A.C.F. (UK)

Time Shift (1983)

Early cassette release by Alan Freeman.

See also: Freeman, Alan

A Crown of Light (USA)

The Clearing (2006)

A Dark Ambient collaborative project between members of Power Electronics outfits A Crown of Amaranth and Conversations About the Light (Brandon Elkins and Robert Hunter Osgood). Mostly bleak drones but also some noisy bits and concrete structures.

A.D.S.R (Spain)

Analog Sequence (1998)

The title of the album pretty much says it all. Two Spanish guys creating long sequencer-driven electronic tracks in classic tradition. A.D.S.R. was formed circa 1990 by Jorge Lanceira and Marcel Castro. They were influenced by Jarre, Kraftwerk, Vangelis, Hans Zimmer and a few others. In 1995 the duo started making original compositions instead of doing covers or programming synths for other musicians.

A Distant Signal (USA)

Into the Out of (1992)
Velocity Fields (1996)
Domain (1999)
Broken Ground (2004)

A Distant Signal is the work of American synthesist Dan Serin. The first album is a collaborative work with Chaz Smith.

A La Ping Pong (Germany)

Extrem Musik A La Ping Pong Phase 1 (1980)
Go Go Pongs (1981)

These rare electronic releases contain atmospheres ala Manuel Goettsching / Gunther Schickert coupled with Cluster / Harmonia-like touches. A La Ping Pong consisted of Hardy Kukuk (synths, sequencers), Hucky Thoss (drums), Klaus Bloch (guitar, voice, synth) and Karsten Recke (electronic piano, sequencer, electronic drums).

See also: Kukuk, Hardy

A Murder of Angels (USA)

While You Sleep (1999)
In the Air (2002)

Dark / Neo-Classical Ambient from Bryin Dall and Derek Rush.

See also: Of Unknown Origin

A Positive Life (UK)

Live From Oscillate (1993)
Synaesthetic (1994)

A positive Life is Stef Pierlejefski. He makes rather slow, but rhythm-oriented music. Synaesthetic contains single ‘The Calling’ which was sampled by Enigma on their Cross of Changes album. (not vice versa)

A Produce (USA)

The Clearing (1988)
Migration (1990) (with Pierre Lambow)
Dragon's Breath (1991) (with Pierre Lambow)
Reflect Like A Mirror (1992)
A Smooth Surface (1994)
Land of A Thousand Trances (1994)
White Sands (1995)
Inscape And Landscape (1996)
Altara (1999) (with M. Griffin)
Smile On the Void (2001)
Early Sessions (2003) (recorded in 1991 - 1993) (with Ruben Garcia)
Black Sands (2005)

Ambient music from Barry Craig. Sometimes with traces of Steve Roach.

A Slow Rip (Australia)

A Slow Rip (2004)
Some Kind of Spark (2005)
The Third Tier (2005)
Light You To Bed (2005)
Fuse (2006)
5 Chains (2006)
For the Time Being (2008)

Self-described as "'Krautrock' drones with some intriguing surprises". This improvisational band consists of Rob Laurie (guitar), Ian Miles (synth) and Phil Turnbull (synth).

Aairria (Poland)

Urbanisation (2008)

Formerly known as Ananta, Aairria is Polish ambient artist Marcin Drabot. He released a few download-only albums, including Urbanisation from 2008 which was re-released on CD in 2010.

Aarktica (USA)

No Solace In Sleep (2000)
Morning One (2001) (EP)
Or You Could Just Go Through Your Whole Life And Be Happy Anyway (2002)
Pure Tone Audiometry (2003)
Bleeding Light (2005)
Matchless Years (2007)
Music For the Motion Picture Apology (2007)
No Solace In Sleep II (2009)
In Sea (2009)

Space Music and cosmic Ambient. Aarktica is synthesist Jon De Rosa.

Abandoned Place (France)

Shadows of Memory (2008)

Dark Ambient.

Abandoned Shelter (Bulgaria)

Yersinia Pestis (2006)
Vespero Mundi Expectando (2007)

Dark soundscapes.

Abbildung (Romania)

Dunkles Wissenschaftliches Sachverhalten (2005)
Untersuchungen (2006)
Two-Sphere Geometry (2008)

Dark Ambient.

See also: Fractated

Abenath, Michael (Germany)

Klangraume (??)
Speechless (1998)

Diverse, mostly ambient synthesist. Ranges from darker free-form explorations to more serene flowing synthetic stuff.

Abird (Spain)

Skyline 001 (2002)

Unusual and at times Experimental electronics.

Absolute Elsewhere (UK)

In Search of the Ancient Gods: An Experience In Sound And Music Based On the Books of Erich van Daniken (1976)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1978)

An obscure band from UK consisting of Paul Fishman, Philip Saatchi, John Astrop and featuring Bill Bruford on drums. Synth dominated with soft Progressive Rock shades. The music is all instrumental and the synthesizer tracks have sometimes hints of Klaus Schulze on them.

Absolute Misery (Canada)

Forever Rotting (2004)

Doom Ambient based on ultra-low drones. Like a more deep and obscure version of Until Death Takes Overtakes Me sans vocals.

See also: Alone In Silence, Funerary Dirge.

Abstract Audio Systems (USA)

Aedon (??)
Ambient Caramel (??)
Fadepoint (??)
SomeNothing (2001)
Evergone (2004) (EP) (with Austere)
Dark Fortune (2004) (S)
Gossamer (2005)
Subdural (2005) (EP)
Poems For Innogen (2007)
Dark Terrain (2008)

Electronic Ambient with some acoustic elements from this New York-based project.

Abstract Speed (Canada)

The Grace of Strange Weather (1995) (S)

Ambient in the style of Brian Eno and Harold Budd from Paul Tedeschini.

Abysma (The Ukraine)

Armageddon 00 (2003)

Dark soundscapes / Black Ambient.

Abyss (Poland)

Mental Self-Destruction (2007)

Black Ambient.

Accomplice Affair (Poland)

Act of Creation (2007)
Jezioro Wspomnien (2008)
Samotny Horyzont (2009)

Dark Ambient.

