Release data: Ron Boots – Ante Oculos CD, Groove Unlimited, 2011 The album “Ante Oculos” (“For Eyes”) was released on the occasion of the Bochum planetarium concert by Ron Boots and friends in December 2011. The six tracks offers a lush and atmospheric blend of contemporary electronic music graced by the Ron’s familiar musical trademark. In its own way, it…
Release data: Uwe Reckzeh – Subsesizer CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Mellowjet Records, 201 Uwe Reckzeh already proved on his previous releases he’s most talented, and the music of the 77-minute “Subsesizer”, released about two years after “Unnatural Light”, again confirms this. Uwe knows his ways in composing attractive, smoothly cascading (and sometimes even poignant) sequencers, rhythms and textures with emotive solos on…
Release data: Dan Pound – Cocoon CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, PoundSounds, 2011 The 65-minutes of tranquil music that make-up “Cocoon”, that depicts a sequence of events and transmutations of the life stages of a cocoon and chrysalis into a butterfly, once more prove that Mr Pound is a follower of Steve Roach. It’s introspective music about transformation, embarking on gentle textural and…
Release data: Ian Boddy – Strange Attractors DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, DiN, 2012 “Strange Attractors” is a power release by Ian Boddy, known as one of UK’s longtime and leading Em composers. The disc contains music performed live in concert in April 2011 at the Awakenings electronic music concert series. The 75-minute recording shows Mr Boddy is in excellent spirits, as he…
Release data: Tidal Force – Nebula CD, Groove Unlimited, 2009 “Nebula” is the debut album by the Danish quartet Tidal Force, made up by Emil Bech, Frederik Olsen and two other musicians who go under the aliases HC Aarup and PC-72. Slightly carrying on in the footsteps of melodic side of the Berliner School, they’ve composed some energetic music that…
Release data: Amethystium – Aurorae DIGITAL DOWNLOAD EP, Ramfjord Music, 2012 “Aurorae” is a four-track Ep from Øystein Ramfjord, aka Amethystium, who considers the digital-only release very much a do-it-yourself project, as there’s no traditional promotion behind it. Amethystium very much sticks to the formulue of emotional and lyrical instrumental music as known from his previous albums. But this time,…
Release data: Michael Neil & Graham Getty – Retrochet II CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2010 “Retrochet II” is the second album by Michael Neil and Graham Getty, smoothly hitting the electronic avenue with two tasty 30-minute tracks (“Cascade Effect Part 1 and 2”) in Berliner School tradition. The music pairs unhurried atmospheric intros and interludes with immersive mellotron flutes and…
Release data: Bernd Kistenmacher – Antimatter CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Mellowjet Records, 2012 It was great to see Berliner-based composer Bernd Kistenmacher re-emerge in the electronic music scene a couple of years back with “Celestial Movements”, followed by “Beyond the Deep”. With “Antimatter”, Bernd adds the final chapter to his “Trilogy of the Universe”, which features typical Kistenmacher-music but now with an…
Release data: Yagya – Will I Dream During The Process? CD, Sending Orbs, 2006 If you’re looking for timeless quality-ambient music with that typical Northern touch, Yagya’s second album “Will I Dream During The Process?” for sure will be a most welcome discovery. Aalsteinn Gumundsson’s organic, free-flowing minimal synth washes and bouncing mid-tempo beats create a smooth and gentle ambience,…
Release data: Komendarek & Rudź – Unexplored Secrets of REM Sleep CD, Generator.pl, 2011 The first impression of the music on “Unexplored Secrets of REM Sleep” is one that connects progressive electronics with the TD sound of the ‘80’s, but this vision for sure is ruined by the chaotic opening piece, loaded with lots of freaky and loud solo voices,…
Release data: [‘ram] Return CD, Doombient Music, 2011 For every project, Stephen Parsick has always found it a real challenge what means to use to create music and/or a specific outcome he envisioned, also when it came to the use and implementation of atmospheric recording. At the same time, he always avoided any convenient solutions along the way within the…
Release data: David Wright – In Search of Silence CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, AD Music, 2011 For “In Search of Silence”, David Wright put everything he’d accumulated over 25 years into practice, both musically and technically, plus more of an awareness of playing and programming. The outcome is a 79-minute melodic and emotive journey that ebbs and flows through various moods and…
