Release data: Johan Tronestam – Somewhere far away CD/Digital Download, Groove Unlimited, 2024 All music I know of Johan Tronestam is very warm, atmospheric, and well thought-out, making it appeal to a wide public. The 77 minutes of music -spread out over 8 tracks- making up “Somewhere far away” displays another fine selection of this Scandinavian talent, again offering music…
Release data: Martin Stürtzer – Spaceport CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2024 Here’s another space music outing by the capable Martin Stürtzer that features nice sets of soft sparkling yet circular Berlin School-ish sequencer patterns merged with a range of warm spacious pads. The unhurried, smooth evolving atmospheres sketched out on the seven-track outcome are calm and cinematic as the listener…
Release data: Three-Six (36) – Full Spectrum Submission Digital Download, Private Release, 2023 Composer Dennis Huddleston made the continuous 36-minute “Full Spectrum Submission” with the goal of creating and sustaining a quiet intensity that grips you gently by the throat and doesn’t let go. The long-form track is made up of warm, uplifting, and transparent textures and ethereal soundscapes that…
Release data: Bruno Sanfilippo – Piannette 2 DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, ad21 Music, 2024 The music captured on “Pianette 2” has been an emotional and creative journey as it emerged from Mr Sanfilippo’s deep connection with music and memories of his childhood. When he actually started composing it, he intended to evoke the magic and innocence he experienced in his early years…
Release data: Lauge – Echoes Digital Download, Private Release, 2024 Lauge’s Ep “Echoes” is another nature-themed release providing an entrance into a world of serene wonder, one of the most gentle and warm textural ambiences incorporating an assortment of environmental recordings from oceans, (frozen) wildlife, and forests. It’s a sanctuary of calm and comfort, taking us far away from the…
Release data: Max Corbacho – The Delicate Essence of Solitude CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Silentsun, 2024 The majority of Max Corbacho’s output -often hypnotic-oriented- sonic landscapes help the listener transcend into a deeper, alternate reality while urging to simply feel and reflect on a personal level in a non-intrusive manner. The warm sonic background featured in “The Delicate Essence of Solitude” fills…
Release data: Above & Beyond – Flow State CD/LP/Digital Download, AnjunaBeats, 2019 What I got here is some 49 minutes of overall chilled-out, blissful (and occasionally even meditative) ambient electronics by UK’s trance trio Above & Beyond. “Flow State” though turns away from their upfront dance sound and announces something new under their umbrella. The outcome -I would pinpoint it…
Release data: Vince Clarke – Songs of Silence CD/Lp/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Mute Records, 2023 It’s time for some more slow, wistful music, this time composed by Vince Clarke who many may know from his time with Depeche Mode and later on a few hit songs with the synth-pop flicks Yazoo and Erasure. Vince’s debut solo album “Songs of Silence features 10…
Release data: Cosmic Ground – Melt CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2024 Among the fanbase of this Aachen-based composer must be many who have a soft spot for the early 70-s TD recordings made with classic, labour intensive gear. Same as on Cosmic Ground’s previous recordings one won’t find any uplifting, melodic music while also sequencers are often absent. Moreover, “Melt’s”…
Release data: Dave Bessell – Chromatic Lightning Cage CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, DiN, 2024 Quirky moods and stark analogue atmospheres with a cinematic edge form most of the core of the music on “Chromatic Lightning Cage”, a release completing a quartet of albums, by this UK synthesist, that are all loosely based on the Greek philosophy of the four elements, namely water…
Release data: Loneward – Beyond the Sea, Part One CD-r/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2024 A lot of the music Mike Carss has put out by now has been a most pleasant and overtly relaxed listening experience. Mr. Carss recalls the impetus for “Beyond the Sea” originated from a trip to Honduras, and features photography and field recordings Mike took there.…
Release data: Subclavian – I CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2024 The start of March brought a nice surprise as I read about Subclavian, which appears to be the alter-ego of Phobos, aka UK synthesist David Thompson, kicking off an entirely new project. For quite a while, Mr Thompson felt an urge to create some melodic sequencer music and as it…