Acheloo (Italy)

Sirens (2008)
Ishtar (2008)
Khimaira (2009)

Acheloo is Italian guitar player and synthesist Carlo Luzi, whose interest in Electronic Music goes back to 1980, the year he started his first electronic group. He has an ambient sound based on traditional EM structures.

See also: SeraSidereA, Terra della Sera.

ACI (Germany)

ACI is German synthesist Helmut van Aaken. His music can be characterized by melodic, driving and symphonic synths, with some vocoder thrown in. He became interested in Electronic Music during the 70's and by 1980 he had his own studio built and ready for recording. Van Aaken is known for his musical contributions to German TV series "TATORT" as well as other TV and radio programmes. 

Acosta, Aaron (USA)

Frequency, Amplitude & Time (2004)

Mixture of Ambient, Space Music and Electroacoustics from this sound designer.

Adamas (Germany)

Shat Chakra Nirupana (2000)

Hannes Folberth was a keyboard player on a few Eloy albums. Very melodic and generally atmospheric music. Having given birth to Hannes in 1959, his family relocated to Germany from Romania when Hannes was still a very young kid. During the 1970's, he got influenced by all those Progressive / Psychedelic bands that started to pop up at that time. In 1980 he officially became Eloy's keyboard player, contributing his skills and talent to several of their albums. His Adamas project was basically the result of his philosophic ideas and it bears the stamp of the New Age movement that emerged in the early 1980's.

See also: Eloy

Adames, Vinicio (Venezuela)

Al Comienzo del Camino (1985)
Luminol In Anima Tuus (1998)
Cinema (??)

The first album was recorded with the help of Miguel Noya. A true relic of Venezuelan EM.

Adams, John (USA)

Available Light (1983)
Light Over Water (1983)
Hoodoo Zephyr (1992)

John Adams usually composes symphonic music, but the above albums are synth-based. The style of the first two is unknown at the moment, while Hoodoo Zephyr features fast minimalistic sequencer sketches.

Adhara (UK)

Golden Dream (1983)
Infinity & Beyond (1984)
Visions of Alucia (1984)

One of those early projects by the Freeman brothers.

See also: Alto Stratus, Freeman, Alan, Biomechanoid, Endgame, Region 5, Vrije, Electric Junk.

Adnan (Russia)

Waves & Light (2001)

This Moscow-based artist appeared on the blooming computer tracker scene during the 1990's. After that he released an album of melodic, calm and relaxing Space Music compositions.

Adrian, Rudy (New Zealand)

Subantarctica (1992)
Twilight (1999)
The Healing Lake (2000)
Kinetic Flow - Sequencer Sketches Vol. 1 (2000)
Iridescence - Sequencer Sketches Vol. 2 (2001)
Concerts In New Zealand (2002) (with Nick Prosser)
Starfields - Sequencer Sketches Vol. 3 (2002)
Concerts In the USA (2003)
Across the Silver River (2003) (with Ron Boots)
Moonwater (2006)
Par Avion - Sequencer Sketches Vol. 4 (2007)
Desert Realms (2008)

Probably the best known synthesist from New Zealand. Apart from writing music for documentaries and multimedia performances, Rudy Adrian (born in 1969 as Rudy Hueting) has also released several albums. His style ranges from classic Ambient in the Eno/Budd vein to teutonic Berlin School-type music. Twilight, Subantarctica & The Healing Lake are mostly ambient, while his more recent works released on famous Dutch Groove Unlimited label, represent the classic slabs of synthesis which are heavily influenced by the 70’s Electronic Music. Sometimes his music comes close to New Age, especially on slower ambient tracks. So, New Age fans can also check him out. Recommended.

Adriva (Russia)

Cold Sea Week (2007)
Equites (2007)
Equites Mini (2007)
Losung (2007)
Ognezmei (2007)
Adtasa (2008) (S)
Cuore (2008)
Lacte Sessia (2008)
Oriens (2008)
Ombre Parties (2009) (S)
Voix De Mythe (2009) (S)

Rostov-On-Don-based side-project of Drone Ambient formation Sunchariot. Archaic, murky Noise Ambient.

See also: Enmerkar, Sunchariot.

Aedena Cycle (Norway)

Albite (1997)
Cargo Cult (1999)

Jazzy electronics, sometimes comparable to Biosphere. Aedena Cycle is Gaute Barlindhaug.

Aelia Capitolina (Russia)

Requiem (2008)

Droning soundscapes / Doom Ambient.

Aeoga (Finland)

Coav (2004)
Zenith Beyond the Helix-Locus (2005)
Triangle of Nebula - Devourers (2005)
Palace For Vultunales (2005)

Dark Ambient with Ritual elements.

See also: Halo Manash, Arktau Eos, Aural Holograms.

AER (Italy)

Light Beyond the Universe (2006)

Dark Space with drones and mysterious synth melodies.

Aerie (UK)

The Best of Aerie 1980 - 1981 (1981)
Further Adventures of Aerie (1981)
Aerie Fairies? Nonsense! (1981)
In Nominis Patri, Et Filli, Et Spiritu Sancti, Ego Te Dissolvo (1982)
Not Another Fucking Aerie Tape (1982)
Intertia Remains Dominant (1982)
Black Godzilla Meets the Emmanuel Swappers (1982)

Aerie existed from 1979 to 1982 as a bedroom studio project and was essentially the precursor to The Land of Yrx, featuring pretty much same musicians and instrumentation. They released several cassettes in a tiny number of copies.

See also: Land of Yrx, Gate, David, Andrews, Robert.

Aerts, Kees (Netherlands)

Slices of Time (1997)
BAH! Live In Sweden (1998) (with Boots and van der Heijden)
Joie de Vivre (1999) (with friends)
Livelines (2002) (with Boots and van der Heijden)
If One Door Closes Another Door Opens (2008) (recorded in 1990 - 2008)

Dutch electronic musician. Very melodic music with hints of Jarre and Boots. For those who like flowing, delicate electronics. Along with Boots, he is a co-owner of Groove Unlimited label.

See also: EEKA

Aeryal (Switzerland)

Tenganan (2007)
Windleaves (2009)

Aeryal is Miguel Samiez, born in 1974. When he was 7 years old, he heard Jarre's Oxygene, and it changed his musical vision forever. On Tenganan he presents emotional Electronic Music combined with field recordings made on Bali.

