Release data: Exuviae – The White Underneath CD-R, AtmoWorks, 2008 “The White Underneath” is the long-awaited fourth album by Brooks Rongstad, aka Exuviae, also know as co-founder of the Greenhouse ambient label that -sadly enough- had to be shut down several years ago. The new album, described by Brooks as an experimental Ep featuring remixes of each track by fellow…
Release data: Robert Jíša – Space Voices CD, NextEra, 2007 This cd is a continuation of a series, as I found out on Robert’s website he previously released albums such as “Sea Voices”, “Forest Voices” and even “Rain Forest Voices”. The initial idea for “Space Voices” started after Robert Jíša had heard the NASA recordings of the “sounds” of the…
Release data: Chris Armstrong – A.I. Awakens CD, Private Release, 2007 This is the first album in the Spaceage Furniture Music series by L.A.-based musician Chris Armstrong. The concept album on the evolution of artificial intelligence contains furniture music, a term coined by Erik Satie, which refers to music used as a sonic backdrop rather than as the primary focus…
Release data: Ishq – Timelapse in Mercury CD, Virtual, 2001/2007 “Timelapse in Mercury” is the fourth release on the UK-based Virtual-label and the first in a new deeper series called “Virtual Space” which is all about deeper and more outer space inspired music and explorations and music to float to. From the press sheet I learned the album was written…
Release data: Resonant Drift – Flow Mingled Down CD, Private Release, 2006 Resonant Drift is a music project of the USA-based musician Bill Olien, who mentions in the cd-booklet he was inspired by Steve Roach, Robert Rich, Jonn Serrie, Paul Ellis, Brian Eno and even TD. The 55-minute disc takes off with the peculiar, heavy sequencer-based “Until”, thereafter shifting to…
Release data: Various Artists – Dreams of My Space Vol. 1 CD, Spheric Music, 2008 This compilation is an initiative of Robert Schroeder to promote some artists from MySpace, with the aim to attract the attention from record labels. The 67-minute album contains 13 tracks with accessible music, but I doubt the statement that these are “very talented artists”, certainly…
Release data: Jonathan Hughes – Circumflex CD-R, AtmoWorks, 2008 Ambient musician Jonathan Hughes might be known by some as the man behind SubSpace. Under the latter moniker, he previously released a handful of releases which he put out privately, later on releasing two other projects through The Foundry using his own name. The tracks on “Circumflex”, his first album for…
Release data: Steve Brand – SoulSpiral CD-R, AtmoWorks, 2008 Steve Brand’s album “SoulSpiral” contains two expansive textural zone worlds, both clocking over 31 minutes, of which the music was inspired by stunning Hubble/NASA space footage and channelled writings. The meandering, freeform sound worlds of the opening title track have a deepening, hypnotizing but most of all a time shifting impact.…
Release data: Steve Roach – Landmass CD, Timeroom Editions, 2008 The music on “Landmass” was especially composed and played live in the studio in May 2007 by Steve Roach for Chuck Van Zyl’s Star’s End radio program. In Steve’s words, the surreal shape shifting adventure recording “transcends the idea of what a live recording can be”. Those familiar with his…
Release data: Vir Unis & Disturbed Earth – Drawn from the Well CD-R, AtmoWorks, 2008 “Drawn from the Well” is the first chapter of a collaborative series between Vir Unis (aka John Strate-Hootman) and Disturbed Earth (aka Dean Richards). The lengthy album of 78 minutes contains only three tracks, kicking off with the 49 minute “Flicker”, which roams in quiet,…
Release data: Marconi Union – A Lost Connection CD-R, MU Transmissions, 2008 Marconi Union are the Manchester-based duo Richard Talbot and James Crossley. “A Lost Connection” is their third release, the outcome being a concept album shaped around themes of isolation and disconnection, inspired by images of withdraw from the world. In all, there are seven tracks with a mellow…
Release data: Robert Jíša – Signs of the Zodiac CD, NextEra, 2007 Musician Robert Jíša, a graduate from Berklee College of Music, hails from Prague, Chech Republic, and has established himself as a mature soundtrack composer for the last couple of years. The title of this concept cd can be translated as “The Signs of the Zodiac”. The 12 symbols…
