Release data: Ulrich Schnauss – Goodbye CD, Independiente Music, 2007 The German musician Ulrich Schnauss, who now has settled down in the UK, definitely has reshuffled the cards for the music on this album. “Goodbye”, his first album in about four years, introduces further songwriting, more vocals (especially those of Judith Beck) and much multi-layered guitars. As Ulrich states, this…
Release data: Jerome Froese – Precooked Munchies EP, Moonpop, 2007 “Precooked Munchies” is a limited edition Ep containing 34 minutes/five tracks of music. The first two tracks are taken from his forthcoming second album “Shiver me Timbres”, and like on “Neptunes” the overall sound is mainly based on guitars. Well, the outcome really makes me look forward to the complete…
Release data: Jerome Froese – Shiver me Timbers CD, Groove Unlimited, 2009 October 29, 2007 finally saw the release of Jerome Froese’s cd “Shiver me Timbers”. It’s his second full-length album, on which he sonically further detaches himself from the TD-sound. His Ep “Precooked Munchies” already contained two tracks taken of the new album. On “Shiver me Timbers”, Jerome presents…
Release data: Tangerine Dream – Soundmill Navigator CD, TDI Music, 2000 “Soundmill Navigator”, a Tangerine Dream Classics Edition, contains a vintage live recording from 1976, where the trio Baumann, Froese and Franke performed a concert at the Philharmonics. The almost 42-minute track finds the musicians in good spirits, as the set features lots of mellotron and antique sound textures, which…
Release data: Colourform – Visions of Surya CD, Virtual Records, 2008 Colourform is an ambient project of Matt Hillier (aka Isqh) and the late Jake Stephenson. Like the previous two Virtual-releases “Visions of Surya” comes with a beautifully designed cd-booklet. Being in the works since 2002, it’s a 66-minute psychedelic chill-out album with a strong Eastern flavour. Rather otherworldly in…
Release data: Uwe Reckzeh – Altitude 30000 CD-R, Mellowjet Records, 2007 This is my first encounter with a full album of this musician, of whom I only knew a few single tracks from the E-dition sampler cds. Uwe Reckzeh’s fifth album “Altitude 30000” is an contemporary instrumental album of which the sound design and sequencing are strongly Berliner School-based. The…
Release data: Wintherstormer – Electric Fairytales CD, Bajkal Records, 2008 The Norwegian quartet Wintherstormer, playing analogue instruments only, recorded the “live-in-studio” music of “Electric Fairytales” in front of an audience. Although retro in vein, their improvised output always continued to contain a rough, surprising and unconventional edge, which is again the case here. The four lengthy pieces on this 77-minute…
Release data: Kettel – Myam James Part I CD, Sending Orbs, 2008 Kettel is the alias of the Dutch intelligent dance music composer Reimer Eising, of which “Myam James” is the first of a series of albums. His gear consist of software and a faithful laptop, on which he composes his rhythmic, wicked and quirky electronic pieces. Next to lots…
Release data: Robert Davies – Shadow Dreams CD-R, DataObscura, 2007 “Shadow Dreams” by graphic artist and ambient musician Robert Davies is a concept album dedicated to the strange worlds created by writers and cinematographers. It comes as a double cd, offering two hours of free form soundscapes and slow morphing drone textures. It’s a sonic painting which descents in shadowy,…
Release data: Brainwork – Ten CD, Cue Records, 2008 “Ten” is the tenth studio album by Cologne-based musician Uwe Saher, which he totally dedicated to the Berliner School. It was this style that ruled the genre when Uwe started off at the end of the ‘70s. The cd contains four lengthy, well composed pieces, featuring a very nice range of…
Release data: Richard Bone – Short Waves Short Waves CD-R/DVD-R, Quirkworks Laboratory Discs, 2008 March 20, 2008 saw the release of Richard Bone’s beautiful packaged audiovisual project “Short Waves”, which was carefully crafted over the course of a year and a half. It is available as a limited edition cd, which contains the actual soundtrack of the dvd plus extended…
Release data: Jeffrey Koepper – Sequentaria CD, Air Space Records, 2008 As the title suggests, the listener undergoes a sequencer-ride through vintage electronic music, for which skilled hands combined a whole bunch analogue gear with some modern instruments of today. While recording the music of his third album “Sequentaria” (of which Steve Roach again did the final mastering), Jeffrey remembered…
