Release data: Richard Bone – The Spectral Ships CD, Hypnos Recordings, 1998 As far as I know, this is the ninth cd of the American musician Richard Bone, but his first release on the dark ambient label Hypnos. “The Spectral Ships” is a non-rhythmic abstract recording, featuring dense, foreboding textures which occasionally blend with some lighter, spacy soundscapes, creating an…
Release data: Richard Bone – The Eternal Now CD, Quirkworks Laboratory Discs, 1996 Richard Bone’s fully instrumental album “The Eternal Now” is divided in two parts: “Zone” and “The Millennium Pages”. The musical approach is rather industrial/ambient, and I wouldn’t call the music “warm” either. Especially the experimental passages in the first part were getting on my nerves as they…
Release data: A Blue Ocean Dream – The Sea CD-R, Private Release, 2002 “The Sea” is the first release of the Swedish musician Owe Emfestav, who formerly made techno-trance music with a Kraftwerk-touch. The music itself was made with Reason 2.0 software without the use of any hardware instruments. “The Sea” contains slight techno-trance rhythms, but handled in an atmospheric,…
Release data: Chris Bocast – Through the Airlock CD, Private Release, 2004 “Through the Airlock” is described as a sci-fi ambient minimalist journey” by Colorado-based musician Chris Bocast, who utilizes e-guitar, ebow, piano and moog. The twelve tracks shapeshift from rather eerie, transitional pieces (happily enough these are the shorter ones) to overall flowing, textural music. I’m not fond of…
Release data: Michael Thomas Berkley – Arctic CD, Numinous Records, 2000 This is the second cd by Mr Berkley, who’s debut album “Images from Earth” impressed me a lot. “Arctic” is a concept album inspired by the Canadian Ellesmere islands, and consists of highly cinematic music describing these remote plains. There are eleven tracks, including “Ellesmere Island pt I-IV”, which…
Release data: Sleepresearch_facility – Deep Frieze CD, Cold Spring, 2007 I actually discovered this album through a recent electronic newsletter of Steve Roach, who recommended it a lot. After I heard it, I absolutely agree with him. “Deep Frieze” is the third album by the English composer Kevin Doherty, aka SleepResearch_Facility, but his second one for the UK-label Cold Spring.…
Release data: Centrozoon – Lovefield CD, Unsung Records, 2007 “Lovefield” is an ambient/experimental album by Centrozoon, aka Bernhard Wöstheinrich (fm synthesizers) and Markus Reuter (guitar), which seems all about improvisation. This is not an easy album, as the five tracks just seem to realm in chaos, fx’s and experimentalism. And although I did my best, I couldn’t detect much structure…
Release data: Can Atilla – Ave CD, EAT, 1999 “Ave”, which came out in Spring 1999, is the work of the Turkish musician Can Atilla. The album was privately released on the EAT-label (Essers Audio Tools) by the Dutch musician Rob Essers, who himself composed some great music which seems to pay tribute to Tangerine Dream’s 80’s music. Well, Mr…
Release data: Ashera – We Gaia CD, Private Release, 2002 “We Gaia” is the fourth tour-de-force of Australian-based ambient-composer Anthony Asher Wright. His both peaceful as intimate music still holds strong influences of Harold Budd and Brian Eno, and that approach hasn’t changed for this new album. The lengthy album, divided in eleven tracks, lingers on just over 77 minutes…
Release data: Alien Nature – Anna CD-R, Syngate, 2006/2007 “Anna” is the second album by the German musician Wolfgang Barkowski, aka Alien Nature, but also known as one half of the project Hypnosphere. To me, it’s an album with a typical German sound. It features whale and environmental sounds, which are melted with contemporary, fairly melodic and accessible electronica. When…
Release data: Ashera – Cobalt 144 CD, Private Release, 1999 “Cobalt 44” is Ashera’s second album, on which Antonia Asher Wright nicely continues the same kind of music he presented on his debut “Ambient Selections”, as the strong influence of Brian Eno is still to be heard. The almost 70 minutes of music consists of introspective ambient soundscapes in which…
Release data: Ashera – Ambient Selections CD, Private Release, 1997 Ashera is the artist name of the Australian musician Antonio Asher Wright. “Ambient Selections” is his great looking debut album, a double cd, which comes as a digipack. It contains music on which he worked about seven years. Antonio states his music is strongly influenced by the output of Brian…
