Ambient Vision's Q & A With Chuck van Zyl about Star's End and the Gatherings 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 thePhiladelphia broadcast area with music to sleep and dream to. There are many suggested uses for the program, but most people tune their radio to STAR'S END as they get into bed on Saturday night and allow the gentle aural soundscapes to influence their sleep and dreams.  The music is presented in a non-stop drifting blend and drawn from a diversity of genres including: electronic, ambient, spacemusic, chillout, avant-garde, low-intensity noise, new age, international, spoken word and classical. 26 year veteran host Chuck van Zyl, has a low-key announcing style that gently informs listeners of show content without disturbing their sleep. Many listeners feel he is a welcome guest in their intimate listening environment.  "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".    Click here for the rest of our Q & A with Chuck van Zyl about Star's End

Ambient Vision's Q & A With George Cruickshank about Ultima Thule Ultima Thule  was the term used in ancient times to describe the regions comprising the far northern extremities ofEurope - lands lost in the mists of legend, lying far beyond the realms of the known world. In early 1989, when producer George Cruickshank was researching a name for his revolutionary new music radio programme, Ultima Thule seemed the ideal choice. The programme first went to air on 1 February of that year.  Over seventeen years later Ultima Thule is the longest running programme of its type in Australia, and is firmly established as one of the country's foremost alternative music programmes, enthralling audiences with a unique, entrancing melange of ambient and atmospheric music from around the world and across the ages - all drawn from a private library comprising some 5000 recordings. Each broadcast of Ultima Thule is presented as a 90 minute ambient soundscape narrative, with minimal announcer interruption.  Ultima Thule is broadcast live from the Sydney studios of 2MBS-FM and re-broadcast by 5MBS-FM inAdelaide every Sunday evening from 10.30pm - midnight   Click here for the rest of our Q & A with George Cruickshank about Ultima Thule

Ambient Vision's Q & A With Ben Fleury-Steiner of Gears of Sand Records Gears of Sand recordings is a not-for-profit independent experimental  electronic/electro-acoustic label that specializes in deep drone musics (i.e., musics in the tradition of  OÖPHOI).  Our mission is to release the finest quality music by as many talented artists as possible.  In addition to evocative drone music, the label will also release much more experimental works on its Time Series (i.e., musics in the tradition of ZOVIET FRANCE) GOS Time Series Releases will showcase category-defying works that focus on sound collage and the merging of both electronic and electroacoustic elements.    The label will also offer Special Edition Releases from the world of ethereal ambient music (i.e., musics in the tradition of artists such as THOM  BRENNAN) . With a deep appreciation for the mysterious and always changing inertia of life itself, gears of sand recordings vis-a-vis its artists seeks to inhabit a broad and varied array of deeply personal sound spaces.     In short, we seek to release music that our listeners can FEEL as well as hear.  As a non-profit committed to releasing artists' works as first priority, those who purchase gos releases are directly facilitating the ability of the label to release the highest quality music from around the world.    Click here for the rest of our Q & A with Ben Fleury-Steiner of Gears of Sand Records

John Strate-Hootman aka Vir Unis

Ambient Vision's Q & A With James Johnson and Vir Unis of Atmoworks Records AV: The both of you are very well known in the ambient community as musicians, why was it that you decided to form AtmoWorks?  JOHN :  Both James and I have a very focused interest in releasing music at our own pace and on our own terms.  It's an empowering motion as an independent artist and one that actually enhances our creativity and productivity.  We determine the flow of our music which is essential to honestly representing our life as artists.  JAMES: From the very beginning of Atmoworks, both John & myself we're aware of the limitations and frustrations associated with releasing works through traditional labels and means and felt restricted by the current paradigm of "the way things are done" in terms of marketing, promotion and releasing of our works. We wanted a more fluid and direct outlet for our creativity and saw that there was nothing available that met our criteria.    Click here for the rest of our Q & A with James Johnson and Vir Unis of Atmoworks Records

Ambient Vision's Q A With Forest of Waveform Records AV:  When was it that "exotic electronica" as you lovingly call it on Musical Starstreams, made enough of an impression on you that you personally began to listen to this type of music? Who were some of the first artists to find their way into your own collection of electronic music? Forest: Well the first program was broadcast back in Dec of 1981 and I still have the playlist from it and we have it posted on the Starstreams site. From then until the mid 90's it was more European electronic pioneers like Eno, Schulze, Jarre and Japan's Kitaro, along with the more new agey type titles from Windham Hill and people like Deuter with Celestial Harmonies. Later as things evolved Private Music came around with Patrick O'Hearn and others and then finally in the early 90's the program began to become primarily electronica artists from the UK and Europe like Banco de Gaia, the early laid back things from Moby from the USA and some of the UK's Beyond label artists. Ambient, spacemusic, dub, downtempo, trip hop, acid jazz...artists from all these categories. After taking a closer look at what we were playing then, the "exotic electronica" tag seemed to be pretty descriptive. And of course we were getting our Waveform label off the ground in late 93 as well.   Click here for the rest of our Q & A with Forest of Waveform Records

Ambient Vision's Q & A With Lloyd Barde of Backroads Music AV:  Recently, you restructured and revamped (revitalized?) Backroads Music. What did you do and how has it helped? I recall reading on a news group that you were trying to preserve your "beloved business." It seems that you have done so. What's next for Lloyd Barde and Backroads? LB:  The change that occurred three years ago was a veritable leap of faith, but the outcome has been surprisingly not much different at all than the prior "version". I announced "closing the warehouse" -- which was literal -- and gave up 1000 feet of space, lowering the overhead by "twenty feet" and considerable dollars. The office I now work in is the same office I have occupied for the past 15 years, in the same building that has been the Backroads location since 1985. The leap of faith was the uncertainty that I would choose to continue after scaling down. And while I had designs on growing with active partners and a new model of outreach and tech capabilities, the fact is that I got smaller in some respects, but grew the music selection listings and the ability to present the music in an easier and more efficient, user-friendly fashion. Our budget does not allow for frequent large catalog mailings, but we gladly send printed catalogs and/or email newsletters to anyone who asks. And our catalog is now downloadable on our web site where over 1000 reviews can easily be found. In addition there are Owner's Picks that are updated monthly and appear on the Ambient Visions site, Best of the Year listings and much more.   Click here for the rest of our Q & A with Lloyd Barde of Backroads Music

Ambient Vision's Q A With Mike Griffin Of Hypnos AV:  Tell me a little about yourself just prior to making the decision to form Hypnos Recordings. MG:  I had been recording some very minimal ambient music of my own for a couple of years, and wanted to release my own CD, which became Sudden Dark. Before Hypnos even really got started, the concept expanded from a vehicle to release a CD or two of my own music, into something like what it is today. The decision to form Hypnos wasn't really a decision to form an aggressive, fast-growing, adventurous label. If I had known what it would become, I might have been afraid to take the first steps. AV:  Was there something specific that really pushed you over the edge and gave you the impetus to form Hypnos? MG:  In the beginning, the decision to start Hypnos seemed secondary and almost incidental to my desire to start releasing my own music. The big revelation for me was finding an artistic direction that I wanted to pursue through music or sound. So at first, the great majority of my energy and focus was on my own personal music, and a lesser focus was on the idea of this label. Gradually that ratio has become reversed!   Click here for the rest of our Q & A with Mike Griffin