Space is the place this year and Vangelis has the album for it. It’s called Juno to Jupiter and it is in the classic Vangelis mode. We’ll also hear music from E.Vax, which is Evan Peter Mast.
On a Slow Flow Echoes, new music by Belgian ambient composer Dirk Serries. He teams up with saxophonist Trosta on an album of ambient improvisations called Island On The Moon.
This list is not like other lists. All “best of” lists are circumscribed by what music the listers were exposed to and personal tastes. In our case, it’s constrained by what we play on Echoes.
Music from another disciple of Windham Hill guitarist and founder, Will Ackerman. His name is Randal Meek, and Ackerman produced his album, Longings. We’ll also hear from Karavan Sarai.
We all watched TV during pandemic isolation, but Marissa Nadler got an album out of it. It’s called The Path of the Clouds, and it’s inspired by the Unsolved Mysteries TV show.
Singer-songwriter Tori Amos releases her 16th album, Ocean to Ocean. It’s an album born in grief, turmoil and hope during pandemic isolation. She talks about it on Echoes.
The January CD of the Month is Nocturnes by Ben Jackson recording as The Great Northern. He usually produces country and pop in Nashville, but we’ll hear him as an electronic ambient composer.
An icon of German electronic music returns. guitarist Michael Rother from Harmonia, and Neu! has a new album with Vittoria Maccabruni called As Long As the Light.
On a Slow Flow Echoes, music by The Album Leaf, revisited. Jimmy Lavalle has gone back to his 2001 album, One Day I’ll Be On Time, and reworked it as One Day XX
We’ll hear music by Lunar Noon, a choral dream pop project of Michelle Zheng. Her debut album is Symbolic Creature. We also have music from Robot Koch’s Sand And Foam project remixed.