Release data: RON BOOTS Derby! CD, Hearts of Space Records, 1988 As Michael explains in the cd booklet, this album –subtitled a journey in the key of space- is the first to focus on space as a theme, while his previous albums had been written and recorded in the flavour of space. The music on this cd easily takes the…
Release data: Akikaze – The Age of Deception CD-R, SynGate, 2008/1995 The musician behind Akikaze is the Utrecht-based Dutch musician Pepijn Courant, who studied classical music for over seven years. The concept album “The Age of Deception”, Pepijn’s seventh by now, was already finished in August 1995, but only saw the light of day as physical release due to Lothar…
Release data: David Wright – Momentum CD, AD Music, 2008 Next to being one of the driving forces behind the successful project Code: Indigo, Suffolk-based musician David Wright is also pursuing a solo-career since 20 years. “Momentum” contains a studio re-imagining of new, mainly improvised music David performed at the USA Gatherings Series concert in September 2007. The 70 minutes…
Release data: Steve Brand – Bridge to Nowhere CD-R, Hypnos Secret Sounds, 2008 Steve Brand is an US-based musician who previously released music in the experimental genre using the name Augur. Brand considers music not only a way of looking inward and expressing one’s self, but a way of reaching out to others and ultimately expanding the boundaries of the…
Release data: Jon Mark – A Celtic Story CD, White Cloud, 1995 “A Celtic Story” is Jon Mark’s fourth album, this time released on his own White Cloud label. In just an hour, the listener is taken on a sonic journey through the rough times and overall history of Ireland, which is nicely sketched in the cd-booklet. Again, Jon’s music…
Release data: Jon Mark – Land of Merlin CD, Kuckuck Schallplatten/Celestial Harmonies, 1992 Paying another tribute to his English heritage, Jon Mark’s “Land of Merlin” descends a level deeper, exploring the “time” of his stunning debut album “The Standing Stones of Callanish” once again. “Land of Merlin” contains the translation into melodic music of the King Arthur story and the…
Release data: Jon Mark – Alhambra CD, Kuckuck Schallplatten/Celestial Harmonies, 1992 Concept wise, this third album by New Zealand-based musician Jon Mark, takes a different direction compared to the previous two concept albums “Standing Stones of Callanish” and “Land of Merlin”, as it’s dedicated to character and history of the Spanish Alhambra region. Again, Jon has delivered a masterpiece of…
Jon Mark is best known as one half of the Mark-Almond band, session guitarist and producer, who now resides in New Zealand. Situated on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, the Callanish Stones (also called the Stonehenge of the north) is a megalithic site that inspired composer Jon Mark to compose this classic ambient album on his Celtic…
Release data: Daniel Blanchet – L´Harmonie des Mondes CD, Editions Rubicon, 1991 Daniel Blanchet is a Canadian musician hailing from the Quebec area, who began experimenting with synthesizers in 1985. The concept album “L’Harmonie des Mondes” is inspired by the treatise “Harmonies of the Worlds” by German astronomer Johannes Kepler, to which it’s also a homage. Produced and mixed by…
Release data: Peter Challoner – Lunar Tide CD-R, Private Release, 2008 As Peter tells on the cd-sleeve, the ambient long form piece “Lunar Tide” is the outcome of an experiment in applying extreme sound processing to a piece of music to produce sonic textures contrasting radically to the nature of the original source recording. Well, the 60-minute meandering soundscape is…
Release data: Paul Haslinger – Planetary Traveler OST CD, Third Planet Entertainment, 1998 This is the original soundtrack album former TD-member Paul Haslinger composed for “Planetary Traveler”, the brainchild of two-time Emmy award winning director/producer Jan C. Nickman, noted for such projects as the computer animated hit “The Mind’s Eye”. The twelve dynamic tracks feature a powerful blend of symphonic…
Release data: Synco – Evolution of Events CD, Cue Records, 1991 The Berliner band Synco (short for SYNthesizer COoperation) was founded in 1984 by Frank Klare and Mirko Lüthge. In 1985 Werner Brandt (nickname Chaos) joined them. “Evolution of Events” is a amazing recording as it contains 70 minutes of well executed highly melodic and rhythmic music. The tasty outcome…
