Sky Portals To the Bottomless Abyss (2006)
Side-project of the man known for his realeases under Baalberith moniker. J.A.M., however, is more oriented towards Drone Ambient.
See also: Baalberith
Halki Lumisen Metsän (1998)
Kauan Koskematon (1999)
Uumenissa (2004)
Avarrus (2006)
Voimasuo (2009)
Atmospheric synths / Ambient by Tuomas M. Mäkelä.
Vuelo por las Alturas de Alhambra (1985)
Mixture of electronics and traditional Arab instruments.
Druids Dawn At Stonehenge (1985)
The
Entropy of Orion (??)
The Mad Professor's Workshop Tapes Vol.1 (??)
Psi-Phi
(??)
Synthesist Jacek Frankiewicz. Rhythmic EM. That's all I know at the moment.
2004, An Ableton Odyssey (2004)
Criogenesis (2006)
Ambient artist from Adelaide. Beautiful, gentle synthesized soundscapes.
Echo From A Distant Dream (1999)
Kendall Jackman has been creating Electronic Music since 1988.
In Cauda Semper Stat Venenum (1969)
Tardo
Pede In Magiam Versus (1972)
Italian Satanic Progressive featuring rather doomy and sinister music. Plenty of dark organ and synth work but ends up sounding a bit cheesy and dated.
See also: Antonius Rex
At Peace (1986)
This album was recorded in 1986 and released in 1989. It's the most atypical work of this well-known proto New-Age progressive band because it contains ambient Electronic Music.
A Notion of An Ocean (2002)
Ocean Alpha (1987)
Jakino's 7th World is Achim Gieseler. A mixture of sampling and synth soundscapes with minimalist tendencies of artists like Philip Glass, Terry Riley and Steve Reich.
See also: Gieseler, Achim, Tri Atma.
Car Wash (2009)
Montana Winter (2009)
Lefkas Blue (2009)
A native of Poland, this artist has been living in Montana for several years. He composes in various styles and is known for a series of CD's with music composed specifically for running athletes. The works listed above display a variety of EM styles, from the atmospheric and sometimes sequencer-based sound of Car Wash to the stunningly beautiful ambient soundscapes of Montana Winter and the somewhat New Agey but enjoyable relaxing melodies of Lefkas Blue.
Out of Balance (2003) (recorded in
1999 - 2000)
Parallel / Collapsing (2003)
Sealed Void (2003)
Akatisi / Somnolens (2004)
Fragile Confrontation (2005)
Intensive Fracture (2005)
Breaking Point Syndrome (2007) (recorded in 2004)
Negative Rotation (2007) (recorded in 2000 - 2001)
Wound Profile (2007) (recorded in 1999 - 2000)
Tunnel Vision / Mind Reaper (2008)
Turbulence Colour (2008)
Vertigo Emission (2009)
Dark menacing soundscapes from Erik Jarl - a member of Power Electronics outfit IRM.
Deserted Palace (1972)
Les Granges Brulees
(1973) (soundtrack)
Oxygene (1976)
Equinoxe (1978)
Magnetic Fields (1981)
Concerts In
China (1982)
Music For Supermarkets (1983)
Zoolook (1984)
Rendez-Vous (1986)
Houston
Lyon (1987)
Revolutions (1988)
Live (1989)
Destination Docklands (1989)
Waiting For
Cousteau (1990)
Images (1991)
Chronologie (1993)
Hong Kong (1994)
Jarremix (1995)
Oxygene 7-13 (1997)
Metamorphoses (2000)
Sessions 2000 (2002)
Geometry of
Love (2003)
Aero (2005)
Teo & Tea (2007)
Library music:
Synchro Fox Music Library (1973)
Jean-Michel Jarre is a well-known character all over the world and doesn't need any introduction. Unfortunately, this man is... (I'm thinking about putting it mildly) ...ehm, not very creative these days. His laser shows are something to see but the creative laziness has led him to repeating the same formula again and again, concert after concert. This is not the same Jean-Michel anymore. Let me just say one thing: I'm totally dissapointed. While some of his classics have stood the test of time and will always be a must in any EM fan's collection, some of his newer stuff is simply a piece of crap! (Have you ever seen such aggressive review from me up to this point?) Any honest electronic musician always concentrates on music when performing onstage, while laser effects, pyrotechnics etc. are simply decoration and means to stress the depth of the music. Mister Jarre, on the contrary, is very much into these grandiose laser shows, but has anybody noticed, how much decent tracks...Ok, how much NEW tracks at all he's written during the last several years? The answer would be: not one. If recycling old material is good for him - he can go on doing this, but he won't get any praise or even positive reactions from people who love real art. I wonder what this man will do next in his chase of what's fashionable and hip at the moment - maybe dance with some teenagers reciting Rap verses? Probably yes, at least it wouldn't surprise me at all.
