Release data: Bernd Kistenmacher – Celestial Movements CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Mellowjet Records, 2009 It seemed Bernd Kistenmacher had retired from electronic music after 2001, having previously comprised most of his privately released music in the box-set “My Little Universe”. In 2008 however, rumours said he was working on a possible new album. It eventually ended up in a live concert in…
Release data: Altus – Coma Cluster DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2009 After some more challenging and adventurous releases such as “Macro” and “City of Ashes”, Canadian ambient musician Mike Carss now returns to his “common”, accessible style: “Coma Cluster” offers 74 minutes of soothing, free form cosmic music. The four lengthy tracks come to the listener in one, uninterrupted flow,…
Release data: Free System Projekt, Brendan Pollard, Hashtronaut – Time Out of Mind CD, Acoustic Wave Records, 2009 Brendan Pollard, Free System Project (aka Ruud Heij and Marcel Engels) and Hashtronaut (aka Michael Daniel) belong to the group of consistent purveyors who keep on investigating and revisiting the realms of vintage electronics as made in the first half of the…
Release data: Broekhuis, Keller & Schönwälder – Blue CD, Manikin Records, 2009 As the trio explains on the cd-cover, Blue marks the second part of their “Theory of Colours” series (the first was “Orange” in 2007), of which the music is taken from concerts given in 2007 and 2008. The cd contains three lengthy chill-out tracks. The 23-minute “Blue One”…
Release data: Freud – The Journey CD, Tantajo Records, 2006/2009 Freud is a project by German keyboardist Ingo Hauss and Dublin-based singer Cora O’Donovan. “The Journey”, their second release on which Maria Sanchez joins the duo, fits in the genre of vocal and smooth chill-out pop music, a progressive/electronic and overall moody style balancing somewhere between Amethystium, Adiemus and Enya,…
Release data: Ron Boots – Derby! CD, Groove Unlimited, 2009 Early September 2009, Ron Boots travelled to Derby in the UK, accompanied by his faithful drummer and best friend Harold van der Heijden and Mr “F.D. Project” Frank Dorittke to perform a concert at the David Wright’s AD Music festival. And what a dynamic happening it must have been, according…
Release data: Stephan Whitlan – Triangulation CD, Fairy Nuff Music, 2009 Irish musician Stephen Whitlan joined John Dyson & co. on E-Day 2009, for which he performed a short solo concert as an introduction. Shortly after the show he was invited to do a full concert at E-Live 2009, so he planned to compose a whole new cd for that…
Release data: Bruno Sanfilippo – Piano Textures 2 CD, ad21music, 2009 In 2007, Mr Sanfilippo presented us the first volume of “Piano Textures”, now followed by a second chapter of gentle, overall elegant, contemplative but not too soothing piano-atmospheres. These formulae already proved to be worthy on the initial release, but on “Piano Textures”, Bruno reaches for and arrived on…
Release data: [‘ramp] Debris CD, Private Release, 2009 “Debris” is a deep, strong organic flavoured ambient journey coming in four sections. It’s composed solely by Stephen Parsick, as he and Frank Makowski parted ways a while ago. As Stephen explains, the outcome (for which he used basic tracks composed between June 2000 and January 2005 as a start) is based…
Release data: John Christian – Susbarbatus CD-R, Private Release, 2009 John Christian is one of the members of the English band Air Sculpture. For “Susbarbatus”, he wanted to extend and further explore the ideas he had come up with on his cd-r “Bohunt”. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out as planned, so the backbone of “Susbarbatus” became “a set of sequencer…
Release data: Steve Roach – Immersion: Four CD, Groove Unlimited, 2009 In the “Immersion”-series, Steve Roach has arrived at number four, which –like all previous ones- contains only one longform piece clocking over 70 minutes. As can be expected, the freeform music slowly evolves in a quiet, unhurried synth washes. Created for continuous low volume playback, this sanctuary of total…
Release data: Javi Cánovas – In This Moment, In This Place CD-R, Neu Harmony, 2009 Javi’s album “In this moment, in this place” contains one continuous track of 70 minutes, which is actually a live recording from a concert Javi performed on July 18, 2009 at the Sauzal’s Cultural Centre. For it, he imagined one long track with a very…
