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it out today.

 


Sam Rosenthal Projekt Records
Sam Rosenthal
Projekt Records

Fight Piracy. Help your favorite artists fight illegal file sharing!


AV's Q&A
With Forest

Forest Musical Starstreams
Forest
 

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Articles Around
the web

New Age Music
Made Simple
by Stephen Hill

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Wikipedia Style


AngelRhoPlus
by AngelRho

 

The Sea Was Once Here
by Robert Casady

 



Polar Isolation
by Scott Lawlor

 



The Expanse
by ambientsketchbook

 



Remarkable Events
by Kloob

 


Untitled
by Shall Remain Nameless

 


Nachtstucke
by Hiemis

 



After
by Cyberchump

 


Chroma Plateau
by Numina

 


Across a Sea of Dreams
by Bing Satellites

 

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Recurrence
by Erik Wollo

Into the Majestic
by Steve Roach

Phosphenes
by Dave Bessell & Parallel Worlds


Phosphenes
by Dave Bessell &
Parallel Worlds

 

DiN Press Release

The names of Dave Bessell & Parallel Worlds should be familiar to aficionados of the DiN label with various solo & collaborative albums under their belts. “Phosphenes” see these two well respected musicians team up for their third collaborative release on DiN.  

Following on from Morphogenic (DiN41, 2012) & Dystopia (DiN56, 2018) this new album builds on their previous work creating an imaginary Synthwave soundtrack. Bakis Sirros the mastermind behind Parallel Worlds provides the skittering rhythmic backdrop to the tracks over which he and Bessell overlay ominous bass lines, twisting melodies and creative sound design that recall a shadow of 1980s John Carpenter film scores. Bessell also adds his unique guitar style that he so effectively uses in his other well known side project with the synth quartet Node. Both musicians make extensive use of modular synth systems but in very different ways that perfectly blend together in these eight atmospheric tracks. 

The duo of Bessell and Sirros really do have a unique sound that is unlike anything else released in the world of electronic music and “Phosphenes” presents another chance to enter their darkly twisted sonic world.  

01 Transformation   05:20
02 Empire   06:27
03 Obscure Memories   11:32
04 Silent Observer   06:29
05 Darkest Colour   05:37
06 Mindgames   07:00
07 Dream Creator   08:12
08 Inner Beacon   05:22  

Total Time: 56:13   

Visit the DiN page


Recurrence
by Erik Wollo

 

Projekt Press Release

Following his acclaimed 2020 collaboration with American synthesist Michael Stearns (CONVERGENCE, PRO371) renowned Norwegian ambient / electronic artist Erik Wøllo returns with 2021’s RECURRENCE. An intensely detailed fusion of elegant compositions and deep atmospherics, it’s a gleaming sonic journey — a timeless dreamlike pilgrimage revisiting the sound and feel of past moments with an essence of eternal renewal.

Delicately evocative synthesizer atmospheres are skillfully balanced with pulsating rhythmic passages. Wøllo’s trademark processed electric guitars, synthesizers, occasional acoustic guitars and percussion create a cohesive structure that bonds the pieces into a warm, breathing continuum. Conceived to unfold as one unit, the tracks are movements drawing the listener into a deep, adventurous flow.

“I chose the title RECURRENCE,” Erik reflects, “because much of the music is built upon the idea of presenting a theme or a melodic element at the beginning of each song. This element is repeated later but within a new musical environment that evolved during the progress of the composition. It is a simple idea I’ve used on previous albums, though it’s more defined this time around. Compare it to a place you revisit and a new occurrence of something that happened or appeared before are revealed. On the revisit you explore new angles, seeing and feeling new aspects of the same experience.”

The album’s most active pieces are built upon arcs of rhythm and layers of sequencer patterns — with Wøllo’s lead lines setting the pace. “The Way of no Return” and “Umbra” both have dramatic percussive punctuations with pulsating arpeggios and deep analog bass. The ethereal tracks “Oblivion” and “Dream River” soar and dive in open, airy sections that stretch through time. These quiet, introspective and slowly unfolding pieces have a musical vastness of space — highly lush and expansive washes, powerfully evocative and soothing translucence.

“Stargazers” features acoustic guitars which evoke a warm aerial nostalgia: an organic sonic texture contrasted with long and elegant synthesizer lines. Digital-only bonus tracks “Cloud Circles,” “Chime Rain” and “Afterprints” close this journey with beautifully hazy synth swells added with distant soaring guitar voices. Peaceful and tranquil, this trilogy of tracks completes this enterprising and panoramic travelogue. An utterly suspended, lyrical and sublime outro.

RECURRENCE highlights Wøllo’s extraordinary luminous mastery. With elements reminiscent of previous releases like GATEWAY and DIFFERENT PLACES, it also sees impulses from Wøllo’s renowned collaborations with electronic music pioneers Steve Roach and Michael Stearns. Emotional and filled with sonic imagery, RECURRENCE will entice the listener to repeated listens.

