Release data: Solitaire – Trance Halcyon Connection DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Projekt Records, 2024 When it comes to tribal, lucid, and world music-infused electronic music with minimalist hooks, the German band Solitaire always had something special to offer. Their last full-length release dates from 1997. After that, a long silence set in with Elmar Schulte solely at the helm. At the end…
Release data: Boreal Taiga – Music for the Drive on RV83 DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Wayfarer Records, 2024 With this release, sound sculptor Boreal Taiga continues the further transformation of his sound and music that was set in motion on his previous record “E 10”. It follows the path to a more ethereal journey with less fluff, creating a more deeper chill-out…
Release data: Floating Point – Between Worlds CD, Private Release, 1996 Ok, let’s journey back to the year 1996. Floating Point is the English trio Alan Gubby, Rod Mansell, and Nick Westwood who, on “Between Worlds”, opt for an extraordinarily interesting form of free-spirited instrumental electronic music with various chill-out hints in which bass and guitars are also used sideways,…
Release data: Juta Takahashi – Journey CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Lunisolar Records, 2024 With this album, containing music recorded between March and June 2020, Japanese composer Juta Takahashi takes us into outer space, and describes the long-form result as an ambient expression of starlit journeys to uncharted worlds. As before, he blends strings of velvet soundscapes, long-held notes, and gracious textures -all…
Release data: Karl Bartos – Off the Record CD/LP/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Bureau B, 2014 Those familiar with the enticing Bartos melodies and vocoder voices of his solid album “Communication” will find there’s actually nothing new under the sun on this release. Kraftwerk’s retro-futuristic sound is pretty much all over the place on Karl’s second album “Off the Record” of which the…
Release data: Kevin Kendle – Illumination (Deep Skies 5) CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Eventide, 2014 There’s a velvet feel found in the music of UK artist Kevin Kendle that shows familiarity with the new age/ambient works of Jonn Serrie. Kendle’s celestial sonic art and approach, though, has a meditative, soothing angle also present on his fifth release in the Deep Skies series…
Release data: Sequentia Legenda – Galactic Crystals CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2024 Extended Berlin School music with strong Schulze characteristics remains steady on Laurent Schieber’s “Galactic Crystals” (Adamantine Vibrations of the Universe), a spiritual journey and portal to new dimensions. According to the composer, resonating with the music is key as the listener finds his way as one is encapsulated…
Release data: Grand River & Abul Mogard – In Uno Spazio Immense LP/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Light-Years, 2024 What I got here is a rather unusual recording despite being electronic ambient. “In uno spazio immense” (In a huge space) is a release by Italian producers/musicians Grand River (aka Aimée Portioli) and Abul Mogard that’s best pinpointed as a dramatic ambient drone with…
Release data: Owann – State of Mind CD/Digital Download, Wool-E Discs, 2019 Johan De Paepe’s music is sensitive, tender, and emotive throughout, stirring quite some inner emotions, for me anyway. The outcome of his third album “State of Mind” is no exception, inviting the listener on a cinematic journey to contemplate and reflect on the state of the world and…
Release data: Loneward – Fractional Dimensions Volume 4 DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2021 This release is the next chapter in the ongoing series under this title, which started in 2022. The continuous 65-minute “A Threshold of Stillness” presented here fits like a glove to the slow enveloping, warm, and spacious soundscapes found in the previous volumes where the profound dreamy,…
Release data: ASC – Loss CD/Mc/Digital Download, Past Inside the Present, 2024 “Loss” is another moving and haunting ambient release album by ASC, this time coming up in a confronting, most personal manner, though, as it deals with the death of the composer’s wife in 2023. As such we’re taken on a most touching and heartfelt journey of weighty vastness…
Release data: Erik Wøllo – Different Spaces CD/Digital Download, Projekt Records, 2017 “Different Spaces” (featuring music in memory of the composer’s late sister) is a double album by skilled Norwegian multi-instrumentalist Erik Wøllo that sees him skillfully execute his minimalist-emotive music. Once again, the blend of various guitars, gentle sequencers, haunting synth pads, and assorted percussion is immaculate as we are transported to…
