Release data: Solar Fields – Movements CD, Ultimae Records, 2009 Swedish producer Magnus Birgersson, aka Solar Fields, wrote his sixth album “Movements” in the same period when he was composing a score for the interactive in-game score for Electronic Arts video game “Mirror’s Edge”. Was the heavy trance-dance music of his previous album “EarthShine” a completely different story, the musical…
Release data: James Murray – Where Edges Meet CD, Ultimae Records, 2008 “Where Edges Meet” is the debut release from British composer James Murray. James Murray is a London-based electro-acoustic sound artist, producer and multi-instrumentalist, who’s productions weave together elements of electronica, downtempo, jazz and dub in emotive explorations of how the organic and electronic interact. “Where Edges Meet”, which…
Release data: Michael Neil – Dies Irae CD-R, Private Release, 1997 The music on “Dies Irae” can be described as modern classical/orchestral in the realm of Penderecki, Arvo Part and alike. The album contains five tracks, opening with the almost 30-minute “Dies Irae”, which starts as silent music (the first five minutes of the track), followed by freeform darkening textures.…
Release data: Michael Neil – The Constellations CD-R, Private Release, 2001 “The Constellations” a spacey album (as the title suggests) and in fact a companion piece to Michael Neil’s release “Towards the Unknown Region”. It’s planetarium music, although containing rather short, fragmentary and the music itself sounds less melancholic to me compared to the outcome on most of Neil’s other…
Release data: Michael Neil – Moments of Heaven CD-R, Private Release, 1998 “Moments of Heaven” is a grand piece of work by English musician Michael Neil, of which the music sounds similar to his album “Cornubia”, but the outcome is more impressionistic and orchestral. The six-track albums opens with the major 34-minute title track, a great track of delicately sculptured…
Release data: Mind over Matter – Indian Meditation II CD, da Music, 2006 As the first album “Indian Meditation” was a big seller for the label, a second album under the same moniker was compiled Klaus Hoffmann-Hoock. Apart from one track from the album “On the Wings of the Wind”, all tracks on this cd are actually previously unreleased. The…
Release data: Mind over Matter – Indian Meditation CD, da Music, 2005 The music of Mind over Matter, aka Klaus Hoffmann-Hoock, has always been heavenly influenced by the music from India, a country he travelled a lot. “Indian Meditation” offers eight tracks, which are actually remixes of music from the first nine IC albums. For this purpose, Klaus chose appropriate…
Release data: Javi Cánovas – Eigenspaces CD-R, Neu Harmony, 2008 I can be brief about this release, as the music and overall approach of “Eigenspaces” doesn’t differ that much from what is found on his previous albums. Still firmly rooted in the Berliner School style, nice, fat sequencer lines are still dominant next to elegant soloing. But this time I’m…
Release data: Jeffrey Koepper – Luminosity CD, Air Space Records, 2009 On the threshold of the new year, I received the fourth album of “AnalogueJeff” Koepper which is due for mid-January 2009. With “Luminosity”, Jeffrey Koepper wanted to explore ambient emotional places. To achieve this, he made each track a unique atmospheric landscape on which he wanted the electronic textures…
Release data: Axess – Voices of Dawn CD, Spheric Music, 2008 If I’m right, “Voices of Dawn” is the fourth album by German synthesist Axel Stupplich, aka Axess, who’s also known as a member of the band Pyramid Peak. The album, released on December 8th 2008, contains seven accessible tracks of traditional instrumental and typically German sounding electronic music blending…
Release data: Ran Kirlian – Elements in Motion CD-R, Private Release, 2003 This release from Spanish ambient composer Ran Kirlian is another long form journey encompassing dark landscapes and ideas, taking the listener on an extended trip of 78 minutes. As Kirlian explained to me, synthesizers aren’t that prominent compared to his other recordings, they act more as support for…
Release data: Ran Kirlian – Sleeper CD-R, Private Release, 2003 The album “Sleeper” was born from two large floating sessions the Spanish ambientmusician Ran Kirlian recorded in the summer of 2003. Both are based on pure improvisation, with some treated field recordings played randomly. Later on, as Kirlian ran over the recordings, he added voice, some additional sounds and grooves…