1. Recurrence
2. The Presence of Future
3. Oblivion
4. Clouds Forever
5. Way of no return
6. Umbra
7. Dream River 1
8. Stargazers
9. Cloud Circles
10. Chime Rain
11. Afterprints
    

Visit the Projekt page


Abracadabra
by Milana Zilnik

 

AV's Spotlight Review

Abracadabra by Milana Zilnik AV Spotlight CD Review

The cool breezes have already started to blow in the northeastern U.S. and the leaves are starting to let go their grip on the limbs they have clung to since the spring and slowly drift to the ground in ever increasing numbers. As we enter October, we know that come the 31st is a holiday that many of us look forward to every year but this year there’s another reason to look forward to October 31st and that’s the release of Abracadabra by Milana Zilnik. As you might remember we reviewedMilana’s last album called Notte here on AV back in May of 2019. We are pleased to see that she will soon be releasing another an enchanting album and what more appropriate time to release an album called Abracadabra than on Halloween 2020.

About a year and half ago Milana bought a Hang drum and started to work with it to get a feel for how it would fit into the overall flow of her musical compositions. At first Milana was going to do a whole album based around the Hang drum but at a suggestion of her husband they decided instead to build the new compositions around the Hang drum, Milana’s piano playing, vocals and a cello and thus was Abracadabra born.  I must say that the combination of these particular instruments creates a unique sound palette that shifts and swirls around you as the compositions beckon you to let go of your mundane surroundings for the remainder of the album and find the magic within yourself.

Click here for the rest of the review


Kevin Keller

 


The Front Porch of Heaven

 

AV's Artist Interview Page

The Front Porch of Heaven:  AV talks to Kevin Keller

Now in his third decade as a composer and recording artist, Kevin Keller has crafted a diverse discography – twenty releases in total – that has made him a favorite on beloved syndicated radio programs Hearts of Space and Echoes, found his music featured on the popular TV show So You Think You Can Dance, and won him two ZMR (Zone Music Reporter) Awards for “Best Neo-Classical Album”. Beyond that, he regularly receives commissions from ballet companies, and he has recently moved into the field of film and television scores. Pretty good for a guy who entered the conservatory never having had even a single piano lesson. 

Growing up in Northern California in a not particularly musical family, his gateway into music came when friends played him the sounds of Krautrock legends Tangerine Dream, synthesizer pioneer Wendy Carlos's Switched-On Brandenburgs, and the ambient soundscapes of Harold Budd and Brian Eno. By the end of his high school years he had started playing piano, teaching himself how to read music so he could play Debussy. Keller says, "I don't really hear a big difference between Harold Budd and Claude Debussy, except that Debussy is more harmonically complex. But in terms of the aesthetic, I feel like they're similar – if you simplify Debussy, you end up with [Budd and Eno’s] Ambient 2. Or The Pearl." No surprise, then, that after Keller's second album came out, John Diliberto of Echoes dubbed Keller's style "ambient chamber music."  

After graduating from college, where he'd had the run of an electronic music studio, he had to start from scratch by saving enough money to buy some synthesizers of his own, which allowed him to create his debut album, The Mask of Memory. "If you listen to that with me," Keller admits, "I can point out, 'that's my homage to Budd and Eno there, that's me lifting a melody from [Tangerine Dream's] Rubycon.' But I remember when I was working on 'Pale Unkempt Hours of Late Grey Afternoons,' it started out sounding sort of like Debussy, and then this melodic figure came in, and I remember that it really struck me: 'This doesn't sound like anything I've ever heard. This just sounds like...me.' I felt like I had discovered something that was purely my own that was separate from all of those influences. Sort of like soundtrack music for my own life." Hearts of Space liked The Mask of Memory enough that they played two of its tracks on one week's show, and HOS host Stephen Hill became "a mentor" to Keller.  

To read AV's interview with Kevin Keller click here


Other Artist Interviews on Ambient Visions

Red Sky Prairie: AV talks to Sharon Fendrich
The Synergy Series: AV talks to Clifford White