Release data: Phillip Wilkerson – Starjournal CD-R, Clinical Archives, 2008 “Starjournal” by ambient musician Phillip Wilkerson is a collection of 11 tracks, all composed around a series of field recordings made from a radio telescope. Those who are familiar with his gentle flowing soundscape music will be surprised, as the experimental oriented sonic content of “Starjournal” isn’t that easy to…
Release data: Carboneids – Synthsyg CD, Mellowjet Records, 2007 “Synthsyg” is Carboneids’ debut album on the German Mellowjet label, but it’s actually a re-release of the same album that already came out on HZ-Records in 2005. Carboneids are the Danish duo Bjorn Jeppesen (also known as Nattefrost) and Claus Holm Lynglund, presenting a fresh portion of synth-pop tracks. From the…
Release data: Kerry Leimer – Lesser Epitomes CD, Palace of Lights, 2007 The ambient music on this cd is a collection of modern chamber music made with electronics. Split in three long suites, it’s a textural free form piece of work. In the first part, the strongest of the three in my opinion, the flowing sound of the electronic instruments…
Release data: Arrocata – In the Distance CD, Sonoran Winds Music, 2006 Arrocata is a project from Arizona-based musician Robert Straub, a long time resident of the Sonoran Desert. “In the Distance”, which draws inspiration from the expansive open spaces and deserts in the American Southwest, transports the listener to the very heart of the Sonoran desert where the timeline…
Release data: Altus – Rapid Eye Movements DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2008 Mike Carss, aka Altus, explains that this album is not meant as a sleeping aid, but as a sonic voyage through one’s dreams and the secrets they can reveal. Sonically, the seven flowing textural parts follow a rather darkening path that stretches out in the direction of his…
Release data: Static Flux – Minus (-) 6 CD-R, Oasis Productions/Akasa, 2006/2008 The first album under Oasis Productions’ “Sound As Music” concept on the Oasis label division Akasa is a release from Static Flux, aka the Canadian musician Jona Stuart. The sonic outcome is described as “ambient layers, created by sampling environments and objects with a stereo microphone, then modifying…
Release data: Origen – Electro CD, Private Release, 2004 “Electro” is the debut album of the Origen, aka Alexsey and Denis Zakharenko, a duo from the Ukraine who established the band in 1996. “Electro” is a collection of 13 melodic tracks which overtly roam in overall relaxing, strong new age kind of music. The cover is rather misleading, as those…
Release data: Kwook – Skywave CD, Blue Oasis/DataObscura, 2008 Kwook is an ambient project of the Australian musician Simon Bennett. Where his previous album UFO was quite outer-space themed, Bennett’s second album “Skywave” is a musical survey of shortwave radio. Sonically, a varied array of distorted signals are very nicely matches with sequenced parts and minimal, flowing melodic structures and…
Release data: M. Persson – Sounds: Strange Skies CD-R, Lunar Flower I discovered this excellent ambient release through a blog-message on the Altus website. Mats Persson is a Swedish composer who’s intimate sounding album Sounds: “Strange Skies” is intended on conveying a musical experience of complete immersion. Well, he succeeded very well, as the free flowing textures on the seven…
Release data: Konrad Kucz – Vita Contemplativa – Litania – CD, Generator.pl, 2008 This is the first release of the Polish Generator-label, and as the title already suggests, it’s a nice contemplative affair into symphonic ambient music. I got the impression “Litania” is part of a series of albums of Mr Kucz, as I found at least one other album…
Release data: Robert Rich & Ian Boddy – React CD, DiN, 2008 For me, these two talented and experienced musicians have already proved what they are capable of on their previous two studio albums. “React” is proof of their first ever live performance, which took place at the Star’s End radio show 30th anniversary celebration concert in June 2007, which…
Release data: Memory Geist – Funereal Cavern CD, Musica Maxima Magnetica, 2007 Memory Geist is a collaborative project of the Greek musician Bakis Sirros (aka Parallel Worlds) and Australian composer Steve Law (aka Zen Paradox, Starseed Transmission). “Funereal Cavern” is their debut album, for which Bakis send some soundscape recordings to Steve, which he proceeded to edit and process into…
