Release data: Horizontal Excursions – Symphonica Helvetica DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2013 A colleague at work pointed me to the music of Horizontal Excursions, a project by Dutch electronic DJ/dance-producer Roger Martinez that aspires to reach out to and touch people on a musical, universal level. “Symphonica Helvetica” (part of Roger’s Places Series project) is his second work of art,…
Release data: Phelios – Gates of Atlantis CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Malignant Records, 2013 It’s time for another journey in dark ambient, this time executed by German musician Martin Stürtzer, aka Phelios, with his fine album “Gates of Atlantis”. The cinematic ambient voyage starts out dynamic with fierce tribal drumming in the title track piece, thereafter ascending into slow morphing, dark ambient…
Release data: Jonteknik – The Satellites Of Substance CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Jonteknik Music, 2013 “The Satellites of Substance” is a concept-album by Jonteknik, aka Brighton-based musician Jon Russell, about and inspired by communications and satellite technology. From the press-sheet I learned Mr Russell improved his musical skills whilst working alongside synth-pioneer Paul Humphreys of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. The accessible…
Release data: Max Van Richter – Portal DIGITAL DOWNLOAD EP, Private Release, 2011 Max van Richter, aka Paul Lawler aka “deceased” member of Arcane, once again rides the fine edge of vintage electronics with the music of his EP “Portal”. Although there are only two tracks on this release, the 18 minutes of tasty music moves gently through the darker…
Release data: Constance Demby – Æterna CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Hearts of Space, 1995 When we are talking about majestic and rich symphonic space music, the name of Constance Demby comes to mind. The contemporary orchestral style executed on the highly emotive “Aeterna”, made exclusively with Kurzweil K-2000 digital sampling synthesizers, is a musical meditation on eternity and the afterlife. Sonically, it…
Release data: Forrest Fang – The Wolf at the Ruins / Migration CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Projekt Records, 2013 The last couple of years, quite some re-releases of older out-of-print albums have seen the light of day. This happened as single or combined packages of the works by Steve Roach or Robert Rich. The US Projekt label hereby presents a limited edition…
Release data: Arc – Octane CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Something Else Productions, 1998 “Octane” is the remarkable debut album by UK synth-giants Ian Boddy and Mark Shreeve, who know each other already since the start of the ’80’s. When the two founded ARC, they were looking for a more modern electronic sound, apart from the retro-space sequencer style. The music of Arc…
Release data: Elektric Music – Esperanto CD, SPV, 1993 It’s time for some more up-beat, melodic-spiced music, for which I turn to the synth-pop of “Esperanto”. This debut album by former Kraftwerkian Karl Bartos (with some help of Lothar Manteuffel and Emil Schult) was in initially released as a limited edition digipack through SPV. As such, it didn’t garn much…
Release data: Acheloo – Dream CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, AD Music, 2013 “Dream” is the third album by Italian composer Carlo Luzi, aka Acheloo, released by David Wright’s at AD Music label. It continues his journey into spherical and overtly relaxed electronic music. His exquisite blend of delicately flowing electronic pads and guitar during the 58-minute ambient ride indeed paints a profound…
Release data: Jamie O’Callaghan – Music for Empty Spaces – Theremin Suite CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Happy Willow Productions, 2011 As a composer and Theremin player, Jamie O’Callaghan wanted to use and display the textural and micro-tonal possibilities of this special instrument. As the Theremin is often squeezed in the role of violin/Cello or sound effect, Jamie composed “Music for Empty Places”…
Don’t be deceived by the clinical sounding name of the artist or its cover-art, as the musician responsible for the very nice “Kontakt” (assembled from tracks made between 1996-1998) is no other then the talented Gerd Wienekamp, also known as one half of Rainbow Serpent. Gerd’s fine electronic music ventures beyond the Berlin School tradition but also differentiates quite a…
Release data: Robert Fox – Still Waters CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, AD Music, 2013 For the music of “Silent Waters”, Robert Fox was inspired by the culture and world music from the Eastern spheres, and more specific the Persian region. The continuous outcome is an emotive and exotic journey with profound lyrical sonic motives giving its own interpretation of 1001 Arabian Nights.…