Release data: Ran Kirlian – Melting Point CD-R, Private Release, 2001 Ran Kirlian is a Spanish ambientmusician who I came across surfing the site of Max Corbacho. Kirlian started loving ambient at the start of the ’90’s after he heard Steve Roach’s concept-albums “Western Spaces” and “Desert Solitaire”. In 2000 he started to explore his own musical pathways, and after…
Release data: Diatonis – An Abstract View CD-R, Private Release, 2008 Many starting elements on this album where created by Stuart White (aka Diatonis) after he came home from visiting abandoned townships, an extended walk, or a long drive. The sonic content of “An Abstract View” has moved away from previously executed dense and darkening soundscapes. It now focusses on…
Release data: Dave Luxton & Aaron Gates – Futurus CD, Wayfarer Records, 2008 “Futurus” is a concept album of electronic musicians Dave Luxton and Aaron Gates, which initially started with the goal of creating musical representations of prominent themes that the future might hold for life on planet Earth. Each artist contributed solo compositions to the album, the last three…
Release data: Numina & Stephen Philips – Descent of The Falcon CD-R, Dark Duck Records, 2008 “Descent of the Falcon”, listed as part one of two releases, is a recording taken out of massive six hour live collaborative jam in May 2008 between Stephen Philips and Jesse Sola at Jesse’s Denver-based Mysterium studio. The 61-minutes of music presented here is…
Release data: Australis – The Gates of Reality CD, Essential Noises, 2008 It took Australis, aka Oscar Aguayo, three years to compose a follow-up to his debut-album “Lifegiving”. For the new project, Oscar collaborated with young poet Virginia Luna, Andean musician/singer Alvaro Aguayo, composer/producer Roger Subirana, and singers Mornie Sims and Rebecca Farraway, which resembles the path of Amethystium took…
Release data: David Parsons – Earthlight CD, Celestial Harmonies, 2008 About “Earthlight”, David states there’s nothing particularly special about the music, as its just a continuing evolution of what he does. He had, of late, preferred to use synthesisers almost exclusively over samplers and therefore this release is almost 100% “synthetic”, or in other words almost no natural ingredients. To…
Release data: Numina – Sound Symbols CD, NuminaMusic Recordings, 2008 The first shapes of this album were put down almost three years ago as the “Almost Live” project for the Ambient Ping download project. Over the years, Jessa Sola (aka Numina) expanded the outcome with the intention of releasing it as a full-length album. As life got in the way,…
Release data: Brunette Models – Last Poem CD, Generator.pl, 2008 The musican behind Brunette Models is one Piotr Krzyzanowski of which “Last Poem” is his fifth release. It’s a work of edgy atmospheric ambient with crispy elements, offering a strange combination of occasional female voices, down-tempo break beats, dreamy textures and experimental/abstract sonic outings. Despite several harmonious chords and contemplative…
Release data: Robert Fox – Evergreen CD, AD Music, 2008 I was very impressed by Robert’s previous album “Adonai”, so I had high hopes for “Evergreen”, a 65-minute concept album inspired by his homeland England. What we got here is a kind of sonic storytelling, for which Robert focussed on his melodic, accessible and overall gentle style of composing. Next…
Release data: Steve Roach & Erik Wøllo – Stream of Thought CD, Projekt, 2009 “Stream of Thought” is the long-awaited outcome of these two skilled musicians, of which the first drafts were already put down in 2007. Spanning exactly 70 minutes, this “continuous stream of sonic conciousness in 19 parts” is a complex, emotionally charged and very diverse sound painting.…
Release data: Tomasz Zawadzinski – Follow Me CD, Generator.Pl, 2008 The Polish Generator PL label must have a lot of faith in the music of Thomasz Zawadzinski as “Follow Me” is the musician’s second release this year. On the other hand, the moody and well produced music of this guy is made up of nicely layered textural, highly cinematic soundscapes…
Release data: David Helpling & Jon Jenkins – Treasure CD, Spotted Peccary Music, 2007 “Treasure” took over six years in the making, but is certainly worth the wait as it offers the best of both worlds from these skilled musicians. Its musical content is highly cinematic, ranging from beautiful ethereal soundscapes to rhythmic spiced compositions. There’s a nice flow recognizable…