Oxygene
A classic which should be in every collection. In my opinion, his best work so far.
Equinoxe
Same style as Oxygene. The second classic.
Magnetic Fields
More poppish, than the previous two, but still some good tracks. Recommended, but beware the easy-listening "Pop" melodies on some numbers.
Concerts In China
My two favorite tracks by him are on this album. Recommended. Live versions of older material and new compositions.
Zoolook
Probably his most experimental one.
Rendez-Vous
Great atmosphere, but some tracks are just plain electronic Pop.
Revolutions
Very diverse, with ethnic elements. Not bad at all.
Waiting For Cousteau
The title track is one of those masterpieces that are worth getting the whole album for.
Chronologie
There are some nice tracks, although he already starts to repeat himself here.
Oxygene 7-13
The essence of the first Oxygene is captured perfectly, but in my opinion he shouldn't have made this album. (You know why)
Metamorphoses
Forget it.
Notes: Deserted Palace is currently not available except on pirate Rarities sampler, that can be considered a rarity itself. :-) The same also goes for Music For Supermarkets that was originally released in just one copy.
Notes 26.04.2008: I am looking at my rant above and can still remember the sense of disappointment that made me write these lines. Meanwhile, several years have passed (how time flies!) Do I need to write something new here in reaction to my previous rants? I think so. First of all, I still stand by my point that there was a period in Jarre's career when his accomplishments seemed somewhat tame and there's still not a recent Jarre album that I'd want to listen to. On the other hand, when I think about it, how many artists actually manage to churn out masterpiece after masterpiece or manage to top or at least equal their classics? How many manage to avoid the "second or third album syndrome"? The answer would be: very few. At least Jarre is still doing something musically, and if it's not to someone's taste, it's still his decision what to play and nobody has the right to tell a musician what he or she should do next. Perhaps my expectations for this man in the early 2000's were too high and I felt somewhat disappointed when I didn't get another Oxygene, Equinoxe or Waiting For Cousteau. Do I have an "excuse"? Perhaps. After all, Jarre is the man who got me into EM in the first place. Speaking of his classic albums, this year Jarre has launched his "Oxygene" tour with a live version of this album performed on analogue synthesizers only by Jarre himself and three assistants. I've seen several video footages and the concerts are great. The music is actually played, not playbacked and is completely analogue. Jarre plays his Oxygene album and adds a few improvised bits along the way. Besides, he has launched a very nice and friendly blog, that shows us a more human side of the composer. It provides great insight into the process of playing analogue music live and a few personal thoughts too.
See also: Triangle, 1906, Pop Corn Orchestra, Hobo, Samuel, Foggy Joe.
Over Seas (1988)
Israeli synthesist. Melodic, close to Eighties' Tangerine Dream perhaps.
1st Touch (1996)
Tentative Version (1996)
Warp 4 (1996)
Ivory Tower (1997)
2nd Touch (1997)
Agend Des Lichts (1998)
Firefly / Blunas Revenge (1999)
Goldland XT (2002)
Klangraum Eins (2005)
3rd Touch (2007)
Moebius (2008)
German musician who makes very diverse music with influences such as Klaus Schulze, Tangerine Dream, Neu!, Cluster, Harmonia, Ashra, Kraftwerk & more.
Soundtrack To Escape (??)
Soundtrack To Reach the Cosmos (2006)
Dark soundscapes. Other albums from this project are supposedly more rhythmic, approaching the territory of experimental Electro / Industrial.
Fractal Visions (1991)
Videospace (1992)
Mark Jenkins' brother.
Continuum (1995) (with Paul Lackey)
Flow
(1998)
Beyond City Light (2005)
Treasure (2007) (with David Helping)
Beyond Words: Rare Live Treasures (2008) (with David Helping)
Melodic and atmospheric music by this California-based artist, comparable to Patrick O'Hearn.