Release data: Juta Takahashi – Across the Flow CD-R, Lunisolar Records, 2007 What I got here is the debut album by Japanese ambient composer Juta(ro) Takahashi, who only applies analogue synthesizers. The three lengthy pieces found “Across the Flow” come down to smooth soaring and drifting textures and some piano on the opening (title) track. This freeform music carries on…
Release data: Liveform – Take One Volume 1 DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2013 Around the end of the ’90’s, preliminary to the formation of the band Remotion, Arjan Arjan Steenbergen and Richard Stuij briefly formed the band Liveform with Menno Zielhorst as third member. “Take One, Volume 1” is their second album, offering eight tracks all made live in the…
Release data: You – Electric Day LP/CD, Cue Records/Bureau B, 1979/2011 “Electric Day” is one of those classic analogue albums recorded at the famous Panne-Paulsen Studios, where also Klaus Schulze frequented a lot. The fine drumming on You’s debut album is also most recognizable as being those of Harald Grosskopf, due to copyright reasons listed as Lhan Gopal at that…
Release data: Martin Solós – Coro de las Estrellas (Chorus of the Stars) DIGITAL EP, Private Release, 2013 This release is one of the many unsolicited albums I receive on a regular basis, made by Birmingham-based composer Martin Solós. “Coro de las Estrellas” (“Chorus of the Stars”) is his first effort, a passionate 16-minute ambient/space piece in glorious 70’s Berliner…
Release data: Steve Roach – Live Transmission CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Projekt Records, 2013 The music that landed on the double album “Live Transmission” was created, recorded and broadcasted live at the studio of internet radio station SomaFm, San Francisco, May 7 2013. Established in a single two-hour session two days after his May 2013 Ambicon concert, Steve grabbed the opportunity to…
Release data: Pete Namlook – Air CD, FAX, 1998 “Air” is the first solo-album and one of the many projects by the prolific German artist Pete Namlook, aka Peter Kuhlmann. It presents an inventive way of merging neoclassical, contemporary and ethnic influences with acoustic instruments into a consistent whole. The 60-minute journey starts out with a deep ambience of drones…
Release data: Steve Roach – Early Man CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Manifold/Projekt Records, 2000/2001 “Early Man”, on Steve’s site described as primeval innerspace deep ambient, is a profound organic and highly atmospheric piece of sonic art, a 74-minute journey through excavated memories of ancient earth. From the first track on, the listener is immersed into the deep depths of underground audioscapes, visualizing…
Release data: Tim Story – The Perfect Flaw CD, Hearts of Space, 1994 The string of emotive musical miniatures by Tim Story continues beautifully on the 45-minute “The Perfect Flaw”, containing 12 new-age compositions which blend feelings of desolation and hope simultaneously. This time around, Mr Story started to incorporate orchestral instruments in his music. If you love calm, contemplative…
Release data: Frank Van Bogaert – Colours CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Ace Studio Editions/Groove Unlimited, 1998/2004 “Colours” is the remarkable debut album by Belgium composer/synthesist Frank Van Bogaert, also owner of the notable Ace-studio in Artselaar. From the liner notes we learn each of the twelve musical paintings has a distinct atmosphere, primary to the melodies and rhythms. Not only does Frank…
Release data: Toss Power Traps – Earth Rot II: Music For Iceland DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2013 “Earth Rot II: Music For Iceland” is a musical commentary on the state of the environment in Iceland and an unsolicited sequel to David Axelrod’s 1970 “Earth Rot”, made by Brendan Coon aka Toss Power Traps. Like the original, its principal goal is…
Release data: Synergy – Computer Experiments Vol. 1 LP/CD, Audion , 1981/1986 The following is taken from the release notes: “Computer Experiments Volume One” is a recording of three different executions of a microcomputer self-composing program. The program, called “Pink Tunes”, was written by John Simonton of PAiA Electronics Inc, and is an application of the stochastic process to electronic…
Release data: Pete Namlook & Wolfram Spyra – Virtual Vices CD, Fax, 1998 In the ongoing list of current releases, it’s also good to glance back once in a while on some nice releases of the past. “Virtual Vices” (the first in a series of six) is such a gem, although it starts out with the quite weird and freaky…
