Release data: Mon0 – Monolog DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2011 The journey into vast and sombre textural landscapes continues on Mon0’s album “Monolog”. This time, Mon0 (aka German composer Andre Zufall) has created an even deeper chill-out/dubtech release: repetitive bass beats, spatial dronescapes, sequencer parts and an assortment of minimal structures and shapes lead the listener into dark, hypnotizing shades…
Release data: Craig Padilla – The Heart of the Soul CD, Spotted Peccary Music, 2012 “The Heart of the Soul”, created during a series of major life-changing events, marks the return of American synthesist Craig Padilla into the world of contemporary electronic music after a four year hiatus. The outcome is an intense, detailed and emotional effort celebrating the great…
Release data: Awenson – Saphonic CD, Dreaming/Musea Records, 2007/2012 “Saphonic” (released in 2007 as a privately released cd-r under the Awen-moniker) is the second album of Awenson, aka French composer Joël Bernard. It now sees a proper re-release as factory-pressed cd with new cover art, and has been aptly overhauled sonically. The album takes off with the 22-minute longform “Le…
Release data: Daren Keck – Quiet Hillside CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Wayfarer Records, 2012 “Quiet Hillside” is the second studio release by Oregon-based ambient composer Daren Keck. The music of the 51-minute album, created while being in retreat, is meant to convey the high and lows of solitude and a state of peace. As such, it is an intimate work of art…
Release data: VoLt – Circuits CD, Groove Unlimited, 2012 After a long wait of about four years, VoLt (aka Michael Shipway and Steve Smith) finally released its sixth album “Circuits” in April 2012. One might ask what caused the delay, as their previous albums followed rather swiftly after each other. Well, the duo basically started work on the structure and…
Release data: Richard Burmer – On the Third Extreme CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, American Gramaphone, 1988 This album is another example of Richard Burmer’s visual mood music. There are some great pieces “On the Third Extreme”, such as the spine-shivering opener “Magellan”, the euphoric/medieval atmosphere created by the symphonic “Celebration in the Four Towers” or the simply beauty of the heart-felt “Turning…
Release data: Richard Burmer – Mosaic CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, American Gramaphone, 1984 “Mosaic” is the debut release by American synth-wizard Richard Burmer, who sadly passed away in September 2006. Considered a sparkling New Age release in his homeland, the almost 48-minute musical travelogue counts 11 varied tracks which sees a keen synthesis of melodic electronics with world music elements, sophisticated percussion…
Release data: Richard Burmer – Bhakti Point CD, Groove Unlimited, 2009 Richard Burmer’s second album “Bhakti Point” contains eight compositions offering a fascinating musical journey to imaginary worlds. Next to vibrant and symphonic landscapes, Richard also excels in composing more melodic, structured tracks along more intimate, feel-good soundscapes, all telling their own story. My personal and all-time highlights on this…
Release data: Bill Vermette – Galaxies IV CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Horizon Music, 2012 “Galaxies IV” is a double album of cosmic and at times sequenced electronics by Chicago-based synthesist Bil Vermette. Bil has been playing electronic music for 30 years or so and has released four cds, a vinyl recording and a couple of cassettes previous to this one. As a…
Release data: Vanderson – Earth Moving CD-R, SynGate, 2009 “Earth Moving” is a live album by Polish synthesist Maciej Wierzchowski, aka Vanderson. The cd contains two lengthy pieces of 25 and 23 minutes, recorded in August and September 2008 respectively. Maciej’s music is an attractive blend of long solos and rhythmic / sequenced Berliner School, with several breaks tying things…
Release data: Robert Schroeder – Computer Voice CD, DA Music, 1994 The music on Mr Schroeder’s “Computer Voice” is a good example of still fresh sounding contemporary electronic music blending themes of space and earth into a lush and transparent formula while also implementing bits of experiment. Most of the album’s spacious and technological sounding music, that’s actually a concised…
Release data: Beehive Plains – Tape CD, Ad Inexplora/Xenophone International, 2012 The Swedish electro-experimental band Beehive Plains is a side project initiated by Twice a Man-member Karl Gasleben, who is joined by Peter Davidson and Olle Niklassen. The musical journey “Tape”, a unique sounding fusion of electronic and acoustic instruments, found its starting point by means of a found cassette…