Release data: Tangerine Dream – DM 2.1 CD, Moonpop, 2007 Jerome Froese was responsible for the production of all ten tracks on “DM 2.1”, the first ever compilation of the “Dream Mixes” series. This part, mine is a special edition with a red cd, contains back catalogue tracks from “Dream Mixes” one and two selected by Jerome, including two previously…
Release data: Arcane – Alterstill CD, Neu, 2001 “Alterstill” is the third album by Arcane, aka Paul Lawler, and again it’s a great one. The fantastic retro style has remained, featuring engaging melodic sequencer music in which echoes of TD’s album “Encore” and alike is masterfully melted with their music of the ‘80s, such as “Logos”. The tracks are quite…
Release data: Vincent Gabriel Antonini – Unforeseen CD-R, Under The Eave, 2002 Listening to the music on the very atmospheric album “Unforeseen” feels like visual introspection. Mr. Antonini’s sophisticated blend of electronic and acoustic sounds create a very dense atmosphere in which a lot is going on. Sometimes melancholic and semi-dark in nature, you still remain the feeling that there…
Release data: Alquimia & Rüdiger Gleisberg – Garden of Dreams CD, BSC/Prudence, 2005 “Garden of Dreams” is a collaborative effort of the female singer Alquimia and German symphonic keyboarder Rüdiger Gleisberg (known from Solitaire and his solo-albums). It’s a poetic rendered vehicle featuring angelic choirs and lots of classic string-arrangements in all eleven tracks. Sometimes, the music turns rather fairytale-like,…
Release data: Alemis – The Music of Alemis Vol. 1 CD-R, Private Release, 2002 “The Music of Alemis Vol. 1” is a collection of eight soundscape miniatures by ambient musician Peter Salemi. The first four have an emotive yet slight new-age feel, but never getting too soft. Opener “The Enchanted Brook” is a introspective track combining bubbling water sounds with…
Release data: AirSculpture – Quark Soup CD, Neu Harmony, 2001 This is a double cd from the English trio Airsculpture, which only contains live material. What they acchieve live-on-stage is always something surprising, as their Berliner School inspired music relies a lot on improvisation. The first cd of “Quarksoup” contains the complete, very strong live set they performed on E-Live…
Release data: Rudy Adrian – SubAntarctica (Atmospheric Works Vol.1) CD-R, Private Release, 1999 This cd-r contains the original soundtrack for the national exhibition “Art in the Sub-Antarctic”, which Rudy Adrian composed as a commissioned work for the Southland Art Gallery & Museum. The project involved sending a dozen artists to the uninhabited islands halfway between New Zealand and the South…
Release data: Amir Baghiri – Dreamresources CD, Neuronium Records, 2002 On “Dreamresources”, released on Michel Huygen’s (aka Neuronium) Spanish label Neuronium records, Amir Baghiri tried to melt relaxing, rather strange and mystic natural (re)sources of sound into a kind of background music. The general response on his performance at E-Live 2002 festival was his music sounded a bit too much…
Release data: Amir Baghiri – Yalda CD-R, Vivo Records, 2003 This time, it’s the Polish Vivo-Records that has put out Baghiri’s album “Yalda” on de market. “Yalda” is Persian for the longest, darkest night of the year, in which various religious ceremonies take place. Amir himself describes the album as “a new trip in the mystic and hidden world of…
Release data: Amir Baghiri & Mathias Grassow – True North CD, Arya-Amplexus, 1998 On this concept cd, Amir Baghiri joined forces with his musical pal Mathias Grassow, who already made music together on the nice album “Arcanum”. Mr Grassow is known for his extensive use of ongoing, minimal, drone-like soundscapes, which he again presents on this album. These are counter…
Release data: Amir Baghiri – Time CD, Arya-Amplexus, 1998 “Time” is the second solo cd from Amir Baghiri. Again, the outcome is an interesting one, proving he’s not a one-day fly. His tribal ambient music is often compared to the music of Steve Roach and Vidna Obmana, but when one listens more carefully there’s a strong personal trademark as well.…
Release data: Amir Baghiri – Cages CD, NO-CD, 1997 “Cages” is the debut album by German/Iran musician Amir Baghiri. I remember I’ve seen his name appear as guest musician on a Solitaire album, beside the fact he made the impressive cd “Arcanum”, a joint venture with his musical companions Mathias Grassow en Rüdiger Gleisberg. Well, “Cages” is a professional piece…