Reach: AV talks to Jeff Oster

When the Sea Lets Go: AV talks to Vin Downes

Shifting Sands: AV Talks to Lynn Tredeau

Breathe: AV talks to Carl Borden

Kreuzblut Michael Brückner talks to Mathias Grassow

Indesterren AV talks to Tom Eaton

What We Left Behind Michael Brückner talks to Robert Rich

Music for a Busy Head Vol. 1 AV talks to Matt Coldrick

Chakra Balance AV talks to David and Steve Gordon

Heading West AV talks to Mike Howe

The Great Hoop AV talks with Steve Brand
Cosmic Diva AV talks to Stephanie Sante

Primitives AV talks to Remy Stroomer and Michel van Osenbruggen aka Synth.nl

Subliminal Pulse AV talks to Bruno Sanfilippo

Miles Tones Av talks to Jame Kirsch aka General Fuzz

In Search of Silence AV talks to David Wright

Beachcombing AV Talks to Bob Holroyd

The Mountain Lake AV Talks to Johan Agebjorn

Jewel in the Sun AV Talks to Diane Arkenstone

A Quiet Light AV talks to Meg Bowles

Fragments AV talks to Steve Roberts aka Amongst Myselves

A Day Within Days AV talks to Michael Allison aka Darshan Ambient

Frequency Response AV talks to Matthew McDonough aka MjDawn

Portal AV Talks to Rich Brodsky aka Atomic Skunk

Blue Dream AV talks to Fiona Joy Hawkins

Where Edges Meet AV talks to James Murray

Carrying the Bag of Hearts AV Talks to Janet Robbins

Into the Infinite AV Talks to Chad Kettering

A New Kind of Love AV Talks to Robin Spielberg

Following the Call AV Talks to Ann Licater

Dimensions AV Talks to John Lyell

Touching the Serpents Tail AV Talks to Robert Fox

Vast AV Talks to Saul Stokes

Fever Dreams III AV talks to Steve Roach 2007

Sankhara AV talks to cyberCHUMP


Ian Boddy

 

News on the web

20 Years of DiN, the Label Connecting Ambient’s Past and Present

It's always good to see articles spotlighting those artists who have been producing electronic music for decades and giving them the accolades that they so richly deserve. DiN goes back to 1999 when it was formed to put out music by other artists instead of just being a vehicle to release Ian's music out into the world. Ambient Visions goes back to just about that same time frame as well forming in late 1999 as a conduit to bring ambient/electronic/new age music to a wider audience by allowing them to read about the artists that up until that point were just names on album covers. We are happy to have shared Ian's journey with our readers over the last couple of decades and wanted to share a paragraph or two from this article with readers of AV, point you to the article on BC's website & to help Ian's label and his music gain even more recognition. Enjoy!

"I wanted to form a bridge between that 1970s Tangerine Dream, sequencer-dominated heritage, and what a lot of the newer and younger musicians now are making on laptops,” says veteran ambient composer and DiN label founder Ian Boddy. “A lot of people my age are so hooked on this old style. That’s all they do. Every album has this Berlin school sequencer chugging along in the background. And that’s fine! But there’s more to be done than just that.” 

In 1998, Boddy was releasing music on his private label Something Else Records—a catch-all for self-releases and the odd collaboration that, at the time of its closure, had been in operation for over a decade. The desire to publish music by others and to form a more coherent identity led to the formation of DiN, a more formal label, in 1999. 84 records in, DiN has put out work by renowned composers like Robert Rich, spotlighted on the Index series of compilations; it’s even got its own sub-label, Tone Sciences, which launched in 2018 to spotlight music made with modular synths. From enchantingly elaborate and soothing drumless IDM to unsettling pulsing ambient techno, there’s no one DiN sound—it’s more of a DiN sensibility. With a 20th anniversary celebration around the corner, it’s safe to say Boddy has been successful building that bridge from the past to the present."

Click here to read the article on Bandcamp's website


Aeon V
by Solaris

 

AV's Spotlight Review

Solaris by Aeon V review by Richard Gürtler

Highly sympathetic Californian label Synphaera Records, run by Chris Bryant and Don Tyler, quickly became an important voice on the map of ambient and electronic related genres with several top-notch sonic and visual gems resonating since 2015. Solaris "Aeon V" CDr, packaged in a 4-panel digipak and released in a limited edition of 150 copies during March 2017, is no exception. The project features Serbian soundsculptor Strahinja Maletic, one half of Fourth Dimension, and above mentioned Don Tyler, who is together with Chris Bryant the force behind Ascendant project. Sten Backman of Great Big Container gets credit for transporting cover image while Don Tyler is responsible for the mastering wizardry at his IO Mastering Studio.

Gossamery tinkles announce 7-plus minutes long "Ritual" and shift it into contemplatively embracing sceneries, where mesmerizingly invading monochromatic drones amalgamate with balmily organic serenities and quietly paced traceries. A very strong introduction of Solaris' soundworlds!!! Nearly 6-minute "Levitation" unfolds suitably to its title, but soon it metamorphoses into intangibly sequenced terrains, pervaded by enchanting cinematic glimpses. "Inward" masterfully bridges gracefully sinuous vistas with illuminating traces. "Waiting" maintains its evocative scenario, yet again juxtaposed by anodynely marching patterns. "Roundabout", at 5 minutes the shortest piece on the album, glides towards intensely engulfing horizons, exquisitely nuanced and meticulously permeated by intriguingly nebulous solitudes. Pure aural elixir!!! Shimmering introspections with mysteriously flatlined meridians riding atop and persistently glittering scenic motifs carve truly magnificent imageries, "Intrinsic" is obviously another exceptional composition, bravo Strahinja & Don!!!

Click here for the rest of the review


Renee' Blanche

Renée Blanche

AV's Charts

Night Tides Playlist

We just wanted to make sure that the readers of AV were aware of the radio shows like Renee Blanche's Night Tides that feature ambient and new age music each and every Sunday night. There are so many choices out there to listen to music that it might be tempting to skip shows like Night Tides or Star's End or Galactic Travels or Hearts of Space in favor of just pulling up a playlist on Spotify and listening to it instead. Renee and Bill and Chuck and Stephen have been spotlighting great ambient/new age music on their programs for many, many years now and I think listeners would be doing themselves a disservice by not taking advantage of all of that musical programming skills to help you on your journey of discovery into the vast catalog of ambient, new age and electronic music both past and present.  