Release data: Stephen Parsick – Fuzzstars – music for planetariums Vol. 2 CD-R, Private Release, 2008 “Fuzzstars” is Parsick’s second release of planetarium music, again released as a limited edition of only 25 copies. As Stephen tells in the press sheet, the music is the outcome of a series of late night rehearsals and improvisations between November 2007 and January…
Release data: Craig Padilla – Below The Mountain CD, Spotted Peccary Music, 2008 “Below the Mountain” is a beautiful ambient and deep space offering by skilled electronic musician Craig Padilla. Created on analogue synthesizers for the most biggest part, the concept album was inspired by the environments surrounding Mt. Shasta. This has led to seven pieces of carefully moulded in-depth…
Release data: Aquavoice – Cold CD, Generator.pl, 2008 From the first tracks of this carefully moulded and shaped ambient album, it becomes clear that the composer Tadeusz Luczejko has invested a lot of attention and time to the outcome. “Cold” is a gently morphing and flowing textural piece of work which comes in 13 “parts”, breathing a beautiful soft glowing…
Release data: Chad Kettering – Into the Infinite CD, Soniclayers Music, 2008 Chad Kettering is an electronic ambient artist from Texas, USA. He started out as a professional trumpet player, and for many years he performed with various orchestras and small ensembles before he discovered the genre of electronic music. Being captured by the great effects and impact of sound…
Release data: [‘ramp] Doombient.Three – Kalte Sterne CD-R, Private Release, 2008 “Doombient.three – Kalte Sterne” is the third and final cd-r in the series of “doombient” albums which came into being in 2003 and 2006 respectively. The music of “Kalte Sterne” was recorded live in concert at Bochum Planetarium in February 2007, and is (as the press sheet states) by…
Release data: Pantha du Prince – This Bliss CD, Dial/Kompakt, 2007 Don’t be fooled by the title, as this album features instrumental minimal-techno music by German DJ, producer and composer Hendrik Weber, who operates under the alias Pantha du Prince. His second album “This Bliss” is an independent release featuring intelligent electronica with a drive, open sound, spatial sphere and…
Release data: Evan Bartholomew – Secret Entries into Darkness CD, Somnia, 2008 “Secret Entries into Darkness” is the second sonic storytelling by Portland based musician Evan Bartholomew (aka Bluetech) on his newly founded Somnia-label. Like it predecessor, it’s a limited release of only 777 hand numbered copies and comes as beautiful designed hand stamped on hand made paper, hand sewn…
Release data: Galactic Anthems – Semper Fidelity CD-R, Private Release, 2007 A couple of years ago, Radio Massacre International did a concept album based on a story by sci-fi storyteller Matt Howarth. Galactic Anthems, aka Glenn Adams, now comes with a similar kind of release, an enhanced cd offering a moody and dynamic musical score to the story which is…
Release data: Bruno Sanfilippo & Mathias Grassow – Ambessence – piano & drones CD, ad21 Music, 2008 After his introspective solo album “Piano Textures”, Spanish composer Bruno Sanfilippo collaborated with German ambient musician Mathias Grassow to create the transparent, sedate soundings of “Ambessence”. The album contains seven reflective sonic excursions, in which Bruno’s delicate piano playing beautifuly compliment the fluid,…
Release data: Robert Schroeder – D.MO Vol. 2 CD, Spheric Music, 2008 Back in 1998, Cue Records released volume 1 in this series of unreleased original recordings 1978-1982, and I remember that one sounded and looked rather amateurish. February 2008 saw the release of “D.MO Vol. 2”, which sticks to unreleased original music from 1980, 1981 and 1983, all mostly…
Release data: Hol Baumann – [Human] CD, Ultimae Records, 2008 “[Human]” is the first cd of Lyon-based sound designer and musician Hol Baumann, aka Olivier Orand. To me, Baumann’s peculiar form of down-tempo music is rather different from the usual stuff that I know from this established French label. It contains rather rough edges next to lots of glitchy sounds,…
Release data: Ion – Future Forever CD-R, Infection Music, 2007 Ion is a new solo venture by David J. Hughes, by many known as founder member of T-Bass and the last man standing in the Skin Mechanix collaboration. Ion cuts off at a tangent and is, according to Hughes, an attempt to get back to basics, to shift the emphasis…