Release data: Amir Baghiri – Bluebox Collection CD, Arya-Amplexus, 2000 “Bluebox Collection” is the long-awaited cd box from the sympathetic German/Iran ambient musician Amir Baghiri. It contains four cds, all clocking over 70 minutes, which all reflect their own character and sphere: “City”, “Live”, “Night” and “Sleep”. The first cd “City” (also the oldest recording of the set) is a…
Release data: Amir Baghiri – Winterscape CD, NO-CD, 1999 For “Winterscape”, Amir again has chosen the ambient-oriented path in which he succeeded in reminding me of some tribal/soundscape material of Steve Roach’s “Dreamtime Return” in some parts. “Winterscape” has an overall organic feel, beginning with thrilling sequencers and catchy soundscapes, before moving into deeper dwellings and darker atmospheres, in which…
Release data: Stephen Bacchus – Pangaea CD, Oasis Productions, 1990/1991 “Pangaea” is the debut cd of Stephen Bacchus on the Canadian Oasis-label. Stephen, who plays synthesizers, is joined by quite a list of fellow-musicians (one of them is Ron Korb on flute) who play a variety of exotic instruments. The music on this album is no pure electronic music, but…
Release data: Stephen Bacchus – Ambient Origins CD, Oasis/Mirage, 1998 This cd, subtitled “Collected early works 1983-1987”, was released in The Time Capsule Series of the ambitious Canadian Oasis sub-label Mirage. It’s an retrospective work out of the kitchen of Stephen Bacchus, who has released three other cds on Oasis, but this one has undergone the 20-bit Technology treatment. From…
Release data: Michael Thomas Berkley – Images from Earth CD, Numinous Records, 1998 To me, the 26- year old Michael Thomas Berkley who hails from Oregon, is a new name in the genre of contemporary instrumental and electronic music. It seems this debut album “Images from Earth” created quite a fuzz on the other side of the ocean when it…
Release data: Brendan Pollard – Flux Echoes CD, Private Release, 2007 “Flux Echoes”, the second release of Brendan Pollard, premiered at “E-Live 2007”, which again is prove of a solid recording. Fact is, that all who love TD’s great analogue music from the’70 (as heard on “Rubicon”, “Richocet” and “Encore”) will surely get their hands on a copy of “Flux…
Release data: Rudy Adrian – Kinetic Flow (Sequencer Sketches Vol. 1) CD, Groove Unlimited, 2000 Rudy’s two sequencer pieces on his previous overall atmospheric album “Twilight” must have made quite an impression at Groove Unlimited , as they have released “Kinetic Flow” (subtitled Sequencer Sketches Vol. 1). Well, I’m sure this sequencer album will please a wide range of music…
Release data: Rudy Adrian – Twilight (Atmospheric Works Vol. 2) CD-R, Private Release, 1998 David Parsons was kind to get me in touch with this musician hailing from New Zealand’s south island, whose full name actually is Rudy Adrian Hueting. Originally, “Twilight” (Atmospheric Works Vol. 2) was only meant for friends and relatives, but it appeared there was some distinct…
Release data: Nathan Youngblood – Asunder CD, SteveRoach.com, 2007 This the second cd in Steve Roach’s series devoted to bringing high-quality essential cd releases from the deep end of the soundcurrent. It is composed by one Nathan Youngblood, who got the opportunity to release this non-rhythmic ambient sound dwelling under the wings of this ambient master. If I’m correct, some…
Release data: Brian Parnham – Mantle CD, SteveRoach.com, 2007 “Mantle” is a 73 minute atmospheric ambient work from talented ambient musician Brian Parnham, which music has been privately released by Steve Roach, and who also did the refined, exquisite production of it. As a matter of fact, it is the first cd in Steve Roach’s series devoted to bringing high-quality…
Release data: A Produce & M. Griffin – Altara CD, Hypnos Recordings, 1999 After quite a period of radio silence, Barry Craig (aka A Produce) re-enters the ambient stage with “Altara”, a collaborative project with Hypnos owner Mike Griffin. Well, the music on the album follows what has become some sort of tradenmark of the label: dense, slightly macabre sound…
Release data: Cosmic Hoffmann – Space Gems CD-R, Heart and Mind, 2007 As vintage electronic music is very popular the last couple of years, several musicians and band have released stuff from their archives. Well, the same goes for Klaus Hoffmann-Hoock, aka Cosmic Hoffmann, who started composing electronic music around the middle of the ’70. “Space Gems”, subtitled “vintage rarities…