Release data: Ascendant – Astral Ascendant Digital Download, Synphaera Records, 2024 All releases on the Synphaera label don’t compromise on audio quality. The latter matched with some great sound design and accessible electronic music can only lead to a great album, which is the case with Chris Bryant and Don Tyler’s “Astral Ascendant”, a 53-minute sequencer-driven journey without solo voices…
Release data: Craig Padilla & Marvin Allen – Weathering the Storm CD/Digital Download, Spotted Peccary Music, 2023 On their third collaborative recording “The Weathering Storm”, accomplished synth-wizard Craig Padilla and guitarist Marvin Allen take us back to the realms of early ‘70s krautrock and modern electronic ambient production that all turned out in a dreamlike, dramatic electronic landscape of an…
Release data: Jonn Serrie – Ascendant Destiny CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, New World Music, 2024 Jonn’s goal for “Ascendant Destiny” is to take his audience to beautiful and inspiring places with his signature blend of lush, emotive, and cinematic ambient soundscapes. Spending much time in deep meditation and contemplation, Mr Serrie tried to create another journey through both time and space, wanting…
Release data: Rudy Adrian – Reflections on a Moonlit Lake CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Spotted Peccary Music, 2024 From the start, Dunedin-based musician Rudy Adrian envisioned the outcome of “Reflections on a Moonlit Lake” to be a bit in the style of his first official album “The Healing Lake”. That one was released by Jon Mark’s White Cloud / Naxos label nearly 25 years ago. Back…
Release data: Robert Schroeder – D.MO. Vol. 5 CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Spheric Music, 2024 After four volumes in the D.MO series, I would have thought Mr. Schröder’s archive would be empty by now. But no, here’s “Volume 5” featuring another set of retro electronic tracks from the ’80s. Now I could spend some obsolete words on the outcome, but actually, there…
Release data: Däcker – Anthropomorphic Personification CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Deserted Island Music, 2023 From time to time I have music on my desk that demands some extra time to investigate and grab the full picture. This applies to the second release by Almere-based Peter Dekker, aka Däcker, who regards himself as a composer using synthesizers for the creation of his music,…
Release data: Martin Stürtzer – Lander Modules DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2024 The smooth evolving, 5-track space cruiser “Lander Modules” is a live recording of Mr. Stürtzer’s ‘Home Concert 58’, sonically sketching out the story of ancient, present, and future lander modules that have been sent out to the moons of the solar system. The cinematic, highly atmospheric realms see…
Release data: Boris Blank – Resonance CD/Lp, IAN Records, 2024 Fans of the Swiss band Yello already know one half of it, synth-wizard Boris Blank, is a most talented sonic painter of enchanting, often highly cinematic atmospheres. His latest effort is the immersive “Resonance,” comprising twelve tracks originally commissioned for the Fortyseven thermal spa near Zurich that transcends the boundaries…
Release data: Three-Six (36) – Reality Engine Lp/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Past Inside the Present, 2024 “Reality Engine”, the third and final vinyl in 36’s synth trilogy on the Past Inside the Present label, sees Mr. Huddleston continue the melodic, melancholy machine sound started with “Wave Variations” and “Symmetry Systems”, further exploring the blossoming dynamics of artificial intelligence and the ever-changing definition…
Release data: Awenson – Faith CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Groove Unlimited, 2024 “Faith” is a concept album in the fairly ‘traditional’ Berlin School style, but still bearing Awenson’s easily recognizable, occasionally hypnotizing, style. Furthermore, music, images, and the poem have been conceived and thought out by Joël Bernard, aiming to restore faith in oneself and the universe. Vintage warm, sequencer-driven electronics roll…
Release data: TiRa The Art of Dance – Endless Ambient Part 2 CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Groove Unlimited, 2024 In my opinion, there’s not much to tell about the second chapter by musician Ralf Gülpen. It’s another set of mood music spread out over 11 tracks that continue the aural sojourn of the first part in a similar way. Again, there are…
Release data: Altus – Solastalgia CD-r/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2024 I recall having quite some issues with the previous Altus album “Descender” but hearing the first textural waves of “Solastalgia” -created from May to July 2023- makes clear the latter (re) focuses on painting emotive, intimate atmospherics. The album is inspired by the term “Solastalgia” coined by philosopher Glenn Albrecht…