Release data: Boris Lelong – Everyday Flower DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2012 With the music of his album “Everyday Flower”, US-composer Boris Lelong offers a freeform ambient soundscape in five “Movements”, meant as “a sweet and sour electronic requiem dealing with loss and tenderness”. Although the slow morphing textures sound less polished and valvenized and could benefit from a bit…
Release data: Rüdiger Gleisberg – Symphonic Arts CD, BSC/Prudence, 2012 For long, German composer Rüdiger Gleisberg had the wish to once make a production with a full orchestra or with a few orchestral members. With “Symphonic Arts”, that dream has finally come true. It all started when the young, much accomplished musician Wladimir Krasnich wrote Rüdiger a letter in which…
Release data: Robert Jíša – Pět Tibeťanů (Five Tibetans) CD, LK/Nextera, 2006/2011 In 2006, Tjech-based composer Robert Jíša was asked to compose a simple, rather monotone album for relaxing and meditative purposes, that later appeared to sell over a 100.00 copies. “Pět Tibeťanů” (Five Tibetans) contains one 56-minute track made up by massive longform drones of Tibetan monk chants, all…
Release data: Various Artists – Euphony 1 CD, WWUH 91.3 FM, 2008 “Euphony 1” is an electronic ambient release compiled by Susan Mullis of the US-based radio station WWUH, a public radio station broadcasting alternative programming from the University of Hartford . The cd contains 14 previously unreleased tracks, offering quite a range of various ambient styles. Next to a…
Release data: MorPheuSz – Garden Gnomes & Goblins CD, Groove Unlimited, 2011 For July 2011, Ron Boots was requested to play a concert at a garden party in Germany, but during its preparations his musical friends Eric van der Heijden, Harold van der Heijden kindly offered to join him, as well as German guitarist Frank Dorittke (aka F.D. Project). It…
Release data: Synth.nl – Apollo CD, Groove Unlimited, 2011 After a beautiful and well-rendered sonic journey into the sea, Synth.Nl (aka Michel van Osenbruggen) takes his listeners into the fascinating aura and wonders of space with his fourth album “Apollo”, inspired by the various moon missions. The first drafts of this album were presented by Michel on “E-Day 2011” along…
Release data: Matthew Florianz – Los DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2011 As Mr Florianz explains in some notes to “Los”, story and abstraction were and always will be reoccurring themes in his music: not in their pure sense, but more complementing each other in the composers sonic quest of investigating new ideas and possibilities. And while various ambient environment recordings…
Release data: Wave World – Hieroglyphs CD, Virtual Factory Records, 2011 After a five-year period of silence, the Dutch multimedia project Wave World resurfaced in the fall of 2011 with two new albums, “Hieroglyphs” being one the them. The cd offers seven highly cinematic compositions, accompanied by many strange and insect sound effects expanding the visual experience. The sound design…
Release data: Wave World – Tableaux CD, VFR Records, 2011 At the same time as their album “Hieroglyphs” came out, the Dutch trio Wave World also released “Tableaux”. The latter contains 15 single tracks composed exclusively for the art exhibition held by visual artist Pbalris (aka Wave World member Gert van Santen) in early 2011. Beside the fact that the…
Release data: Vanderson – Visions CD, Generator.pl, 2011 If I’m not mistaken, “Visions” is the very first factory-pressed cd by Polish composer Vanderson, aka Maciej Wierzchowski. This cosmic album pairs the classic sound of Germany’s vintage EM-years with nowadays modern technology, all assembled into four long compositions. Next to most enjoyable spatial sequencing following in the footsteps of Schulze and…
Release data: Robert Carty – Ancient Flow DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Deep Sky Music, 2011 With “Ancient Flow”, ambient/space composer Robert Carty delivered his third release of deep sonic textures in 2011. Known for his lush and floating soundscape design, the music of the four 15-minute tracks walks into familiar territory. Carty’s expansive electronic dronescapes easily immerse the listener in a warm…
Release data: Apollonius & 33 Tetragammon – Ascension DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Resonating Earth, 2011 With “Ascension”, the Dutch duo Apollonius & 33 Tetragammon continues their sonic quest into the realm of human existence and the transition in other states of being. Soundwise, the two musicians decided to use field recordings made in natural environments, sacred sites and ancient burial mounts as…