Universe (1977)
Music For the Mind & Body (1979)
Video Synthesis (1980)
Stardancer 2 (1981)
The Visitor (1984)
Analog Archives (1989) (recorded in 1980 - 1984)
Space Dreams (1992)
Thunder At Midnight (1993)
Mexico Rising (1994)
Space Dreams 2 (1996)
Live Archives (1997) (recorded in 1983 - 1989)
Synprovisation
(1998)
Meditations (1999)
Sequencer Loops (2002)
Sequencer
Loops 2 (2003)
If the World Were Turned On Its Head, We Would Walk Among the
Stars (2005)
Live In the U.S.A. (2006)
This Island Earth (2006)
Live At the Royal Festival Hall (2007) (recorded in 2003) (with Damo Suzuki)
Mark Jenkins is the president of the British AMP Records. He is also one of the veteran UK synthesists whose beginnings in the field date back to the 1970's when Mark became interested in electronics, which led him to perform his own music, using electric organs, a few synths and a tape echo / loop device similar to that used by Terry Riley or Fripp & Eno. He gave several performances in universities and various other venues. Some tapes were recorded but his early works were never officially released on CD, except for a compilation of early studio tapes (Analog Archives) and a sampler of live performances (Live Archives). Mark Jenkins was also one of the founders of the "UK Electronica" festival in the early 1980's. His main style can be characterised as cosmic Electronic Music, sometimes rhythmic in the Jarre vein. Sequencer Loops is a stunning example of Berlin School electronics, very rhythmic with top notch solos.
See also: Ceremony of Innocence
Towards Emotional Music (2000)
Danish synthesist also known as Nattefrost.
See also: Nattefrost, Carboneids, Zone 99.
Redra Andra Endre de Fase (2004)
Rima (2006)
Solo electronic compositions from guitarist of Progressive Rock band Mystery of Grace. This music is experimental stuff, influenced by Drone Ambient, early Kosmische / Krautrock, Classical music and Minimalism.
Synthese City (1993)
The City Lights (2005)
Improvised Electronic Music group with a Symphonic Rock / Space Rock bend consisting of Jordi Coloma, Aleix Riera, Ignacio Sanchez and Jupe Uriarte.
See also: Riera, Aleix
Boundless (1988)
Space Music with some New Age influences from this Swiss-born artist who is very much into traditional Indian art. Alap became known for transcribing works by his "Guru" Sri Chinmoy. It is not clear whether Boundless was composed by Chinmoy or by Alap himself. He did dedicate this album to his mentor, though. Repetitive, airy, hypnotic, bright. Alap released at least one more album which is supposedly much more acoustic and New Agey.
Timeless Vision (1988) (with Lambert)
Paramorphon (1990)
Das Tonale Schweigen (1991)
Plugged (1997)
Nightsessions (1998)
Greek synthesist Jiannis Zedamanis makes solo Electronic Music since 1986. His style is heavily influenced by the Berlin School. Long tracks in the tradition of Klaus Schulze.
Vertigo (1992)
On IC label. The style is not known.
Mobius Strip (1996)
Said to resemble a cross between early Mike Oldfield and Tangerine Dream. Jo Yun is a Korean musician based on Jaeju Island.
Cycles Per Second (1999)
Newson (2000)
Ebola (2002)
Live At Ambient 2002 (2003)
Strike (2005)
Tschernobyl (2007)
Dark Ambient by Maciek Frett and Aureliusz Pisarzewski akin to some of Lustmord's work.
Round Mi (2002)
Brazil sometimes gives us quite unusual EM, and this album is no different. Here, synthesist Gustavo Jobim created a set of tracks which is very difficult to describe.To say diverse is to say nothing. To my mind, most of it will appeal to fans of the Berlin School, but the range of sounds and influences on this album is huge. There are three tracks on Round Mi. First comes the title track which is a suite divided into four parts. The first part ("Floating Tones Around Mi") has a very rich synth sound and propelling sequence. Pretty exciting stuff. The second part is called "Lament" and fittingly it features slow and darkish piano playing coupled with other instruments, nature sounds and light synthetic touches. There's also funeral-like bass line underneath it all. "Procession" is rather doomy and sounds influenced by chamber music. "Leaving the Atmosphere" shows strong Progrock influences and really sounds like a Chamber/Progrock piece sans drums. Clouds is a 31-minute epic that starts with drawn-out ambient tones but after a while a sequence starts and increases in pace. It then takes center stage and dominates the bulk of the track. It all has an airy, bright sound, really, which pretty much corresponds to the title. The track doesn't change a lot throughout its course but it does manage to create a hypnotic and somewhat calming effect, in spite of the fact that it's rather upbeat. Loopsurf-Loopsearch is the last track and it's the best one on the album. It's rather experimental compared to what has gone before and features a lot of loops (surprise, surprise!) and sequenced elements. I can hear some Klaus Schulze influence here, but the track doesn't sound much like anything Klaus has ever put out. It's the most synthetic-sounding piece. I do notice a few bum notes and out of sync elements but Gustavo is only in his early-to-mid twenties which is a very young age for Progressive music. Recommended. The album comes with a list of thanks which is an interesting reading. It includes (apart from the obligatory Schulze, TD, Vangelis and Jarre) people like Philip Glass, Änglagård, Anekdoten, Can, Carl Orff, Mahler, Radiohead and other great names. Gustavo Jobim has also released some download albums. Here you will find reviews of them: Symphony No.1, The Art of Boredom, The Marchian Sketches, Belles Alliances.