Release data: Tomasz Zawadzinski – Saved as CD, Generator.Pl, 2009 The music which is presented by Polish musician on his album “Saved As” is a musical painting that in its own way pays tribute to the sounds of classic Berliner School, and especially Tangerine Dream’s late ’70’s and early ’80’s years. The inviting opening track “The Search”, composed is 2004,…
Release data: Steve Roach – Afterlight CD, Timeroom Editions, 2009 “Afterlight” is a companion work which ambient musician Steve Roach composed in the Spring of 2009, in addition to the long-form releases “Destination Horizon” and “Immersion: Four”. Again, we find one single highly atmospheric track of which the music is interconnected in a “pursuit of timelessness”, as is the case…
Release data: Daniel Dorobantu – Knock on the Sky and listen to the Sound CD, Private Release, 2008 Daniel Dorobanthu is a musician from Romania, whose “Knock on the Sky and listen to the Sound” is a peaceful, dreamy journey with strong Zen-inspired and contemplative elements. Recorded in 2007 and 2008, the music (split into seven tracks) uses generative electro…
Release data: Spyra – January in June CD, Fax Records, 2009 Although the rumours on this recording said quite the opposite, Wolfram Spyra delivers a fine melange of inventive electro-acoustic music with “January in June”. This especially applies to the first half of the cd, including the title track. On the other hand, one can’t miss the more progressive approach…
Release data: Synth.nl – Oceanography CD, Groove Unlimited, 2009 “OceanoGraphy” is the third release of Synth.nl, aka Michel van Osenbruggen, who got inspired by the earth ocean’s and the many sea creatures living in them. The 12 cinematic and melodic tracks with lots of well-chosen environmental sounds clearly show a further refinement of his skills and sounds, creating a nice…
Release data: Jeff Greinke –Virga CD, Lotuspike, 2009 “Virga” is the 18th release by Jeff Greinke, and his second one on the LotusPike/Spotted Peccary. The character and shape of the music sees Greinke return to an ambient and textural approach which applied to his ‘80s and ‘90s work. In a way, it’s electronic ambient chamber music, as the outcome merges…
Release data: Jonn Serrie – Thousand Star CD, New World Music, 2009 After a hiatus of a few years, space music veteran Jonn Serrie returns with “Thousand Star” (which was formerly named “Radii”). Like its predecessor “The Stargazer’s Journey”, the highly immersive and elevating music delves deep into the vast spaces and overall magic of the cosmos. Fortunately, it again…
Release data: Robert Rich – Michael Somoroff’s Illumination CD, Soundscape Music, 2007 The music on this concept cd is the sonic companion to Michael Somoroff’s multimedia installation “Illumination”. The seven tracks, acting as a background soundtrack, weave an expansive tapestry of subtle, deep, slow morphing and overall immersive electronic atmospherics. The vibrating, dense and transparent dronescapes smoothly interact and shapeshift…
Release data: Pollard/Daniel/Booth – September 2009 jams CD-R, Private Release, 2009 “September 2009 jams” is a limited edition of 100 copies containing only two tracks. It again makes me wonder what fun these guys must have had as this and other outcomes culminated and evolved in the Brendan’s studio. The over 50 minute “Catalyst” kicks off. It’s a continuous and…
Release data: Richard Burmer – Invention CD, American Grammophone, 1992 In a way, the music on “Invention” continues in the style Richard Burner displayed on his previous three albums. He still uses lots of warm and intimate synth textures, although the symphonic elements aren’t present this time. Again, Burmer’s liner notes in the booklet actually give the listener insight into…
Release data: Various Artists – Imaginary Friends CD, Ultimae Records, 2009 “Imaginary Friends” is an audio poetry album collected by Nova, flowing up on the 2005 compilation cd “Albedo”. The narrative-driven compilation offers eleven tracks by various artists, offering a range of styles and approaches within contemporary ambient electronics creating an overall vibrant, fresh, intimate and warm atmospheric pallet of…
Release data: Remy – EoD CD, AKH Records, 2009 As Remy explains, “EoD” is the first part of the 10th anniversary of his debut release “Exhibition of Dreams”, containing newly recorded versions of a selection of the original tracks from 1999 album. “EoD” comprises five long tracks, making up over 70 minutes of fine electronics with many nice breaks and…