Release data: Parallel Worlds – Fragmented CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, DiN, 2024 Bakis Sirros´ “Fragmented” is another cinematic-oriented release fully fletched with the composer’s impressive modular walls, most notably the Eurorack as well as the Buchla system. Profound, wonderous, slow-moving soundscapes make up the very nice opening and closing tracks (“Dawning” and “Sunset”) of the release, each hinting at a lucid, mesmerizing…
Release data: Steve Roach & Robert Rich – Waves of Now Digital Download, Soundquest Music, 2024 It’s some 30 years ago since Mr. Roach and Mr. Rich bookmarked their notable collaboration with the ambient-tribal-atmospheric recordings “Strata” and “Soma”. December 5, 2023, saw the return of the two accomplished musicians, celebrating their reunion through a live concert at the Club Congress,…
Release data: F.D. Project – Stars Landscape and Collision CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Groove Unlimited, 2023 Moody, uplifting, and passionate electronic music is what´s found in Frank Dorritke´s 70-minute, cosmic-themed “Stars Landscape and Collision”. Partial progressive and orchestral in form, the five-part title piece offers a dynamic, melodic-oriented outcome boosted by warm synth pads, captivating rhythm, and driving sequences, all topped by…
Release data: Derrick Stembridge & Mike Petruna – Cryptic Logic CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Labile Records, 2024 What I got here is a most unusual recording for Sonic Immersion’s desk, as it’s an exploration of contemporary sound that transcends traditional boundaries. “Cryptic Logic” actually invites listeners to embark on a journey through a musical universe that is both expansive and introspectively deep.…
Release data: The Roswell Incident – Before the Beginning DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2023 In my opinion, the ambient and Berlin-School-infused electronic music created by Koen and Jan Buytaert, aka the Ghent-based project The Roswell Incident, has been (and remains) something special. Once more, some intriguing mind cinema unfolds on the four-track “Before the Beginning”, which comprises three previously released…
Release data: Martin Stürtzer – Aquatic Cosmos DIGITAL DOWNLOAD EP, Private Release, 2023 It’s hard to keep up with the fast-paced tempo of releases by this talented German synthesist, but the quality of his music doesn’t seem to be the least affected by that at all. This also applies to the solid and mature electronic music -this time all built…
Release data: Perge – Void Coefficient CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2023 The title of this Perge release, which took about 3 months to record, refers to a state in a nuclear reaction which is the theoretical maximum output before the core meltdown. “Void Coefficient” was recorded over the summer of 2023 after Matthew Stringer saw an advert for a ‘virtual…
Release data: Hollan Holmes – Sacred Places CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Spotted Peccary Music, 2024 In one of my previous reviews of Mr. Holmes’s music I once remarked the heartfelt aural splendor spread out there simply draws you in without much effort. From there, something indefinably magical takes over to a lasting, mesmerizing effect. This stamp can also be put on “Sacred…
Release data: Cosmic Ground – Area 23 DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Groove Unlimited, 2023 “Area 23” is an abstract and stark soundscape release by Dirk Jan Müller taking the listener through an imminent landscape of dark, eerie, and ghostly plains. It could be an imaginary soundtrack for a visit to a test site where all that’s left is barren. The overall outcome…
Release data: Wolfgang Bock – Mintaka CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, MIG, 2023 This fall and to my astonishment, I found out that this German composer -who now seems to reside in Spain- had released another album -some 23 years after the classic “Cycles”. Musically, the only 40-minute, almost quiet release features nine tracks with gentle melodic lines. “The breath of Aurelia”, “Passing…
Release data: Gert Emmens – City Never Sleeps CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Groove Unlimited, 2023 Painting emotive nocturnal cityscapes before the mind’s eye is what “City Never Sleeps” is all about. Its storyline is about a young country boy who moves to a big city after getting the job of his dreams there. Life in that city though turns out to be…
Release data: David Parsons – Forgotten Dreams DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Celestial Harmonies, 2023 This album, released through Eckart Rahn’s Celestial Harmonies label, saw the light of day in an unnoticed manner as I couldn’t find any promo for it. Dave and Eckart actually go back a long way, as Eckart (who had shown an interest in traditional Asian music at a…