Release data: Geodesium – Stella Novus CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Loch Ness Productions, 2011 “Stella Novus”, the tenth release by Geodesium (aka Mark C. Petersen), is an album filled with beautifully rendered cosmic music. Following in the footsteps of planetarium show music Geodesium is best known for, the interstellar music unfolds in a spacious, graceful, dreamy and unhurried fashion. Warm textural tapestries…
Release data: Raygun Ballet – World That Wasn´t CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2012 Raygun Ballet is the persona of Los Angeles based creative director John-Mark Austin, whose name some may remember from Immersion Theory’s excellent space album release “The Icarus Foray”. Its music though is a different story: it focusses on downtempo and IDM, and if you’re familiar with the…
Release data: Lamp – The Three Towers CD, Groove Unlimited, 2012 Lamp is a collaboration of Michael Shipway (also known as one half of VoLt) with guitarist/friend Garth Jones. Michael and Garth are actually former work colleagues and after a number of studio and live sessions together, they agreed that the combination of Garth’s melodic guitar with Michael’s synthesizer soundscapes…
Release data: Javi Cánovas –Transfiguration DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2012 The music on Javi Cánovas’ 2012-release “Transfiguration” sees a return to the comfortable realm of the classic Berliner School style. The spatial (sometimes even restless and smoothly pumping) sequencing on the five extensive tracks is in optima forma as are the various synth pads, solo lines and mellotron textures kicking…
Release data: Alio Die – Deconsecrated and Pure CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Projekt, 2012 “Deconsecrated and Pure” by Alio Die (aka Italian ambient-acoustic composer Stefano Musso) is a work of minimal sonic art where electronic music meets infinite loops, acoustic drones, sounds of metal and glass, bagpipe, stringed instruments, sacral voices and field recordings. It enters a profound liturgic but also timeless…
Release data: Three-Six (36) – Lithea CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, 3Six Records, 2012 “Lithea” is the third and final part of the triptych that 36 (aka UK-based ambient/experimental composer Dennis Huddleston) kicked-off with “Hypersona” and “Hollow” previously. The 77-minute album is an intense ambient journey, creating warm and profound emotive textural landscapes based on extensive, yet melodic loops and choir pads. It’s…
Release data: Aurom – Secret Garden DIGITAL DOWNLOAD EP, Kahvi Collective, 2010 Aurom is a down-tempo ambient project by Australian composer Nicholas Buchanan. The five tracks on “Secret Garden” are presented in one continuous mix, and have a spacious sound along a pleasant groovy undercurrent and an organic rim. The opening-piece “Gaiam” takes off with great textures, followed by the…
Release data: John Lyell – Eternity CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2012 Six years after his first solo album “Dimensions”, Minneapolis-based -synthesist John Lyell (also known from two collaborative albums with Brent A. Reiland) brings us his long-awaited second album “Eternity”, mastered by Robert Rich. The new album, best listened to with some good headphones, proves John has made another step…
Release data: Havdis – The Hidden Islands CD, Gterma, 2012 Havdis is an ambient project by Odd Jensen, who resides in the remote coastal area of northern Norway. If I’m not mistaken, “The Hidden Islands” is his second release, put out by Johan Rehn’s quality ambient label Gterma. Mr Jensen’s soundscape music is profoundly inspired and influenced by nature and…
Release data: John Stanford – Deep Space CD, White Cloud Records, 1999 “Deep Space” is an ambient-dub album by New-Zealand based composer John (Nigel) Stanford, released on Jon Mark’s small White Cloud-label (part of the Naxos classic brand). It contains six tracks of spacious, melodic trance music merging highly sequenced trancy rhythms with expansive, almost symphonic themes. It all ends…
Release data: Wellenfeld – The Big Bang CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Mellowjet Records, 2011 The 66-minute “The Big Bang” is the sixth album by Wellenfeld, aka the German duo Andreas Braun and Detlef Dominizcak. The melodic and highly accessible music comprised on the ten interconnected songs merges spatial/minimal sequencing with choral/string pads, dancy rhythms and beats nicely. Beside a certain Jarre-esque/Kraftwerkian touch…
Release data: Chronos – When Mars Meets Venus CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Altar Records, 2012 Chronos is a project by Moscow-based musician Nick Klimenko who used analog gear and hardware synthesizers exclusively for this recording. Nick’s fifth album “When Mars Meets Venus” is split in two parts: the first is the factory-pressed cd “Mars” featuring nicely crafted down-tempo electronics, while the second…