Release data: Jeffrey Koepper –Quadranteon CD, Air Space Records, 2009 “Quandranteon”, by analogue synth-wizzard Jeffrey Koepper, contains four extended parts in which he succeeds in stretching the boundaries of his vintage gearand their lovely, warm sounds a bit further. Not only does “AnalogueJeff” create the nicest range of sounds from his instruments, he also knows how to implement each of…
Release data: Picture Palace Music – Curriculum Vitae I (The Aside Ones) CD, Ricochet Dream, 2009 June 2009 saw the release of “Curriculum Vitae I”, a compilation cd by Picture Palace Music, the music project by Thorsten Quaeschning (from Tangerine Dream-fame). Subtitled “music for compilation rates and personal data sheets”, the cd contains tracks recorded between 2006 and 2008 which…
Release data: Rainbow Serpent / Fanger & Schönwälder – Elektrik Cowboys CD, Ricochet Dream, 2009 “Elektrik Cowboys” comprises live improvised music, recorded live during the Ricochet Gathering in Montana in August 2007. The 63-minute album is nicely kicked off by Rainbow Serpent (aka the German duo Gerd Wienekamp and Frank Specht), which show their mastery in carefully unwinding compelling and…
Release data: Jamie Craig – Illumination CD, Private Release, 2008 Jamie Craig is a Detroit-based synthesist and keyboardist who previously was a rock ‘n roll bassist for many years. “Illumination”, his second release, contains instrumental music with a high easy-going and jazz-fusion feel. His jazz and progrock pieces all feature solid bass-lines and not that great drums, over which a…
Release data: Jonn Serrie – Sunday Morning CD-R, Private Release, 2005 In more than one way, “Sunday Morning” is a rather exclusive cd, as Jonn Serrie has composed five tracks of overall harmonious stress-relief music with a new-age vibe. As Jonn states in the liner notes, he was very touched by David Kirby’s book “Evidence of Harm” and how difficult…
Release data: Dave Luxton – The Divided Line CD-R, Wayfarer Records, 2009 Musician Dave Luxton continues his journey into ambient electronic dream worlds with “The Divided Line”, a concept album intended to compose music that would reflect the various aspects of human consciousness and the planes of existence. The outcome is an eclectic mix of gloomy, mesmerizing and at times…
Release data: Robert Schroeder 30 Years After CD, Spheric Music, 2009 After a brand new cd in the Spring of 2009 (“Taste It”), Fall 2009 sees the release of “30 Years After”, a sort-of retrospective album by Robert Schroeder. One may expect otherwise, but “30 Years After” does not contain previous released tracks. It more or less revisits the sounds,…
Release data: Mank – Isbjorn CD-R, Manky Music, 2008 Mank is an ambient project by North Wales based musician Ben Powell. For “Isbjorn”, his eight release, Ben spend five weeks on a polar research ship in September and October 2007 to collect oceanographic data. The latter would form the majority of this album, which was actually created during the journey.…
Release data: David Parsons – Jyoti CD, Celestial Harmonies, 2009 David Parsons’ release “Jyoti” (which is, like all of his music, inspired by Indian music) is basically the “sister” album to “Earthlight”, although slightly darker sound wise. David recalls in the booklet he extensively used the Novation synthesizer (which he intends to utilise a lot on projects in the foreseeable…
Release data: Jon Jenkins – Flow CD, Spotted Peccary, 1998 “Flow” is the second release by synthesist Jon Jenkins, which sees him use the metaphor of water to create an introspective ambient world of beauty wonder. The outcome is a beautiful blend of carefully crafted and shaped soundscapes to which the sound of Jeff Pearce’s ambient electric guitars is add…
Release data: Spiraleye – Still CD-R, Private Release, 2009 “Still” is the second release of Spiraleye, aka synthesist Peter Challoner and guitarist Neale Haddon. As their debut release “The space between”, the seven pieces on “Still” again feature live improvised recordings, but this time the 70-minute outcome is much more a contemplative ambient affair. It slowly moves forward in quiet,…
Release data: Soundician – L.S. CD-R, Private Release, 2009 After a bit longer hiatus than normal, September 14 saw the release of “L.S.”, the seventh album by Kit and Odette Johnson, aka Soundician. Based on the work of painter L.S. Lowry (known for his industrial landscapes of British Manchester), the English duo says about the music to “expect something different…