Aethere (Italy)

Dark, Depressive & Esoteric Era (2002)
Out of Body Experience (2003)
Pulvis Et Umbra Sumus (2004)
Il Giardino Epicureo (2006)
The Long & Dark Tea (2007)
In Coma (2009)

Dark Ambient with some influences from 1970's EM. Aethere is the project of Italian Emanuale Ratti.

Aethenor (international)

Deep In Ocean Sunk the Lamp of Light (2006)
Anthracite (2008)
Betimes Black Cloudmasses (2008)
Faking Gold And Murder (2009)

A trio of Daniel O'Sullivan of British experimental Progrock band Guapo, Vincent De Roguin of Swiss Post-Rock project Shora and Stephen O'Malley of Sunn O))). Totally deep soundscapes and drones.

Aetopus (USA)

Memories of the Elder (2002)
Tempula (2006)

There are many styles covered in this work, both rhythmic and ambient. Aetopus is Bryan Tewell Hughes.

Agamemnon (USA)

Angry Beyond Forgiveness (2002)

Dark / Doom Ambient.

Age (Belgium)

Landscapes (1980)
Dimensions (1982)
Singapore / Sunset Dance (1983) (S)
Terre & Mer (1985)
Escales (1990)
Escales II (2000)
Beyond the Score (2000)

Diverse melodic / ambient Electronic Music by the duo of Emmanuel D’haeyere and Guy Vachaudez.

See also: E-Light

Agebjorn, Johan (Sweden)

Mossebo (2008)

This artist from Gothenburg, Sweden, started with a variety of styles but finally settled for an ambient sound on Mossebo.

Aghast (Norway)

Hexerei Im Zwielicht Der Finsternis (1995)

Classic release of Dark Ambient in Ritual vein on Cold Meat Industry label. Obscure atmospheres, whispers, disembodied voices, etc. Aghast was a short-lived project by two Norwegian witches "Nebelhexe" and "Nacht" who were both married to members of Black Metal bands at some stages.

Agitation Free (Germany)

Malesch (1972)
Second (1973)
Last (1973)
At the Cliffs of River Rhine (1974)
Fragments (1974)
The Other Sides of Agitation Free (1974)
River of Return (1999)

Legendary German Space Rock band. They relied largely on improvisational methods in playing their music. A very psychedelic and spacey affair. Michael Hoenig, Harald Grosskopf and Lutz Ulbrich were members of Agitation Free at some stages.

See also: Hoenig, Michael, Grosskopf, Harald, Ulbrich, Lutz.

Aglaia (Italy)

Three Organic Experiences (2001)
Sacred Waters (2004)
Mondi Sensibili (2006)
Unfrofaned Twilight (2008)
Naked Movements (2009)
Private History of the Clouds (2009) (with Alio Die)
Reverberant Skies (2009)
White Maps (2009)

Organic Ritual Ambient in the style of Alio Die by Gino Fioravanti and Gianluigi Toso.

Aglieri, Roberto (Italy)

Ragadapani (1987)
Amina (2002)
Fabularium (2003)
Trilogia (2007)

Sedate electronic atmospheres mixed with flute playing. Later albums moved towards semi-acoustic World Music style.

Agterberg, Martin (Netherlands)

Dutch synthesist who released at least two albums of Electronic Music. The first one (Flyer) has a synth on the cover. He is helped with engineering and additional synth playing by Fred A. de Groot. The music sounds like a cheesy version of Jarre mixed with 1980's Synthpop.

Aguilar, Ildefonso (Spain)

Very adventurous and beautiful synth soundscapes. Hints of early Schulze and Tangerine Dream. Inspired by the volcanic activity of the Canary Islands.

Aguilar, Maria (Spain)

Atmosferas Sonoras (2000)
Colores (2009)
La Temperatura Del Vacio (2009)

Mainly Berlin School-based music from this Spanish female synthesist. Maria Aguilar is also known as Mery Ann.

Ahasverus (Sweden)

Ten Is the Number (2006)
Evocation (2006)
The Destiny of Fabian Kazmierski (2007)
Foundation (2007)

Ahasverus is a pseudonym of Swedish Dark Ambient musician Henrik Summanen. He creates archaic soundscapes with concrete textures and synthesized drones. The Destiny... is Martial Ambient.

See also: Summanen, Henrik

Aicher, Richard (Germany)

Electronic Moods (1994)
Green Silver (1997)
Circles (1999)
Unsharp (2000)
Virtual Skyscraper (2001)
Orchestral Machines (2002)
Black Contoures (2003)

Ex-Weltklang electronic musician.

See also: Weltklang

Aiken, Jim (USA)

Light's Broken Speech Revived (1993)

Electronics on Kit Watkins' Linden label. This album contains a Beatles cover and the rest is supposedly original material.

Airaksinen, Pekka (Finland)

One Point Music (1972)
Buddhas of Golden Light (1984)
Milk Sea (1994)
Inner Galaxies (1996)
M58 (1996) (recorded in 1980)
Sugatas (1996) (recorded in 1984)
Jewel Comet (1996) (recorded in 1983)
Mangala (1996) (recorded in 1986)
Union In Space (1997) (recorded in 1985)
Love'n Addiction (1997) (recorded in 1978)
Vitamins (1997) (recorded in 1975)
Tishya (1998)
Garden of Death (1999)
M42 (2002) (recorded in 1980)
Avalokiteshvara (2002)
Nyks (2003) (recorded in 1978 - 2003)
Pundarika II (2003) (recorded in 1977 - 1985)
Closed Garden (2003) (recorded in 1987)
Brahmaghosa (2004) (recorded in 1979 - 1985)
In Balance (2004) (recorded in 1986 - 2004)
Mythological Duo (2004) (recorded in ??)
Sakyamuni (2005) (recorded in ??)

