“exploring a ghost town” : Jonas Munk Talks The Return Of Manual And New Album ‘True Bypass’

Danish artist Jonas Munk wears many hats. Besides being guitarist/producer in Causa Sui, Munk releases solo records, as well as the collaborative project Billow Observatory with Auburn Lull’s Jason Kolb. He’s also a producer, mixer, engineer for other artists as well, most notably Nicklas Sorensen of band Papir. Munk also runs Azure Vista Records and […]

Manual : True Bypass

Musician and producer Jonas Munk has remained pretty busy these last few years. Between releasing music with Causa Sui, ambient solo works, and putting out records with Auburn Lull’s Jason Kolb as Billow Observatory, he’s leaving a wide swath of sonic endeavors for us to get lost in. And let’s not forget running record label […]

Geoff Garlock : Don’t Die Today

California’s Geoff Garlock has made a subtle, little masterpiece with his newest release Don’t Die Today. His first release with Seattle label SFI Recordings, Garlock has made a meditative, transcendent album that welcomes the listener in with warm, open arms. Ambient textures, New Age headiness, and that DIY, personal touch that came out of the […]

Billow Observatory : Resina

Jonas Munk and Jason Kolb, aka Billow Observatory, have continued to work on new music since last year’s full-length release The Glass Curtain. The two have just released Resina, a 26-minute EP of new, heady dark ambient pieces that run the gamut between optimistic hues of sunrise and the sleepy tones of minimalism. Both coalescing […]

Complex Distractions Presesnts : Favorite Albums Of 2025 – Jazz/Ambient/Experimental

I’m kind of at a loss for words regarding the fact we’re about 2 weeks away from the beginning of 2026. It feels like we’ve traveled through an entire year; ups, downs, outs, ins, and everything in-between leaving plenty of emotional, mental, and even physical scars along the way. But to actually say “2026” out […]

From Overseas : Thinking Like A Mountain

From Overseas (aka Kévin Séry) makes the kind of bold, engaging, and ethereal music you can’t help but get lost in. Like some crystalline forest in a dream, you’re surrounded by a beauty not quite tangible. As if thoughts and visions form from the subconscious in rays of light and wonder, not quite able to […]

Slow Blink : Letters Home

Nostalgia and memory go hand in hand. Not all memories equate to nostalgia, but the best ones do. When the present isn’t currently offering some sort of contentment – as is the case with where we are right now in history – we seek better times locked away in the past. Trips to small town […]

zakè(ft. various artists) : Silentium

Zach Frizzell, aka zakè, has done a lot to build a musical community within the ambient/new age/drone worlds. Between his label Past Inside The Present(which he co-runs with a collective of like-minded artists), as well as his own zakè drone recordings, Zach has gone a long way to build a vibrant, engaging, and forward-thinking musical community. […]

Angela Winter : Forbidden Questions In Space

There’s something both beautiful and foreboding listening to the new long player by ambient/electronic artist Angela Winter. There’s a persistent hum that emanates throughout her Past Inside The Present debut titled Forbidden Questions In Space that affects you on a visceral level. As if some universal hum is reaching out from a vast and ancient […]

Nate Mercereau, Josh Johnson, Carlos Niño : Openness Trio

The sound of Openness Trio is the sound of futurism, experimentation, and of a band re-writing what a jazz trio can be. Guitarist/producer Nate Mercereau, saxophonist Josh Johnson, and percussionist Carlos Niño are no strangers to the worlds of jazz and experimentalism. They are among a small but powerful group of “new” jazz players that […]