Release data: Evan Marc & Steve Hillage – Dreamtime Submersible CD, Somnia, 2008 “Dreamtime Submersible” features the exiting collaboration of Tech House project Evan Marc (aka Evan Bartholomew, Bluetech,) and Steve Hillage (System 7). Released in strictly limited edition of 777 signed and numbered copies, this 74-minute album presents a great blend of hypnotizing, sometimes minimal shaped trance electronica with…
Release data: Andrew Thomas Wilson – Carnarvon – Rain Forest CD, EMI Japan, 1984 “Carnarvon” is a Japanse import album by Australian composer, producer and musician Andrew Thomas Wilson, who describes the concept of the album in the linear notes as “an electronically orchestrated journey into landscapes imagery and real”. To compose the ten movements on the cd, he used…
Release data: Logic Gate – Voyages DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2008 “Voyages”, a musical tribute to human exploration, is the second album by Steve Grace (aka Logic Gate), who describes it as dreamy ambient old school electronica. The 48-minute release features lots of warm synths/mellotron pads and morphing drone soundscapes along sequencer patterns, of which the most part is in…
Release data: Charles Crevier, Francois Kiraly & Jean-Francois Crevier – Music from the Sky CD, Disque Rubicon, 1987 This is the debut album of the trio Charles Crevier , Francois Kiraly, and Jean-Francois Crevier, all hailing from the Canadian Quebec-area. The album is graced with five compositions (the first and the last made as a trio, with solo pieces of…
Release data: Francois Kiraly & Charles Crevier – Calypso CD, Disque Rubicon, 1989 “Calypso” is the second release by the Canadian duo Francois Kiraly and Charles Crevier. It’s a slowly evolving album of ten tranquil, slowly passing, occasionally slightly sequenced space music tracks creating exactly the right mood and state of mind. The warm, flowing textures of the opening title…
Release data: Xolotl – Procession CD, Erdenklang, 1982/1993 This classic album by the German Erdenklang-label is a re-release of the Bernhard Xolotl album that originally came out back in 1982. For this occasion, the 18-minute bonus track “Saturn Return” was added. “Procession” celebrates the harmonious fusion of violin and viola (played by the international acknowledged Daniel Kobialka) and the serene,…
Release data: Xylon – Mooncafe CD, Hypnotic/Cleoplatra, 1995 “Xylon is a German ambient duo consisting of Alfred Gregl and Torben Schmidt which originally released on Aural X-Perience in 1994. “Mooncafe” is a moody electro-ambient and chill-out trance release which could be a early release on a down-tempo label, although its has an overall uplifting, soothing effect, especially when velvet textures…
Release data: Max Corbacho – The Resonant Memory of Earth CD, Space for Music, 2002 After a long search, the talented Max Corbacho has found a new home at the US-label Space for Music. “The Resonant Memory of Earth”, of which the outcome again is one of pure beauty, sees Max return to the basics of “Vestiges”. His passion for…
Release data: Max Corbacho – Far Beyond The Immobile Point CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2000/2011 This is the second release of Spanish composer Max Corbacho, presenting a collection of seven non-rhythmic, highly atmospheric ambient space tracks, so taking a different road than was heard on his nice debut “Vestiges”. The inspiration for “Far beyond the Immobile Point” actually came from…
Release data: Steve Hillage – Rainbow Dome Musick CD, Virgin Records, 1979 The music captured on this classic blissed-out ambient album was recorded for the “Rainbow Dome” installation at the festival for Mind-Body-Spirit at Olympia London April 21-29 1979. The cd contains two lengthy tracks of 20 minute each, of which “Garden of Paradise” gently takes off with water and…
Release data: Nono Orchestra – Angels Breakin’ CD, Aurora/Amplexus, 1999 Nono Orchestra is an ambient project by Klaus Wiese, Mani Reisser and Rick Rummler, of which “Angels breakin” is their second release. As the cover explains, the central idea behind Nono Orchestra is to create abstract soundscapes with newly constructed natural instruments, which in this case are a huge steel…
Release data: Hagen – Logos CD, Private Release, 1993 “In my opinion, this privately released recording by Bonn-based German musician Hagen is a remarkable one. The cd itself contains very little additional info, stating that ARP, Hohner, JEM, MFB Moog, Oberheim and Roland instruments were used in the making of the music. The outcome of six tracks is an original…