Known as one of the founders of Fluxus / Performance ensemble The Sperm, Pekka Airaksinen is a legend of Finnish experimental music in his own right. In the early years (shortly after leaving The Sperm) his music was heavily based on concrete textures and Psych influences. A bit later, he adopted a more spiritual style (he became a buddhist somewhere in the late 1970's) which was still pretty experimental but based more on synthesizers and drum machine rhythms. Some of it is pretty ambient in nature. Lately he started releasing a lot of music as privately pressed CD-Rs. These releases contain both new works and some archive material. However, I am not sure how much of this would actually qualify for inclusion in EEM, as his music ranges from Techno (like Pink Bodies, for instance, naturally not included in the above discography) to Jazz and experimental / EM stuff. Consequently, the discography for this artist is incomplete.

Airsculpture (UK)

Impossible Geometries (1995)
Attrition System (1996)
Europa (1997)
Thunderhead (1998)
Fjord Transit (1999)
Quark Soup (2001)
Okefenokee Dreams 2001 (2002) (with Free System Projekt and Bill Fox)
TranceAtlantic (2005)
Before the Moon (2006)
Okefenokee 2002 (2007) (with Star Sounds Orchestra) (recorded in 2002)
Burn (2008)

British synth trio. The three musicians are Adrian Beasley, John Christian and Peter Ruczynski. Strong Tangerine Dream influenced music. They make their music with as little preparation as possible and therefore the music has that special spirit of improvisational flow so often lacking in modern EM. Sometimes their music is compared to that of Node and Radio Massacre International, two other British retro bands that started the Berlin School revival of the 90’s. This can give indication as to what Airsculpture’s music sounds like. Of course fans of classic sequencer music (I’m among them) should check them out. Quark Soup is a double album recorded live at Jodrell Bank and E-Live. Some other albums contain live material as well. But it’s not so important, because most of their music is done ‘live’ in the studio, and if we take their performances in front of an audience, you won’t hear any noise it produces, because the music is recorded straight from the mixer, and that’s a good thing when talking about quality of recording.

See also: Christian, John, Beasley, Adrian, Cosmic Smokers.

Airwaves (Mexico)

Ambient Tracks (1994)
Second Shift (1995) (soundtrack)
Do You (1996)

Ambient (?) artist from Mexico.

Aix Em Klemm (USA)

Aix Em Klemm (2000)

A collaboration between a member of Labradford and a member of Stars of the Lid (Adam Wiltzie and Bobby Donne). Ambient.

See also: Labradford, Stars of the Lid.

Akasha (Norway)

Akasha (1977)

Norwegian Progressive band with vocals. Synth and Mellotron dominated, so it may be interesting for EM fans.

Akasha Project (Germany)

Cosmic Colors (2004)
Vermillion Daystream (2004)
Emerald Earthwave (2004)
Purple Mind (2004)
The Quantum Music of the LSD Molecule (2009)
H2 - The Quantum Music of Hydrogen (2010)

A project of German musician Barnim A. Schultze. He was born in 1963 and discovered Electronic Music in the late 1970's. By 1985, he got his first synthesizer and started composing. During the 1990's, he got involved in the growing Techno scene and, consequently, a lot of his works are filled with relaxed Techno / Chill-Out rhythms. However, the three albums from 2004 will definitely appeal to fans of Ambient and Space Music. They were reissued in 2006 on two CDs as Earth Trilogy.

Akikaze (Netherlands)

Music From Misty Marshes (1989)
Aquarius (1990)
Leap In the Dark (1991)
In High Places (1992)
Fantasmagora (1996)
Conflicting Emotions (1999)
The Age of Deception (2008)
Music From the Mesozoic (2009)

Akikaze is Dutch musician Peipijn Courant. He plays very versatile music which is mostly analog. Smart, melodic (not schmaltzy) and pleasant. The sequences are very good, I haven’t heard such good analog music for a long time. Anyway, it should appeal to a wide audience and the lovers of Electronic Music will sure want to have these albums in their collection. It’s very difficult to compare his music to other musicians, it’s actually quite unique, and that is a rarity too. Most of his albums are available on CD. Highly recommended!

Akwara, Andreas (Germany)

Empathy (2002)
Solar Eclipse (2002)
Pathos (2003)
Ambush (2004) (with Bjorn Lutz)
Synthetic Horizon (2005)
Occult Sanctum (2006)
Blue Velvet (2009)
Quantum (2009)
Erwachet (2010)
Reinheit (2010)

Solar Eclipse features 60+ minutes of majestic Space Music. If you like the more active side of the genre, you owe it to yourself to check out Andreas Akwara. Great atmospheric pads, effects, rhythms buried deep in the mix and some sequences to complete the picture. Music to travel to the far reaches of space. The album was mastered by Ron Boots. Recommended for all EM fans, especially for those who are attracted to the idea of a substantial and unique Space Music.

Alatli, Metin (Turkey)

Synthetic Dance Moods (1974)

Metin Alatli was born in 1936 and during the 60's he was a member of several groups, including the legendary garage band Siluetler. After that he moved to France for a while and upon returning to Turkey he made a few shows in several nightclubs with a band that had a drum-machine instead of a real drummer, which was quite unusual for the time. He then released his only (as far as I know) LP, the electronic Synthetic Dance Moods (Sentetik Oyun Havalar), also known as Alamooga Esinlenmeler (the title on the front cover of the LP) On this album he is helped by several guest musicians. The music represents some sort of a crazy fusion of traditional Turkish music and funky electronic creations (made on ARP 2600, Hammond organ etc.) Metin Alatli died in 1992 from heart attack but his work remains a classic of Turkish EM.

Alaura (UK)

Sacred Dreams (1995)

Slightly psychedelic, melodic ambient soundscapes with some wordless singing from ex-wife of Genesis P-Orridge and former collaborator of Psychic TV.

Albarran, Joe (USA)

Expansion (1994)

A Mellotron-drenched work from the man behind Matter. For those who like Pinhas' solo albums.

See also: Matter

Albergo Intergalattico Spaziale (Italy)

Albergo Intergalattico Spaziale (1978)
Angeli di Solitudine - Provini Ineditidi 1974 - 96 (2009)

Doomy progressive electronics with haunting female vocals.

See also: Cosentino, Saro

Al-Bird (Uzbekistan)

Sodom & Gomorra (2002)

My name is Bird, Al Bird... Instrumental Electronic / Progrock  music somewhere between Jean-Michel Jarre and Jose Ledesma with some other influences in there as well.

