Category Archives: Ambient
LARAAJI-MOON PIANO.
Laraaji-Moon Piano. Label: All Saints Records. Format: LP. When Laraaji recorded two albums of spiritual keyboard improvisations at the First Unitarian Church, Brooklyn, on December the ’10th’ and ’11th’ 2018 he was fulfilling a lifetime’s ambition. He had always wanted to return the piano which was the first instrument he learned to play growing up …
ENO/CALE-WRONG WAY UP.
Eno/Cale-Wrong Way Up. Label: All Saints Records. Format: CD. Brian Eno and John Cale first worked together in 1974, when they also recorded the album June 1, 1974. When it was released twenty-seven days later on the ‘28th’ of June 1974 it was credited to Kevin Ayers, John Cale, Brian Eno and Nico. Two of …
CULT CLASSIC: ARTURIO RUIZ DEL POZO-COMPOSICIONES NAVITAS
Cult Classic: Arturo Ruiz del Pozo-Composiciones Nativas. Nobody knows what life has in store for them when they embark upon the adventure that is life. Arturo Ruiz del Pozo, who was born in the Peruvian capital Lima, in 1949, had no idea that he would become one of Peru’s leading avant-garde musicians and release a classic …
CULT CLASSIC: ADELBERT VON DEYEN-NORBORG
Cult Classic: Adelbert Von Deyen-Norborg. After Adelbert Von Deyen released his debut album Sternzeit on Günter Körber’s Sky Records in 1978, the label became his home for the next nine years. This was the most productive period of Adelbert Von Deyen’s career. His creativity blossomed and he released eight studio albums and one live album. …
CULT CLASSIC: YASUAKI SHIMIZU-MUSIC FOR COMMERCIALS: MADE TO MEASURE VOLUME 12.
Cult Classic: Yasuaki Shimizu-Music For Commercials: Made To Measure Volume 12. In 1980, musician and producer Marc Hollander founded his own record label Crammed Discs in the Belgian capital Brussels. Later that year, his avant-rock group Aksak Maboul released their groundbreaking sophomore album Un Peu de l’Âme des Bandits on Crammed Discs. Little did Marc …
KLAUS SCHULZE-THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOOG YEARS.
Klaus Schulze-The Dark Side Of The Moog Years. By 1994, Berlin School pioneer Klaus Schulze was a veteran of German music and had been making music for twenty-five years. His recording career began back in October 1969, when Klaus Schulze played on Tangerine Dream’s debut album Electronic Meditation. Eight months later, Electronic Meditation was released by Ohr Records, …
CATAPILLA-CATAPILLA AND CHANGES.
Catapilla-Catapilla and Changes. Label: Trading Places. Format: LP. The story of Catapilla is another case of what might have been. They were formed in West London around Christmas 1970, and signed to Vertigo Records and released two ambitious and innovative albums where they combined progressive rock with experimental fusion. Sadly, neither their 1971 debut album …
LARAAJI-SUN PIANO.
Laraaji-Sun Piano. Label: All Saints Records. Format: LP. On the album cover to his new album Sun Piano, which was released by All Saints Records, Laraaji describes playing the piano as: “my music therapy.” This is something the seventy-seven year has been doing since 1953, when he was just ten and living in New Jersey. …
CULT CLASSIC: HARMONIA-DELUXE.
Cult Classic: Harmonia-Deluxe. In June 1975, the three members of Harmonia returned to their studio in Forst for the recording of their sophomore album, Deluxe. It would become the followup to Musik Von Harmania, which had been released in January 1974. Sadly, this groundbreaking album had failed to find an audience. It was a bitter …
SEAHAWKS-ISLAND VISIONS.
Seahawks-Island Visions. Label: Be With Records. Ten years ago in 2010, Jon Tye and Pete Fowler embarked upon a new chapter in their career when they released Ocean Trippin’, which was their debut album as Seahawks. Since then, the intrepid musical explorers have released at least one, sometimes two or even three albums a year. …
CULT CLASSIC: LARAAJI: VISION SONGS VOLUME 1.