Release data: Michael Stearns & Ron Sunsinger – Sorcerer CD, Spotted Peccary Music, 2000 “Sorcerer”, Michael Stearns’ fourth album in 2000, is a concept album made in collaboration with Ron Sunsinger (“Kiva” and “Singing Stones”). The cd is dedicated to the surrealistic works of the late writer Carlos Castaneda, and is different from the regular releases of Spotted Peccary Music.…
Release data: Rob Essers – A Lizards Walk CD, Cue Records NL, 1997 Those familiar with Rob’s very nice debut album “Raincolors” know TD’s music from 1973-1985 holds a special place in his heart. The linear note on the cd-sleeve says it all: “vintage pieces were prepared to sound just that: vintage”. For “A Lizards Walk” Rob chose to construct…
Release data: Max Corbacho – Vestiges CD, Free Records, 1999 “Vestiges” is the beautiful debut album by Spanish ambient musician Max Corbaxo, who later would start his own label ad21Music with his friend Bruno Sanfilippo. More than once, he has been described as the Spanish Steve Roach, due to the fact that he composes tribal-influenced desert music, although I think…
Release data: Catalin – First Breath CD, AD Music, 1999 “First Breath” is the debut album by Catalin Marin, of which the overall sound carries distinct flavours of Vangelis. The nice booklet contains several Biblical phrases, which lends a certain evangelistic feel to the whole release. The 44:44 minutes are split in eight attractive pieces of which “Opening” strongly ventures…
Release data: AirSculpture – Fjord Transit CD, Neu Harmony Records, 1999 “Fjord Transit” came out rather unexpectedly at E-Live ’99. It contains the music the English trio played at the second Eurosonic Festival on the Swedish island Valo. In all, there are three extended pieces, of which the title track (clocking over 30 minutes) contains lots of nicely sculptured soundscape…
Release data: Rudy Adrian – The Healing Lake CD, White Cloud Music, 2000 The music of Rudy Adrian’s atmospheric recording “The Healing Lake” is rather similar to “Twilight”. The album features nine reflective tracks (making up 57 minutes of music) with an emphasis on serenity, but this time there are no up-tempo sequencer-based pieces. The delicately flowing and meandering music…
Release data: Erez Yaary – Nibiru CD-R, Private Release, 2003 “Nibiru” is a concept album by the Israeli musician Erez Yaary, who already has composed five albums. The cd depicts the musical voyage of “Niburu, which is thought to be the 10th planet of the solar system that is affecting Neptune and Pluto’s orbits. Well, overall this is an atmospheric…
Release data: Yarek – Noc Na Zamku CD, Generator.pl, 2008 “Noc Na Zamku” (which can be translated as “A Night in the Castle”) by Yarek, aka Jarek Degorski, is the fourth release of the Polish Generator-label. This seems to be a live recording (part of the Polish event “Olsztyńskie Lato Artystyczne 2007”) although it overall sounds like a studio work.…
Release data: Mathias Grassow – The Lanzarote Concert CD, NO-CD Records, 1995 The double cd “The Lanzarote Concert” is a live recording with basic–tracks from DAT, documenting Mathias’ live performance in the “Cueva de los Verdes”, Lanzarote, on October 18th, 1994. At this event, Mathias played synthesizer and singing bowl, to which he added his own voice and environmental/nature sounds.…
Release data: Wave World – Cloudseeder CD, VFR Records, 2003 “Cloudseeder” is a double album by the Dutch trio Gert van Santen, Harry Kessels and graphics designer Rolf van Slooten. It’s a pity it isn’t graced with such a beautiful out-of-this world- cd cover as their previous albums “Species”, “Structures” or “Dimensions”. The first cd contains two previous released studio…
Release data: Klaus Wiese – Perfume CD, NextEra, 2006 “Perfume”, released as a limited edition digipak of 1019 copies, contains 12 electro-acoustic recordings using Tibetan singing bowls, chello, tabla, keyboards and nature sounds from ocean and wind. Gliding, warm atmospheric textures nicely kick off on the 15-minute soundscape-trip “Velvet Octaves“, which is a bit in vein of David Parsons “Himalaya”.…
Release data: Tomasz Zawadzinski – Sounds like Pictures CD, Generator.Pl, 2008 According to the press info, Thomasz Zawadzinski’s “Sounds like Pictures” is a highly cinematic sonic experience whose sound is deeply rooted in the Berliner School sequencing tradition. The almost 20-minute title track starts out atmospheric with rather flat and artificial sounding mellotron textures, but soon TD-kindred sequencing, rhythms and…