Release data: David Helpling & Jon Jenkins – Beyond Words CD, Deep Exile Music, 2008 “Beyond Words” -subtitled “rare live treasures”– contains six tracks originally from the duo’s 2007 release “Treasure”, but now recorded at a live concert on August 25, 2008 at the University of California San Diego. The album is released as a limited edition of 1000 pieces…
Release data: Max Corbacho – BreathStream CD, Private Release, 2008 “BreathStream” is the first of a series of releases made available as digital download only. The sonic content is described by the Max Corbacho as “seven atmospheric spaces built out of synthetic textures and floating harmonies” which also graced the previous album “The Talisman”. This 73-minute work indeed is a…
Release data: Acheloo – Ishtar CD-R, AD Music, 2008 On “Ishtar” (the follow-up album to “Sirens”) Carlo Luzi intended to deepen his search for the sound, getting closer to the essence and the core of sounds in a more minimalist style. On the concept, Carlo explained the dualist aspect continues as well: the beneficent goddess and terrifying demon at the…
Release data: Ian Boddy – Sid Smith – Jane Molloy – Other Rooms DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, DiN, 2013 “Other Rooms” is a digital-only release to accompany the three-vinyl box set “Spectroscopic”, featuring four early tape delay experimental tracks Those of you who wondered about the formative years of UK-synthesist Ian Boddy hereby have the chance to learn more. It comes with…
Release data: Acheloo Sirens CD-R, AD Music, 2008 “Carlo Luzi is an Italian musician who started playing instrumental music around 1980. He founded the band “Terra della Sera” with Paolo de Gregori (Kaj Norrijus) and the project “SeraSidereA”, again with Paolo de Gregori and soprano Daniela Massi in 2008. That same year, Carlo also started releasing music under the alias…
Release data: Redshift – Turning Towards Us CD, Distant Sun, 2008 Those who know or own the previous Redshift releases will be surprised as the cd-cover has been completely overhauled for the bands 10th release, for which the typical Redshift also has left the scene. Recorded between March-September 2008, “Turning towards us” contains five tracks, three longform and two short…
Release data: Bluetech – Phoenix Rising CD, Somnia, 2008 Bluetech is a project by Evan Bartholomew, whose last release under that monniker came out in 2005. Referred to as a sort of “mini album”, the exactly 51-minute “Phoenix Rising” is the precursor to an expansive album entitled “The Divine Invasion”, coming early 2009. I’m not familiar with Bluetech’s previous music,…
Release data: Klaus Schulze & Lisa Gerrard – Rheingold DVD, Synthetic Symphony/SPV, 2008 After their surprising strong album “Farscape”, Klaus Schulze and Lisa Gerrard did a live concert on July 18th, 2008 at the “Night of the Prog III” on the open air stage “Loreley” in St. Goarshause, Germany. The double-dvd “Rheingold” contains the full concert on the first disc…
Release data: Enya – And Winter Came CD, Warner Music, 2008 November 7th, 2008 saw the release of Enya’s seventh studio album “And Winter Came”, an album reflecting the feel of the winter season. Don’t expect anything new here, as the typical, at times sweeping and orchestral instrumentation has remained exactly the same, as has the velvet voice of Enya…
Release data: Patrick Schouten – Soul of the Mountain CD, Private Release, 2007 Patrick Schouten is a Dutch sound designer, composer and producer. “Soul of the Mountain” is a moody (“emotionally charged”) ambient release, which explores airy environments, on which one can’t miss the slight influence of Vangelis. “Heights” lifts off in slow pace, carefully taking the listener to higher…
Release data: Joe Frawley – A Book of Dreams CD-R, Private Release, 2008 Joe Frawley hails from Norwich, Connecticut, who’s album “A Book of Dreams” (subtitled “works for processed found sounds and piano”) comprises two previously released EP (“The Hypnotist” and “Tangerine”). Imagine the processed piano sounds of Brian Eno or Harold Budd, to which a wide range of environmental…
Release data: Abandoned Toys – The Witch’s Garden CD, Mythical Records, 2007 Abandoned Toys is a one-man project of American film music composer Brett Banning. “The Witch’s Garden” contains nine tracks, of which the style shifts between new age, contemporary electronic and film music. Containing lots of nice piano work, the music consists of haunting melodic melodies and orchestral, string…