Release data: Solar Fields – Until we meet the Sky CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Ultimae Records, 2011 Almost on the brink of 2012, Ultimae Records released Solar Fields 10th album “Until we meet the sky”, a title that suggests quite a spacious kind of ambient. On the other hand, this recording also connects to Solar Fields album “Movements”, but on an undefinable…
Release data: Hollan Holmes – The Farthest Fringes CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2011 Out of the blue, Texas-based electronic musician and computer graphics artist Hollan Holmes surprised the electronic space music community in 2010 with his debut “A Distant Light”. One year later, Mr Holmes presents “The Farthest Fringes”, an effort he considers a significant milestone in his growth as…
Release data: Soundician – The Speaking Earth CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2011 When listening to their ninth album “The Speaking Earth”, it at times appeared to me the UK-project Soundician (aka Kit and Odette Johnson) is further heading into a more introspective direction. The 12-track album offers an eclectic mix of instrumental electronic miniatures combining a classical style with minimalism…
Release data: [‘ramp] Electric Karma DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2011 Those fond of the sounds of the famous CS80 synthesizer will more or less enjoy listening to Stephen Parsick’s album “Electric Karma”, privately released on 1 November 2011. Those expecting something like “Hoellenengel” will be disappointed though, as the outcome of “Electric Karma” is improvised, at times experimental-oriented and recorded…
Release data: Gert Emmens & Ruud Heij – The Sculpture Garden CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2011 I won’t spend many words on this concept album, inspired by the Sculpture Garden of the Dutch Kröller-Müller Museum, as the experienced duo Emmens/Heij have delivered another fine album, their fifth by now, of vintage electronics that fits nicely next to their previous releases.…
Release data: Wassonic – Wassonic CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Disappearing Music, 2011 Fans of soundscape ambient might already know the music by Canadian composer Terry O’Brien, aka Anomalous Disturbances. For the collaborative project “Wassonic”, Terry has joined forces with his old friend Matthew Poulakakis, who is a fellow performer at Toronto’s The Ambient Ping next to being the musician behind project such…
Release data: Amir Baghiri – Live Long and Prosper CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Bluebox, 2011 After an absence of five years, German/Iran ambient composer Amir Baghiri fortunately re-enters the electronic space music scene with “Live Long and Proper”. The 76-minute release, dedicated to Trekkies from all over the world, continues in the tradition of the comfortable, highly textural cosmic ambient as known…
Release data: Geodesium – Arcturian Archives CD, Loch Ness Productions, 2011 Mark C. Petersen, aka Deodesium, belongs to the select group of musicians such as Kevin Braheny and Jonn Serrie who composed custom-made planetarium music in the early ’80’s. “Arcturian Archives” is Geodesium‘s 11th album to date, and contains music that was originally created in the 1980s and 1990s. It…
Release data: MoonSatellite – Missing Time CD, Dreaming/Musea Records, 2011 As far as I know, this is the first factory-pressed album by French composer Marc Perbal, aka Moonsatellite, beyond a series of privately-released, home-brewed cd-r’s. The music on the 65-minute “Missing Time” is split in five lengthy parts, and carries a warm, cosmic flavour and now and then strongly relates…
Release data: F.D. Project – Water and Earth CD, Private Release, 2011 Since several years, German composer Frank Dorittke (aka F.D. Project) is quite succesfull in his efforts to fuse melodic contemporary styles and vintage electronics with some poignant and sometimes even powerful e-guitar. His recent collaborations with Ron Boots and friends in project MorPheusz even helped him further mould,…
Release data: Andrew Forrest – Resonance (Harmonics Trilogy Vol. 1) CD, Private Release, 2011 Despite the hard times to survive by putting out hard copy releases nowadays, independent electronic sound painter Andrew Forrest once more has found the faith and guts to let his creativity prevail above all. The idea of a harmonics trilogy surfaced a few years back from…
Release data: René van der Wouden – Zeppelins! There they Go CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, REWO Records, 2011 On the 78-minute “Zeppelins! There they go”, Dutch musician René van der Wouden offers his listeners five lengthy pieces and one shorter trip. The adventurous and airy compositions are all inspired by the great electronic music albums made from 1974 to 1984 beside the…