The Green Album (1983)
Theme of Secrets (1985)
Jobson played Moog with Frank Zappa back in the 80's (check out the album Live In New York). The Green Album features heavy use of the Yamaha CS80 synthesizer. It also contains a bit of violin playing and vocals, as well as a few guests on guitar, bass, drums... Theme of Secrets is an album of soundscapes made with Synclavier digital synth and released by Peter Baumann on his Private Music label.
Johansen, Sverre Knut (Norway)
Distant Shore (1993)
The Source of Energy
(1999)
Varied soundscapes, from bright and New Age-like to dark and Industrial. Music produced by Erik Wollo.
The Synthesizer Album (1982)
Reading the Bones (1997)
Mirage At the
Crossroads (1999)
Tribal Ambient. With Steve Roach and similar in style.
Unity (1998)
Surrender (1999)
Linger
(2000)
Entering Twilight (2000)
Live Under A Harvest Moon (2000) (with Ma Ja
Le)
Forgotten Places (2000) (with Robert Scott Thompson)
Aqua Culture 1 (2001) (with Vir Unis and Christopher Short)
Seed
(2001) (with Ma Ja Le)
Lost At Dunn's Lake (2001) (with Steven Philips)
Perimeter (2001)
(with Vir Unis)
Odessey (2002)
Minimum - Journeys 2 (2002)
The Butterfly Chamber (2002)
Environment 1 - China Town - New York (2003)
Perimeter II (2003) (with Vir Unis)
The Live Transmissions Vol.1 (2003) (with Vir Unis)
Easting (2004) (with Vir Unis)
The Live Transmissions
Vol.2 (2005) (with Vir Unis)
Environment 2 -
Cube - Music For the Working Space (2005)
Cube
2: Stillness (2005)
Environment 4 - Cube - San-Francisco (2005)
Environment 5 - Cube - Voices (2006)
Cube 7 - Sospensione D'Estate (2007) (with Alio Die)
James Johnson started his career as a member of experimental outfit Illusion of Safety. Nowadays he is a solo artist who mainly works within the genres of Ambient and Space. I haven't heard his music.
Ambient Realms (2006)
The music of this North Carolina-based artist is literally what the title of his album promises. Four long tracks of soundscapes and steady rhythms.
See also: National Holographic
Joint Intelligence Committee (UK)
Grow (2003)
In Session (2006)
Excession (2006)
The Book of Roach (2007)
Joint Intelligence Committee is Paul Nagle. I've heard the samples and this stuff struck me as bland pseudo-Techno stuff which Paul should stop doing as soon as possible and switch to what he's doing best. Ok, maybe I haven't heard enough yet?
See also: Nagle, Paul, No Artificial Sweeteners.
