zakè : B⁴+3

The latest from ambient sound wizard Zach Frizzell, aka zakè, is the enigmatic and widescreen effort B⁴+3. Originally known as B⁴, a 2023 Zakè Drone Recordings release that was a musical companion to art prints created by Frizzell, zakè felt that he wasn’t yet finished with this record. In fact, in describing that feeling he […]

36 : Reality Engine

Dennis Huddleston, aka electronic artist 36, makes electronic music in the grand tradition of trailblazers like Edgar Froese, Klaus Schulze, and Jean-Michel Jarre. And what I mean by that is 36 works on grand scales, building crystalline sound worlds where one gets lost for a bit. Where some ambient feels like slow motion cloud formation […]

Long Story Short(Ambient Edition) : Slow Dancing Society/Billow Observatory/zakè/Chihei Hatakeyama, Hakobune, From Overseas, zake

2024. So how’s the new year been treating you? Already one month down, just eleven more to go and we’ll be looking at 2025. But hey, let’s not rush it. It’s going to go by fast enough as it is. Let’s talk about some soothing, heady sounds that might help you through it all, shall […]

“The Boundless And The Infinite” : In Conversation With Musician, Composer, And Label Runner zakè

Central Indiana is a vast, endless horizon of cornfields, farms, and the occasional city strewn in for good measure. If you’ve ever been to West Texas you’d feel right at home in this Midwest pocket of agriculture, small town life, and the feeling of being nowhere and everywhere in just a single glance. Interstate 65 […]

Paul Riedl : Quintessence

Quintessence quite simply means “the purest form of something”. It’s the essence that gives something its magic. The essential center that holds those secrets that only the universe whispers when you need to hear them the most. It’s that hum in your head that calms the static when it encroaches too close to your being. […]

Jake Schrock : Temporal Visions EP

Jake Schrock builds very specific sound worlds. They feel familiar yet wholly singular to the Texas-based analog electronic composer. His 2018 Holodeck Records debut Tropical Depression was this island vibe-heavy record. Schrock painted visions of steely shores and sinking suns with vintage synths and drum machines, giving us an album that was equally Caribbean and […]

Dawn Chorus and the Infallible Sea Return With “Cadere”; New Album Out Spring 2024

There’s a special kind of magic that happens with Dawn Chorus and the Infallible Sea. A musical alchemy occurs within the lush sound layers, processed noise, and ethereal melodies that emanate from their songs. My first experience with this ambient music project was their 2020 release Liberamente, which came to us via Azure Vista Records. […]

Justin Sweatt : Permian Tapes Vol. 2

Justin Sweatt has covered a lot of musical ground over the last decade plus. Hazy Komische to sweaty dance floor bangers to cosmic synth drifts to pastoral ambient trips, Sweatt approaches them all like a composer telling a story through sound. And for a large swath of that time he worked under the moniker Xander […]

awakened souls : unlikely places

awakened souls is the musical project of ambient musicians and husband and wife duo Cynthia and James Bernard. Cynthia records under the name Marine Eyes, while James has had his hand in many solo and collaborative projects. Cynthia and James have, to my ears, perfected the ambient music realm. Creating sound worlds vast and beautiful, […]

zakè and City of Dawn : Ash

There’s a kind of musical alchemy when Zach Frizzell (zakè) and Damien Duque (City Of Dawn) come together. I first heard these two back in 2020 as Dawn Chorus and the Infallible Sea(along with Marc Ertel.) Their Azure Vista Records debut Liberamente was a breath of fresh air; blankets of sonic warmth and sublime tones […]