Category: Free

In our annual look at the best ambient works of 2021, we reveal our Quiet Space Top 50 releases. This is Part 1 – covering 50-41.

Stray Theories is the musical pseudonym of New Zealand based, Australian Musician and Composer Micah Templeton-Wolfe. Micah has been composing and releasing music for over a decade, releasing music primarily under the alias Stray Theories. His latest, This Light, on n5MD, is our focus on this edition of The Quiet Space.

Our focus is on Igor Yalivec, with his gorgeous new record “Still Life”. Igor has released several works as part of Gamardah Fungus, but this solo work is his most peaceful music to date. The album was inspired by the beauty of old villages in the Carpathian forests of Ukraine, with their unhurried pace of life, calming atmosphere and wild nature. Another stunning release from the always reliable Polar Seas Recording label.

If you are in dire need of blissful electronic meditations, then I highly recommend you lose yourself in the fantastic compositions of Oxherding, aka Fitz Hartwig. Fitz lives in Saint Louis, enjoys napping, and operates the wonderful Distant Bloom label. He suggests listening to these sounds with a clear mind and an open heart.

Megan Alice Clune is a musician, composer and artist based in Eora (Sydney). Her recent release, If You Do, became an album for solo voice and an ensemble of technologies. An album about contorting the body (voice) through time (rhythm, pulse), repetition and form. The work is nostalgic for past futures: wishing for the technological optimism of the late 70’s and early 80’s.

Sam Goldberg is an INCREDIBLE experimental ambient musician from Cleveland, Ohio. He also runs the label Pizza Night. In the late naughties he released stunning works under his own name, as Radio People and teaming up with John Elliot (Emeralds) as Mist. He uses guitars and synths to weave mesmerising compositions. On this edition of the Quiet Space we focus on his recent work under the name Eternal Plough plus dive deep into his back catalog. Essential Listening!

John Mulville has been making music as Paperbark since 2016. Making these gorgeous ambient sounds helps him process memories. His latest for Constellation Tatsu is What Was Left Behind, full of light, a fluttering soundscape . The release is a part of the excellent Summer Batch and we feature this fantastic album plus music from Suryummy and Arian Shafiee.

Dictaphone are a Belgian-German band with mastermind Oliver Doerell at the helm and they return with their fifth album “Goats & Distortions 5” on the always reliable Denovali imprint. Oliver Doerell again teams up with Roger Döring (clarinet & saxophone) & Alex Stolze (violins) to create a gorgeously melancholic sound, blending “morbid acoustic instruments” with electronics. On this edition a special blended selection of the latest work with previous gems. Essential listening.