Release data: Fanger & Schönwälder – Analog Overdose 4+ CD, Manikin Records, 2007 This is my first encounter with the music of this duo, although I know the music of each of these established musicians is thoroughly rooted in the Berliner School sound for years. “Analog Overdose 4+” (which seems a kind of bonus cd to the regular cd/dvd release…
Release data: Konrad Kucz – Railroad Paths CD, Generator.pl, 2008 “Railroad Paths” contains lots of beautifully rendered vintage sounds and choir textures, fx’s and sequences, which almost immediately made my mind wander back to the great analogue days of the late ‘70s. The music is split in five “paths”, which creates a great moody atmosphere, featuring some very nice mellotron…
Release data: Exposed – Dive Master 08 CD-R, MellowJet Records, 2007 From the press sheet I learned this album is a new recompiled and completely reworked version of the album “Divemaster” by Exposed, aka K.H. Reiers. For this purpose, six tracks were added to the original album to extend the playing time with about 30 minutes. Well, “Dive Master 08”…
Release data: Deepspace – Another Empty Galaxy CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2008 Deepspace is the moniker of the Australian musician Mirko Ruckels, who has established himself as a mature composer of well-rendered electronic space music in a short period of time. This album is offered for free as a “thank you” to the Last FM fans and all others who…
Release data: Robert Scott Thompson – Poesis Athesis CD, Lens Records, 2008 “Poesis Athesis” by composer Robert Scott Thompson is his debut release on Lens Records. Robert and Chi Kung Master Terrence Dunn worked together in the mid-80’s, and contacted Thompson once again to compose music for his current series of video releases. Thompson composed the music to work specifically…
Release data: Stephen Parsick – Planetary Music CD-R, Private Release, 2008 This cd-r contains the one hour concert Stephen Parsick performed in front of a small audience in the Planetarium of Osnabrück on March 29, 2008. Musically it continues in the footsteps of “Fuzzstars”, offering a nice tapestry of well crafted textural ambience, slowly wrapping the listener in the realms…
Release data: Stephen Parsick – Cold Storage CD-R, Private Release, 2008 “Cold Storage” contains the music Stephen Parsick played at the final rehearsals for the concert in the Gasometer (which he considered his best-rehearsed concert that far), which later ended up on the album “Cryotainer”. It’s no surprise the music on this album resembles the sonic content nicely captured on…
Release data: Stephen Parsick – Traces of the Past redux CD, Private Release, 1998/2007 This version of “Traces of the Past” is a reworked, improved version of the album that originally came out in 1998 on Spheric music. It comprises a collection of ten tracks which Stephen composed between 1994 and 1997 with only limited gear and sound tools. As…
Release data: I Awake – The Core CD, Ultimae Records, 2008 The musician behind I Awake is the Stockholm based sound designer, soundtrack producer and musician Thomas Huttenlocher. “The Core” comes in a deluxe digi-pack with great digital art work by David Vineïs. The sonic outcome of the well produced and mastered “The Core”, for which Mr Huttenlocher collaborated with…
Release data: Dave Luxton – Hidden Music CD-R, Wayfarer Records, 2008 Dave Luxton is a musician from the Lawrence Kansas area. The concept-album “Hidden Music” -intended to facilitate a meditative process- is centred around the idea that natural places and phenomenon withhold an underlying energy, order and beauty that can be perceived and experienced emotionally by the human observer when…
Release data: Natural Frequencies – Tranquility in Motion CD, Ozella Music, 2007 Natural Frequencies is an ambient/chill-out project from the late Andreas Leifeld, who sadly passed away on February 1st 2006, only 50 years old. The music on “Tranquillity in Motion”, the second album under this moniker if I’m correct, is of an overall slow, minimal nature, carefully shaped with…
Release data: Robert Fox – Adonai CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, AD Music, 2008 The concept album “Adonai”, originally created for theatre, is Robert’s evocative sonic telling of the Easter Story and a remarkable man from a human point of view. Assembled of grand orchestral soundscapes, vocal textures, guitar and piano, the album unmistakeably reveals a new side of Robert’s music. The 17…