Release data: ModularWhite – Canada CD-R, Private Release, 2007 For the concept album (Four Visions of) “Canada”, the four members of the Dutch electronica band ModularWhite decided to present musical ambiences which would transfer their own feelings, visions and ideas of Canada in four separate 15 minute solo tracks, paying a tribute to its landscape and certain (historical) aspects. The…
Release data: Dan Pound – Night Watch CD, Private Release, 2008 Mr Pound keeps up releasing music in quite a high tempo, as November 2008 saw the release of “Night Watch”, music made for inner transformation and mind expansion. The 70+ minutes on this album realm in the ambient/space genre, but infused with lots of tribal influences. Next to field…
Release data: Gert Emmens & Ruud Heij – Journey CD, Groove Unlimited, 2007 The sound of the duo’s previous two vintage albums continues on the follow-up “Journey”, nicely venturing in more interesting corners of the Berliner School style. The 8-minute title-track opens with great vintage sequencing, dressed by warm soundscapes and a grabbing solo by Gert. The sound of dripping…
Release data: Spectral Lore / Underjordiska – split CD-R, New Age Dawn/Stellar Auditorium, 2008 This is a split instrumental ambient album of 67 minutes, divided in two parts made by two “experimental black metal one-man bands”. The press sheet states the album is of a cyclical nature, visualizing the descent into the abyss and subsequent returning ascent into the world.…
Release data: Glyn Lloyd-Jones – From Time to Time DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2008 Many years after his last release, Glyn Lloyd Jones (who now resides in Italy) surprises us with his new release “From Time to Time”. The biggest part of the 57-minute album is filled by the two-part title track, which consists of 20 minutes each. Part one…
Release data: Vir Unis – Mercury and Plastic CD-R, AtmoWorks, 2002 Vir Unis, aka John Strate-Hootman, is known for his interesting new approaches in the field of ambient music. The ten tracks, making up a total of 76 minutes of music, is another well executed effort, displaying great fractal groove/rhythm creation, pulse beats/percussion and expanding textural landscapes as displayed on…
Release data: Sempervirens – Dirge of the dying year CD-R, New Age Dawn/Stellar Auditorium Productions, 2008 Sempervirens is a dark ambient project by Margus Mets. The eight tracks on the album are of a slight experimental manner, featuring lots of environmentals and slowly unwinding dense drones and textures, together creating a disturbed, shadowy and thick atmosphere with an organic edge…
Release data: AirSculpture – TranceAtlantic CD, Neu Harmony, 2005 After “Fjord Transit” and “Quark Soup”, the English trio Adrian Beasley, Peter Ruczynski and John Christian aka AirSculpture treats its fans with another live album. “TranceAtlantic” documents two different live appearances of the band on a double cd: The Gatherings and the Stars End radio show in the USA . Known…
Release data: John Lakveet – The Last Nine Convoys from Magoria Station CD-R, ad21 Music, 2008 This release –celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Spanish label- is a live album containing a concert Spanish musician John Lakveet played in Barcelona-based cultural centre “Magoria Station” on September 28, 2007. After the sounds of an arriving train, the music (divided in nine…
Release data: Procer Veneficus – Saltwater & Glassmoon CD-R, New Age Dawn/Stellar Auditorium Productions, 2008 Procer Veneficus is the alias of one Derek Schultz, who composed the music of this 42-minute ambient recording in December 2005. On his site, Derek says you cannot understand the sound of Procer Veneficus unless you have walked at the edge of Los Osos past…
Release data: Javi Cánovas – Nights of Brightness CD-R, Neu Harmony, 2008 This is my second encounter with the retro-oriented music of Javi Canovas. The 60-minute album kicks off very nicely with the 17-minute” Nimbus”, which features peppy, sequencer-driven Berliner School sequencing and engaging solo lines. “Eclipse” is a shorter, dynamic track with beats, drums and lots of tweaked sequencers,…
Release data: Rudy Adrian – Desert Realms CD, Lotuspike, 2008 Finally, two years after his nice ambient album “Moonwater”, New Zealand-based musician brings us the follow-up “Desert Realms”. The music of the cd is inspired by a weekend Rudy spent in the serene,remote and expansive desert landscapes of the American Southwest back in 2002. In that respect, the eleven tracks…