Release data: moonbooter – World of Apes 2 CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Mellowjet Records, 2011 The second chapter of “World of Apes” (subtitled The Madness Continues) offers 75 minutes of fresh, contemporary and at times even danceable Em. Featuring less sampled sounds compared to it predecessor, Mr Scholl also didn’t use any witness-samples. Beside quite some loungy undercurrents through the various tracks,…
Release data: Michael Meara – To Resonate & Glow DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2005 After a period of experimenting with guitar-centered work and the use of some vocals, Australian ambient/space composer Michael Meara has found his way back to creating slow, freeform and gentle soundscapes. “To Resonate & Glow” contains eight shorter melodic, classical/orchestral ambient pieces of a smooth nature,…
Release data: MoonSatellite – Sequenzer I CD-R, Private Release, 2009 “Sequencer I” is an earlier work of Nancy-based composer Marc Perbal (aka MoonSatellite) where he shows he’s very fond and/or profoundly influenced by the classic electronic music as produced in the 1970’s and 1980. The music featured on the five parts taps into the heritage of Jarre (“Oxygene”/”Equinoxe”) but also…
Release data: Cyber Zen Sound Engine – Cooperation CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, N-Light-N Records, 2011 “Cooperation” is the fourth album by Cyber Zen Sound Engine (CZSE), and the first one to feature their new line-up that adds British composer Tom Boon (known from EnoWeb) as a full member to the project. The music started flowing almost immediately after CZSE’s album “Ausländer” (released…
Release data: Robert Schroeder – D.MO Vol. 3 (Original Unreleased Recordings from the 80´s) CD, Spheric Music, 2011 More archival and shelved recordings are presented on Mr Schroeder’s “D.MO Vol. 3”, revisiting his typical and so much appreciated sonic excursions from the 1980’s . This time, the quality of the compositions and the selection of pieces is far better compared…
Release data: Steve Roach – Groove Immersion CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Timeroom Editions, 2012 The 74-minute “Groove Immersion” comes in four parts and is a mixed bag of “infinite” grooves, minimal percussion and mercurial soundworlds. Although the sounds on this album lend the outcome a high-tech rim, it’s also too easy and rather uninspired to my ears. I imagine Steve’s intention must…
Release data: Ian Boddy & Erik Wøllo – Frontiers CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, DiN, 2012 There are many EM-albums that take the listener on an evocative journey with great sonic vistas passing by as the aural landscapes of sounds unfold. Mr Wøllo is already known for his great cinematic sound paintings of the cold northern hemisphere, most notably displayed on albums such…
Release data: Various Artists – Greenosophy CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Ultimae Records, 2012 “Greenosophy” (inspired by two outdoor Greenosophy parties in 2009 and 2010) is a mixed ambient compilation collected Mizoo (aka Swiss dj Cyril Miserez). It takes off gently and smooth, but as soon as the second track fades in, the narrative and rather surreal space slowly transforms into a bubble…
Release data: Various Artists – Lost in the Humming Air (Music inspired by Harold Budd) CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Oktaf, 2012 “Lost In The Humming Air (Music inspired by Harold Budd)” is a thirteen-track compilation containing a collection of exclusive pieces by various composers paying tribute to the spheric, yet spacious sound art of ambient pioneer and pianist Harold Budd. Next to…
Release data: Michael Neil & Graham Getty – Retrochet III CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2011 With the third chapter in the “Retrochet”-series, the duo Getty and Neil continues their journey into the future of the past with another selection of fine crafted retro electronics. At first its seems they take on the Redshift-road, but soon it appears they pull their…
Release data: Steve Roach – Back to Life CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Projekt, 2011/2012 The double album “Back to Life”, presented in a beautiful designed 6-panel digipak, is a culmination of sonic events adressing a fantastic range of ambient landscapes and forms. Again hitting the 70-minute duration on both discs, Steve’s in-depth spherical creations bring a sense of magic and comfort, but…
Release data: Janne Hanhisuanto – Quiet Places CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2012 “Quiet places”, inspired by nature and people, contains 11 tracks that take the listener into a world of emotion and stillness. In an attempt to give a voice to strange moments, Finnish composer Janne Hanhisuanto prefers to play his synths by instinct, so most music heard here are…