So perhaps you weren't aware of these programs or of the music that they play but AV is here to help. We are going to start featuring a radio show on the front page with links to the charts on AV's Charts page so you can get a feel for what is being played on these radio shows. You can then follow the links under each chart to learn more about the program, what time it's on and even links that will allow you to stream it live right there on your computer. It doesn't get more convenient than that. To kick off these reminders we'll start with Night Tides which airs on Sunday nights just in time to decompress you before heading off to work on Monday morning. There is a small sample of the playlist just below and for the complete playlist just follow the link and begin your musical explorations. A lot of us grew up in an era when radio was our main music discovery venue. These programmers are simply carrying on a proud tradition of helping listeners such as yourself find the music that you didn't even know you were looking for. Enjoy!

Click here to check out Night Tides Playlist



Tom Eaton


How It Happened

 

 

AV's CD Focus Interview

How It Happened AV talks with Tom Eaton

Tom Eaton is a composer, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and engineer who has been behind the scenes of hundreds of albums since opening his first commercial studio in 1993. 

Known for his long association with Windham Hill Records founder Will Ackerman, with whom he has worked as co-producer and engineer for nearly a decade, Tom kept his own compositions tucked aside as he focused on helping others bring their music into the world. In 2016 he released his first solo CD, abendromen, which won him the “2016 Best New Artist” award from Zone Music Reporter. abendromen, and its follow up, indesterren, were featured on Echoes, Hearts of Space, and Star’s End radio, and both made numerous “Best of the Year” lists. 

“...restrained nocturnes which attest to the power of simplicity – a piano sound to lust after, immersed in a suggestive, gauzy world of beautifully wrought electronics and guitar loops.” Tim Story about Tom Eaton 

Tom lives on the northern coast of Massachusetts with a large cat and a larger collection of vintage and modern synthesizers, guitars and sonic sculpting devices. The slow and dramatic changes of season, the power of the ocean, fatherhood, and the spatial and dynamic aesthetic of the classic Windham Hill and Private Music albums resonate through Tom’s work, described by Hypnagogue as “breathtaking…rich, complex and beautifully structured.”

Click here to read the rest of Tom Eaton's interview about How It Happened


Other AV's CD Focus Features available on Ambient Visions


 

AV's Upcoming, New and Notable Releases

One, Two, Three Locations EP
by Saul Stokes

Across the Milky Way
by The Ambient Visitor

Renewal
by Sherry Finzer


Autumn Tapes EP
by Phelios

My Temple
by Jarguna

Like Waves Betweeen Us
by Swartz et


La Papillonne
by  Ars Phantasia

Natural Light
by Louis Anthony deLise

The Adirondack Piano
by Bing Satellites


Moonlight Through the Trees
by The Ambient Drones
of Bill Baxter

Empyrean Castles
by Richard Bone

Healing Resonance
by
Dean Evenson, Scott Huckabay, Phil Heaven


Planetary Elements
by Craig Padilla & Skip Murphy

Dreaming Spaces
by Max Corbacho

Pleochroism
by
Juta Takahashi


Dark Roads for the
Young Magus
by Cathode Ray Tube

Trance Archeology
by Steve Roach

Afon Ether
by
Theta Wave Orchestra


Ubique
by Fourth Dimension

Origin # 03
by Solar Fields

Svalbarð
by
Glåsbird


Memories
by Michele McLaughlin

Centuries
by Sun Through Eylids

Understanding Holy Ghosts
by
Moss Garden


Base Camp
by Atomic Skunk

Elysian Fields
by Thom Brennan

Cupid Blindfolded
by
Michael Whalen


Another Time and Space
by Thom Brennan

Imaginary Conquests
by Thom Brennan

Alternate Landscapes
by
Jon Durant


Mike G

AV Articles

Electronic and ambient pioneer Steve Roach started creating his music during the late ‘70s golden age of analog synthesizers, a time when the digital variety was only visible on the horizon. So it’s refreshing that an album which continues that hands-on tradition, Spiral Revelation
(2017), garnered his first-ever Grammy nomination. Chosen in the Best New Age Album category, the album is crafted almost entirely with modular and stand-alone synthesizers, its sound grounded in the dynamic, spiraling interweave of melodic and rhythmic sequencer forms. 

With its analog leanings, Spiral Revelation sounds utterly contemporary thanks to Roach’s technological sophistication and creative maturity. Yet the bubbling, kinetic melodies point to his origins, making it a natural place to begin the story of how far and wide he has travelled.

Read the rest of this article by clicking here


How to Choose a Digital Piano – 10 Factors to Consider According to Science by Rob Beck

A digital piano is an electronic keyboard that emulates the sound and the feel of a genuine acoustic piano. It can be differentiated from its precursor instrument – the “synthesizer” – which uses electronically produced sound waves to create specifically electronic sounds. 