Release data: Stormloop – Snowbound* CD, Glacial Movements, 2011 “Stormloop” is an ambient project by one Kev Spence who hails from Leeds, England. “Snowbound*” (which found a home on Alessandro Tedeschi’s Italian label Glacial Movements) is a winter ambient release created in late december 2009. The original demo material though was created in 2005 and 2009. It consisted of approximately…
Release data: Darshan Ambient – Dream in Blue CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, LotusPike, 2011 The music for “Dream in Blue” by Michael Allison (aka Darshan Ambient) was highly inspired by the music of jazz giants Miles Davis and John Coltrane. In addition, Mr Allison says he feels there’s certainly a sonic bridge between jazz and ambient music, a logic extension between the…
Release data: Eric van der Heijden – Dal Segno CD, Groove Unlimited, 2011 Eric van der Heijden is one of the purveyors of passionate and quality electronic music from our lower lands. On “Dal Segno”, his fourth release, Eric continues his sonic sojourn, bringing honest human emotions very close to his listeners. Bridging the grandness of symphonic music with delicate…
Release data: Jamie O’Callaghan – The Quiet Poet CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Happy Willow Productions, 2011 Eindhoven-based performer, teacher and composer Jamie O’Callaghan was born in the United Kingdom, but states he has his roots in both Wales and Ireland. A fascinating aspect of the instrumental “The Quiet Poet” is that Jamie is linking the evocative sounds of violin with lush, almost…
Release data: Yagya – Rhythm of Snow CD, Force Inc. Music Works, 2002 The creative mind behind Yagya is Islandic producer Aalsteinn Gumundsson. His debut release “Rhythm of Snow” is a 78-minute deep house/ambient kaleidoscope. It reflects the ice cold stellar beauty found in the Scandinavian, Islandic and the Arctic region. With such a description, one might easily think of…
Release data: Triple S – Poles CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Pleasure Sound Music, 2011 Triple S is a new German electronic music project bringing three established musicians together: Max Schiefele (aka Maxxess), Erik Seifert and Cologne-based Joseph Steinbuechel. With Erik Seifert at the helm, one can sense quality is guaranteed, and the content of the 70-minute concept album “Poles” indeed doesn’t. “Poles”…
Release data: Janne Hanhisuanto – Circles in 3D CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Auraltone Music, 2011 The creative mind behind “Circles in 3d” is Finnish musician Janne Hanhisuanto. From the press-sheet I learned “Circles in 3d” was inspired by the beauty of circles. A circle begins and at the same time ends. Always moving, looking for the end, only to find nothing but…
Release data: Bruno Sanfilippo & Max Corbacho – Bioma CD, ad21 music, 2011 Bruno Sanfilippo’s and Max Corbacho’s second collaborative album “Bioma”, the name for a large community of plants and animals that occupy a distinct region, is another fine ambient recording from the Spanish Ad21 Music. As the press sheet explains, the initial idea for it was born after…
Release data: Awenson – Beyond the Galaxies CD-R, Private Release, 2009 On “Beyond the Galaxies”, Bordeaux-based composer Joël Bernard (aka Awenson) takes the listener on a more atmospheric oriented sonic journey. Still roaming in the cosmic sounds of the vintage electronic age of the ’70’s, the three lengthy ambient pieces unfold in a fascinating manner while they travel in the…
Release data: Javi Cánovas – Strange Vision CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2007 Mr Canovas is most famous for his genious blend of vintage electronic sounds and sequencers with contemporary technology, bringing the listener the best of both worlds. On his third album “Strange Vision”, Javi persues his journey through well-balanced vintage electronics with more shorter tracks, all containing more melody,…
Release data: Van Zyl & Gulch – Regeneration Mode CD, Synkronos Music, 1994 “Regeneration Mode” is an album by the duo Chuck van Zyl and Peter D. Gulch (both known from the project The Nightcrawlers) filled with vintage, but most of all adventurous and future electronic music. It’s cosmic music pur sang, now and then briefly tapping in the heritage…
Release data: Ron Boots – La Caída de Hormigón CD, Groove Unlimited, 2011 As some may know, Dutch musician Ron Boots has a great passion for history next to composing electronic music. It’s something he previously adressed on “Acoustic Shadows”, that dealt with (the hell of) human warfare. “La Caída de Hormigón” (The fall of concrete) is a concept album…