Release data: Broken Harbour – Broken Harbour CD-R, Consouling Records, 2009 Broken Harbour is the alias of Blake Gibson, a Canadian musician who focuses on deep and minimal ambient drone-based music, for which he applies synthetic sources, assorted samples, and real time performances. The biggest part of the album, containing five long form pieces, explores the isolation that a space…
Release data: Steve Roach – Destination Beyond CD, Projekt, 2009 With “Destination Beyond”, Steve Roach brings us another longform journey of expansive, beautifully rendered sonic vistas. It’s not as quiet as one might initially suspect, as Steve somewhat heads in the direction of “Destination Horizon”, a sole track he did years ago. The 71-minute “Destination Beyond” is a work of…
Release data: Mythos – Gallery Concerts CD, Mellowjet Records, 2009 As Stephan Kaske, aka Mythos, explains in the press sheet, “Gallery Concerts” is a live-recording of a concert performed on August 29th 2009 in the Grugapark in Essen, fully done without the use of laptop computers. The 53-minute outcome is a fresh and mellow style of electronic music with lots…
Release data: Anomalous Disturbances – Archive Two CD-R, Disappearing Music, 2009 After a hiatus of five years, Anomalous Disturbances (aka the Vancouver-based ambient artist Terry O’Brien) finally brings us a second batch of “shelved” recordings. “Archive Two”, a double cd-r, is a nice collection of unreleased and previously released pieces (which appeared on special projects and compilations) from 2001-2008. And…
Release data: Deborah Martin & Erik Wøllo – Between WorldsCD, Spotted Peccary Music, 2009 “Between Worlds” is a collaboration album of American musician Deborah Martin and the talented Norwegian multi-instrumentalist Erik Wøllo, which let us hear the voices of the American past.Inspired by Native American music and its culture (with special focus on the South West area), the ambient journey…
Release data: F.D. Project – T & Y CD, Private Release, 2009 With “T & Y” (Today & Yesterday), Frank Dorittke continues his path along the avenue of melodic instrumental EM, which seems to contain pieces and ideas going back until 2003. The album is divided in two parts, “Today” containing Frank’s more recent music put forward as longer pieces,…
Release data: Blüchel & von Deylen – Bi Polar CD, Edel Music, 2003 Unlike the music on “Mare Stellaris”, only two of the eight tracks on “BiPolar” are original compositions by Christopher von Deylen and Harald Blüchel. The other six electronic tracks are all re-interpretations of existing classic tracks by Eric Satie (Gymnopedié No.1 & 3), Philip Glass, Michael Nyman,…
Release data: Blüchel & von Deylen – Mare Stellaris CD, Sony Bmg, 2004 “Mare Stellaris” is the debut album of the German musicians/producers Christopher von Deylen (better known as Schiller) and Harald Blüchel (aka Cosmic Baby). Although the openings tracks might give the impression this is a sort of lounge-like album, a trancy/down tempo style pops up on the thrilling…
Release data: Char-El – Resurrection CD-R, Private Release, 2009 After quite a long absence of almost a decade, August 2009 marks the return of Charles Thaxton (aka Char-El) to the music scene with “Resurrection”, his third album. Composed with a variety of analogue and digital synthesizers and digital drums, the 79-minutes of music present a nice blend of progressive, symphonic…
Release data: Michael Stearns – Planetary Unfolding CD, Sonic Atmospheres, 1981/1985 Fans of deep space music shouldn’t miss out on the immersive journey into the depths of the cosmos which is presented on the state-of-the-art “Planetary Unfolding”. The album was originally released in 1981 on lp on the Continuum Montage label. Composed completely on the Serge synthesizer (built by Michael’s…
Release data: Michael Stearns – Morning Jewel CD, Groove Unlimited, 1979/2000 “Morning Jewel” is a digitally remastered and optimized re-release of Michael’s original 1979-album “Jewel”. Containing two extended ambient pieces of 27 and 23 minutes, it’s also Michael’s first work on which he introduces the (Mighty) Serge synthesizer. “Morning” kicks off with a smooth and gentle live ambience featuring a…
Release data: O-Head – Steps Across the Cortex CD, Centaur Discs, 2005 “Steps across the Cortex” is the second album by English musician David Hendry, who hereby steps forward with a nice album of powerful contemporary electronics complimented with a good dash of vintage sounds. Firmly rooted in the typical sound of English electronic music, this more than once can…
