charm is key in each of the ten slightly experimental flavoured and quite…
Release data: Darshan Ambient – Songs from the Deep Field CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Spotted Peccary Music, 2014 Inspired by one of the most famous images captured by the Hubble Space Telescope, “Songs From The Deep Field” ranges from pure space to kinetic free fall – from weightless drift to rhythmic power, and the result is a heavenly blend of ambient synth…
Release data: Altus – The Time Collection CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2015 With “The Time Collection”, Mike Carss (aka Canadian composer Altus) has delivered another monumental ambient work with narrative soundscape music travelling far into distant lands, the heavens and beyond. The two-disc release (part I: “Ghost of Time”, part II: “Time Forgotten”) is an arc of grand, lush, highly…
Release data: Hemisphere – Early Reflection 1980 – 1990 CD, Cue Records, 1997 This album of previously unreleased material came out in a period a lot of retrospective recordings by others saw the light of day. Still, I find it most interesting to dig into the sonic origins of a musician, in this case the first steps by Ralf-Knappe Heinbockel…
Release data: Gert Emmens – Outland CD, Groove Unlimited, 2014 An assortment of typical Emmens-sounds makes up the sound pallet of “Outland”, an album which excels especially when it comes to sequencing. Although there are some melodic passages present on the 78-minute sonic narrative, the accessible outcome is far less song-structured while it contains lots of interesting, fresh details. Moreover,…
Release data: Andy Pickford & Paul Nagle – S.T.D.M. – Ramayana CD, Neu Harmony , 2002 UK’s Jodrell Bank Planetarium has been a venue where quite some electronic music live concerts have taken place in the last few decades. It’s also the spot where the music of “Ramayana” was played live in concert in May 2002 by Andy Pickford &…
Release data: Ian Boddy – Continuum CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Something Else Records , 1996 “Ian Boddy goes ambient” could have been an appropriate subtitle for this album, which contains a selection of a continuous 7-hour improvised ambient performance at the Comic Art Festival, Newcastle in June 1996. The long string of quiet and slow evolving spherics on the 140-minute recording gives…
Release data: Dedast – Banished From The Realm DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Cosmicleaf Records, 2013 “Banished From The Realm” is a relaxed trip into emotive ambient music, revealing a range of minimalist and neo-classical elements along cinematic farscapes.The contemporary, overtly transparent sound design constructed by Vasilis Miamis (aka Dedast) also features some hints of down-tempo, while the piano notes add a sense…