Release data: Byron Metcalf, Mark Seelig & Steve Roach –Nada Terma CD, Projekt, 2008 “Nada Terma” is the second collaborative effort between Byron Metcalf, Mark Selig & Steve Roach after their successful album “Mantram” (2006). “Nada Terma” (meaning: the world of sounds reveals spiritual treasures) is a continuous 73-minute voyage split in seven segments, venturing into deeper mysterious lands, in…
Release data: Robert Rich & Faryus – Zerkalo CD, Faria Records, 2008 “Tangential glimpses remotely echoed, untethered from touch. No time nor place, no past nor future, internal, external. Sculpting from energy, clouded motion vaguely slipping. Evanescent vibration, without meaning apart from its own open secret”. These phrases -taken from the press sheet- describe and depict the sonic content and…
Release data: Broekhuis, Keller & Schönwälder – Live @ Dorfkirche Repelen 2 CD, Manikin Records, 2008 This release by the well-known trio Bas Broekhuis, Detled Keller and Mario Schönwälder is a double live album, which sees the musicians play with Raughi Ebert (electric and acoustic guitar) and Thomas Kagermann (violin) during a concert on January 20th 2008 at the Dorfkirche…
Release data: Gert Emmens & Ruud Heij – Silent Witnesses of Industrial Landscapes CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2008 This is the fourth release of the duo Emmens & Heij, which was officially released on September 20th, 2008 at Electronic Circus in Bielefeld. As on their previous albums, the album features a blend of attractive vintage-oriented electronic music that made its…
Release data: Synth.nl – AtmoSphere CD, Groove Unlimited, 2008 October 11th, 2008 saw the release of the second album of Dutch synthesist Synth.nl, aka Michel van Osenbruggen, a concept-cd inspired by the layers of air in the atmosphere surrounding our globe. Listening to the 12 tracks (ranging between four and seven minutes) feels like an relaxed journey, offering a nice…
Release data: Cosmic Hoffmann – Outerspace Gems CD, Manikin Records, 2008 This is the second release of vintage rarity recordings (1978-1985) from Klaus Hoffmann-Hoock, aka Cosmic Hoffmann, now put out as a pressed cd on the established Berliner-based Manikin label. Retro fans will find lots of their liking here, already set in good mood with the energizing, vintage sequencing and…
Release data: Ron Boots – Mea Culpa CD, Groove Unlimited, 2008 “Mea Culpa” is the unexpected, quick follow-up to “See Beyond Times, Look Beyond Words”, the latter being released in Spring 2008. Although the music on this new album shows the trademarks of Ron Boots, it also chooses new pathways. After a quiet opening, “Mea Culpa part I” fires all…
Release data: Craig Padilla – Vostok CD, Spotted Peccary Music, 2002 I remember playing and reviewing this album at the time it came out in 2002. At that time, I was kind of disappointed by its outcome, finding it rather dull and not varied enough. Now, ten years later, I’ve given Craig’s first longform album “Vostok” some new spins, and…
Release data: Diatonis – Invisible Order CD-R, Private Release, 2001/2008 This is actually a re-release of the same album from 2001, for which California-based musician Stuart White completely remixed the original music next to adding the two-part piece “Devine Shadow” as a bonus. On the album, Diatonis combines spoken word, poetry and floating, ambient textures, for which he extensively applied…
Release data: Juta Takahashi – Remembrance CD-R, Lunisolar Records, 2008 Juta(ro) Takahashi is a Japanese ambient musician residing in Sendai, Miyagi, who prefers using analogue gear. “Remembrance” is his third official album, of which the improvised music shows distinct influences of Brian Eno and Harold Budd. The three extended pieces of 18, 20 and 17 minutes on the cd feature…
Release data: Emanuele Errante – Humus CD, Somnia, 2008 Emanuele Errante is a Napoli-based Italian ambient composer, of which “Humus” is his second album. The cd contains 11 tracks, forming a slowly unfolding symphony of quiet soundscapes and carefully crafted sonic intermissions. The outcome is assembled from elegantly meandering and slowly cascading organically flavoured string tapestries, textures and subtle micro…
Release data: Diatonis – Pond CD-R/DVD-R, Private Release, 2008 Diatonis, aka Stuart White, describes his album “Pond” as “a mildly dark ambient album with moments of intense sound”, consisting of eight songs (of which four of them have music videos), which uses real percussion, synths and guitar. The album, lasting just over an hour, continues in the same style as…