Alcedo, Ramon (Spain)

Mirando A Las Estrellas (??)

Synthesist from Andalucia with an album released on Big Bang (the label that also released Pedro Hurtado's works). The style is not known.

Aldebaran (Germany)

Very obscure German synth band that existed from 1974 to 1977. Aldebaran started as a Rock combo but by 1975 had transformed into a full-blown electronic band. Not much is known about them but they did give several live performances. One of the members was Mathias Eigelshoven. The other one calls himself H. G. Fortune and makes virtual plug-in instruments these days. There were other members but their names are unknown. The music was very spacey and floating, done on analog instruments.

Alexander (USA)

New Visions In Sedona (1994)
Dreams of Sedona (1996)
A Space Serene (2002)
Moonlight On Water (2004)
Tour of the Galaxies (2004)

Space Music (sometimes with an Ambient or New Age flair) from this artist who was born in Chicago but now resides in Arizona. He plays keyboards as well as guitar. There's another album by him, called Something Like Jazz (2005) that's too removed from the EM aesthetics to be included here, I guess.

Alexander, Xan (UK)

The Mind Cavern Sessions Vol. 1 (2002) (with David Gurr)
The Mind Cavern Sessions Vol. 2 (2002) (with David Gurr)
The Mind Cavern Sessions Vol. 3 (2003) (with David Gurr)
The Mind Cavern Sessions Vol. 4 (2003) (with David Gurr)
Star Dark (2005)
Klang Garten (2008)
Ambi-Tronic Soundscapes (2008)

One half of The Omega Syndicate. Sequencer EM. Some of the Mind Cavern Sessions tracks made it onto the Analogue Waves album by TOS.

See also: The Omega Syndicate

Alexi (USA)

The Mystery (2000)

Mostly sequenced, Tangerine Dream-styled EM from this keyboardist.

Algol (Russia)

Searching For Inner And Outer Void (2006)
Deep Thoughts About Universe (2007)
Follow the Cepheid Light (2009)

Ambient / Space Music from Novosibirsk, Western Siberia, Russia.

Alhedion (Germany)

Kosmische Spuren eines Lebens (2001)

Floating music with sequences and soloing. Very good.

Alidan (Spain)

Noosphere (2001)
Immersion (2003)
Nebulae (2004)

Nebulae is an album of drifting Space Music and melodic ambient atmospheres, plus several upbeat melodic tracks. The first four tracks are very good. Two of them ("Glider" and "The Kingdom of Poseidon") are drifting, while the other two ("Voyage" and "Inhabited Worlds") are more upbeat, the former featuring lots of sequences and the latter being the best cut on the album if you ask me. I heard some lovely analog-like leads on "Glider", so I was hoping to hear more of this stuff during the course of this album, but - alas, got none. Unfortunately, after the first four tracks, the album delves into sweet, Kitaro-like keyboard New Age music. Both "Flowers On the Wind" and "Cities of Light" are very New Agey. Not that they are bad tracks, it's just that my own preferences tend to drift to darker and more experimental realms. Thankfully, the album gains momentum once again with the very upbeat "Shaman" and the atmospheric "Dolphins", both of which are ok. "With An Angel" and "Introspection" close the album on once again a melodic and sweet Kitaro-ish New Age note. Overall, it's a diverse collection of music that will appeal to a wide audience and is well worth checking out. I think if Alidan continues in the vein of "Voyage" and "Inhabited Worlds" he may soon surprise us with a great bunch of upbeat melodic EM tracks.

Alien Nature (Germany)

Distant Calling (2005)
Distractions (2005)
Anna (2006)
Construction (2008)
Medusa (2009) (with T M A)
Massive (2010)

Alien Nature is Wolfgang Barkowski. A bit dark but with prominent Berlin School edge.

See also: Hypnosphere

Alien Planetscapes (USA)

An underground classic of American EM, Alien Planetscapes always revolved around Doug "Dr. Synth" Walker, although different releases by them may appeal to different categories of listeners. Originally Alien Planescapes appeared as the reaction to Doug's previous band, called Yeti. This band played some sort of electronic Jazz and, as a black musician, Doug had always been interested in combining free Jazz improvisations with Electronic Music of the Berlin School (Doug had been listening to Tangerine Dream since 1971). However, he wasn't satisfied with Yeti's line-up and decided to replace the guitar and drums with electronic rhythms and sequencers and to create music of a more floating, spacey character. As a result, in its early days Alien Planescapes was either Doug Walker solo, or in pair with other synthesists & musicians (mostly Louis Boone, John Likides, Arnold Mathes, David Prescott and Carl Howard) and the music from that period is classic synth excursions, very spacey and long, like the best of TD and Schulze. Later on Alien Planetscapes acquired a new line-up and started making music within the group format. The music from this period is more Space Rock oriented, although still with an awful lot of cool electronics to boost. Sadly, Doug Walker passed away in April, 2006, but his work remains a classic and unique example of synthesized cosmic music. The above discography contains most of Alien Planetscapes releases, including cassettes.

See also: Ethereal, Boone, Louis, Likides, John, Mathes, Arnold, Prescott, David, Nomuzic, Land of Guilt & Blarney, The.

Aliens Project (Germany)

Intake (1974)
Flash (1979)
Sequential Bitch (1983)
Bikers Paradise (1999)
Drop Out (2001)
TheReMinator (2002) (with Programmierte Welten)
Kamerun da Chillaz (2006) (with Programmierte Welten)
Behind the Blue Room (2008)