The first digital piano commercially available was produced by Yamaha in 1983. The Clavinova YP-40 was the most notable of the releases. More of an extension of the synthesizers of the 1970s, the sounds were electronically produced using Frequency Modulation, rather than sampling technology which is used by all digital pianos today. [1] 

Frequency Modulation synthesis (more commonly referred to as simply “FM”) works by modulating (or changing) the frequency of an electronically produced sound wave. This results in a wide variety of tone, dependent upon the changes in frequency and a combination of other waves. [2] 

A sample, on the other hand, is a short digital recording that can be triggered via a MIDI instrument, such as a piano-style keyboard. [3] 

A modern digital piano has a large bank of short digital recordings (samples) that are triggered by hitting the keys of the keyboard. Most modern digital pianos are capable of reproducing touch-sensitive play (see later).

To read the rest of the article click here.


Stefan Strand

 

 

AV's Quick 10 Interview

Legacy AV's Quick 10 With Stefan Strand aka Between Interval

Since the age of 14, Swedish composer Stefan Strand has been experimenting with and creating electronic sounds. Initially inspired by video game soundtracks and the German techno scene, it wasn’t long before he was discovering the more expansive soundscapes of artists like Jean Michel Jarre, Robert Rich, Aphex Twin and Pink Floyd. 

In 2003 he created Radio Silence, his first ambient album, and self-released it under the name Between Interval. He knew then that he had found a vast genre that he would come to explore for many years. 

Strand wants his music to be a rewarding and immersive experience for the listener. “I try to create atmospheres and moods with my music. I wouldn’t call it minimalistic, but instead of giving away too much in terms of melodies I aim to incorporate subtle and implicit changes.” 

Since it’s initial release, Radio Silence has been remastered and released on the Spotted Peccary label along with four other releases, Secret Observatory, Autumn Continent, The Edge of a Fairytale and Legacy.

Click here for this quick 10 interview with Stefan Strand aka Between Interval


Other Quick 10 Interviews on Ambient Visions

A World Bathed in Sunlight  AV's Quick 10 with Matthew Stewart
Imbue AV's Quick 10 With Androcell aka Tyler Smith


AV Goes to NYC
and reviews the
FLOW concert

 

AV's Concert Review

An Introvert Journeys to New York City and Goes With the FLOW

As you may or may not know I tend to be a very introverted person who is connected to a broad musical world via my Ambient Visions website and rarely do I venture out into the really real world other than at a very mundane level as I head off to work or to do a variety of equally unspectacular chores that make up my daily life. On occasion though I am tempted to step out of my ordinary introverted life and to step into that wider world which makes introverts like me quiver in their boots and on an even rarer occasion I act on those temptations and dive into that real world.  October 6 was one of those days where the benefit of venturing out overwhelmed my reservations and sent me off to the big city to discover the joys of live music.

What, you might ask, would tempt an introvert such as myself out of his seclusion and pull him to the big city? I’m glad you asked. I wanted to go with the FLOW. I know that doesn’t sound like a compelling reason and what the heck does it even mean anyway. The FLOW in this case is a new ensemble group that was celebrating the release of their first album simply entitled FLOW by performing as a group at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City which is a celebrated musical mecca of the performing arts in the United States. The motivating factor here was the composition of the group and the nature of the guest artists who would be performing with them on that Friday night in New York City.

Click here for the rest of the review


Renee Blanche Night Tides ambient music radio host

Renée Blanche

AV's Q&A

Night Tides: AV talks with Renée Blanche

This time around Ambient Visions' Q & A has a go at Renée Blanche, host of an ambient music radio show called Night Tides. Night Tides is an eclectic blend of contemplative instrumental & electronic music that combines upbeat grooves and dubs with soothing melodies that whisper softly to the soul. Host Renée Blanche is a native of Detroit, Michigan.  She stumbled into radio after ending her military career in El Paso, Texas. Her skills as a volunteer announcer were honed at community radio station KXCR during a three-year stay. Commercial radio was the next stop as a weekend announcer for adult contemporary stations K-LITE and B-94 FM. Renée moved to Kansas City in 1993 and was hired as the midday announcer for KCUR and as a traffic reporter for Metro Traffic Control. Her role as host of the Night Tides program began in September 1994.

Click here to read Renée's interview


Other AV's Q&A Features available on Ambient Visions


Eyes to the Height
by James Murray

 

Ambient Web Spotlight

Interview with James Murray by Ron Schepper for Textura e-zine

Ten Questions With James Murray  

Though a number of James Murray's releases have been reviewed at textura, he hasn't been the subject of a major article or interview—until now. It's an oversight that should have been rectified long ago, but hopefully the following in-depth interview will be an adequate atonement. If anything, the interview comes at the perfect time as the London-based Murray has just issued a splendid new full-length, Eyes to the Height, which evidences the high degree of craft the self-taught composer has brought to all of his work since 2004. You never know quite what you're going to get with a Murray release, but rest assured the quality will be high, regardless of whether the focus is ambient-electronic, modern classical, or electroacoustic. We thank Murray for sharing so openly his thoughts on the album and his creative process.   

