Release data: Hemisphere – Outdoors CD, Cue Records, 1994 On his third album “Outdoors”, Ralph Knappe-Heinbockel (aka Hemisphere) presents both rhythmic-driven, melodic pieces along free form ambient compositions. Once again, I feel Ralph is at his best on his non-rhythmic soundscape pieces such as the delightful “Backwoods Echo”, or the smooth but intense textural breezes of “Arctic Circle” and “Quiet…
Release data: Synaesthesia – Desideratum CD, Hypnotic/Cleopatra, 1995 What I got here is the second album of the duo Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber, aka Synaesthesia, offering a massive 140 minute work of sonic art. Although it starts out cool and trance-upbeat with “Andromedia”, the music thereafter unfolds in much slower pace and textural spacious manner. It features a nice…
Release data: William Linton – Wayfarer CD-R, Space for Music , 2000 Here’s another (again short) album of lush ambient/space music by William Linton who once more invites his listeners on a journey through imaginary and impressionistic musical landscapes. Sonically, things are kept simple on “Wayfarer” with an occasional sparkle, while creating a comfortable atmospheric/new-age state. Just take pieces like…
Release data: Robert Fox – Blue Mountains Suite CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Fx Music, 1993 The sweeping and majestic music making up “Blue Mountains Suite”, the third album by UK-synthesist Robert Fox, takes its inspiration from a three week journey to Australia in the winter of 1991. On the 60-minute release, the symphonic and atmospheric along a range of captivating melodic lines…
Release data: Temps Perdu? – Earth Story CD, Amplexus, 2000 According to the electro-organic outcome of their previous albums “Athanor” and “Terra Incognita”, depicting the mysterious, the remote, the fascinating (and the even surreal) impact of desert ambiences has become the trademark of French/German duo Dirk and Catherine Ledit-Grützmann, aka Temps Perdu?. The tribal-infused music on “Earth Story” (clocking at…
Release data: Michael Stearns & Ron Sunsinger – Singing Stones CD, Hearts of Space/Fathom, 1994 Those having a knack for deep, organic and tribal ambient music will find much of their liking on “Singing Stones”, which has a way of awakening the senses. This concept album happened around the same time as “Kiva” (on which Steve Roach joined them), and…
Release data: Christopher Franke – The London Concert CD, Varese Sarabande/Sonic Images, 1993 “The London Concert” by ex-TD member Chris Franke features his one and only live performance after he left Tangerine Dream. On the occasion in October 1991, Mr Franke was assisted on stage by his trusted engineer Edgar Rothermich (aka Richard E. Roth). The 47-minute recording kicks off…
Release data: Dedast – Soft Landing DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Cosmicleaf Records, 2012 Dedast is Greek producer and composer Vasilis Miamis, previously operating under the moniker Will-o’-the-wisp. His album “Loft Landing” features instrumental contemporary ambient with occasional down-tempo flavours, sounding versatile, open and transparent. Next to a feel of ambient chill-out, the nine moody, sometimes rather minimal shaped tracks contain mellow melodies…
Release data: Robert Rich & Lisa Moskow – Yearning CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Hearts of Space/Fathom, 1995 After her contribution to one track on “Propagation”, Robert Rich invited American sarod-player Lisa Moscow for his full-length “Yearning”. Most of the sounds on “Yearning” are acoustic in origin and then radically processed via electronics, exploring the most intense, introspective elements in a contemporary electroacoustic…
Release data: Nacht Plank – Echo Ark CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, …txt Recordings, 2014 Nacht Plank, one of the monikers of Lee Anthony Norris, explores the deeper end of the ambient genre. “Echo Arc” is a work of sonic art filled with dense textural landscapes, drones and sustained beats evoking quite a metaphysical mood and feel, while there’s also a psychedelic, surreal…
Release data: Erik Wøllo – Tundra CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Projekt Records, 2014 The atmospheric music on the 5-track/30-minute EP “Tundra” lines up to the contemporary sounding outcome featured on Erik’s full-length “Timelines”. At the same time though, it incorporates traditional world music elements by blending it with sound samples, chants and throat singing from Arctic indigenous people. It lends a pleasant…
Release data: Analog Sweden – Moments Lost (music and art inspired by the movie Blade Runner) CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD/LP, Private Release, 2014 Analog Sweden is a Swedish duo with Fredrik Segerfalk and Per Ronge at the helm. Through crowd funding they started raising money to establish and release the concept album “Moments Lost”, music and art inspired by the movie “Blade…
