Ambient Visions
Supports independent Musicians
AV's
Q&A
With Forest
Articles Around
the web
New Age Music
Made Simple
by Stephen Hill
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A
Journey into Sound and Spirit |
Page Views |
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Fiona Joy Hawkins
Blue Dream |
Blue Dream AV talks to Fiona Joy Hawkins Fiona Joy Hawkins is a New Age composer and pianist whose music crosses genres from contemporary classical, jazz and world fusion. An ARIA Finalist in 2009 for Best World Music Album, she won the 2008 MusicOz winner for Best Jazz or Classical Artist, Best Piano NAR Lifestyle Music Awards 2006 and Best Dance Dub/Club 2008, and has been a finalist in over 36 Indie Artist Awards across 9 countries. Her latest album, BLUE DREAM, received the highest ever ranking in the history of the New Age Reporter International Radio Charts, debuting at #1. Her musical influences include George Winston, Michael Nyman, Chopin and Mendelssohn, but she also admits to being a bit of a 'folkie' in her free time. Other Artist Interviews on Ambient Visions |
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A Delicate Balance
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AV's LaLa.com Play of the Week If you are familiar with LaLa.com you know that you can listen to any track one time completely through for free so it is the perfect opportunity to find out if you like a particular CD before buying it. AV will be posting CD's in this column that you might like and after a quick sign up with LaLa.com you can listen to the whole CD. Enjoy!
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New Reviews on Ambient Visions
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Scott August
Lost Canyons |
Lost Canyons AV talks with Scott August Native American Music Award winner, and three time nominee, Scott August is a nationally acclaimed composer, producer, keyboardist and Native American flute player know for his forays into World Music. His music has been featured on the nationally syndicated radio shows “Hearts of Space” and “Echoes” as well as receiving airplay on the the digital networks XM, Sirius and DirecTV. One of the nation’s most influential Native American flute players, August was a headline performer at the 2006 and 2007 Zion Canyon Flute Festival and the 2007 Central Coast Flute Festival. He is known for both his award winning music and knowledge of the Native American flute. In July 2005 he opened for Dr. Wayne Dyer at the International New Age Trade Show and he was a musical guest at the 2005 TED conference. Echoes radio says "August has always been a cut or two above most native flute players... He layers guitars, keyboards and all kinds of percussion into his compositions, moving from world fusion to airy ambiences." August has also composed music and sound design for hundreds of films, commercials and video projects, for clients such as NASA, The Discovery Channel, Lexus, Chevrolet, HBO, Nabisco, and Minolta. The Los Angeles Times has called his music "shimmering and luminous." Other AV's CD Focus Features available on Ambient Visions |
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AV's Ambient Video Spotlight Bernd Kistenmacher - Celestial Movements
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A Warning from the Elders
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AV's Spotlight Review A Warning from the Elders by Byron Metcalf AV Spotlight CD Review I have been listening to Byron's music for many years now and I have yet to be disappointed by any of his releases and none of his albums have ever been routine or repetitive in nature. Byron is not only an expert drummer but he is also a transpersonal guide and educator, a shamanic practitioner and holds a master's degree in counseling psychology. Impressive credentials but they would not mean much if he was unable to take his ideas from his imagination and bring them to fruition in the form of a finished audio experience. Never fear because Byron has never had that problem and A Warning from the Elders is proof that yet again he has drawn from the deep well of his spirit and is offering up music to the listener born out of those deep experiences that each of us has but never brings out into the light of day. |
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Chuck van Zyl
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Star's End 30th Anniversary AV talks with Chuck van Zyl STAR'S END is (with the exception of "Music from the
Hearts of Space") the longest running radio program of ambient music in
the world. Since 1976, STAR'S END has been providing the "STAR'S END is a unique listening experience, not just
an exchange of information like most radio shows", says van Zyl. "Due
to the unique presentation and the subtlety of the music, the program really
affects people, often in a profound way". Other AV's Q&A Features available on Ambient Visions |
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Vir Unis
Stand Still Like the Hummingbird |