Release data: Steve Roach – Stratus DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Steve Roach Exclusive, 2020 “Stratus” is one of the vast range of releases Steve Roach offers through his Bandcamp Exclusive page. It features 6 atmospheric, cloud-inspired pieces that -according to the artist- should be part of a yet unreleased recording entitled “Seven Clouds”. The 23-minute title piece kicks things off in a…
Release data: Zanov – Lost in the Future CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2023 It took Pierre Salkazanov some three years to come up with this follow-up to 2020’s “Chaos Islands”. Overall, the seven tracks making up the 45-minute “Lost in the Future” sound like his previous contemporary releases, managing to retain a lot of originality in both his compositions and…
Release data: Danger in Dream – Entrance CD/Digital Download, Virtual Music, 2001 Nearing the end of another year made me reflect on an album that came out over 22 years ago. “Entrance” is the classic debut album from Vienna-based duo Danger in Dream (aka Robert Wittek and Alexander Gülfenburg). It was finally made available in download format in 2020 as…
Release data: Kloob & Onasander – Goês CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Winter-Light, 2023 Ritualist dark ambient at full scale makes up Kloob & Onasander’s “Goês”, which rounds out the duos’ witchcraft trilogy. This last chapter focusses on funeral laments and chthonic sorcery and lasts nearly 60 minutes. It’s another haunting and immersive sonic experience loaded with drone tapestries traveling slowly but surely…
Release data: Parallel Worlds – Reflections CD/LP/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Móatún7, 2023 With “Reflections”, skilled Greek synthesist Bakis Sirros continues his sojourn through organic, dark-ambient electronics. The eight tracks air malevolent, gloomy, and stark atmospheres incorporating abstract future-noir as well as minimal electro. The profound adventurous 45-minute outcome is not for the faint of heart, as a strange assemblage of buzzing textures…
Release data: Erik Wøllo – Cloud of Strings CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Projekt Records, 2023 “Clouds of Strings” sees a return of talented Scandinavian multi-instrumental artist Erik Wøllo to his first love: the acoustic guitar. In more than one way, the 12 melodic moodscapes reflect on his previous releases “Guitar Nova” (1998) and “Blue Sky, Red Guitars” (2004) while exploring the possibilities of the…
Release data: TiRa The Art of Dance – Endless Ambient Part 1 CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Groove Unlimited, 2023 German composer Ralf Gülpen, aka Tira, is a new name to me and quite a discovery after submerging pleasantly in the first few tracks of the 75-minute debut “Endless Ambient Part 1”. The 14 tracks in total are presented in one continuous, uninterrupted…
Release data: The Roswell Incident – Departure from the Homeworld CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Groove Unlimited, 2023 Too many years have passed since this band’s last release from 2019, so it’s a relief Groove Unlimited grabbed the opportunity just before E-Live 2023 to release “Departure from the Homeworld” as a (well-deserved) hardcopy instead of the initial download-only version envisioned by the brothers…
Release data: Rob Papen – Waiting CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2023 It has been a long wait, it actually took Rob nearly 20 years to launch this follow-up album to “Daydreamer”. So what a surprise it was to see this talented Dutch synthesist, sound designer & developer of software for virtual instruments present a couple of audio snapshots of this…
Release data: Sequentia Legenda – Alcyone CD/Digital Download, Private Release, 2023 Here´s another fine Sequentia Legenda album filled with long-form tracks for every Berlin School/late ’70s Schulze aficionado seeing the French composer express his profound passion and admiration for the genre another time around. The pairing of lengthy sequencer patterns, rhythmic structures, choral pads, and emotive textures into expansive cosmic…
Release data: Amongst Myselves – An Abandoned Day CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2023 The overall feel of the eight-track “An Abandoned Day” is one of nocturnal ambient that walks on and crosses the abstract/experimental edge at times. The feel of nighttime already creeps in on the nicely rendered opener “The Winds of April” while stark, organic-infused ambiences dominate on the…
Release data: Simon Lomax – These Tranquil Winds CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2023 On “These Tranquil Winds”, skilled UK ambient composer Simon Lomax (formerly known as Maitreya) dives deeper into a fascinating, slow-moving transcendental world of textures and atmospheres. “The Vastness of it All” kicks off the 44-minute release most nicely into a dynamic drifting expanse before things shift into…