Release data: Can Atilla – Concorde CD, Groove Unlimited, 2005 With the 79-minute “Concorde”, Turkish composer Can Atilla brings another fine collection of vibrant and melodic music. It’s inspired by the legendary Concorde airplane and the critically acclaimed contemporary works of Tangerine Dream of the ‘80s and ‘90s along a dash of the ‘70’s. The sounds, the sequencing and the…
Release data: Simon Lomax – A Glimmer of Memory CD/LP, Txt Recordings/Private Release, 2014 First a few words of the composer on this ambient work of art, taken from his website/SoundCloud page: “I’ve often thought about the way that we perceive memories. It was one early morning when I was out running in the Somerset countryside seeing a few rays…
Release data: Peter Challoner – Livescape_2 Alternating Frequencies CD-R, Ambient Sound Projects, 2014 The second installment in the Livescape series was recorded live in the studio in real time in February 2014 with no additional overdubs. The nine interlocking tracks, featuring subtle environmental sounds occasionally, is a world of tranquility and slow drifting textures along very gentle sequence-patterns and rhythms…
Release data: Ishq – Blue Infinity CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Virtual, 2014 Matt Hillier’s “Blue Infinity” is an ambient concept album inspired by the story of Peter Lanyon, the painter and glider pilot based in Cornwall, who painted landscapes of the West Cornwall peninsula from a gliders perspective. In a sense, the album’s music is an imagined flight in a glider across…
Release data: Józef Skrzek & Przemysław Rudź – The Stratomusica Suite CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Generator.pl, 2014 This concept album between progrock musician Józef Skrzek and Mr Rudź contains the music especially composed for The Balloon Mission to the Edge of Outer Space. Although the cd-cover lists six different parts, the 56-minute outcome is presented in one go without track indexes. After…
Release data: Robert Rich – Propagation CD, Hearts of Space, 1994 “Propagation” is a concept album about biology and the many elements of life, a sonic metaphor for “the miraculous process of living”, the spreading of genetic material across the planet in a brilliant, perpetually evolving dance of chemical, biological, and spiritual ecstasy. The cross-cultural, electro-acoustic and organic sound filling…
Release data: Michael Stearns – Sacred Site CD/MC, Hearts of Space, 1993 Capturing the power, beauty and magic from all kind of inspiring places around the world into compelling music has always been the cornerstone of accomplished US-composer Michael Stearns. The almost 60-minute “Sacred Site” compiles some of his fine soundtrack music along assorted compositions made between 1983 and 1993,…
Release data: Eric G – Visions CD, Elmuced Records, 2011 “Visions” is my second encounter with the music of Swedish composer Eric G (although it seems to be his third album by now), which features four lengthy compositions made between 1982 and 2010. The vintage melodic output again connect to and is inspired by the Berliner School style, most notably…
Release data: Pertti Grönholm – Winterplanet CD, Orogo Sound, 2013 “Winterplanet” is an intimate electro-acoustic and seasonal travelogue into the extreme cold weather conditions encountered in subarctic environments, in this case the homeland of Finnish composer Pertti Grönholm. Between 1997 and 2003, Pertii reworked, remixed and expanded upon the sonic impressions he originally put down on analogue tape between 1984…
Release data: Deepernet – Impossible Landscapes CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Spotted Peccary Music/OE3, 2014 Entirely created in Cubase, the cross-genre “Impossible Landscapes” is Andrew Miles’ second album for the Spotted Peccary label, which (fortunately) is a tad less energetic compared to “One”. The contemporary outcome features the dream-like vocals of guest-artist Zefora on two ambient pieces, while the others are a mix…
Release data: Steve Roach – The Delicate Forever CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Projekt Records, 2014 Composing ambient music depicting a desert environment is one of the specialties fitting under the belt of Steve Roach for many years. For “The Delicate Forever”, Roach used analogue equipment primarily in sculpturing the tranquil 74-minute/five track sound meditations. This gently morphing, smooth spiraling current of etheric…