Release data: Phelios – Human Stasis Habitat CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Loki Foundation, 2016 “Human Statis Habitat”, arriving some three years after “Gates of Atlantis”, is a 47-minute work of deep galactic soundscapes and droning dark ambience, all molded and shaped meticulously by the capable Martin Stürtzer. Atmospheric, slow morphing and dark textural pads paint a vast emptiness before the mind’s eye,…
Release data: Field Lines Cartographer – Tone Maps CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Quiet Details, 2023 “Tone Maps” by Lancaster-based producer Mark Burford is an immersive sonic exploration of place and time: past, present, and future, using analog and digital synthesizers among a vast range of field recordings, attempting to capture some of nature’s magic and atmospheres encountered in the sea, skies, and…
Release data: Jim Ottaway – First Light (20th Anniversary Edition) CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2004/2024 “First Light” is the debut album from Australian synthesist Jim Ottaway that came out on CD-R back in 2004. Now, this light relaxing ambient release celebrates its 20th anniversary as a factory-pressed CD. For the occasion, some tracks have been re-recorded and remixed from the…
Release data: Rene de Bakker – Dive In Dive Out CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Groove Unlimited, 2021 “Dive Dive Out” marks the eighth solo release by Beyond Berlin member Rene de Bakker. As the composer writes in the notes in the booklet, it is sequencer-based music with its basis and inspiration in the tradition of Berlin school featuring sequencer parts mainly derived…
Release data: Chris Meyer’s Alias Zone – Finite Space CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2024 Chris Meyer is a New Mexico-based music industry veteran who recently came to my attention. He created vector synthesis and served as technical chairman of the MIDI Manufacturers Association in the ‘80s and ‘90s before turning his attention to video/film and later to creating his music.…
Release data: Brainwork – Late in Berlin CD, Cue Records, 2021 Uwe Saher knows how to make attractive and accessible electronic music, doing so for a long time now. He delivers another fine testament with his 22nd album “Late in Berlin”, offering four lengthy tracks in the best tradition of the Berlin School sound. The 11-minute title piece kicking things…
Release data: Martin Stürtzer – Space is not Empty DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2023 With this release, Martin Stürtzer once again shows his versatility in the electronic space music he’s been producing for years. The 48-minute/5-track “Space is not Empty” kicks off with two longer cosmic pieces pairing warm, dense, gently swirling pads with lush Berliner School sequencing and some…
Release data: Gustavo-Denouard – Mysterious Winds DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Projekt Records, 2024 One of the things that becomes clear on this peaceful recording by Buenos Aires-based ambient composer Gustavo Denouard is the sonic approach, which lines up quite nicely with Michael Stearns as well as Steve Roach’s introspective, melancholic-infused soundscape music: it takes the listener to meditation and reflection. According to…
Release data: David Michael Matuch – Brainstorm: Adventures in Hypoxia CD/Digital Download, Carpe Sonum Records, 1999/2024 With this special album, I invite you to travel back with me to April 1999, when Tucson-based composer David Michael Matuch sent me a demo plus a few handwritten notes of his third album “Brainstorm: Adventures in Hypoxia”, that’s still sitting comfortably in my…
Release data: Erik Wøllo – The Shape of Time CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Projekt Records, 2023 With “The Shape of Time”, this accomplished Scandinavian musician brings his audience a 62-minute highly atmospheric recording presenting nine compositions of thoughtful and seductive ambient electronic music with melodic soaring themes, vast slow-moving drones, and rhythmic patterns drifting in cycles of transmutable harmonies. Dreamful, ethereal rays shine…
Release data: Matt Goodluck – Inner Cosmos CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, OtherSide, 2024 Matt Goodluck is a relatively new composer on the scene but has a long history in the music business. Having gained invaluable insights by working for independent labels in Europe in the 90s, he returned to Australia in the early 00s where he began singing on the local circuit.…
Release data: John Lyell – Eternity II DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2024 This recording is Mr. Lyell’s seventh overall ambient release and his fifth solo album to date. It’s also John’s first ambient album commercially released since he moved from the Minneapolis, Minnesota area to the state of New Mexico in the Spring of 2017. The 34-minute outcome, mastered by…
Release data: [‘ramp] – Havoc CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Doombient, 2024 As Stephen elaborated in an interview, the majority of “Havoc” was recorded in parallel with “Happy Days are here to stay” (2022) and “ARP-en-Ciel” (2023), and at some point, it wasn’t exactly clear what music would end up on which album. Its rough sketches were finished in August 2022, and Stephen…
