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…
Release data: Tangerine Dream – Josephine the Mouse Singer CD-EP, Eastgate, 2014 I’m not a follower of the big names anymore since 1,5 decade or so, but now and then try to scratch the surface on a few releases here and there to keep an eye on what’s happening. The 33-minute cupdisc “Josephine the Mouse Singer” is a limited edition…
Release data: Jaja – Endless DIGITAL DOWNLOAD EP, CYAN Music, 2014 Jaja is Germany female synthesist Jana Rockstroh, who plays, arranges and records all her inspired ambient space music live in the moment. The outcome always consists of emotive sound worlds with deep currents and stream, with the peaceful result making up “Endless” adding a nice and moody addition to…
Release data: Radiant Mind – Strands CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Steve Roach.com, 2014 Radiant Mind is an American synthesist who chooses to work in anonymity with Steve Roach as his sole producer and interface to the world. Over time, Steve encourages him and helps with the creative process. Once he has a collection of pieces he trusts Steve to take the raw…
Release data: Phillip Wilkerson & Chris Russell – Vague Traces CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Spotted Peccary Music, 2014 Harmonic and multi-dimensional music roaming gently through vaporous, tranquil spheres is an apt description for this album by synthesists Chris Russell and Phillip Wilkerson. The free form textural outcome on “Vague Traces” is a kind of stress-relief but non-meditative music addressing the intimate and…
Release data: Dweller at the Threshold – Full Boundary Condition CD, Quantum Records, 2004 All who missed out on the original DATT’s albums “No Boundary Condition” (1996) and “Generation-Transmission-Illumination” (1998) can simply catch up by buying the 3-cd set “Full Boundary Condition”. Next to the already mentioned albums (but now presented in full glory as 24-bit remasters) comes a third…
Release data: Ambientium – Life DIGITAL DOWNLOAD EP, Private Release/Kahvi Collective, 2013 “Life” is an Ep by the Lubomir and Lucie Cyrk, aka Ambientium, offering nicely chilled and atmospheric music complementing their predecessor “Fractal Philosophy”, although turning out less ambient. To a certain degree, a comparison with the sophisticated down-tempo released by the French Ultimae label again comes to mind,…
Release data: Rene de Bakker – Rene de Bakker CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2012 Rene is a previous member of the band AKS and currently one half of the Dutch EM retro project Beyond Berlin. It won’t be a surprise his 78-minute debut contains Berlin School inspired instrumental EM, featuring lush pads and textures along slow-paced, nicely interlocking sequencer lines.…
Release data: Michael Daniel – Henglers Circus CD, English Electronic Music Company, 2014 What I got here is a firm piece of energetic progressive rock solely made and played by Michael Daniel, one of the members of the EM-retro project Pollard-Daniel-Booth. The 58-minute “Henglers Circus” -presented as a mini gatefold album- is a vibrant melting pot of music featuring many…
Release data: Mark Isham – Tibet LP/CD, Windham Hill, 1989 “Tibet” belongs to those albums that I have overlooked at the time it was initially released, and also never tracked down in the decades thereafter. It’s a majestic 48-minute soundtrack in five parts for the Windham Hill video of the same name, which provides a look at the place that’s…
Release data: Carola Kassner – Planetary Voyage CD, Orion Productions, 1994 “Planetary Voyage (a voyage through the solar system – and beyond)” is a 66-minute live recording by German visual artist and composer Carola Kassner at Zeiss Planetarium Berlin in December 1994. Although sounding quite a bit compressed and not too bright, the 18-track solar voyage pairs a distinct New…
Release data: Dweller at the Threshold – Generation – Transmission – Illumination CD, Eurock , 1998 On their debut album “No Boundary Condition”, Dweller at the Threshold (DATT) already proved they could expand very nicely on the classic analogue music made in Germany’s ‘70’s by TD, Schulze and the likes, carefully avoiding the trap of being a copy-cat. “Generation-Transmission-Illumination” shifts…