Click here for the rest of the interview


Interview with Seb Taylor by Kevin Fairbanks and Gagarin for Psybient e-zine

[Interview] with Seb Taylor aka Kaya Project aka Hibernation

Today we bring you an interview with Seb Taylor. The man behind many amazing psychedelic electronic acts of varying styles, from the legendary Angel Tears to the ever popular Kaya Project, downtempo heavy hitting Hibernation and
the uptempo likes of Shakta and Digitalis. Seb has been more than busy, over many years with countless collaborative artists, producing this music that we love. So it is with great honor that we had the opportunity to chat with him about everything from his latest release, to the earlier days. Enjoy and share around! 

Psy: Do you remember the first piece of music that inspired you as a kid? Can you describe the experience? 

ST:  I’d have to say film soundtracks. Especially the work of John Barry & John Williams. Growing up in the 1970’s & 1980’s meant a lot of my cinematic experiences were musically scored on these two composers. I can hear a direct correlation between my musical sensibilities and soundtracks like, ‘The Black Hole’ , ‘James Bond’, ‘Star Wars’ etc. Even in later life it was still movie music that has primarily touched and inspired me, latterly in the form of contemporary film composers like Thomas Newman for example (American Beauty, White Orlandear, Meet Joe Black).

Click here to read the rest of the interview


New Reviews on Ambient Visions

Forsaken

by Alphaxone & Dronny Darko

Click here to read

Indesterren

by Tom Eaton

Click here to read 

Dancing on the Wind

by Shoshanna Michel

Click here to read

Path of Dissolutions by Hoshin cover, ambient

Path of Dissolutions

by Hoshin 

Click here to read


 

Getting the word out
about great music

 

AV's Reviews Other Voices

Illuminance by Sangeeta Kaur reviewed by Keith Hannaleck of New Age Music Reviews website

Illuminance
by Sangeeta Kaur

This will be the fourth album I have had the opportunity to hear from new age artist Sangeeta Kaur. Illuminance is her first official label release with Domo. What is significant about that it is on legendary performer Kitaro’s label. I remember the first time I heard Kitaro and I loved it. Since that time a lot has happened and changed however the one thing that never changes for me is the incredible healing power of music. In fact, it is music like the kind that Sangeeta has been releasing for many years now that leaves a lasting impression.   

For the rest of this review from New Age Music Reviews click here.


Prelude to a Dream by Shoshana Michel reviewed by Mainly Piano website


Prelude to a Dream is Shoshana Michel’s third solo piano album and her second as a composer. After a 24-year hiatus from composing music, once she started again, the flood gates opened wide. Shoshana’s first album of original music, Dancing on the Wind (2016), was nominated for Whisperings Solo Piano Radio’s “Album of the Year,” One World Music Radio’s “Solo Piano Album of the Year” and SoloPiano.com’s “Album of the Year.” It would not surprise me at all if the gentle, heartfelt music on Prelude to a Dream does just as well or even better. The eleven pieces on this album are all very soothing and played with an expressive tenderness. In some ways, it could be a lullaby album, as the repeated left hand patterns are hypnotic and the overall tone of the music is very quiet and peaceful. You won’t want to doze off and miss any of this, though! As he so often does, graphic designer Matt Streiby perfectly captured the feeling of the album with his cover artwork.    

Read the rest of the review at Mainly Piano by clicking here.


Deep Space Blue by Jim Ottaway reviewed by Kathy Parsons of Mainly Piano website

Deep Space Blue is an electronic ambient/space music release from award-winning Australian composer and synthesist Jim Ottaway. The creator of at least twenty-five albums of original music in a variety of genres as well as music for films and television, Ottaway’s resume’ is long and very impressive; Deep Space Blue is his eleventh international release. The inspiration for Ottaway's music stems from his love of nature and his spiritual connection to the Gold Coast of Queensland, Australia. The music on this album has a very organic feeling and features a variety of (electronic) musical instruments as well as atmospheric sounds. Not surprisingly, the music conveys feelings of vast darkness and of effortless floating through space and time. The six tracks range from just under six minutes to about 16 1/2 minutes, so there are very few breaks in the music. The tracks were recorded over a three-year period, and Ottaway also did the mixing, mastering, graphics and album design.    

Read the rest of the review at Mainly Piano by clicking here.


For more reviews from voices around the web click here


Paul Avgerinos

Paul Avgerinos

 

Law of Attraction Paul Avgerinos album cover

Law of Attraction

Artist Spotlight on Paul Avgerinos

When Paul Avgerinos graduated from the Peabody Conservatory of Music in 1980, as a full scholarship honors student, he had already performed as a bassist with Isaac Stern, Jean Pierre Rampal, The Beaux Arts Trio, Baryshnikov and many other great classical artists. He also has won scholarships to play and study at music festivals in Tanglewood, Aspen, Grand Teton, Taos, and Spoleto (Italy). After graduation, Paul served as principal bass of several major symphony orchestras around the world, and gave solo recitals as well. 