Release data: Loneward – Fractional Dimensions Volume 3 CD-r/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2023 “Fractional Dimensions Volume 3”, of which the previous volumes were published in 2022 and Spring 2023 respectively, is part of an ongoing series from Canadian composer Mike Carss (aka Loneward) that explores slow-moving spaces for contemplation, meditation, and sleep. The low-volume music featured here actually revisits, or…
Release data: Numina – Collection of Dimensions DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2023 After a hiatus of some six years, Jesse Sola aka Numina brings the Em-community “Collection of Dimensions”, an 8-track/62-minute dark-ambient and melodic space-music excursion to different dimensions. First some insight into the process that would end up being “Collection of Dimensions”: over the past few years since the…
Release data: Forrest Fang – The Lost Seasons of Amorphia CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Projekt Records, 2022 US musician Forrest Fang is one of the best-selling artists on Sam Rosenthal’s Projekt label. Forrest’s creative process is generally about exploration, aiming to develop a “sound” that he can use to suggest different moods and structures. The seeds for “The Lost Seasons of Amorphia”…
Release data: Alpha Lyra – Sailing over the Sea CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, PWM Distribution, 2023 During the years I´ve heard quite a bit of the work of French composer Christian Piednoir, aka Alpha Lyra, but it never was able to move me emotionally. After a break of many years, I decided to give it another shot with “Sailing over the Sea”…
Release data: Applefish – Astrosat DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2022 Warm, deep, and rather contemplative ambient space music is on the menu on Applefish´s debut album “Astrosat”, a 50-minute astral journey by UK composer Nik Davies unfolding calmly in 11 separate tracks that range between 3 and 5 minutes. The mood and feel are already set beautifully by the 5-minute…
Release data: Terminus Void – Apeiron CD/Digital Download, Groove Unlimited, 2023 “Apeiron” is the first real label release introducing Terminus Void’s full dynamic voice, including ambient, Berlin School, downtempo, and the classic Terminus Void emotional sound world. It contemplates the abstract concept of the infinite and boundlessness of everything; from the laws of physics to consensus itself and asks the…
Release data: Johan Tronestam – Roswell CD-r/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, SynGate, 2015 The albums and tracks by Scandinavian composer Johan Tronestam fit in the league of feel-good, moody, and well-tempered electronics. The 79-minute “Roswell” is no exception, offering nine Berlin School-infused pieces with captivating sequencer patterns, catchy rhythms, and smooth evolving melodies. Johan’s rather simple but always-to-the-point sonic approach with atmospheric nods…
Release data: Robert Schroeder – Into the Light CD, Spheric Music, 2023 With his release Into the Light”, the Aachen-based musician brings his listeners a 57-minute concept album that sonically stays close to that of Berlin School but contains far fewer tunes. The 12-minute opening title track already harkens back nicely to the tasty soundscape, choir/string pads, gentle percussion, and…
Release data: Loneward – Ferric Expeditions CD-r/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release/Ambient Soundscapes, 2023 Loneward’s “Ferric Expeditions”, mastered by the Ultimae label owner Vincent Villuis, is an ambient release published in collaboration with Ambient Soundscapes (a division of Valley View Records). The 47-minute concept recording consists of a series of ten gently unfolding audio vignettes (each exploring a musical motif—either holding within…
Release data: Three-six (36) – Cold Ecstasy Lp/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, 3six Recordings, 2023 I´ve heard and reviewed quite a bit of 36 albums by now, seeing Dennis Huddleston shape and evolve his musical style on almost every new recording. This time around, the outcome drifts within the realm of ´90s UK hardcore (with vocal samples roaming in the sonic background) and…
Release data: Biome – Essence CD-r/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Harmonic Resonance Recordings, 2021 What I got here is the second recording by Gregory Kyryluk released under the ambient moniker Biome, a project he coined as bio-organically infused electronica. Well, the result presents six quite minimalist tracks featuring subtle rhythmic structures underneath tapestries of subdued, almost gliding soundscapes incorporating some environmental elements on…
Release data: Yog Sothoth – Prehistoric Dawn CD, Private Release, 2012 What I got here is the debut album by Yog-Sothoth (aka Cologne-based musician Michael Wilkes) who has been around in the EM scene since the start of the ’90. Most notably, Mr. Wilkes won Germany’s Schallwelle award for being the best newcomer in 2011. The latter is no surprise after…