Release data: Spyra – High Phidelity CD, Ricochet Dream, 2007 I’ve always considered it a pleasure to discover the new musical adventures of German musician Wolfram “Der” Spyra, who now brings us his double album “High Phidelity”. It offers over 140 minutes of great live music which he performed on several locations and moments in time: The Gatherings in Philadelphia…
Release data: David Parsons – Surya CD, Celestial Harmonies, 2008 After a very long wait, we can finally welcome “Surya”, an album which nicely continues the deep atmospheric realms which David explored on his album “Inner Places” release. For the highly atmospheric music, David only used hardware synthesizers and oscillators to give the outcome a more electronic sound. “Surya”, Parsons…
Release data: Various Artists – Ricochet Gathering Mojave 2003 CD, Ricochet Dream, 2004 The outcome of this double cd was realized during sessions recorded live on April 25-29, 2003, in the Mojave Desert in California. On this occasion, several musicians drew inspiration from the retro electronic and Berliner School of music, in particular Tangerine Dream’s album “White Eagle“. Among the…
Release data: Alio Die & Martina Galvagni – Eleusian Lullaby CD, Projekt, 2008 “Eleusian Lullaby” is a harmonious, serene collection of acoustical improvisations with voice, psaltery, zither, cithara, bells, metals and field recordings by Alio Die, aka Stefano Musso. Music wise, it follows in the footsteps of his previous recordings “Mei-Jyu” (with Jack and Jive) and “Apsaras” (with Amelia Cuni).…
Release data: Gulan – Sphere CD-R, Private Release, 2005 Since a while I’m familiar with the nice ambient space music by Gulan, aka Andrei Gulaikin, who seems to compile albums from various tracks of the same name. “Sphere”, which comes with great cover art, starts in the same manner as his album “Cassiopeia”: warm, drifting textures of the title track…
Release data: Philippe Emmanuel Gueble – Fire & Remembrance CD-R, Oasis/Mirage, 2007 This album is an extended and improved re-release by the Canadian label Oasis/Mirage, composed by the French ambient composer Philippe Emmanuel Gueble. For a review of the original cd, see elsewhere on this site. The album, previously released through the Polish Underwater Music label in 1993, now has…
Release data: Vic Hennegan – Desert God CD-R, Space for Music, 2004 The album “Desert God” is the second album sent to me by this American musician, which investigates a complete different world of music, the realms of the ambient/space genre. “Gaya” is a haunting free floating track with great textures, but sadly enough this atmosphere and impact is withdrawn…
Release data: Vic Hennegan – Pure Creative Spirit CD-R, Private Release, 2004 In the huge pile of promo cds I encountered “Pure Creative Spirit” from the North Hollywood-based musician Vic Hennegan. He says to combine influences of the old (Schulze, TD) and new school of artists (Moby, Paul Oakenfield, DJ Sasha) in his music. Well, it’s a techno-trance album with…
Release data: Michael Stearns – The Storm CD, Spotted Peccary Music, 2001 The content of this album by ambient master Michael Stearns is not as new as one might think. In fact, half of the twelve tracks on the album are really new, and contain music Michael composed for various films and documentaries. Nevertheless, it’s always a great joy to…
Release data: Jeff Pearce –Bleed CD, Hypnos Recordings, 2002 With “Bleed”, his seventh album on Hypnos recordings, ambient guitarist Jeff Pearce present us a very personal piece of work. Inspired by recently-revisited entries to his teen-age journal, the outcome represents moments of remembrance, exploration, and a catharsis. In an interview with Instrumental Weekly, he said the album is quite the…
Release data: Jeff Pearce – The Light Beyond CD, Hypnos Recordings, 2001 “The Light Beyond” is a live album, recorded at Chuck van Zyl’s Star’s End radio show after string master Jeff Pearce did a concert at The Gatherings in Philadelphia. The outcome is a engaging, continuous flow of freeform textural soundscapes, all created with a guitar and various processing…
Release data: Jeff Pearce – Vestiges CD, Private Release, 1998 “Vestiges”, the third album of the skilled American ambient musician Jeff Pearce, comes in the typical trademark cover of Hypnos recordings. Pearce composed and recorded all music at night with his beloved e-guitar, using a whole range of studio magic and reverb techniques to let the outcome sound like pure…