Release data: Ashtoreth’s Gate – Ashtoreth’s Gate CD, Gterma, 2013 Ashtoreth’s Gate (named after the goddess of love and war) is Lee Norris and Craig Murphy. Both have previously worked together as Solipsism & Nacht Plank, and sonically they firmly touch base in the experimental/abstract genre. This makes the listen to the three extended tracks on this album not so…
Release data: Zodiac – I.C. CD, Cue Records, 1995 Let’s make a trip back in time to the period in the first half of the ‘90’s when Ron Boots ran the Dutch part of Cue Records. In 1991, Ron already gave the Dutch duo Ruud Grothauzen & Frans Ramakers, aka Zodiac, the opportunity to contribute a track to the Synteam-…
Release data: Jesse Waugh – Japanese Tea Garden DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2013 Jesse Waugh, who’s currently living and working in New York’s Lower East Side, and in the United Kingdom, is an artist who works in painting, filmmaking, sculpture, and music. What I got here is what the composer describes as a night peregrination through a Shinto garden haunted…
Release data: Phillip Wilkerson – Sojourner CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2013 With “Sojourner”, US-synthesist Phillip Wilkerson brings his listener a musical odyssey for inner travel and pure relaxation for which he used the Yamaha XS6, Virus Access and Polar synthesizers. From the liner notes I also learned the contemplative sonic journey offered the composer the opportunity to explore new levels…
Release data: Ornah-Mental – Excursions CD, Gterma, 2013 Orna-Mental is a collaborative effort by German musicians Carsten Agthe (who some may know for his collaborations with Mathias Grassow) and Dirk Schlömer. “Excursions” is their sixth album by now, offering seven tracks of spiritual/world music with occasional ethereal/eclectic touches. Or as the label puts it, it’s music made for drifting out…
Release data: O Yuki Conjugate – Undercurrents (In Dark Water) CD, Staalplaat, 1992 “Undercurrents” is a classic (and nowadays very hard to get) ambient release by the UK-collective O Yuki Conjugate that even musicians like Steve Roach have added to their deserted island list since its initial release. As a matter of fact, the recording is assembled from eight tracks…
Release data: Erik Wøllo – Silent Currents 3 DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Projekt Records, 2013 This digital-only release complements the previous released hardcopy album “Silent Currents”, offering an evocative instrumental suite in thirteen continuous parts. The press sheet explains “Silent Currents 3” though differs as the live material from the previous occasion served as a basis for a new sonic voyage, where…
Release data: Ran Kirlian & Landru – Waterfront CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Altera Orbe, 2012 “Waterfront” is the debut collaborative work of Spanish ambient composers Ran Kirlian and Landru (aka Patxi Hernández), both co-owners of the online ambient label Altera Orbe. About an hour of the 72-minute outcome was created live in the studio with no set plans or ideas. The additional…
Release data: Mathias Grassow – Sonnenwende CD, Gterma, 2013 The double-album “Sonnenwende” is the spiritual successor to “Dämmerung” and follows the sun along her passage through the seasons, the seemingly endless journey between darkness and light. The release (clocking around 150 minutes) is assembled from music made by Mathias Grassow during the past 20 years, and features a very nice…
Release data: Amir Baghiri – Light Textures CD-R, Attenuation Circuit, 2013 , 2013 Amir Baghiri’s “Light Textures” is a concept album made available as a very limited, hand-numbered cd-r of only 55 copies. Like its predecessor, it again comes in a beautifully designed origami-style digipack. The album’s carefully moulded ambient spaces with occasional sampled footage on space travel pays homage…
Release data: Meg Bowles – The Shimmering Land CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Kumatone Records, 2013 “The Shimmering Land” is a 60-minute collection of lush and highly emotive ambient space music, smoothly morphing through tender, soft resonating spaces. The outcome is ambient/orchestral, but still differentiates from the works of e.g. Altus or Jonn Serrie. Meg’s delicately-crafted and subtle melodic creations leave a sense…
Release data: VelgeNaturlig – Húmus CD, Gterma, 2013 VelgeNaturlig is a Portuguese field/audio/soundscape project by Ivo Santos, who initially privately released “Húmus” on cd-r in 2004 Ambient treasure seeker Mr Rehn hereby re-issues the fully remastered album on factory-pressed cd, adding another impressive but also rather obscure textural drone release to his ongoing range of high-standard Gterma releases. From the…