Release data: Twofish – Zero Crossing CD-R, Twofish Music, 2014 It’s again time for something out of the ordinary. The cover-design of this album might make you think “Zero Crossing” is a release by Mr Boddy’s DiN-label, but it’s not. Twofish, formed in 2000, is a UK intelligent ambient techno trio consisting of Charlie Humble, guitarist and chief synth fetishist…
Release data: Within Reason – Farshadow CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Periphery/Anodize, 2014 “Farshadow” will be last release for Gregory Kyruluk in 2014 after quite a list of releases under his monikers Within Reason or Alpha Wave Movement in recent times. His sonic journey into instrumental dub-techno ambient on “Farshadow” again proves another moody, atmospheric affair wrapped in slow motion mode. Once more,…
Release data: E-Musikgruppe Lux Ohr – Spiralo LP/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Svart Records, 2014 The sonic content of Spiralo extends on the German Kosmische Musik which already inspired their album “Kometenbahn”. What started as an improvised live set that Pertti Grönholm, Jaakko Penttinen, Kimi Kärki and Ismo Virta played at various concerts in late 2011 and early 2012 was later on recreated…
Release data: The Amnis Initiative – Sanctuary Rising DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2014 With “Sanctuary Rising”, Dutch synthesist Dennis Lodewijks (aka The Amnis Initiative) brings his listeners a new concept album with electronic music, which this time explores what happens when a group of people has been forced to make a new beginning in a world that is entirely new…
Release data: Various Artists – Phra Rahu CD, Gterma , 2014 Due to the persistence of label owner Johan Rehn, the beautifully designed compilation album “Phra Rahu” (the mythical god of darkness) has made the light of day after quite a bit of delay. As usual, Anders Peterson was in charge of putting a delicate mastering touch to it all,…
Release data: Alpha Lyra & MoonSatellite – Live in Nancy 2013 CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, PWM Distribution, 2014 What I got here is a double album comprising two concerts that took place on March 9 and 10 2013 in Nancy, France, performed by Christian Piednoir (aka Alpha Lyra) and Marc Perbal (aka MoonSatellite) respectively. Alpha Lyra fills the first cd with an…
Release data: Hollan Holmes – The Spirits of Starlight CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2014 Like many musicians, US-composer Hollan Holmes also experienced a growing challenge when starting work on a new album, with the goal to make the outcome different if not better than the previous one. This formed the driving force behind “The Spirits Of Starlight”, and kept him…
Release data: Rüdiger Gleisberg & Mathias Grassow – Ad Lucem CD, Gterma , 2014 German composers Rüdiger Gleisberg and Mathias Grassow have been friends for over 25 years. Besides having their own solo careers, they also joined forces in various musical projects such as Arcanum, Nostalgia and Karmacosmic. But they also planned to produce a recording that would feature music…
Release data: Circular – Moon Pool CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Ultimae Records, 2014 With “Moon Pool”, Circular (aka Bjarte Andreassen and Jostein Dahl Gjelsvik) have delivered another fine chilled-out ambient journey to please the ears. By the means of contemporary electronics and cross-over ingredients, they’ve molded a spacious sonic environment of beatless soundscapes alongside more spiced down-tempo elements, smooth sequencer-lines and environmental…
Release data: Purfoze – Songs of the Stars (Sterrenstukken) CD-R, Rhea Music, 1985/2013 “Songs of the Stars” is the second full-length space music album by the Belgium project Purfoze that was originally released on a privately-released cassette in 1985. After the re-release of their classic “Songs of the Earth” on cd-r, it was just a matter of time before this…
Release data: Bernd Kistenmacher – Utopia CD, Groove Unlimited, 2013 For the project “Utopia”, Mr Kistenmacher invited four different artists (most notably Thorsten Quaeschning on guitar) to establish the outcome. The recording is a different cup of tea compared to his previous work, already ending up in a inconsistent jam session of keys, guitar and violin on the 24-minute opener…
Release data: Urenga – Mu (The Lost Continent) CD, Gterma , 2014 “Mu” (dedicated to the great unknown of the Pacific Ocean, strongly refusing to be charted and explained) is a sonic travelogue by Andras Kiss (aka Urenga). It features a 66-minute journey of minimal but always spacious sounding ambient dub music. From the start it creates a pleasant, hypnotizing,…