Release data: Jeff Pearce – To the Shores of Heaven CD, Hypnos Recordings, 1999 “To the Shores of Heaven” is the fifth album by Indiana-based ambient musician Jeff Pearce, by many better know as composer of “spacious music for strings”. There were some darker and foreboding passages to be found on his previous albums, so it’s a surprise to find…
Release data: Mantaray – Numinous Island CD, Silent Records/Demon Tea, 1995/1999 This is in fact a re-release of an album that already came out in 1995 on Silent Records, but I found out it was also re-released in 2003. Mantaray is the duo Ray Castle and Susumo Yokota, who hereby present an intriguing hour of ambient/chill out music. There’s only…
Release data: Galactic Anthems – Galactic Anthems CD, Private Release, 2002 The musician behind Galactic Anthems is Glenn Adams. He attended Berklee College of music for several years and later on graduated in music composition at California State University. This is his debut cd, which looks solid and nice from the outside. The music inside is best classified as space…
Release data: Force Majeure – Total Eclipse CD, Periferic Records, 1999 Force Majeure, aka Laszlo Kovacs and Zsolt Vidovenyecz, hails from Hungary. “Total Eclipse” is their debut cd, dedicated to the solar eclipse of August 11, 1999. The music shows some distinct traces from the Berliner School, especially Tangerine Dream. The latter applies to the use of sequencers used on…
Release data: Stephen Parsick – Cryotainer – music for gasometers CD-R, Private Release, 2007 As the titled already suggests, the 64 minutes of long form music found on “Cryotainer” is of a frosty and cold nature. It is in fact a live recording of a concert performed in Oberhausen at the Gasometer (an abandoned industrial gas tank) in November 2007.…
Release data: Deep Imagination – Gemstones CD-R, Syngate, 2008 “Gemstones” is Deep Imagination’s second release, a project by Thorsten Sudler-Mainz and friends. The album starts out with “Planetary System”, followed by four live tracks. They all start out rather nice in a cosmic atmosphere, but after that there’s not much going on, as I couldn’t detect any real develop in…
Release data: Various Artists – Future Memories CD, Interchill Records, 2008 “Future Memories” is the first Interchill release of 2008 and continues in the musical tradition as the previous compilations such as “Interior Horizons”, “Infinessence” and “Bliminal”. The cd, compiled by Interchill label DJ/A&R Nathalie Edell, holds ten previously unreleased tracks by top ambient and down tempo producers. Although the…
Release data: John Foxx & Harold Budd – Translucence & Drift Music CD, Edsel Records/Metamatic Records, 2003 Ambient fans who love to listen to delicate, introspective music should make sure to find a copy of this brand-new delicacy. Packaged in a beautiful designed double gatefold digipak, Foxx and Budd present “Translucence + Drift Music”, a double-cd with 47 and 50…
Release data: Dan Pound – Return to Other Worlds CD-R/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, PoundSounds, 2012 “Return to Other Worlds” is a commemorative retrospective double-album by US-composer Dan Pound, and also his third re-master project based on older material . This package covers the six albums (“Other Worlds”, “Return”, “In a Hummingbird´s Dream”, “Heart´s Core” , “Horizon” and “Door Beyond Time”) that were…
Release data: Numina – Evolving Visions CD-R, Private Release, 2001 “Evolving Visions” is an adventurous audio-excursion which ambient composer Jesse Sola, aka Numina, has put together. In my opinion, the outcome doesn’t disappointed at all. Imagine you take a dive into an ocean filled with vast, encompassing ambient soundworlds. The sonic scenery, which contains elements of Brian Eno or Harold…
Release data: Art of Infinity – Dimension Universe CD, BSC/Prudence, 2004 Art of Infinity is a German band founded by Thorsten Sudler-Mainz and Thorsten Rentsch. The concept album “Dimension Universe” is their second release, described as their endless journey into space. Well, my first impression of the music was that it had a slight IC-flair from the old days (but…
Release data: Cyber Zen Sound Engine – Moonscapes: How Stones become enlightened CD, N-Light Records, 2000 “Moonscapes” is the debut album of the Houston based duo Cyber Zen Sound Engine, aka the anonymous duo GraceNoteX and Smith6079. The music contained on this album is what I would describe as progressive, cinematic ambient with a slight high-tech touch. On several occasions,…