Release data: Broekhuis, Keller & Schönwälder – Red CD, Manikin Records, 2012 The music that makes up the 67-minute BKS-release “Red” is no other than classic Berliner School music, but executed in a rather minimal structure and (in my opinion distinct) slow transforming manner. This and the fact the cd only contains three lengthy tracks makes it difficult though to…
Release data: Amongst Myselves – Ambient, Landscape and Space CD-R/DVD-R, Private Release, 2012 “Ambient, Landscape and Space” is an cd/dvd package offering a collection of visuals and performances alongside music of Amongst Myselves (aka Steve Roberts), all made and assembled over a period of four years. The atmospheric music is performed by Steve Roberts is accompanied by Bernard Haseloff on…
Release data: Berlin Heritage – Land of the Rising Sun CD, Groove Unlimited, 2009 Berlin Heritage is a newly founded Em project initiated by Hannover-based composer Robert Sigmuntowski. The latter released his debut album “Land of the Rising Sun” at the start of February 2012 through Lambert Ringlage’s Spheric Music label. While combining the best from old gear and stuff…
Release data: Thought Guild – Third Voyage CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Harmonic Resonance Recordings, 2012/2015 Thought Guild’s third and final album “Third Voyage” is handmade and packaged in beautiful “retro” 5.25 floppy discs, all hand numbered with a limited edition of only 50 copies. It’s sad though this is the last recording of this dynamic and creative duo, as the 52-minutes of…
Release data: Loom – Scored (live) CD, Viktoriapark Records, 2012 “Scored” contains the fantastic, full-length E-Live 2011 performance by Loom, aka Johannes Schmoelling, Jerome Froese and Robert Waters (aka Robert Wässer). All present then will remember the very professional, versatile and dynamic music played by the trio, with Johannes Schmoelling playing very emotionally and enthusiastically. The concert featured 17 tracks…
Release data: Yagya – Rigning CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Sending Orbs, 2009 Like the previous two releases, it will be most difficult to track down a physical copy of Yagya’s third album “Rigning” (Icelandic for “raining”), although it’s still digitally available through the label’s own official download site E-Orbs. Nonetheless, the smooth dub/techno ambient making up this recording is a very nice…
Release data: Brendan Pollard – Live in Concert 2006 part 1 & 2 and more CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Acoustic Wave, 2012 Since his most convincing live performing at “E-Live 2006”, Brendan had been asked multiple times when the recording of it was being released. Being put on the back burner for a long time, he finally revisited the recordings late 2011…
Release data: Altus – Complex Silence 22 DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Treetrunk, 2012 As usual, Mike Carss (aka Altus) had not much to say about the music on “Complex Silence 22”, a release in a series of albums of enigmatic atmospheres & soundfields created by fellow-ambient composer Phillip Wilkerson. Once again, Mike displays he’s a master in creating beautiful textural music with…
Release data: Void – Avoidance CD, VOID Records, 2011 Some might know the music of Void, aka Dutch musician Danyo Romijn, from his recent contribution to the EM-sampler “Dutch Masters”, although he made his first album back in 1997. The unaccomplished melodic/rhythmic style found on “Avoidance” is much inspired by the big names in the genre. At the same time,…
Release data: René van der Wouden – Fixus Naturalis CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, REWO Records, 2011 The music found on Mr van der Wouden’s release “Fixus Naturalis” came into being during November/December 2009, a period in which René was very busy completing the album “Numerus Fixus”. The spacious, warm and detailed sounding outcome, presented in five parts, is again inspired by nature…
Release data: Kevin Kendle – Light from Andromeda (Deep Skies 4) CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Eventide Music, 2012 Still hugely inspired by the mysteries and spectacular of deep space, UK-artist Kevin Kendle brings his listeners “Light from Andromeda”, his fourth installment in the Deep Skies concept-series. Inspired by the awe-inspiring Andromeda Galaxy, Mr Kendle focusses on a melodic-oriented, lighter and accessible kind…
Release data: Sleepresearch_Facility – Dead Weather Machine / Dead Weather Machine Re:Heat CD, Manifold Records, 2004 “Dead Weather Machine” is the second release by SleepResearch_Facility, aka Scotland-based ambient musician Kevin Doherty. Those familiar with his more recent endavours “Nostromo” and “Deep Frieze” know SleepResearch_Facility is a purveyor of slow morphing drone and sleep-conducive music. The fascinating outcome of “Dead Weather…