Release data: Jonn Serrie – Day Star CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, New World Music, 2014 “Day Star” is the follow-up to the 2009 space music poem “Thousand Star”, on which Jon Serrie continues combining space music and the romantic: he takes the whole vision of space and instead of being cold and technical — exploding stars and black holes – he softens/feminizes…
Release data: North Atlantic Drift / Northumbria – Split DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Polar Seas Recordings, 2014 What I got here is a split 36-minute sonic canvas featuring music by the Toronto-based ambient metal duo Northumbria (aka Dorian Williamson and Andy Field) and the project North Atlantic Drift (Mike Abercrombie & Brad Deschamps). From the look and feel, the recording could be…
Release data: Craig Padilla – Sonar LP, Fruits de Mer Records, 2014 “Sonar” is Craig Padilla’s the second album for the Fruit de Mer label, released as limited edition double LP colored vinyl. It’s a compilation of recordings by Craig from 1996 onwards, none of which have appeared on cd or vinyl before. Sonically, the outcome is a real heads-up…
Release data: Loren Nerell & Mark Seelig – Tree of Life CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Projekt Records, 2014 All who love in-depth ambient journeys through sound with a profound sense of world music will probably know some individual works of Loren Nerell and Mark Seelig. These two accomplished composers decided to start collaborating after a fruitful and most satisfying meeting at Steve…
Release data: Arc – Umbra CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, DiN, 2014 All who saw Ian Boddy and Mark Shreeve (aka Arc) in the flesh live on stage at E-Live 2013 will be much pleased with the release of “Umbra”. The latter is a 6-track album capturing the tantalizing live atmosphere of the concert (the duo decides to include the enthusiastic audience reaction…
Release data: Rooms Delayed – Nothing Lighter DIGITAL DOWNLOAD EP, Monkey Records, 2013 Rooms Delayed is an ambient sound project by Italian composer Vicenzo Nazzaro. Executed in a shoe-gazer kindred style, the soundscape music contained on the five-track Ep “Nothing Lighter” paints sensitive and imaginary ambient narratives using guitars, e-bow, delay, reverbs, field recordings and, sometimes, vocals. In a quiet…
Release data: Fanger & Schönwälder – Analog Overdose 5 CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Manikin Records, 2014 For the music on the 77-minute “Analog Overdose 5” (a kind of cityscapes caught in electronic music) the duo Fanger & Schönwälder has teamed up with Lutz (Lüül) Graf-Ulbrich The latter also joined them on the first volume back in 2001, and hereby delivers some atmospheric…
Release data: Derelict Thoughts – Autumn Moon CD, Groove Unlimited, 2014 What I got here is the second full-length ambient project by Ron Boots after “Too Many Secrets”, but released under a new moniker: Derelict Thoughts. All who know Ron’s extensive release catalogue know he always has thrown in a couple of fine ambient compositions on every album along his…
Release data: Enterphase – Solar Promenades CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, AD Music, 2004 When we talk about fine space music from the USA, we should now forget about the cosmic voyages undertaken by Fred Becker and Jeff Filbert, aka Enterphase. Ten years previous to this album, they produced their first effort “Phase One”, followed by “Phase 2” in 1998. For the 66-minute…
Release data: Sverre Knut Johansen – Planets CD, Origo Sound, 2012 With such a title one expects (and gets) an album of cosmic-inspired instrumental music taking on a melodic and cinematic approach. Scandinavian multi-instrumentalist and composer Sverre Knut Johansen spent two years in crafting the 70-minute outcome, giving his own voice to a mix of melodic, spacy and ambient electronics…
Release data: Earthstar – French Skyline LP/CD, Sky Records/MI Records, 1979 “French Skyline” is one of those EM classics that should not remain unmentioned on my site. It came out on the legendary Sky Records label but after twenty years or so it also resurfaced on cd through Bernd Kistenmacher’s MI-Records in digitally remastered form. Back in 1979, a guy…
Release data: Thorsten Quaeschning’s Picture Palace Music – Remnants CD, Groove Unlimited, 2013 What I got here is the 60-minute original soundtrack album Mr Quaeschning made for the “Remnants” (a beautifully shot documentary of time lapse cine photography about the rise and fall of the Neolithic civilization of Britain) by accomplished UK- cinematographer Grant Wakefield. As many have also experienced…
Release data: Uwe Reckzeh – Mirror Images CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Mellowjet Records, 2012 Since I discovered the music of German composer Uwe Reckzeh, I have come to the conclusion the sequencer-driven outcome of this talented musician is certainly worth a listen. Although sonically following another path as his Spanish collegue Javi Canovas, both form a special league of talent in contemporary…