Release data: David Parsons – Shaman CD, Celestial Harmonies, 1999 This world/ambient project had been announced for long time, fortunately in the same form as David Parsons originally had it mind. The album, inspired by the major shamanic traditions on the globe, breaths a heavy ethnic flavour from cultures like Central Asia, North Africa and the Middle East. These are…
Release data: A Produce – White Sands CD, Private Release, 1995 This cd bears the subtitle “An Anthology 1988-1994”. It contains a nice selection of tracks taken from his previous four albums, to which five unreleased and slightly changed pieces have been added. Listening to the music shows that Barry Craig’s trance-kindred music remains something special: it ranges from spacey…
Release data: A Produce – Smile on the Void CD, Hypnos Recordings, 2000 This is the first solo release from Barry Craig, aka A Produce, since four years (his previous album “Inscape and Landscape” came out in ’96), although 1999 saw “Altara”, a joint-release with Hypnos owner Mike Griffin. Barry’s former trance-inducing music always held something special, but as he…
Release data: A Produce – Reflect like a Mirror, Respond like an Echo CD, Trance Port, 1997 This cd by A Produce, aka Barry Craig, is a special re-release from his first album from 1992, which comes with a cd-cover like those of Vidna Obmana. This new edition is a completely remastered version of the original album, to which three…
Release data: A Produce – Inscape and Landscape CD, Private Release, 1996 First of all, the “post-processing & digital preparation” of “Inscape and Landscape” was in the capable hands of no other than Robert Rich. A Produce’s chosen concept for the cd was “to contrast the individual’s interior with his or her exterior environment, to explore that idea in sound”.…
Release data: Create – Space Time Continuum CD, Groove Unlimited, 2007 Stephen Humphries, aka Create, explains in the booklet he found it time to release an album of shorter tracks as the previous two cds contained only very long tracks. Well, the five tracks on “Space Time Continuum” continue in the characteristic Create-tradition, featuring both prominent and more hold back…
Release data: Vir Unis – The Drift Inside CD, Greenhouse Music, 1999 This is the second release of the new Minneapolis-based ambient soundscape label Greenhouse Music, made by John Strate-Hootman aka Vir Unis. Since his fantastic collaborative projects with Steve Roach & MaJaLe, he has become someone to expect a lot from. With this first full length solo excursion Vir…
Release data: Rising Star – Totally Space CD-R, Private Release, 2001 “Totally Space” is one of the quite remarkable creations of American musician Marc Handschuh aka (Marc) Rising Star. The last twelve years he has been focussing to implement serenity, relaxation and (most of all) Space in his music to establish inner harmony and healing. This album features eight lengthy…
Release data: Steve Roach & Vir Unis – Body Electric CD, Projekt, 1999 With the cd “Body Electric”, a new chapter was opened in the ongoing list of co-operations Steve Roach has done with various kindred musicians through the years. The name Vir Unis (aka ambient musician/composer John Strate-Hootman) may be familiar to some listeners of ambient music, as he…
Release data: Various Artists – Analogy 3 CD, Groove Unlimited, 2007 This is the third volume of the “Analogy”-series, which started about three years ago as sort of “fun project” on EMForum. Since the first album, it appeared there were far enough enthusiastic contributors from all over the globe who were more than willing or daring to find out if…
Release data: Rising Star – …By Imagination CD-R, Private Release, 2002 “… By Imagination” is acompilation album of exactly 48 minutes, for which Marc Handschuh, aka Rising Star, selected seven tracks from four previously released albums. The first two tracks, taken from his album “Destination”, sound very new-age, which also partly goes for the third piece (from the album “Meditation…
Release data: Steve Roach – Slow Heat CD, Timeroom Editions, 1998 Here’s another fine addition of ambient wallpaper intended for infinite playback. The continuous 71-minute soundscape making up “Slow Heat” is inspired by the desert environment and severe heat conditions surrounding Steve’s habitat. Imagine slow morphing textural spheres interacting with and sustaining each other in a constant minimal framework where…