Release data: BySenses – Frigments-Fragments CD, Private Release, 2014 “Frigments-Fragments” is the full-length debut by Belgium synthesist Didier DeWachtere, aka BySenses, whom I also know due to his longtime passion for EM. The 77-minute recording is a solid effort, showing a lot of guts, presenting a sensitive mix of evocative ambient and contemporary, occasional sequencer-driven EM. The latter is already…
Release data: Csillagköd – Silent World CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Spotted Peccary Music, 2014 Csillagköd, Hungarian for Nebula, is an ambient-space project started by Olivér Dombi in 2011 with the aim to transfer his profound interest in the philosophical side of time, space and the cosmos into soundscape music. On “Silent World”, we hear slow morphing and broadening drone-based textures roaming through…
Release data: Berlin Heritage – Phoenix DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2014 Berlin Heritage is Berlin-based musician Robert Sigmuntowski, who some may know from his 2012 cd-release “Land of the Rising Sun”. The download only album “Phoenix” features three long tracks of which the still Berlin School-flavored music came about after lots of travels by train between Hannover and Berlin, eventually…
Release data: Chris Russell & Eyes Cast Down – Memory Palace CD-R, Void Music/Kalindi Music, 2014 The origins for “Memory Palace” go back to Christmas 2010, when Greg Moorcroft (aka Eyes Cast Down) approached Chris Russell with the idea of starting a groove-based collaboration. Greg would take are of the rhythmic side of things while Mr Russell would be in…
Release data: Dilate – Octagon CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Hypnotic Records, 1997 Dilate’s fine space/ambient effort “Cyclos” already made quite an impression on me, so what a surprise to learn Victor Wulf was able to raise the quality bar even higher with the follow-up “Octagon”. The spacious and meticulously mastered/produced yet entrancing soundtrack to the mind pairs ambient blissfulness with repetitive synth-chord…
Release data: Steve Roach & Jorge Reyes – The Ancestor Circle CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Projekt Records, 2014 Here’s a shamanic recording from the vaults using material recorded before Reyes’ death in 2009, sonically hailing back to the times of Suspended Memories, the tribal trio Roach/Reyes/Saiz and the organic period of Mr Roach. “The Ancestor Circle”, also the first recording from Roach…
Release data: Synaesthesia – Embody CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Cleopatra Records/Zoth Ommog, 1995 “Embody” is the debut-album of the Canadian project Synaesthesia (aka Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber) introducing ethno-rhythmic-driven ambient featuring lots of (world music) samples and weird klangspielerei, all executed and molded into an almost 60-minute eclectic form. The duo’s darker-shaded sci-fi/cinematic electronics contain groovy bass notes and occasional dance-like…
Release data: Rainbow Serpent – The 8th Nerve CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Manikin Records, 2005 For “The 8th Nerve”, Frank Specht and Gerd Wienekamp (aka Rainbow Serpent) have created a very fine sonic alchemy of exiting contemporary electronics, featuring a great pulse and drive in its core. The almost 79-minute versatile recording stands out due to beautiful emotive atmospheres, sophisticated effects, samples,…
Release data: Front Line Assembly – Airmech CD, Metropolis Records, 2012 What I got here is the fully instrumental soundtrack to the real-time strategy videogame “Airmech” created by Bill Leeb (Skinny Puppy, Noise Unit, Delerium, Synaesthesia), assisted by a bunch of trusted musicians. The outcome is solid, contemporary, cool and stark electronic music with a darker edge. Think in-your-face electro-industrial…
Release data: Dilate – Cyclos CD, Cleopatra Records, 1996 Dilate is an ambient project by musician and sound explorer Victor Wulf, who previously collaborated in the experimental/industrial project Vampire Rodents. His 77-minute debut “Cyclos” (quite a rare find these days) tells a different story though, as it immerses the listener in a vast and deep spacious realm. Drawn from his…
Release data: Asura – Radio Universe CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Ultimae Records, 2014 According to Ultimae’s press release, the 78-minute “Radio Universe” is as a musical odyssey that presents a renewed vision of the seventies space music legacy. I agree to that, as the ambient project by French composer Charles Farewell (aka Asura) tells a narrative story while taking the listener into…