Release data: Peter Mergener – Creatures 2020 CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, BSC/Prudence, 2014 “Creatures 2012” is a limited edition double cd, featuring the music contained on the albums “Creatures” (1991) and “Let There Me More Light (Creatures II)” (1994). For the occasion, all this material has been fully remastered, remixed. In addition, Mr Mergener has expanded both outcomes a bit, as he…
Release data: Gert Emmens & Ruud Heij – Signs CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2014 I think it always great and exciting to see people step out of the ordinary and do something different. The latter applies to “Signs” (a concept album inspired by large radio telescopes) by the Dutch duo Gert Emmens and Ruud Heij, who decided to do a…
Release data: Altus – Excursion Three DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Earth Mantra , 2014 This recording, originally planned for release in 2011, marks the final chapter in Mike Carss fine “Excursion”-series. “Excursion Three” contains three sonic journeys with lush, melodic, slowly moving yet progressive-flavored electronic music. The free form, pastel-colored sonic landscape laid out here complements the previous recordings beautifully, painting velvet…
Release data: The Roswell Incident – Escape CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2014 The 56-minute “Escape” (the closing section of the duos trilogy) was recorded live in concert at the Belgium B-Wave Festival in December 2013. The album starts out in a moody ambient fashion, continuing the beautiful sonic narrative nicely as found on the previous recordings “The Crash” and “Hunted”,…
Release data: Geoffrey Downes – The Light Program LP/CD, Geffen Records , 1986 Being a fan of quite some symphonic/rock music as well, I thought it a good idea to reflect a bit on this album, which the composer released as The New Dance Orchestra. “The Light Program” (this title actually pays homage to early radio days in Mr Downes…
Release data: Pillion – Centillion CD, Groove Unlimited, 2014 In 2010, I already wrote a review of a digital download-only album by almost the same name (“Centillion 303”) which was released by Walter Christian Rothe & Friends. At that time, I already knew the music on that album was composed in 2008 and featured a concept composition in various parts,…
Release data: Javi Cánovas – Hidden Path CD, Groove Unlimited, 2014 I for one think it great to see a Cánovas-album again as a factory-pressed cd after a large list of digital-download only and cd-r releases. On this 70-minute/six track newbie, Mr Cánovas doesn’t stray far from his trademark of classic, sequencer-driven music, though here sticking to rather concise pieces…
Release data: The Cosmic Arc – Feed your Head DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2014 “Feed your Head” is an electronic krautrock release by Munich-based German composer Tibor Fredmann, who goes by the name The Cosmic Arc. The trippy outcome is a peculiar melange of cosmic and psychedelic space music inspired by the pioneers of German electronic music, applying a kaleidoscope…
Release data: Michel Genest – Crystal Fantasy LP/CD, Sona Gaia Productions, 1984 “Crystal Fantasy” is the first album by French-born musician Michel Genest (but living in the USA now), labelled as visionary synthesizer music. The 45-minute outcome is overall soothing, magical and relaxing while being graced with warm textures, Kitaro-esque sequencing and solo leads. Similar to the Japanese composer, Michel…
Release data: Simon Slator – Piano in the Rain DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Webbed Hand Records, 2014 “Piano in the Rain” is a long form piece based on a composition of the same name which the Simon Slator (known previously as Cold Sun) made almost ten years before. It’s been transformed from a 7-minute New Age piece, into a euphoric 48-minute ambient…
Release data: Gandalf – To Another Horizon LP/CD, WEA Records, 1982 For the music on the 48-minute release “To Another Horizon”, Heinz Strobl has assembled a fine selection of skilled musicians (on bass, drums, flute and grand piano/organ) to accompany him on this fantastic journey through imaginary landscapes. Gandalf himself still plays a rich set of instruments, most notably the…
Release data: Evan Marc – Emotional Ecology CD, Psybooty Records, 2007 “Emotional Ecology” is the debut by Evan Bartholomew using the Evan Marc moniker for this tech-house recording of melodic dub Its goal is to bring a sense of the sacred to the people on the dance floor, to let themselves go and experience magic through movement along a certain…