Expanding into more popular genres, Avgerinos toured as a bassist with Charles Aznavour, Liza Minelli, and the jazz legend Buddy Rich. Seeking to further his original composition and develop his childhood passion for electronic music, Paul built Studio Unicorn, a comprehensive digital/analog recording studio, in 1984. Nine solo CDs in the New Age genre followed, including Muse of the Round Sky on the Hearts of Space label. Muse was nominated for a Grammy and is played on more than 2,000 radio stations around the world in addition to syndicated shows such as Music from the Hearts of Space and John Diliberto's Echoes. Two thirty ­minute features with the latter are added to his credits along with his many other radio interviews. Paul's music is currently being played on Sirius XM Satellite radio & DMX as well as Music Choice SoundScapes. 

He has appeared on fourteen sampler CDs and as a guest artist on albums by Joanie Madden, Faruk Tekbilek, Joaquin Lievano, Brian Keane and others. Paul records and produces many popular albums as well and has worked with artists as diverse as Jewel, Willie Nelson, Deana Carter, Richie Havens, Run DMC, and the Celtic Tenors . Avgerinos always makes time for scoring and has worked on many Film, Commercial, TV, and Cable projects for all of the major and minor networks. Paul's work on Peter Kater's Red Moon earned A 2004 Grammy Nomination. Paul's album GNOSIS placed #1 on the New Age & World Radio Chart and his latest, Garden of Delight, won an award for the Best World Album of 2007. Keeping busy creating original music for a variety of interesting and rewarding projects is a way of life. 

Currently, Paul lives and works in his Studio Unicorn, Redding, Connecticut, where the deer pass by his studio windows and the hawks and eagles give inspiration from above .

Visit Paul Avgerinos on the web


Threshold Point
by Erik Wøllo

 

Eternal
by Kevin Wood

 

Deep Space Blue
by Jim Ottaway

 

A Sea Without Memory
by David Helpling

 

Salvaging the Present Benedictis ambient album cover

Salvaging the Present
by Dean  De Benedictis

 

 

 