Release data: Skoulaman – Dreaming of the Future reflecting the Past CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2014 The aftermath of leaving the Dutch Berliner School-trio AKS was a very hard and frustrating period for Hans “Skoulaman” van Kroonenburg. Most importantly, he had to make up his mind how to continue while not losing faith in what he was capable of and…
Release data: Lamp – Scales of Fortune CD, Groove Unlimited, 2014 Both Michael Shipway and his musical partner Garth Jones were quite amazed by the many positive and enthusiastic responses on their Lamp-debut “The Three Towers”, so it was just a matter of time before a follow-up would materialize. The outcome became “Scales of Fortune (Tales from Bernodine – Volume…
Release data: Javi Cánovas – Axiom DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2014 In the process of shaping and composing the music for “Axiom”, Javi Cánovas eventually ended up with 14 shorter pieces, all offering a variety of pads and sequencers spreading a ray of sonic colors. At first, the multi-layered, sequencers-driven outcome reminds of Jarre’s “Arpegiattor” on the first two tracks,…
Release data: Erik Wøllo & Bernhard Wöstheinrich – Weltenuhr CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, DiN, 2014 This album is the duos second collaborative effort that contains lots of “Wøllo characteristics” if I may say so. The 11-track release offers mellow, groovy oriented music (marrying the ethereal with nicely paced, sometimes ethno-flavored, rhythms and lush melodies along a few spherical, free form pieces entering…
Release data: Jason Sloan – Deluge CD, Gterma, 2011/2014 Jason Sloan is a US-based new media & sound artist, electronic musician, composer whose sonic creations explores immateriality and its connection in memory, systems and the virtual world. “Deluge” contains his performance, which was originally streamed live on Stillstream’s Sadayatana program August 2011, which intended to capture the aftermath of our…
Release data: René Splinter – Frames CD, Groove Unlimited, 2014 After listening to “Frames”, I’m impressed by the confident attitude and the solid way this Dutch composer has accomplished this nice follow-up on his very strong and successful album “Modern Ruins”. Most of all, the 57-minute/8-track sonic canvas stays true to the artist’s beliefs and vision, not hiding the influence…
Release data: Ashra – @shra & @shra vol. 2 CD, MG.Art, 2008 This double-cd features remastered versions of the original albums “@shra” (1998) and “@shra vol. 2” (2002). These contain the dynamic live performance by Manuel Göttsching and his trusted companions Steve Baltes, Harald Grosskopf and Lutz Ulbrich on February 11 (Osaka) and 12 (Tokyo) 1997, Japan. The progressive instrumental…
Release data: Rhea – November Stars CD-R, Rhea Music, 2006/2013 Here’s another archival recording of analogue-oriented harmonic cosmic music composed by Mark de Wit, which sonically lines up very nicely to his other releases despite its more rhythmic, pulsating character. The listener immerses easily in the atmospheric depths and expansiveness of space encountered in the 77-minute vintage sounding outcome, which…
Release data: Project Andrew Rotten – En Passant CD, Private Release, 2005 The musician behind Project Andrew Rotten (not an attractive name for a band if you ask me) is German synthesist Andreas Morsch, who some will know as one of the members the fine collective Pyramid Peak. “En Passant” (mastered properly by Rainbow Serpent’s Gerd Wienekamp) is an energetic…
Release data: Coral Cave – Panorama CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2014 Accessible, melodic and typical German electronic music. At first glance, these words (still) come to mind when putting on the 70-minute “Panorama”, the first studio album by Tilo Voigthaus and Erik Matheisen since 1996. Their sequencer-driven (at times still slightly TD-angled) output sounds bright and straightforward and is in…
Release data: MorPheuSz – Tantalizing Thoughts at the Dawn of Dreams (Chapter Two) CD, Groove Unlimited, 2014 With their album “Tantalizing Thoughts at the Dawn of Dreams”, the four experienced musicians making up MorPheuSz have added a strong and upfront release to their discography. The project is an outlet of new ideas and electronic free style that wouldn’t really fit…