Release data: [‘ramp] Doombient.Five – Archetypes CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2009 Every musician or music project has had its rather insecure beginning. “Archetypes” assembles 12 tracks made during the formative stages of [´ramp] in 1996 and 1997. The outcome on this release shows quite a lot of rough sonic sketches with a main part for Stephens and Franks analogue equipment.…
Release data: Robert Schroeder – Cygnus-A CD, Spheric Music, 2010 To much surprise, Robert Schroeder announced the cd-release of this album in 2010, that appears to be a well-done re-recording of the classic album “Galaxie Cygnus-A” from 1982. The biggest relief though for me is that the overall ambience of the slow morphing and dreamy music stays very close to…
Release data: Phillip Wilkerson – The Stars and Afterward CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2012 Fans of Philip Wilkerson’s music may have had the impression that this musician was going to persue a different musical direction after “Ten to Eleven”. This is not the case, although that album otherwise reflects on a phase in the composers life and music career. “The…
Release data: Johan Agebjörn – Music with Less Electricity DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Husmus Media, 2006/2012 “Music With Less Electricity” is an album with piano music by Gothenburg-based Swedish producer Johan Agebjörn, influenced by Satie, Debussy, Swedish folk music, ambient and jazz. Mr Agebjörn composed them during a hard period in his personal life (starting around 2003) when Johan was suffering from…
Release data: Ron Boots – Ante Oculos CD, Groove Unlimited, 2011 The album “Ante Oculos” (“For Eyes”) was released on the occasion of the Bochum planetarium concert by Ron Boots and friends in December 2011. The six tracks offers a lush and atmospheric blend of contemporary electronic music graced by the Ron’s familiar musical trademark. In its own way, it…
Release data: Uwe Reckzeh – Subsesizer CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Mellowjet Records, 201 Uwe Reckzeh already proved on his previous releases he’s most talented, and the music of the 77-minute “Subsesizer”, released about two years after “Unnatural Light”, again confirms this. Uwe knows his ways in composing attractive, smoothly cascading (and sometimes even poignant) sequencers, rhythms and textures with emotive solos on…
Release data: Dan Pound – Cocoon CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, PoundSounds, 2011 The 65-minutes of tranquil music that make-up “Cocoon”, that depicts a sequence of events and transmutations of the life stages of a cocoon and chrysalis into a butterfly, once more prove that Mr Pound is a follower of Steve Roach. It’s introspective music about transformation, embarking on gentle textural and…
Release data: Ian Boddy – Strange Attractors DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, DiN, 2012 “Strange Attractors” is a power release by Ian Boddy, known as one of UK’s longtime and leading Em composers. The disc contains music performed live in concert in April 2011 at the Awakenings electronic music concert series. The 75-minute recording shows Mr Boddy is in excellent spirits, as he…
Release data: Tidal Force – Nebula CD, Groove Unlimited, 2009 “Nebula” is the debut album by the Danish quartet Tidal Force, made up by Emil Bech, Frederik Olsen and two other musicians who go under the aliases HC Aarup and PC-72. Slightly carrying on in the footsteps of melodic side of the Berliner School, they’ve composed some energetic music that…
Release data: Amethystium – Aurorae DIGITAL DOWNLOAD EP, Ramfjord Music, 2012 “Aurorae” is a four-track Ep from Øystein Ramfjord, aka Amethystium, who considers the digital-only release very much a do-it-yourself project, as there’s no traditional promotion behind it. Amethystium very much sticks to the formulue of emotional and lyrical instrumental music as known from his previous albums. But this time,…
Release data: Michael Neil & Graham Getty – Retrochet II CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2010 “Retrochet II” is the second album by Michael Neil and Graham Getty, smoothly hitting the electronic avenue with two tasty 30-minute tracks (“Cascade Effect Part 1 and 2”) in Berliner School tradition. The music pairs unhurried atmospheric intros and interludes with immersive mellotron flutes and…
Release data: Bernd Kistenmacher – Antimatter CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Mellowjet Records, 2012 It was great to see Berliner-based composer Bernd Kistenmacher re-emerge in the electronic music scene a couple of years back with “Celestial Movements”, followed by “Beyond the Deep”. With “Antimatter”, Bernd adds the final chapter to his “Trilogy of the Universe”, which features typical Kistenmacher-music but now with an…