Category: Quiet Space

A New Age for New Age is a compilation series that invites artists to re-interpret New Age music. There are four volumes so far and we focus on tracks from Volumes 3 and 4. As well, some recent releases from Dutch label Shimmering Moods and an excellent track from Melbourne composer, Todd Anderson-Kunert.

Path of the Sun is a collaborative project between Daniel Guillén and Steve Targo, known for their solo endeavors as Lunaria and Inner Travels, respectively. The two have walked parallel paths, releasing their own brands of inward-looking synthesizer and keyboard driven music throughout the last 5+ years. As well as focusing on this stunning release, we listen to come of the other recent offerings from the always reliable Inner Islands imprint.

Two stellar labels have just released compilations for very good causes. Mailbox from the UK have put together 32 tracks for Music For Another Sky, in order to raise awareness and/or raise money for the UK charity, Refuge, helping women and children – against domestic violence. Polar Seas Recordings offers a compilation in celebration of the label’s 50th release, all proceeds go to All Creatures Rescue in Toronto. Both releases are HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, please support both of these amazing releases.

Slow Autumn At My Window is a new double album by Adrian Lane, written and recorded as a reflection on the ephemeral nature of life prior to the new normal of COVID-19.  Adrian composed and recorded phrases on the piano spontaneously, before cutting them up and putting them back together. This is his sixth album for the Preserved Sound imprint and it’s our feature release on this edition of the Quiet Space.

Our focus on this episode on a small edition cassette label operating out of Saint Louis, Missouri, focusing on ambient, drone, new age, and minimalist music. Distant Bloom is run by Fitz Hartwig (Oxherding) who donates a portion of labelproceeds to an organization of the artist’s choice. Featuring the latest tapes from Solid Waste and Azaleas plus Norah Lorway, Endurance, Aster and Anthene. Gorgeous listening.

John McCaffrey has been creating blissful music under a variety of guises over the years. He started in a duo, Clickits while in the UK, moved to Melbourne and has been creating incredible sounds that weave modern classical, folk and electronic stylings under the name Part Timer, Upward Arrows and Scissors & Sellotape. He recently got in touch with a series of works created/compiled during lockdown last year, so I thought it time to focus on his amazing work. I’d forgotten about some of his releases as I put this together and it’s been a real pleasure to reacquaint myself with his work. I hope you love it as well.

An excellent new release to start 2021. Wil Bolton returns with ‘Cumulus Sketches’ , an album of fragile, drifting ambient structures for daydreaming and cloud-watching. Pastoral analogue synthesizer melodies and effects pedal textures are intertwined with rural and urban environmental sounds recorded in South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka. As well, the excellent Hibernate label with a series of releases available online for a charitable cause.