Drake's Venture (1980)
Earth (1981)
Jouneys
Out of the Body (1982)
Japanese Butterfly (1983)
Beyond the Dream (1984)
Voices (1985)
New Age Emotions (1986)
The Minotaur (1987)
Doorways To the Soul (1988)
The Japanese
Way (1988)
The Art of Minimalism (1989)
Ethereal (1990)
Escape (1991)
Warrior (1992)
Maya (1993)
Alien (1994)
Zanzi (1995)
Temmenu (1996)
Omni (1997)
Deep Down Far (1999)
Space (2003)
Poland (2005)
British synthesist and a member of Tangerine Dream in 1978. Their album Cyclone was recorded with the line-up of Froese (electronics, electronic guitar), Franke (electronics), Krueger (drums) and Jolliffe (electronics, woodwinds and voice). This album features the singing of Jolliffe, and later Froese used to distance himself from the production of this album and the experiment was never tried again until 1987's Tyger where they had a female singer reciting several poems of William Blake. Some people probably don't know it, but Jolliffe was with Tangerine Dream as early as 1969. Jolliffe remembers about those days: "That’s when Klaus (Schulze) came along. He was very young and inexperienced, and I told Edgar I thought that we shouldn’t take him with us. But Edgar persuaded me to take him. I remember he was one of those drummers who sat there and played really fast. He’d just start—like a machine you’d turn on, and he’d go like mad. It was just quite interesting. I suppose that was the fashion of the time. So the three of us started traveling, and we did a lot of gigs in Berlin. They were very avant-garde sort of gigs, where you’d go in and there would be two dozen TVs around flashing different things—very weird situations. We traveled all over Germany, just doing gigs really, which was a fun time." (reprinted without permission from Horizon Music, Inc.) Ahh, the Berlin of 1969.. Sure, it was completely another world, like another planet or something and this spirit is long gone now..So, ok, that was just a bit of a lyrical reflection. His solo works are all very different, some of them are more rhythmic, others more melodic and with a slight ethnic flair, sometimes Jolliffe also uses his voice and, of course, his beloved woodwind instruments (many of them electronic). You may like different works by him, depending on your musical taste, but my advice is to check out at least some of his albums.
See also: Tangerine Dream
Short Stories (1980)
The Friends of Mr.
Cairo (1981)
Private Collection (1983)
Page of Life (1991)
A collaboration of Jon Anderson and Vangelis. Jon sings and Vangelis plays synths. The first collaboration between the two took place in 1975 during the recording of Heaven And Hell. Anderson performed the famous "So Long Ago, So Clear". These albums mainly contain delicate melodic lyrical songs. They are a must for Vangelis collectors and for fans of Jon Anderson, otherwise you can easily do without buying them.
See also: Anderson, Jon, Vangelis.
Jonathan (1978)
German synth duo with drums. Symphonic / Progressive landscapes.
It's Early Days (1981)
Second Attempt (1982)
Midnight In the Birlec (1983)
Room Thoughts (1983)
Tansel (1984)
Welsh musician and hometaper, who released a string of cassette albums on Colin Potter's ICR label during the early 1980's. He mixed varied influences, both experimental and melodic, with a bit of Berlin School.
Apparently, the guy did some Electronic Music for various museums and planetariums during the 1970's, including the Spacescape show at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. He used several ARP synthesizers and sequencers. No further info is available at the moment.
Dreamstate (1990)
Energetic, vibrant work that mixes the energy of Rock music with synthesizer symphonism of Vangelis. Josephson plays synth and violin with Malcolm Cecil of Tonto's Expanding Head Band as guest.
Meridian (2009)
Stuart Judd is also known as Chromengel.
Monarca (2001)
Symphonic, melodic music comparable to Kitaro from this synthesist and keyboard player.
Feathercut (1996)
Cobalt (1997)
Clive and Nigel Humberstone, twin brothers of In the Nursery fame create some of their music under this name. It is less dark than In the Nursery and more rhythmic, with Gothic and orchestral elements still present. Sort of like a cross between 90's Tangerine Dream and Gothic music, plus a healthy dose of modern rhythms thrown in for a good measure.
See also: In the Nursery
Between Traffic Lights And Globe Interconnection (1996)
Rhythmic, even dance oriented project from Italy. Jumper consists of two female musicians Isabella Colliva and Cinzia Donti.
Jupiter Project (1999)
Echo And Art (2003)
Electronic Music in the style of Synergy / Rick Wakeman. Jordan Rudess - keyboardist of Dream Theater - participates on Echo And Art as guest player.
Songs From the Engine Room Part 1 (2003)
Stages Echoed 12-08-05 (2005) (with The Glimmer Room)
Sequencer EM inspired by Kubuschnitt, Airsculpture, Under the Dome and many others.
Just Offshore (2004)
American artist (real name - Russ Mate) from Florida with a melodic / rhythmic style, vaguely along the lines of Michael Garrison. During the 1980's and 1990's Russ acted as a band musician (mostly as a drummer) for various Hard Rock / Metal / Punk outfits.
Water (1992)
This album was released on Kit Watkins' label Linden. The style is not known at the moment.
Jyl (1984)
This project by Ingo Werner was produced by Klaus Schulze for his Inteam label. It was a Synth-Pop band with female vocals. The style was inspired by Kraftwerk, YMO and other Synth / Electropop acts of the time. We are stretching the definition of EM here a bit, but the KS involvement makes it worthy of inclusion.