Ambient Visions CD Reviews

07/01/2018 New Review featuring Story of Ghosts by Fiona Joy
05/20/2018
New Review featuring Forsaken by Alphaxone & Dronny Darko
05/06/2018
New Review featuring Threshold Point by Erik Wøllo
04/28/2018
New Review featuring Eternal by Kevin Wood
04/22/2018
New Review featuring Nocturnes II by Max Corbacho
11/26/2017
New Review featuring The Radiant Sea by Bridge to Imla
10/29/2017
New Review featuring Eclipse by Frore & Shane Morris
10/26/2017
New Review featuring Nebula by The Haiku Project
10/25/2017
New Review featuring Deep Space Blue by Jim Ottaway
08/27/2017
New Review featuring Flow by FLOW
08/25/2017
New Review featuring Trans-Neptunian Objects by ASC
08-24-2017
New Review featuring Stardust by Alphaxone & ProtoU
08-21-2017
New Review featuring Albion by Juta Takahashi
08-13-2017
New Review featuring Ovum by Chronotope Project
08-12-2017
New Review featuring A Sea Without Memory by David Helpling
04-22-2017
New Review featuring Breathe by Carl Borden
12-30-2016
New Review featuring The Future of Man by Duff Egan
12-18-2016
New Review featuring Path of Dissolutions by Hoshin
12-11-2016
New Review featuring Inner Rhythm Meditations by Byron Metcalf
12-09-2016
New Review featuring Dancing on the Wind by Shoshanna Michel
12-05-2016
New Review featuring Americana by Doug Hammer
12-01-2016
New Review featuring Indesterren by Tom Eaton
11-30-2016
New Review featurning Salvaging the Present by Dean De Benedictis
09-04-2016
New Review featuring Romancing the Moon by David Wright
06-05-2016
New Reviews featuring Southern Cross by Jim Ottaway
05-15-2016
New Review featuring Beyond the Waves by Ann Licater
04-30-2016
New Review featuring Everything and Nothing by Hammock
01-30-2016
New Review featuring Deep Sleep by Liquid Mind
01-17-2016
New Review featuring Expanse Sessions by In the Branches
01-11-2016
New Review featuring Glimpses by The Haiku Project
01-09-2016
New Review featuring Blueprint by Bob Holroyd
10-24-2015
New Review featuring Between Shadow and Light by Neil Patton
10-18-2015
New Review featuring Fire in the Rainstorm by Kori Linae Carothers
10-17-2015
New Review featuring Surrounding by Kimberly StarKey
10-08-2015
New Review featuring Fall into Winter by Bryan Carrigan
10-04-2015
New Review featuring Remembering by Bernward Koch
04-27-2015
New Review featuring The Ocean Inside by Max Corbacho
04-26-2015
New Reviews featuring Coming Home by Peter Jennison
04-01-2015
New Review featuring Secret World by Doug Hammer & Amethyste
01-05-2014
New Review featuring Heart by Doug Hammer
04-10-2012
New Reviews featuring Mediterranean by Amberfern
03-15-2012
New Review featuring Eternity by John Lyell
03-12-2012
New Reviews featuring Enchanted Piano by Kevin Kern
01-21-2012
New Reviews featuring Bindu by Michael Brant DeMaria
11-12-2011
New Reviews featuring Silent Star by Berward Koch
10-23-2011
New Reviews featuring Rainshadow Sky by Jeff Pearce
06-14-2011
New Review featuring Earthsong and Stardance by Gandalf
06-06-2011
New Review featuringThe Veil of Whispers by Thierry David
06-04-2011
New Reviews featuring Autumn Sky by Blackmore's Night
04-15-2011
New Reviews featuring Sacred Love by Shambhu
02-06-2011
New Reviews featuring Dreaming Still by Kathryn Kaye
12-01-2010
New Reviews featuring New Butterfly by ade ishs
11-11-2010
New Reviews featuring Doorway to a Dream by Ann Licater
09-18-2010
New Reviews featuring The Landing by David Clavijo
04-05-2010
New Reviews featuring First Day Back by Lenny Kaplan
03-29-2010
New Reviews featuring Voices of the Ancients by Chad Kettering
03-28-2010
New Reviews featuring Relax Your Ears by Joel Styzens
03-24-2010
New Reviews featuring My Love To You by Mark Pinkus
03-23-2010
New Review featuring Ascension II by Clifford White
03-15-2010
New Reviews featuring A Delicate Balance by Lisa Downing
03-03-2010
New Reviews featuringBallerina by Michael C. Bell
02-17-2010
New Reviews featuring Ticket to Antarctica by KevOz
02-08-2010
New Reviews featuring Chasing Tornadoes by Patrick Gorman
10-22-2009
New Reviews Featuring Fly by Eric Harry
08-22-2009
New Reviews Featuring Imagine by George Skaroulis
04-18-2009
 New Reviews featuring Longer Days by Scott Ross
02-08-2009
 New Reviews featuring Drift by Dan Pound
12-21-2008
  New Reviews featuring Pond by Diatonis
06-14-2008
 New Reviews featuring Poesis Athesis by Robert Scott Thompson
06-08-2008
 New Review featuring A Warning from the Elders by Byron Metcalf
06-05-2008
 New Reviews featuring Love, Light and Water by Michael Stribling
03-16-2008
 New Reviews featuring Tapestry by Jim Gibson
02-12-2008
 New Review Featuring Infinite Plastic Creation by Richard Bone
02-10-2008
 New Reviews featuring Ambienthurnum by Psicodreamics
01-26-2008
 New Reviews featuring Carpe Lumen by Elijah Bossenbroek
10-07-2007
 New Reviews featuring The Open Door by Michael Straugh
09-23-2007
 New Reviews featuring The Useless Lesson by Kerry Leimer
07-08-2007
 New Reviews featuring The Range by Fulton and Reaves
07-01-2007
 New Reviews featuring The Regions Between by AWM
06-23-2007
 New Reviews featuring Dimensions by John Lyell
06-16-2007
 New Reviews featuring Reflection by Frederic Delarue
06-01-2007
 New Reviews posted featuring Buzzle by Tim Story
04-04-2007  
New Reviews posted featuring Hope for Harmony by Kathryn Toyama
03-04-2007
 New Reviews posted featuring Conscience by M. Grassow & Thomas Weiss
02-13-2007
 New Reviews posted  featuring Dream Wide Awake by Omnimotion

Sounds to
Listen For

Temporal Paradox
by Phelios

 

Nighttide (10 Year
Deluxe Ediition)
by Swartz et

 

Beyond Corona: Vol 5
by Toshinori Kondo

 

Intervals
by Near the Parenthesis

 

The Front Porch of Heaven
by Kevin Keller

 

Wrath & Apathy
by bvdub

 

Healing
by Paul Avgerinos

 

Luminary
by Cheryl B. Engelhardt

 

Incognita
by TEAR

 

Particle Horizon
by Space Station

 

Music of the Smoky Rainbow
by Roy Mattson

 

Meditation in Green
by Kelly David

 

Boundless
by Phillip Wilkerson

 



 
Bloom Ascension
by Steve Roach

 



Devotion
by Paul Avgerinos

 

ypsilon
by Zahn | Hatmi | McClure

 

Red Sky Prairie
by Sharon Fendrich

 

Life is But An
Empty Dream
by OKADA

 

Lightness of Dark
by Fiona Joy Hawkins &
Rebecca Daniel

 

Understanding Holy
Ghosts
by Moss Garden

 

Sea Change
by Alan Lidden

 

Planetes
by Sofie Birch

 

Surface Reflections
By Wil Bolton

 

Beyond the Purple Sun
by Jim Ottaway

 

Temporal
By Julia
Kent

 

Telegraphe
by d'Voxx

 

Infinite Moments
by Erik Wollo

 


Nocturnes II
by Max Corbacho

 

Positive Light
by SC Slator

 

The Last Lighthouse
by Campfire's Edge

 

Structures of Light
by Siddhartha Barnhoom

 

home is a memory
by threadbare

 

Isokinetic Alpturer ambient album cover

Isokinetic
by Alpturer