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…
Release data: Picture Palace Music – Metropolis Poetry CD, Eastgate, 2010 “Metropolis Poetry” is another cinematic concept album by Thorsten Quaeschning, inspired by Frits Lang’s classic non-verbal movie “Metropolis”, realized in 2005, 2008 and 2011. Once more, their electronic-post-rock stays close to the output of Tangerine Dream from the begin and mid ’90’s, while at the same time aptly translating…
Release data: Exuviae – Intrinsic Luminance DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2009 With “Intrinsic Luminance”, Exuviae (aka Minnesota-based ambient composer Brooks Rongstad), finally brings us another chapter of textural and highly atmospheric pieces that contine where the gentle ambiences of “Echoes in the Emptiness” or “Settling Density” left us. I’m glad Brooks took the time to mould these smooth and overall…
Release data: Awenson – Wizard CD, Dreaming/Musea Records, 2010 Awenson is the new artist name of French musician Joël Bernard, previously known as Awen. I don’t have a clue why he switched to this new moniker, but the lovely crafted “Wizard” makes a release not to be missed: this is slow evolving and building electronic music (like the Awen-recording) firmly…
Release data: Mazmoneth – Music by Mirrors CD, DiN, 2011 Mazmoneth is a new name in both the DiN catalogue and in the Em-genre. It’s a project in search of new sonic horizons without borders initiated by Nigel Mullaney and Ray Sherwin. “Music by Mirrors” is a sonic journey incorporating progressive, inventive, reflective and fresh flavours that keep hold of…
Release data: Loom – 100 001 CD EP, Moonpop, 2011 “100 001” is a 4-track/19-minute Ep by Loom, a music project created by Jerome Froese, Johannes Schmoelling and Robert Waters, specially produced for LOOM’s first live show on October 15th, 2011 (E-Live 2011). The recording actually features one solo piece by Johannes and Jerome, and two tracks by Mr Waters.…
Release data: Keller & Schönwälder – Long Distances CD, Manikin Records, 2011 “Long Distances” is another typical Berliner-School inspired release from the German duo Keller & Schönwälder, for the biggest part made up of shelved recordings from a few years ago. The album contains two long pieces along one short track following in the footsteps of this EM-style, so no…
Release data: Broken Harbour – Gramophone Transmissions CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2011 “Gramophone Transmissions” is the second album by Broken Harbour, aka Canadian ambient composer Blake Gibson, made without any use of synthetic sources. Recorded between July and October 2009, the release offers a fascinating, highly cinematic ambient travelogue of loops, drone and textural pads with a strong organic rim.…
Release data: Phillip Wilkerson – Ten to Eleven CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2011 “Ten to Eleven” is a 42-minute freeform soundscape ambient/space album by US-musician Phillip Wilkerson, offering eight pieces of highly spherical music. From his website I learned its actually a compilation of variously release tracks recorded during 2010 and 2011. In addition, Phillip describes “Ten to Eleven” as…
Release data: Tangerine Dream – The Endless Season CD, Eastgate, 2010 “The Endless Season” is the fifth (and final) part of the Five Atomic Seasons album series. Quite some of the overall mellow music on the album remembers me of the live music Tangerine Dream played in the ’80’s and ’90’s and especially “Livemiles”, but now executed by Edgar solo…
Release data: Gustavo Jobim – Trapped in a Day Job DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2011 Gustavo Jobim is an electronic music composer from Brazil, who (according to the notes on his site) literally conceived “Trapped in a Day Job” during working hours between December 2009 and January 2009 by means of a small (only 250 kilobytes) software synthesizer, TS-404 V1.05…
Release data: Patrick O’Hearn – Transitions CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2011 According to Patrick O’Hearn, the music of “Transitions” intentionally hails back to the sounds of his first Private Music albums, sticking to the formulae of simple melody, harmony and above all: atmosphere. The 45-minute outcome was created using a mixture of hardware synthesizers, computer generated elements and traditional acoustic…
Release data: Polaris & Krzysztof Horn – Collision CD, Ricochet Dream, 2011 “Collision” contains 52-minutes of improvised live music played by Jakub Kmieć (aka Polaris) and Krzysztof Horn at The Richochet Gatherings event 2011, that took place in Berlin. Spherical and dreamy music starts out on the 11-minute title track with a distinct kind of movement that nicely carries on…
Release data: Steve Smith & The Tylas Cyndrome – Phoenix Arising CD, Groove Unlimited, 2011 In the electronic music community, synthesist Steve Smith is best known as one half of the UK band VoLt. “Phoenix Arising” is actually a project that has taken about 40 years in the making, as Steve and the other two musicians involved in it (drummer…
Release data: Altus – Symmetry & Shadow (Singles Collection Vol. 2) DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2011 This is a second compilation by Altus, aka Mike Carss, supposed to fill the gap until the release of his full album “Ecotone” due for mid November 2011. “Symmetry & Shadow”, with nice descriptive linear notes of the composer on the cd-artwork, comprises another…
Release data: John Broaddus – A Strange Mint DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Parnassus Nump, 2011 The linear notes on “A Strange Mint” read as follows: “a title created by mucking about with some recordings of organic and man-made materials interacting; fashioning them into something yet undiscovered, a hybrid of the natural and the synthetic, minting a new sound and form in the…
Release data: Exuviae – The Sum of Zero DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2011 With “The Sum of Zero”, Minnesota-based ambient composer Brooks Rongstad offers his listeners the second and final chapter in Exuviae’s exploration of “End-Time” themes that started in 2009 with “Amnesiascape”. Brooks comments to this second part it “captures the more emotional and less literal side of an…
Release data: Geigertek – Soundtrack for City Living CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, AD Music, 2011 “Soundtrack for City Living” is Geigertek’s sonic sketch of the varied feelings and moods encountered in the vibrant nightlife of an imaginary city. The opening piece “Beyond the Garden” starts out as a cinematic, spherical and warm soundscape composition, nicely spiced with gentle percussion and smooth soaring…
Release data: Mon0 – Monolith DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2011 Mon0’s “Monolith” invites us into a dark and mysterious ambient world with occasional minimal dub-techno beats, in which a strong sense of dynamic is embedded in the slow shifting and precisely tuned textural scapes. This is no scary trip though (with the exception of the entrance to the fifth track…
Release data: Pascal Savy – Liminal CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2011 “Liminal” is a four-track Ep by composer Pascal Savy, made with FM and analog synths, piano, oboe, and an assortment of processed field recordings, offering slow moving minimal and abstract ambient drone movements. Using loops attached to miniature soundscape forms and no melodic lines, the outcome constantly shifts through…
Release data: Steven Grace – Cobalt Blue DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2010 The 62-minute “Cobalt Blue” is an album fully composed with only one piece of gear: Leslie Sanford’s Cobalt synthesizer. The composer of it is Steven Grace, also known as the musician behind the retro-oriented project Logic Gate. The freeform music on “Cobalt Blue” focusses on quiet and moody…
Release data: Al Gromer Khan – Music from an Eastern Rosegarden CD, Aquamarin Verlag, 1989 “Music from an Eastern Rosegarden” by Al Gromer Kahn is a highly spiritual piece of sonic art that will appeal to ambient music fans who like smooth, relaxing electronic soundscapes and spheres with occasional sitar, all gently tapping in the mystic realm of or connecting…