Release data: Anomalous Disturbances – Archive One CD-R, Private Release, 2004 “Archive One” is the first in a series of unreleased works from Anomalous Disturbances, aka the Vancouver-based ambient artist Terry O’Brien. The collected nine tracks of floating ambient soundscapes have been composed using sound processors and looping devices, in which occasionally some e-guitar shows up. “Languorous Liaisons” sets the…
Release data: Steve Roach – Bloodmoon Rising DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2014 The online-exclusive “Bloodmoon Rising” consists of a series of new pieces specially created in the last few days leading up to the second lunar eclipse in 2014 on October 8th. The 70-minute longform meditation makes a beautiful aural headphone journey where spiraling, smooth shifting currents of tranquility, mystery,…
Release data: Seetyca – Lieder Zum Summen CD, Gterma, 2014 The ambient music I’ve heard so far from German soundartist Seetyca has always fitted in the darker, mysterious category, so what a surprise to see him explore the lighter, uplifting and more contemplative side on “Lieder Zum Summen” (Songs for Humming). The 70-minute textural soundscape (dedicated to the late Peter…
Release data: Vidna Obmana – Passage in Beauty CD, Decade/Relic, 1991/1995 “Passage in Beauty” is one of the privately released limited edition albums by Dirk Serries (aka vidnaObmana) that saw the light of day at the start of the ’90’s. It saw a physical (remastered) re-release on the same medium in 1995 on the Relic label and in 2013 on…
Release data: Riechmann – Wunderbar LP/CD, Sky Records, 1978 “Wunderbar” is the one and only solo album of the late German synthesist Wolfgang Riechmann, who’s known best for his collaborations in the bands Phönix, Neu!, and Streetmark. Influences of the symphonic genre, the Krautrock scene and a slice of what we later on would call synth pop all find their…
Release data: Phrozenlight – Starlight CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Ambientlive Records, 2007 “Starlight” is my first encounter with the ambient music of Dutch composer Bert Hulshoff aka Phrozenlight, although the latter has established quite a lengthy catalogue by now, solo and in collaboration with others. The album, best heard with headphones and eyes closed, features one continuous free form 65-minute piece setting…
Release data: Scott Lawlor – Neptune DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, earthMANTRA, 2014 During the years, the fine earthMANTRA netlabel has already brought lots of interesting ambient/space artists to my attention. “Neptune”, subtitled “the Mystical Blue World”, is the second release on this netlabel by Texas-based composer Scott Lawlor, who hereby present six nicely molded pieces of uplifting, graceful cosmic music with symphonic…
Release data: Unique – Boat People CD, Nocturne Records, 1994 Here’s another trip down memory lane. This release is a “forgotten” recording, being part of large distribution catalogue of Cue Records NL in the EM heydays of the ’90’s, I still have fond memories of. There’s some emotive and moody instrumental music found on the 47-minute “Boat People”, ranging from…
Release data: Anomalous Disturbances – Archive Three CD-R, Private Release, 2014 “Archive Three” is a 60-minute collection of previously unreleased ambient-drone soundscapes realized during a series of recording sessions throughout 2007 and 2008. Canadian sound artist Terry O’Brien (aka Anomalous Disturbances) performed the five freeform compositions on guitar with Ebow, guitar synths and effects exclusively. The floating outcome travels through…
Release data: Robert Schroeder – Backspace CD, Spheric Music , 2014 According the liner notes, “Backspace” is an album filled with electronic music for the flight through the universe of fantasies and emotions which could even be on top of Mr Schroeders 2007-recording “SphereWare”. Well, expect 10 tracks/73 minutes of good mood, emotive and highly accessible electronics with assorted percussion…
Release data: Liquid Mind – Relaxing Rain & Ocean Mixes CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Real Music , 2014 Those of you out there familiar with the previous releases of Chuck Wild, aka Liquid Mind, know his output fits into the new age and ultimate relaxation modus. No new music on this release though, but six tracks (taken from the albums “Meditation”, “Spirit”…