Release data: Various Artists – Ambrosia CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Ultimae Records, 2011 “Ambrosia” is a compilation album by the Lyon-based Ultimae label, selected and compiled by Fishimself (aka Haris Papadimitriou), deejay and the driving force behind IT records and Freeze Magazine. The excellently mastered disc (courtesy Vincent Villuis) features ten captivating instrumentals by mainly Greek electronica artists from the downtempo, idm…
Release data: Remy – The Great Church Trilogy CD, Deserted Island Music, 2011 This 75-minute album, the second factory-pressed release on Deserted Island Records, comprises music performed during three different concerts by Remy (aka remy Stroomer) in 2007, 2008 and 2010 in the Grote- of St.Bavokerk in Haarlem. The music featured on “The Great Church Trilogy” focusses on the new,…
Release data: Altus – Ecotone DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2011 Many may know the music of Mike Carss, aka Altus, as vast textural and out-of-this-world music. Sonically, “Ecotone” though opens a new, vibrant chapter in his already extensive discography. The recording contains more varied music covering a lot of ground, which (according to the composer) was necesarry to tell and…
Release data: Space Station – Transmission DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2010 Space Station is a music project initiated in 2006 by Portugese composer and producer Bernard Lampreia. “Transmission” is an accessible release filled with melodic sequencer-oriented electronics beside flavours of space and progressive instrumental music. Sonically, I hear lots of influences of German electronic music among others, but the overall…
Release data: Pyramid Peak – 5Vor12 CD, Private Release, 2011 Pyramid Peak’s album “5vor12” (named after the bands habit to finish a project or concert preparation just in time) was released on November 22, 2011 when the band played their Jubilee concert at the Dechenhöhle in Iserlohn, Germany. Those who know and appreciate the accessible, highly sequenced and occasionally melodic…
Release data: Chad Hoefler – Quiet Glow CD, LotusPike, 2005 “Quiet Glow” is Chad Hoefler’s second album and again a concept release, this time dealing with “simplicity” and “light”. In addition, it’s classified by the label as “intelligent electronic music” featuring “icy overtones and glitchy electronic textures”. Well, there’s certainly a somewhat quirky side to Hoefler’s music, which is basically…
Release data: Robert Rich – Medicine Box CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Soundscape Productions, 2011 Referred to as “a sonic tincture of shamanic energy, at once ecstatic and shadowy, fragile and surreal, fluid and psychedelic”, to me the ancient meets the modern while the dynamic meets the reflective on the Robert Rich release “Medicine Box”. Next to some velvet and graceful wordless vocals…
Release data: Chad Hoefler – Twilight in the Offing CD, Hypnos Recordings, 2004 “Twilight in the Offing” (mastered by Robert Rich) is the debut album of US-synthesist Chad Hoeffler. According to the composer, it’s a concept album on inevitability, the inescapable fact that darkness follows dusk, that fall and winter follow summer, and that the expiration of life is the…
Release data: Johannes Schmoelling – Time and Tide CD, Viktoriapark Records, 2011 All those who were present at the unique live Loom concert on E-Live 2011 will remember the great and enthusiastic musicianship displayed by Johannes Schmoelling during this performance. That day he also presented his brandnew album “Time and Time”, that again features some state-of-the art electronic music as…
Release data: Paul Vnuk Jr. – Silence Speaks in Shadow CD, Hypnos Recordings, 2001 Paul Vnuk Jr’s is known as one half of the ambient project Ma Ja Le, who hereby presents his first solo release of long-form and so-called “psycho-environmental music”. The 74-minute “Silence Speaks in Shadow” is a highly atmospheric ambient painting of looped synth improvisation and sound…
Release data: Justin Vanderberg – Synthetic Memories CD, Spotted Peccary Music, 2011 To me, Justin Vanderberg is a new ambient musician, but the press sheet learned he already released an album back in 2007 called “In Waking Moments”. “Synthetic Memories”, a concept album upon the idea of questioning the reality of memories, is his second effort. And what a beauty…
Release data: Sam Rosenthal – The Passage CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Projekt, 2011 “The Passage” is a foray into the realms of pure textural ambient from Black Tape For A Blue Girl founder/songwriter Sam Rosenthal, also known as owner of the Projekt label. The 44-minute title track is derived from the 16-minute closing track from the 1989 Blacktape album “As one aflame…