Bernd-Michael Land (b. 1954) aka Aliens Project started making music in the late 1960's, first on one of the early transistor organs and then switching to synthesizers while playing in various Rock bands. Parallel to that, he also started his solo career that saw him building his studio piece by piece, adding some sophisticated modular synthesizers to his setup. Since then he has released several cassettes and CD's, worked for sample libraries (among them "Bad Samples", "Australian Collection", "Bionics" and Toy of the Month" series) and collaborated with several artists, including Coco of Programmierte Welten. Behind the Blue Room is his latest effort containing 16 tracks. It starts with "Battlefield of Thronos". Deep pads set the stage for this moody piece of music. A strange, echoing rhythmic sound appears, while the piece remains cosmic, atmospheric and calm. The rhythmic elements become more prominent. However, the piece never really takes off, instead going for an even more ambient sound, rain effects and various concrete textures / nature sounds. "Orbiter" begins with cosmic effects and noises. More concrete textures are added to this piece which is essentially a relaxing ambient soundscape. Nice one, if somewhat short. "Snorff" consists of a base of deep, slow rhythmic pulses, supported by nicely programmed pads. A few cymbals and drums are added to this otherwise very floating piece. "The Kingdome Come" features a slow, heavy rhythm and some very tasty pads, combined with a crying analogue lead line. Surprisingly, the piece ends with random effects and mysterious voices. "Death Wally" has a spooky atmosphere with all sorts of ghostly voices and wind effects. I suppose, this piece could be called Dark Ambient. It is also one of the most interesting pieces, if somewhat trite. "Thai Connection" promises to be an ethnic-flavoured piece, and indeed it features some ethnic percussion, but that's pretty much it. The rest consists of Mellotron flutes, darkish cellos and string arrangements. I also like the echoing atmospheric pads on this one. A nice piece with a loungy atmosphere, sort of like Edgar Froese's Epsilon In Malaysian Pale played by a bunch of Cafe del Mar guys in a Thai forest. "The Big Race" is a short interlude with atmospheric effects and cosmic sounds. "Lost" features very effective pads and melancholic electric pianos. Deeply ambient and a bit disturbing. "Jump Monkey Jump!" has a bit of a Kraftwerk flavour, with funky bass lines, sharp synthetic rhythm and quirky melodies. Thankfully, it's not very "Techno", having more of that 1980's Electropop atmosphere to it. "Timeswitch" is totally cosmic, with all kinds of effects, pads and twittering. There's also a slightly heard bass pulse running throughout. "Countdown" has an interesting synth line that runs through it and some mesmerizing pads. "Highlander" is dominated by fast harpsichord-like arrangements and organ-like pads. Interesting piece and a stark contrast to the rest of the music on this album. "Steps" tries to convey a scary atmosphere, with stomping effects, atmospheric synth sounds and ethereal choirs. On the other hand, the next piece called "Black Planet" is where the drama really shines through. This piece is so intense and cosmic, it's amazing. What we get here are basically dark synth drones, resonant effects and melancholic pads, all merged into a cosmic miasma of sound. A blistering analogue lead line is a welcome extra to a track already crowded with all sorts of sounds. A relaxed rhythm runs through the piece during its second half. "The Eagle Has Landed" consists of a looped rhythm and a slightly ethnic-sounding melody. There's also a bit of (sampled?) Hammond organ. "Flock" concludes this album with abstract effects and somewhat mysterious atmosphere. After a while, a sharp synthetic rhythm starts, along with a Kraftwerkian bass line. A nice minimal melody supported by a jazzy electric piano brings this track to a close. Overall, Behind the Blue Room is a diverse album made by a talented musician who is certainly one to look out for. It will be enjoyed by a wide audience. Best track: "Thai Connection".

Alio Die (Italy)

Sit Tibi Terra Levis (1990)
Introspective (1991)
Under An Holy Ritual (1991)
The Flight of Real Image (1993)
Fragment 5 (1993) (with Francisco Lopez)
For Krono (1994)
The Door of Possibilities (1994) (with Ora)
From the Depth (1995) (with Mortar)
Suspended Feathers (1996) (with Vidna Obmana)
Fissures (1997) (with Robert Rich)
Password For Entheogenic Experience (1997)
The Hidden Spring (1998)
Descendre Cinq Lacs au travers d’une Voile (1998) (with Yannick Dauby)
Le Stanze della Transcendenza (1999)
Echo Passage (1999) (with Vidna Obmana)
Healing Herb’s Spirit (1999) (with Antonio Testa)
Incantamento (2001)
Leaves Net (2001)
Aquam Metallicam (2001) (with Nick Parkin)
Asparas (2001) (with Amelia Cuni)
Prayer For the Forest (2002) (with Antonio Testa)
Expanding Horizon (2002) (with Mathias Grassow)
Il Tempo Magico Di Saturnia Pavonia (2003)
Khen Introduce Silence (2003)
The Sleep of Seeds (2003) (with Saffron Wood)
Sunja (2003) (with Zeit)
Sol Niger (2004)
Angel's Fly Souvenir (2004) (with Francesco Paladino)
Mei-Jyu (2005) (with Jack Or Jive)
Aqua Planing (2005) (with Werner Durand)
Il Sogno Di Un Piano Veneziano A Parigi (2005) (with Festina Lente)
Aurea Hora (2006) (EP)
Corteggiando Le Messi (2007) (with Saffron Wood)
Cube 7 - Sospensione D'Estate (2007) (with James Johnson)
Raag Drone Theory (2007) (with Zeit)
Aura Seminalis (2008)
Tempus Rei (2008)
Eleusian Lullaby (2008) (with Martina Galvagni)
End of An Era (2008) (with Luciano Daini)
Private History of the Clouds (2009) (with Aglaia)
Circo Divino (2010) (with Parallel Worlds)
Horas Tibi Serenas (2010)

Italian electronic musician (Stefano Musso) who creates Dark Ambient (mostly in Ritual Ambient mould) music. I’ve heard parts of his work with Yannick Dauby and it was very good. I probably need to hear a complete album to say something more useful, though.

See also: Fivethousand Spirits, Sola Translatio.

Alliance (France)

Illusions et Compromise (1985)
Together (1986)
Beautiful Morning And the Dreamland (1988)
Prisoner of Your Love (1989)
Dolce Vita (1992)
The Atari Songs (1995)
Earthsongs (1996)
Blessed Heart (1997)
Old And New (1998)
A Man And A Woman (2003)
Alternativ' (2005)

This project out of Bretagne started in the mid-1980's, with three guys playing synthesizers and drums. After a while, two members of the band left, and Alliance (now also known as Alliance-Sound Project) essentially became a solo project of a guy who calls himself "Brothermoog".

Allier, Jean-Christophe (France)

Ephemeride (1996)
La Rossee (2009) (with Rose-Marie Denise Doblies)

Dreamy modern electronics comparable to Klaus Schulze. Jean-Christophe Allier, a synthesizer enthusiast, started with Electronic Music circa 1981 and has since participated in several EM festivals and released several works.

