Veteran composer Gavin Bryars and "noise guy" Crowhurst present a new LP recorded in a 17th century hotel and brimming with musical imagination. Says Bryars, "To watch what Jay does was, sometimes, beyond my comprehension and I thought, at times, that Jay may be more intelligent than me. But it didn't last long!"
Electronic artist Steve Hauschildt has made one of his most challenging records with Nonlin, but that makes it one of the most rewarding.
Ambient music has grown with the birth of streaming, ushering in big audiences to sounds both challenging and relaxing. Here are ten best records of the year that say so much without saying a word.
Nearly 30 years have gone into the making of Tim Bowness and Steven Wilson's seventh album as No-Man, Love You to Bits. Bowness speaks with PopMatters about returning to the duo's electronic early days, and how Love You to Bits may be the Terminator: Dark Fate of No-Man albums.
Former Wildcat! Wildcat! founders re-team as Kid Nobody to deliver hazy, electronic-driven sounds that marry the chill of ambient with the drive of rock 'n' roll.
The anguish a parent feels for losing their child is harrowing and Ghosteen masterfully captures Nick Cave's grief and spiraling rumination on mortality.
German electronic group Bersarin Quartett take their music up a level with their new album Methoden und Maschinen. "Wenn wir nur wollen" sees the ensemble adding new textures and approaches to their ambient sound.
Electronic musician Markus Popp continues to make warm, creative and adventurous electronic music under the Oval moniker with his new EP, Eksploio.
Each track of ambient duo A Winged Victory for the Sullen's The Undivided Five captures the sound of two exceptional musicians drawing in deep musical breaths and then exhaling something of lasting ethereal beauty.
Ambient country band SUSS' co-founder, Bob Holmes discusses the seemingly unlikely but ultimately necessary marriage of music that marries the imagined America of the past and present.
Danish duo Bremer/McCoy's Utopia could be the score to an imaginary Peanuts special, in which Charlie Brown and his pals exchange occasional contemplative remarks, but don't dance much.
Experimental electronic producer Meemo Comma shares the top 10 things that influenced her stunning, new album Sleepmoss, as we premiere the video for the title track.
German composer/producer Nils Frahm has compiled his last three EPs into a varied and satisfying full-length release, All Encores.
The decades-long partnership between composer Terry Riley and the Kronos Quartet continues – with a little help from NASA – on the brilliant new album, Sun Rings.
Each listen of Lindstrøm's On a Clear Day I Can See You Forever reveals a fresh, sensory experience. Each track provides the soundtrack to whatever new feeling, memory, or experience you want.
Mellotron Variations create mind-bending but deeply melodic music on "Went Home to Meet Konrad". The project features Pat Sansone (Wilco), John Medeski, Robby Grant (Vending Machine), and Jonathan Kirkscey (Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Blueshift Ensemble).
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