Release data: Craig Padilla/Sendelica – Strange Fish 1 LP, Fruits de Mer Records, 2013 The shared release Strange Fish 1 is a very limited edition coloured vinyl record, part of the 6-lp set “Strange Fish”. The latter is a series of instrumental compilations, spanning everything from ambient to full-on progressive/kraut/cosmic rock and psychedelica, of which each album may be purchased…
Release data: Brendan Pollard, Javi Canovas, Adrian Dolente & Michael Daniel – Two Roads CD, Acoustic Wave Records, 2013 “Two Roads”, a limited edition factory-pressed cd of just 500 copies, is one those unexpected (but boy, so welcome!) releases I knew was going to blow me away before I had even heard a bit of it. The disc comprises four…
Release data: Red Planet Orchestra – Secrets of Eternity DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Path of Action Productions, 2013 “Secrets of Eternity” is the follow-up to “Aurora Symphony”, again with Vincent Rees and Pete Smith at the helm, but this time also featuring singer Heather Jones. Fans of free form electronic space music can enjoy themselves once again, as the astral electronic symphony…
Release data: Frozen Thoughts – Calm Before The Storm CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Glacial Movements, 2013 This is a typical album of slow morphing, non-rhythmic textural ambient, featuring five drifting movements clocking between 9 and 13 minutes. Biosphere’s “Substrata” comes to mind, as Frozen Thought’s chill-out music also incorporates delicate environmental sounds of snow, fire, ice and wind. The deep ambient outcome,…
Release data: Alpha Wave Movement – Architexture of Silence CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Harmonic Resonance Recordings, 2013 On an irregular basis, I absolutely love to listen to some sophisticated ambient music in the final hours of the day or in early night time. It gives an opportunity to reflect a bit on things and put the mind to rest before turning to…
Release data: Tonefloat:Ikon – Streams of Consciousness (Series) LP, Tonefloat:Ikon, 2013 Only recently, Belgium-based sound forger Dirk Serries (better known as vidnaObmana, fear falls burning) has made the return to the highly textural and most successful music he once created in 1984-2005 using the vidnaObmana moniker. To find an suitable outlet for this music he started the Ikon-imprint at the…
Release data: Dead Beat Project – Samsara CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, AD Music, 2013 The French multimedia project Dead Beat Project made quite an impression on me with their album “R’Évolution”, a nice blend of electro, world and ethnic flavors. Now here’s it successor “Samsara”, made out of tracks composed for various dance shows of the dance choreographer Gwam in recent years.…
Release data: Oöphoi & Ran Kirlian – The Physics of Heaven CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Altera Orbe, 2013 As Oöphoi, aka Italian deep-ambient composer Gianluigi Gasparetti, flies with the angels since a couple of months, Spanish soul-spirit and musician Ran Kirlian decided to release his wonderful collaboration with him, based on unfinished recordings by Oöphoi between 2009-2011 and additional stuff created by…
Release data: Mythos – Grand Prix CD, Sireena Records, 2013 “Grand Prix”, a classic Sky-recording from 1981, is the last album from Stephan Kaske’s 40 Mythos releases that finally sees a re-release on factory-pressed cd. On the occasion, two previously unreleased bonus tracks have been included. Made with a range of vintage instruments from e.g. PPG, Moog and Crumar, the…
Release data: Forest Field – Floating on Air DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Rock Company, 2013 Forest Field is Dutch composer Peter Cox, hereby presenting his debut EP “Floating on Air”. The outcome, originally written to participate in the 2013 “Music For Car Parks” competition in Belgium, is a 32-minute ambient work in nine continuous parts incorporating elements from new age and progressive…
Release data: Soundician – Soundician – Insects CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2013 The UK-duo Soundician have tried something new on their concept-album “Insects”, a 28-minute Ep with nine interweaving pieces tracks dedicated to invertebrates carrying wings. The continuous track, meant to be played and listened to as a whole, has an overall lush sound design and uncomplicated character, nicely imagining…
Release data: William Gregg – Source of the Hardware CD, Harmonic Resources, 2013 “Source of the Hardware” is a 60-minute album with electro-acoustic music by New York-based composer William Gregg, originally released on a (now out of print) 1990-recording. Only the title track is a re-recording from the 1990 album, while the other 11 tracks are live recordings from a…