Release data: Michael Stearns – Floating Whispers CD, Earth Turtle Music/Groove Unlimited, 1987/1998 “Floating Whispers” contains music that appeared to be the predecessor of space music that would later end up on “Planetary Unfolding” and “Chronos”. It’s one of the classic space music albums of Michael Stearns which was re-released in 1998 in collaboration with the Groove Unlimited label after…
Release data: Kitaro – Impressions of the West Lake CD, Domo Records, 2009 For over a decade, I’ve been out of touch with the music of Kitaro, so this release may be a good opportunity to catch up on his current whereabouts. “Impressions of the West Lake” contains Kitaro’s score to a modern day opera conceived and directed by internationally…
Release data: Alex Theory & Daniel Pinchbeck – Emergence 2012 CD, Sounds True, 2009 “Emergence 2012” is a rather peculiar ambient release by San Francisco-based ambient-sound technician/sound healing visionary Alex Theory and philosopher-journalist Daniel Pinchbeck. Inspired by Baktuns, the cycles of the classical Mayan calendar, the shamanic and healing music of “Emergence 2012” is presented as a soundtrack for global…
Release data: Outer Space Alliance – Outer Space Alliance CD, Holy Feather Productions, 1998/2009 Outer Space Alliance are Arto Koivisto (electronics) Jari Pitkänen (electronics) and Tommi Björk (guitar/keys), an electronic music collective from Helsinki. This same-titled cd is actually a completely re-recorded and reworked version of their 1998 debut release “Outer Space Alliance Promo-cd-r”, offering a slightly shuffled track listing…
Release data: David Lange – Return of the Comet CD, Hearts of Space, 1985/1988 David Lange is a California-based independent filmmaker whose album “Return to the Comet”, created in the early days of digital recording, is generally regarded classic electronic space music for star gazing, comet tracking and other celestial experiences. Lange creates his music visually first, starting with the…
Release data: Raphael – Angels of the Deep CD, Hearts of Space, 1995 “Angels of the Deep” is the third album by Raphael, an Hawaiian-based spiritual teacher and musician. The uplifting, smooth atmospheres and themes captured on the 62-minute “Angels of the deep” are all strongly connected to the “water” theme, sounding like a celebration of its otherwordly beauty. The…
Release data: Robert Rich & Steve Roach – Strata CD, Hearts of Space, 1990 The previous short collaborations on “Dreamtime Return” and “Desert Solitaire” between ambient musicians Steve Roach and Robert Rich have finally ended up on the full-length album “Strata”, a work of “geologic” ambient, unlocking the entrance to a deeper sound experience. Aiming to create sounds that evoke…
Release data: Steve Roach & Robert Rich – SoMa CD, Hearts of Space, 1991 “SoMa” is the follow-up to the duo’s strong debut “Strata”, offering another 57-minute blend of fine tribal ambient music. A gentle wash of organic and shamanic soundworlds continue the journey, a nice melting pot of melodic flute and mystic synthscapes while quite an extensive portion of…
Release data: Mako – Forms of Life CD, Seagull Music, 1991 Mako’s third album “Forms of Life”, which took him three years to finish, is the only release of this Austrian musician that made it onto cd until now. This time, the concept focusses on underwater life, delivering ten atmospheric tracks in which underwater sounds are melted with warm synthetic…
Release data: Robert Rich – Humidity CD, Hypnos Recordings, 2000 “Humidity” is a triple cd-release containing three different live concerts which Robert Rich performed in 1998. For the most part, the release contains new music, except an occasional existing track from the Lustmord/Rich album “Stalker”, found on disc one and three. Overall, the outcome is a dark, damp, highly atmospheric…
Release data: Tim Clark – Tales of the Sun People CD, Hearts of Space, 1990 “Tales of the Sun People”, composed by American planetarium composer and versatile musician Tim Clark, can be classified as one of those “forgotten” electronic albums in the genre of space music that never received the proper attention from the moment it was released. The album,…
Release data: Con_Sense – Code Sent CD-R, DataBloem, 2009 “Code Sent” is the second full-length release by Con-Sense, of which no further background information is offered (as the music should suffice to speak for itself). But after had a few good listens to the whole recording, I must be very mistaken if this is not a project of producer Tomas…