Allinson / Brown (UK)

Av 1 (1998)

A curiosity of sorts, this album of Ambient music features a piano track by Mark Hollis (ex-Talk Talk) under the name John Cope.

Alluste (Italy)

Constellation (2008)
The Big Monster (2009)

Alluste is Piero Monachello, an Italian synthesist and keyboard player. His style is melodic, with a good sense of rhythm.

Almeida, Jose Luis (Mexico)

Cartas De Navegacion (1989) (with Eblen Macari)
Elegia (1993)

Mixture of electronics and guitar.

Almery (Netherlands)

Almery (1989)

Analog music from the duo of Rene Splinter (currently known as Studio35d) and Maik. The real name of the project was Lemmaril but it didn't appear on the cassette's sleeve.

See also: Splinter, Rene

Alomar, Carlos (USA)

Dream Generator (1987)

Born in Puerto Rico but raised in New York, Carlos Alomar is a former musical director of David Bowie. He released this electronic album on Peter Baumann's Private Music label. 

Alone In Silence (Canada)

Dreaming In A Dark Place (2003)
The Wandering Planet (2003) (EP)
Pseudaural (2005)

Drone / Doom Ambient by Matt Zuchowski, changing towards Dark Space on The Wandering Planet.

See also: Funerary Dirge, Absolute Misery.

Aloni, Aminadav (Israel)

Once (1974) (soundtrack)

Obscure electronic soundtrack to a movie that had no dialogue in it at all. Aminadav Aloni was a pianist who came to the USA from Israel and started writing music for television and films. He died in 1999.

Alpha Flight (Germany)

Alpha Flight is Chris Hoeppner and he is aided by Peter Mergener on this release. There's probably nothing that makes this album stand out of the crowd. Simply the usual elements (atmospherics, melodies, rhythms, sequences) nicely put together.

Alpha III (Brazil)

The project of the very prolific Brazilian Amir Cantusio, based in Campinas, São Paulo. He released a string of albums that lean either towards instrumental Symphonic Rock or atmospheric Electronic Music. Think Tangerine Dream meets Italian Progressive and you'll get pretty close to what Alpha III is all about.

Alpha Lyra (France)

Music For the Stars (2006)
Aquarius (2006)
Music For the Stars II (2010)

Alpha Lyra is Christian Piednoir who makes music generally in the Ambient paradigm, but inspired by cosmic classics of the 1970's and Minimalism.

Alphane Moon (UK)

Echoing Grove by the Welsh group Alphane Moon was originally released on cassette only, and later it was re-released on CD by Camera Obscura. Floating waves of echoing guitar sounds that will surely appeal to fans of "Inventions..."-period Ash Ra Tempel. But bear in mind that this album also contains some strange folky stuff that's pretty much removed from the EM aesthetics. Made of Flowers... follows in similar vein.

Alpha Wave Movement (USA)

Transcendence (1995)
The Edge of Infinity (1996)
Concept of Motion (1998)
Drifted Into Deeper Lands (2000)
Bislama (2001) (with Jim Cole)
A Distant Signal (2002)
Cosmology (2003)
Beyond Silence (2005)
Regions Between (2007) (recorded in 2001 - 2006)
The Mystic & the Machine (2007)
Terra (2008)
Cosmic Mandala (2009)

Quality EM with varied styles. The first album from 1995 is more rhythmic, while the following albums often venture into darker territories but still with a good sense of rhythm. Some ethnic influences are also discernible (on Bislama). Recommended. Alpha Wave Movement is American synthesist Gregory T. Kyryluk.

See also: Open Canvas, Thought Guild, Kyryluk, Gregory.

Alquimia (Mexico)

Coatlique (1991)
Wings of Perception (1995)
Dead Tongues (1996) (with Jose Luis Fernandez Ledesma)
A Separate Reality (1998)
Move & Resonate (2000) (with Roedelius)
Underwater (2001) (with Zinkl)
Nuestro Tiempo (2002)
Angaelic Voices (2003)
Garden of Dreams (2005) (with Rudiger Gleisberg)
Forever (2006)
Leyenda (2007)

Mexican female musician. She uses her own voice together with electronic instruments to create a special sound which can be described as ‘world music’. Sometimes her music reminds on Enya and even Vangelis. I would recommend it for those who like ethnic elements in their music, as well as the use of female voice (mostly processed). She has collaborated with such artists as Roedelius and Zinkl, among others.

See also: Ceremony of Innocence

Alto Stratus (UK)

Urban Decay (1983)
Tales From Tomorrow (1984)
Epatant! (1984)
Trauma (1984)
Svet Ozveny (1984)
Liquid Sky (1984)
Tension! (1984)
Tachyon (1984)
Live (1984)
1984: The End of All Songs (1984)
Pantheon 1984 (1984)
Dark Star (1984)
Old Wounds Vol. 2 (1985)
The Ritual (1989)
Tasty Morsels (1989)
Sunken Nun / Beyond the Infinite (1994) (recorded in 1988 -1994)
Catharsis (2000)
PsYcHoSiS (2001)
Acoustic Surgery (2002)
Devastation (2003)
Rewired (2006)
Time Dilation / Metamorphosis (2007)
Live @ Bambu (2007)

Alan and Steve Freeman of Audion and Ultima Thule fame. Many different influences, from Stockhausen to Schnitzler, to Tangerine Dream and Kluster. 

See also: Freeman, Alan, Biomechanoid, Endgame, Region 5, Vrije, Adhara, Electric Junk.

Altres (UK)

Rise (1984)
Live At the Tayside Bar 23/2/83 (1984)
Archive One (1984)
Archive Two (1984)
Angel Chords & Devil Chords (1984)
Tripping the Dark Fantastic (2008) (recorded in 1983 - 2006)

Electronic band from Dundee, Scotland, formed in 1983. The line-up at that time was: Jeremy Bryning, Joseph Donnelly, Kevin L. Guthrie, Brian Hutton, Mike Nelson (guitar man) and Maurice Richardson. All of them played synths. This line-up split in 1985 but several cassettes had already been released and several performances given. The band is now reformed.