Release data: Andrew Heath – The Silent Cartographer CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Disco Gecko Records, 2014 The sonic quest of UK-composer Andrew focuses on immersive ambient music evolving in a drifting, quiet realm. In his own words, Andrew seeks out the random, juxtaposition of tiny noises and then set them against sustained piano notes that drift in and out of phase, or…
Release data: Mank – Gutta-Percha DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Manky Music, 2013 In the notes to 52-minute “Gutta-Percha”, composer Ben Powell (aka Mank) states the majority of the ambient music was written on a Canadian icebreaker on the Beaufort Sea north of Alaska, where he performs oceanographic measurements as a day job. With his trance-inducing, rhythmic-driven and mellow music, Powell attempts to…
Release data: Nemesis – Xenopus CD, Retroduction, 2014 “Xenopus”, released at the end June at the Scandinavian ambient music conference Ambicon 2014, features shorter compositions compared to the previous album “Living Statues”. Fans of the band need not to worry though as it still celebrates the vibe, sphere and moods which make the bands output special. The nine tracks range…
Release data: Amongst Myselves – The Past is Another Country CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2014 “Compared to the previous releases of Amongst Myselves, the 59-minutes of ambient music contained on “The Past is Another Country” offers the next level into further abstract/experimental and overtly dark ambient spaces journeying inward. The seven organic-spiced, contrasting electronic and natural ambient/drone compositions carve through…
Release data: Jeff Pearce – In the Season of Fading Light DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2012 “In the Season of Fading Light” by Indiana-based composer Jeff Pearce is a collection of singles (of which part of the proceeds is donated to charity) plus one new track. Four of the singles, however, were re-recorded for the sake of making them fit…
Release data: Cousin Silas – The Sound of Silas CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, WAAG, 2014 Cousin Silas is the nom de plume of UK-composer, producer and self-proclaimed “sound alchemist” David Hughes. He has describes his music (which he has created since 1996) as “audio photographs” or “moodscapes”. Within the creative process, he seems to draw inspiration from such diverse sources as writer…
Release data: Dirk Serries – The Origin Reversal CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Projekt Records, 2014 A Gibson Les Paul custom guitar and a few pedals. These were the tools Dirk Serries applied solely in creating the music for “The Origin Reversal”. The music of the latter attempts to hail back to the sound of the vidnaObmana releases from the end of the…
Release data: Alpha Wave Movement – Horizons CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Harmonic Resonance Recordings, 2014 According to the composer, the music on the contemporary instrumental album “Horizons” was recorded over a period of years and then assembled into a much more fluid track order. Well, the six accessible, more song-structured compositions again give a true voice to the fine sonic craftsmanship of…
Release data: Troika – Troika II Dream Palace CD, Enso Records, 1997 The fantasy/fairytale and dreamy instrumental music known from Troika’s fine debut album “Goddess” sees a nice continuation on David Arkenstone & companion’s second effort “Dream Palace”. Form and structure are still kept simple, with bits of world music and slices of drama noticeable during the ride. The tranquil…
Release data: Dan Pound – Life Giving CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, PoundSounds, 2014 “Life Giving” (coined as nocturnal space music by the composer) is a release filled with lush, tranquil, smooth soaring and drifting ambient music centred on the living spheres. The 73-minute gentle spiral of warm textural soundscapes and effects is accompanied by subtle pulsations pushing things slowly onward. The overall…
Release data: Kevin Braheny & Tim Clark – The Spell CD, Hearts of Space Records, 1996 “The Spell” is the second and last album by Kevin Braheny (Fortune) and Tim Clark, containing so-called imaginative and magic-coined instrumental music. The downside here though is a cheesy, strong new-age side to the 51-minute recording, which also features Kevin’s EWI Woodwind prominently on…