Cult Classic: Laraaji: Vision Songs Volume 1. During a career that has spanned five decades, American multi-instrumentalist Laraaji has released around thirty albums and countless collaborations. Many of these albums were self released by Laraaji on cassettes, and feature his unique and inimitable genre-melting sound. This best described as a fusion of ambient, avant-garde, experimental …
CULT CLASSIC: JADE WARRIOR-FLOATING WORLD.
Cult Classic: Jade Warrior-Floating World. All too often, musical innovators don’t get the credit they deserve. That was the case with Jade Warrior. Their fourth studio album, Floating World was released in 1974, and pioneered both ambient and world music. Floating World was the most ambitious album of Jade Warrior’s career and almost wasn’t released. …
ELVIND AAARSET I JAN BANG-SNOW CATCHES ON HER EYELASHES.
Eivind Aarset I Jan Bang-Snow Catches On Her Eyelashes. Label: Jazzland Recordings. Although Eivind Aarset and Jan Bang have been collaborating since the early nineties, the pair have never recorded an album as a duo. That was until they recorded Snow Catches On Her Eyelashes, which was recently released by Jazzland Recordings. It features ten …
OTO NO WA: SELECTED SOUNDS OF JAPAN 1988-2018.
Oto No Wa: Selected Sounds Of Japan 1988-2018. Label: Music For Dreams Denmark. Each and every week of the year, record companies from all over the world, release countless compilations into the global music marketplace. These compilations range from lovingly curated compilations released by small indie labels to the cheap and cheerful, nostalgia-inducing budget box …
COCTEAU TWINS-GARLANDS AND VICTORIALAND.
Cocteau Twins-Garlands and Victorialand. Label: 4AD. In 1979, guitarist Robin Guthrie and bassist Will Heggie formed a new band in their hometown of Grangemouth, in Scotland. The new band they called the Cocteau Twins after a song by Johnny and The Self-Abusers, who later changed their name to Simple Minds. Not long after forming the …
CULT CLASSIC: BRIAN ENO-HERE COME THE WARM JETS.
Cult Classic: Brian Eno-Here Come The Warm Jets. For Brian Eno, 1973 was the year the second chapter in his career began as he had just left Roxy Music after touring their sophomore album, For Your Pleasure. By the end of the tour, he had realised the life of a rock star wasn’t for him. …
CULT CLASSIC: PAUL MARCANO AND LIGHTDREAMS-10,001 DREAMS.
Cult Classic: Paul Marcano and LightDreams-10,001 Dreams. In 1981, British Columbian band LightDreams released debut album Islands In Space. It was a captivating psychedelic sci-fi odyssey where LightDreams explored cosmic ideology. Normally, an album like Islands In Space would’ve found favour with fans of psychedelia and progressive rockers who embraced cerebral, innovative and epic albums. …
CHRISTIAN WALLUMROD ENSEMBLE-MANY.
Christian Wallumrød Ensemble-Many. Label: Hubro Music. Although Christian Wallumrød has been a familiar face on the Norwegian music scene since the early nineties, it wasn’t until 1996 that the Christian Wallumrød Trio released their debut album Birch on ECM. It was released to widespread critical acclaim, Birch launched the career of Christian Wallumrød. Over the …
CULT CLASSIC: MANUEL GOTTSCHING-E2-E4
Cult Classic: Manuel Göttsching- E2-E4. It was late 1981, when Manuel Göttsching returned home after a lengthy tour with Klaus Schulze. The two pioneers of the Berlin School of electronic music had spent much of 1981 touring their latest albums. Manuel Göttsching’s most recent album was Belle Alliance. This was his fifth solo album, and …
CULT CLASSIC: ADELBERT VON DEYEN-ATMOSPHERE.
Cult Classic: Adelbert Von Deyen-Atmosphere. After Adelbert Von Deyen released his debut album Sternzeit on Günter Körber’s Sky Records in 1978, the label became his home for the next nine years. This was the most productive period of Adelbert Von Deyen’s career. His creativity blossomed and he released eight studio albums and one live album. This …
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