Release data: S1gns of L1fe – Portal to Trancendence DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Synphaera Records, 2024 After a three-year hiatus, here’s finally a most welcome vital sign of life of Chris Bryant’s project S1gns Of L1fe. For the composer, “Portal of Transcendence” is a special album in many ways, as it’s the first new S1gns Of L1fe album since the start of…
Release data: Loneward – Beyond the Sea Part Two CD-r/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2024 The gentle, unhurried sonic repose created on “Part One” continues on each of the five 13-minute tracks making up this 67-minute release. The freeform atmospheric realm remains enchanting and overtly relaxed all the way through with emotive textures and drone tapestries containing equal parts joy and…
Release data: Chronotope Project – Chronology CD/Digital Download, Spotted Peccary Music, 2023 The presence of a heartwarming, reflective, and dreamlike realm has always been at the core of Jeffrey Ericson Allen’s Chronotope Project. “Chronology”, a 72-minute work of contemporary progressive ambient pieces, assembles -reworked- tracks picked from his back catalog (pre-Spotted Peccary) along with some new pieces, all telling their…
Release data: Owann – Particles CD/Digital Download, Private Release, 2015 “Particles” is Owann’s debut album containing some 74 minutes of delicate, ambient-oriented, rather calm music. Quite a large section of it is moody, emotive, and warm soundscapes with a gentle melodic approach and cinematic touch but there are also a few pieces with thoughtful, well-tempered sequences (“Running on Empty”).…
Release data: Llyn y Cwn – Megaliths CD/Digital Download, Cold Spring Records, 2024 “Megaliths” is based on field recordings made at various UK megalithic sites with the goal to recreate the atmosphere/environment/feeling of each site; the sounds found on site actually dictated the feeling of the music. Furthermore, it also involved recording impulse responses at burial chambers and used…
Release data: Erik Wøllo – Cinematic CD/Digital Download, Projekt Records, 2017 The reason this album is called like this is due to the fact it comprises music Erik made back in the day (1998-2003) for various audiovisual projects as well as theater and ballet. The 48-minute “Cinematic” delivers eight tender melodic tracks sketching out their own distinct -but always…
Release data: Gert Emmens & Ruud Heij – Mysterious Events CD/Digital Download, Private Release, 2024 “Mysterious Events”, the duos 15th album to date, is another 3-CD set by the very talented Dutch musicians Gert Emmens & Ruud Heij of which the sonic content is recognizable immediately as theirs. Their mellow as well as attentive sound design is all over…
Release data: Steve Roach – Reflections in Repose CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Projekt Records, 2024 The music of “Reflections in Repose” returns to the realm where Steve’s classic “Structures from Silence” was born, offering five long-form textural ambient pieces with the intention and flow to merge into the space where the title track of the classic recording saw the light of day.…
Release data: Dark Sky Alliance – Interdwell CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Spotted Peccary Music, 2024 Dark Sky Alliance is a new electro-acoustic band comprising percussionist Jerry Marotta (Peter Gabriel, Indigo Girls), keyboardist Rupert Greenall (The Fixx), soundscaping synthesist Eric “the” Taylor, and cinematic guitarist David Helpling. “Interdwell’s” twelve compositions, which also welcomes a range of guest artists, make up a feat of…
Release data: Phobos – Tholus DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2024 “Tholus” contains David’s live in the studio recording performance on Morphic Resonance 46. For this review I chose the continuous version (that comes with the download) that blends all tracks nicely, providing one uninterrupted sonic canvas as such. Well, the good old Phobos expansive soundscaping is back here, in this…
Release data: Phobos – Resonances DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2023 After quite a lengthy hiatus UK artist Phobos brings us another release with all new music created in the moment. The seeds of it emerged after some major renovations done at David Thompson´s house, followed by some pictures on Facebook of finally getting his studio back together. A friend commented…
Release data: Ascendant – Starfall DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Synphaera Records, 2024 This release surfaced very quickly after their “Astral Ascendant”, which makes sense as it is the sequel to the previous one and was produced at the same time. At first, it seems to continue where the duo Bryant/Tyler left us a month before, but soon it appears the overall vibe…
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…