Release data: Przemysław Rudź – Discreet Charm of an Imperfect Symmetry CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Generator.pl, 2013 According to the liner notes in the cd-booklet, the music making up “Discreet Charm of an Imperfect Symmetry” is fully improvised, and was accomplished during various sessions in the composer’s studio. It ended up as three movements on this cd, with two guest musicians helping…
Release data: Shane Morris & Mystified – Emergence CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Spotted Peccary Music, 2013 What I got here is the second installment of the “Inspired Evolution” , a triple concept-release about prehistoric time and evolution. As can be expected, the highly atmospheric, free form and organic ambient music takes up the trail where its predecessor “Epoc” left us. In this…
Release data: Chronotope Project – Solar Winds CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2013 “Solar Winds” is the second installment of sensuous ambient music by Jeffrey Ericson Allen, aka Chronotope Project, this time aiming for deep space territory. The 52-minute emotive outcome (meant to calm the body-mind and gladden the spirit) is a richly colored kaleidoscope of immersive textures along atmospheric, soft-breathing…
Release data: Secondface – Limitless 014 DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Limitless Audio, 2010 Like the album “Inspiring Silence”, “Limitless” contains music Danish composer Frank Vilbæk Jensen was able to compose in a period he spent on a sort-of reform school that also had an electronic music line. The album reveals the composers first steps into the ambient chill-out genre, containing four pieces…
Release data: Yarek – Last Train to Berlin CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Generator.Pl, 2013 While his previous release “Spirits of the Dust” left me rather confused, Yarek’s album “Last Train to Berlin” heads back to Berliner School inspired contemporary electronic music with a good portion of ambient thrown in. To a certain degree, back are the lush, spatial but slow-paced sequencers and…
Release data: Abandoned Asylum – Derelicts of Distant Hope CD, Malignant Records, 2013 Massive dark ambient drones drenched in the same sonic well as German composer Phelios. That’s what Polish artist Lukasz Czajka, aka Abandoned Asylum, brings his listeners, who should prepare for an intense 40-minute ride through nebulous, bleak textures that echo and visualize darkening vaults with industrial debris.…
Release data: Deepernet – One CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Spotted Peccary Music/0E3, 2013 DeeperNet, is Oregon- based composer Andrew Miles, who hereby makes his debut on the Spotted Peccary sublabel 0E3. The first thought that came to mind when I heard the first track of “One” were Nigel Stanford and the deep down-tempo of the Ultimae label. Andrew’s highly energetic, electro-acoustic outcome…
Release data: Secondface – Minus Degrees DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Cold Fiction Music, 2012 As one can imagine with such a title, the composer wanted to compose a pack of floating ambient music without drums, imagining chilly, wintery conditions and the beauty hidden inside them. The only spot on the 36-minute EP where drums do show up is in the last section…
Release data: Remy & My Breath My Music – Sessions 2012 CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Deserted Island Music, 2013 “Sessions 2012” is a special music session Remy Stroomer did together with four students from the “My Breath My Music” foundation in fall of 2012. The goal of the latter is to offer people with severe physical disabilities an opportunity to make music…
Release data: Loveliescrushing – Ghost Colored Halo DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Projekt Records, 2013 Loveliescrushing is the duo of Scott Cortez (ambient guitar, loops, treatments) and Melissa Arpin-Duimstra (vocals), who established the project in 1991. The guitar-generated, heavily modulated drone textures on their tenth album “Ghost Colored Halo” features thick layers of reverb and tape hiss, ending up in a massive, dense…
Release data: Phragments – New Kings and New Queens CD, Malignant Records, 2013 “New Kings and New Queens” is a 32-minute release (limited to 500 factory-pressed copies in oversized fold out packaging) by Slovakian ambient composer Matej Gyarfas, aka Phragments. The disc contains one continuous drone track spit in six chapters, featuring minimal, slow morphing textural scapes with a strong…
Release data: Graham Getty – The Sound of the Cloud CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2012 I can be brief about this release as it, like its predecessors, has full-focus on the vintage ’70’s music of TD. Assembled from random fragments of Mr Getty’s SoundCloud page, the music features lots of (luckily not too massive and ongoing) sequencer activity and sizzling…