Release data: Dan Hartman – New Green Clear Blue CD, Private Music, 1989 A while back, my long-time review colleague Bill Binkleman pointed my attention to this release, which appeared to be sadly out-of-print since quite some years. I think that’s a real pity, as “New Green Clear Blue” is an excellent ambient release. It cannot be denied Brian Eno…
Release data: Ian Boddy – Ron Boots – Harold van der Heijden – Phase 3 CD, Cue Records / Something Else Records, 1997 “Phase 3” (of which the actual working title was “Bad Boys”) is a live recording of over 70 minutes comprising the best qualities of three great musicians, who only used analog electronic equipment for this performance. Tracks…
Release data: Hemisphere – Liquid Mirror CD, Musique Intemporelle/Groove Unlimited, 1991/1999 “Liquid Mirror” is the first album of Hemisphere (aka German musician Ralph Knappe Heinbockel), which originally came out years ago on Bernd Kistenmacher’s label Musique Intemporelle. The original version was sold out for a long time, and hardly sought after by many collectors of nice electronic music. Therefore, it’s…
Release data: Erik Wøllo – Emotional Landscapes CD, Spotted Peccary Music, 2003 “Emotional Landscapes” is Erik’s third cd for Spotted Peccary’s-sublabel Wanderings, and again it’s an excellent one. In the first few minutes you remember the overall impact of his former awesome album “Wind Journey”. Hearing the beauty of these new serene sound textures makes clear that a lot of…
Release data: Zhu – Inner Sanctuary CD, Private Release, 1998 According to the press-sheet, “Inner Sanctuary” is the second release of the Vancouver-based Reiki master & musician Robert Jennings, aka Zhu. Subtitled as “soothing music complementing the healing arts”, the album immediately gives a new-age impression, which is even emphasized by the cd cover. The disc contains twelve tracks from…
This follow-up to Char-El’s critically acclaimed debut album “Worlds Without End” is divided in two sections: a space-trip and an overall symphonic tour-de-force. “Heaven” offers more capturing space music in the tradition of Charles’ former album, moving further on into unknown regions of our galaxy. But then there’s “Earth”: which is something different. Here we encounter more rhythmic, symphonic music…
Release data: Char-El – Worlds without End CD, Private Release, 1996 “Worlds Without End” is the debut cd of Ohio-based musician Char-El aka Charles Thaxton. He is convinced that his music has a positive influence on both spiritual health and the soul. I must confess Charles has released some very nice space music that can compete with some of Jonn…
Release data: Telomere – Astral Currents CD, Evenfall, 1998 Well, well, here we have a cd which features some music which is perfectly in line with those made some years ago in the classic tradition of spacemusic. The musician behind Telomere is one Christopher John Macdonald, who’s “Astral Currents” is his first release. Christopher owns a nice piece of electronic…
Release data: Telomere – Zoetosis CD, Private Release, 2001 “Zoetosis” is the second cd of space-music composer Christopher MacDonald, inviting the listener to another fascinating virtual trip into space. Like his previous album “Astral Currents”, “Zoetosis” is primarily made on the Mighty Serge Modular (which almost immediately still remind of Michael Stearns’ masterpieces “Planetary Unfolding” and “Chronos”), offering handsfull of…
Release data: Mark Mercury – Music of the Domes CD, Private Release, 1992 Mark Mercury is an American composer of electronic music with a strong cinematic feel. The music on this cd is actually real planetarium music, split into five long tracks. Listening to it is a special experience as the descriptive, light symphonic angles and orchestral timbres shapeshift on…
Release data: Mark Mercury – Music from the Cycles of Spheres CD, Private Release, 2001 This album is actually a rebuilt version of the “Deep Spaces” album that space and planetarium composer Mark Mercury had in the works for quite a while. Now it is being used for the identically-titled art exhibition of Mary Edna Fraser, carrying the subtitle “Mapping…
Release data: Ashera – Colour Glow CD, Private Release, 2000 “Colour Glow” is the third album from Australian-based ambient musician Antonio Asher Wright aka Ashera. Again,the same two female vocalists on his former album contribute in a marvelous way to a few of the eleven tracks available. Was I a bit remembered of the music of Eno in the past,…