Artist Spotlight on Vir Unis I began music in the early to mid 80's as a drummer and occasional keyboardist for a couple bands heavily under the influence of the new wave/new romantic music that was mainly coming out of England those days; most notably bands like Japan, (early) Duran Duran, Adam & The Ants, Gary Numan, The Human League, Modern English, Talk Talk, and Tears for Fears. Going into the late 80's and early 90's (and quite disullusioned with the big hair/eyeliner bands) I began searching for a yet even more atmospheric sound beyond what 4AD and other more ethereal labels were producing at the time. Heavily influenced by the studio isolationist and cerebral works of Brian Eno and the more sensual quality of David Sylvian's instrumental albums, I started on a quest to make my own music for inner reflective spaces and something entirely new. After spending nearly 7 years in the studio with a very small analog recording setup and minimalist sound devices, I delved into the world of digital/computer audio in the spring of 1996. My studio expanded with more synthesizers and drum machines added. I began to forge a stronger sound and began a deeper work into sound organization and manipulation, but always striving to keep it entertaining, visceral, and not fall into the alluring trap of experimenting for its own sake, which I always found way too repetitive. From there I had a quite fortutious meeting a fellow artist and pioneer of Ambient/Tribal music, Steve Roach. At this time I was also working with Ma Ja Le a duo from Wisconsin. We recorded an album called "Imaginarium", which was produced by Steve Roach and released on Mirage, a division of Oasis Music in Canada. Spending nearly 8 weeks as the number one album on The New Age Voice playlist, "Imaginarium" introduced myself and Ma Ja Le to the broader ambient music community around the globe and brought many more opportunities to meet and work with some very talented musicians. The next several years were spent working on a more rhythmically driven sound, going back to the source as a drummer, and fusing elements of all the past and present influences in an electronic and ambient atmosphere. The subsequent beat driven tribal/electronic albums were "Body Electric" (with Steve Roach, released on Projekt), "Light Fantastic" (with Steve Roach, released on Fathom/Hearts of Space), "Blood Machine" (with Steve Roach, released on GreenHouse Music), "Pulse n Atmo" (released on Groove Unlimited), "Thermal Transfer" (with Saul Stokes, released on Binary/Hypnos), "Live at Gathering 23" (released on Space for Music). "Mercury and Plastic", "Symbology", "Book of Mutations", "2012" (with The Elf Machine), "Tokyo Highway" (with the Elf Machine), "I/O" (with the Elf Machine), "Live at the Miramar" (with Interstitial), the Perimeter series (with James Johnson), and The Live Transmissions series (with James Johnson) were all released on AtmoWorks Music, which is a small artist owned label that I co-founded with James Johnson in late 2001. In between these more rhythmically charged albums, I also focused on the meditational and ethereal work with albums like "The Drift Inside", "Aeonian Glow" (both released on GreenHouse Music), "The Yellow House" (with Chris Short), "Live at Lakeview Planetarium", "Everything Seeks Balance", "Dreamers at the Edge of Decaying Light (early works vol.1)", "Primary Space (early works vol. 2)", "The Endless Days of The Mono Gods (early works vol. 3)", "A Flame That Leaves No Ashes", "Lumen", "Aquaculture" (with James Johnson & Chris Short), and "Not Even The Rain". I've also contributed as a guest artist for Steve Roach and have contributed to some compilations and label samplers. In addition to my own work, I've also done commercial work Sony Music/Sonic Foundry for the past 8 years. I've produced three loop libraries with them, "Infusion: Fractalized Grooves & Atmospheres", "Bug Report", and "Rhythmicronics". These loop libraries were specifically designed for Sony's music program, Acid and contain a lot of beats and grooves which were typical of the solo and collaborative music I was working on. They also contained a lot of atmospheric washes and other electronic odds and ends. I've also contributed loops and themes for their latest program, Cinescore, which is a music generation program for filmmakers. These days I am working on a number of ongoing collaborations with fellow artists and a few solo efforts. I am also focusing on my label AtmoWorks as a source to release music at will, without the possible impediment of a third party's agenda and occasionally host our online radio program, AtmoStreams. I am more inspired by paintings, drawings, films, and books, for creating music than I am by other's music. I consider myself a painter, primarily, using audio as a form of "paint" and the mind/ear as the "canvas". However, I do enjoy quite an eclectic array of music from many other composers, but I realize that I get more ideas for sound out of other things that occur in life, which I think keeps me from being too derivative of other's work. Music doesn't exit in a vacuum, I know, so I'm sure I could be compared to others, and generally find that i visit similar worlds of other musicians, but hopefully, have left my own mark. |
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Following the Call
The Color of Light
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03-03-2010 New Reviews featuringBallerina by Michael C. Bell |
Sounds
to
Listen For
Nothing, But Death
by Stray Ghost
Listen on Lala
Impressions Vol. 1
by Valdi Sabev
Listen on Lala
Ylang
by Robert Rich
Sun Tracer
by Phillip Wilkerson
Get your copy here
Monjour
by Anawaty/Russell
Listen on Lala
Relax Your Ears
by Joel Styzens
Listen on Lala
Hope
by Kendra Springer
Listen on Lala
In Flow of Light
by Julian Ray
Circular Scriptures
by Steve Brand
Imaginary Friends
by Various Artists
Listen on Lala
Hanging Masses
by Cell
Listen on Lala
The Ghosts of
Hanton Village
by Richard Bone
Virga
by Jeff Greinke
Destination Beyond
by Steve Roach
Between Worlds
by Deborah Martin
and Erik Wollo
Journey Through an Electric Garden
by Lemonchill
Listen on Lala
Inside the Voice Inside
by Pete Ardron
Listen on Lala
Wanderlust
by Terra Ambient
Listen on Lala
Divine Invasion
by Bluetech
Listen on Lala
Southampton Sunset
by Jane Leslie
Listen on Lala
The Edge of a Fairytale
by Between Interval
Early Works
by Phillip Wilkerson
The Twins
by Sky
Shade
by Parallel Worlds
Spirit Dome - Live Archive
by Steve Roach and vidna Obmana
Visionary Milieux
by Various Artists
Twin Earth: Collected Ambient Works
by Steve Rose
Vertigo
by David Schombert
Stream of Thought
by Steve Roach and Eric Wollo