See also: Guthrie, Kevin L., Bryning, Jeremy.

Alvarado, Carlos (Mexico)

Archivos (1994) (recorded in 1983 - 1994)

See also: Via Lactea, Decibel, Electroacustico.

Alvarez (Germany)

Luna (1995)
Picture Music (1996)
The Night Sessions (2005)

Andre Alvarez (born in Spain in 1970 but later resided in Isselburg, Germany) composed music which was heavily influenced by Klaus Schulze and Neuronium. He passed away in 2008.

Amaka Hahina (France)

Demetria (2001)
Aheah Saergathan! (2002)

Black Ambient from member of Vermeth.

Amaranth Signal, The (USA)

Penumbra (2004)

Synth trio of Mark Mahoney, Roger Hausmann and Michael D. Peck (Redfadesbeforeblue) with a spacey ambient style.

See also: Mahoney, Mark, Redfadesbeforeblue, Peck, M.

Amazonian T.V. (USA)

Underwater Pagan Cathedral (2005)

Bill Whitehouse creates deep soundscapes, both synthesizer and sample based.

Amber (Belgium)

Phantomime (1993)

Amber is the duo of Serge Devadder and Patrick Goethals.

See also: Goethals, Patrick, Devadder, Serge.

Amber Route (USA)

Snail Headed Victrolas (1980)
Ghost Tracks (1983)

Walter Holland’s band with Richard Watson. Haven’t heard it yet.

See also: Holland, Walter

Ambience (Portugal)

Ciclos (2005)

Long-form Ambient.

Ambient Ashand (UK)

The Journey Towards Ashand (2005)
Space Dub (2007)

Ambient from John Sherwood (4m33s) and Steve Munslow (HyperEx Machina).

See also: 4m33s, HyperEx Machina, Ambient Ashand, Cult of Ashand, Entity.

Ambient Complot (international)

Async / Aambs (1991)
Ambient Complot (1991)

A one-off collaboration between David Prescott, Chris Phinney, Luis Mesa and Zan Hoffman who made this music exchanging tapes with each other.

See also: Prescott, David

ambientPortal (USA)

Luminous (2006)
Interra (2007)
Evolution In Slow Motion (2009)

Ambient / Tribal. AmbientPortal is Mykl Neufeld (real name = Michael Neufeld).

Ambio (France)

Tentations (2004)
Fluctuations (2009)

Psychedelic, dreamy EM with some sequences.

Ambre (Canada)

Enclave (1998)
Sfumato (2000) (with Mark Spybey)
Dis (2001) (Mick Harris)
Nebka / Tenebrant (2002) (S)
Le Mesonge (2003)

Atmospheric project of Montreal-based artist John N. Sellekaers, with a few friends helping out.

Ambulatorio Segreto (Europe)

Tschernobyl-Kinder (??)
Moronic Music (??)
Voxel Man 8 (1989)

A project of Miguel Ruiz, Stefano Barban and Siegmar Fricke. Ambient soundscapes.

See also: Barban, Stefano, Ruiz, Miguel Angel.

Ament, Julius (Netherlands)

Dreams & Drives (2003)
Remix 2 (??)

Classical / New Age musician. To avoid confusion, I have only included these two albums, although there are more releases from this artist, mostly in New Age or Classical vein. Dreams & Drives is very romantic sounding and Remix 2 was made with a homemade analogue beast called the MODUS!

Amenti Suncrown (international)

Golden Nadir (2001)
Zenith Pitch (2001)

Dark and experimental electronic soundscapes from Russell Goodwin, J. Paul Morton and Gary A. Ayres.

Amerlan, Michael (USA)

Ascendences (1985)

Rare cassette release supposedly in flowing and relaxing electronic style.

Amin (Belgium)

Sadhana (2007)

Meditative World Music from Danny Budts.

See also: Budts, Danny, Syndromeda.

AMM (UK)

Avant-garde electronics from the UK. AMM was formed in the 1960's with the aim to experiment with free / spontaneous music techniques and unusual sources of sound. Among their members were Lou Gare, Lawrence Sheaff, Keith Rowe, Eddie Prevost, Cornelius Cardew, Christian Wolff, Christopher Hobbs, John Tilbury and others. The group is now reduced to a duo of Tilbuty and Prevost. I think stuff like Newfoundland will appeal to Ambient fans.

Amoeba (USA)

Eye Catching (1992) (S)
Watchful (1997)
Pivot (2000)

Robert Rich’s alter ego. With his Amoeba project he creates music which differs substantially from his normal releases. For instance, he includes a lot of voices here (some of them processed) and the overall sound is quite unique and experimantal, even bizarre. The music is very electronic in nature but the textures chosen make this a very odd experience. Certainly not for a novice, but for those seeking new forms of electronic expression.

See also: Rich, Robert.

Amon (Italy)

Amon (1996)
Live At Molto 08.04.1997 (1997)
El-Khela (1997)
Aura (1998)
The Legacy (1999)
Mer (2000)
Nona (2003)
Foundation (2005)
Sator (2007) (with Nimh)
Amon vs. Mortar (2008) (with Mortar)

Music from the deepest regions of Dark Ambient aesthetics. Supposed to be very good.

See also: Marutti, Andrea, Never Known, Hall of Mirrors, Sil Muir.

Amongst Myselves (Australia)

The Sun In the Bottle (1999)
Still Life (2001)
Sacred Black (2002)
Auburn Silhouette (2007)

Ambient. Amongst Myselves is Steve Roberts.

Amos, Richard (UK)

Tears And Joy (1999)
Dancing In the Desert (2002)
Breathe... (2004)

Melodic, tuneful and easy-on-the-ear music, that takes its cues from both New Age and melodic EM artists like Jean-Michel Jarre and Vangelis. Sometimes a slight Berlin influence creeps in as well. Beware the two "Techno" mixes at the end of Dancing...

Amov, Greg (USA)

The Dark Within the Dark (2001)
The Noble Gases (2008)
Gecko Highway (2009)

Solo Electronic Music from former member of Systems Theory who sadly passed away in November, 2009. His works are currently available as free downloads.

See also: Systems Theory