Index

 

Y Bülbül (Turkey)

Fever (2020)
Not One, Not Two (2022) (with Yumurta)

Yiğit Bülbül is a Turkish artist residing in London. He likes to combine synthesizers with acoustic instruments such as drums and percussion, as well as guitars. Quirky, playful, kosmische electronics with a 1970's kraut / Cluster vibe. Nice.

 


y0t0 (Australia)

Nijisousaku (2013)

Subtle beats, drones, sequences and ambient soundscapes inspired by Blade Runner and Logan's Run. Not bad. y0t0 is Charles Sage.

 


Yaary, Erez (Israel)

Projects I (1986 - 1988)
Projects II (1988 - 1990)
Projects III (1991 - 1992)
Projects IV (1992 - 1994)
Projects V (1988 - 1994)
Solar Voyages (2000)

Retrospective (2002)
Nibiru (2003)
Ambience (2004)
Blind Vision (2005)
Atmosphere (2006)
Synergos (2007)
Darklight (2010)
Moab (2011)
Signal (2013)
Delta Evolution (2020) (with Bernd Scholl)
Memoria Technica (2021)

Israeli synthesist. Lots of different styles but mostly in melodic Jarre / Vangelis and Berlin School mould. Erez Yaary got his first synthesizer in 1986 and started recording what is known today as Berlin School Electronic Music. His early works are documented on the "Projects" series CD's, spanning the years from 1986 until 1994. In 1991, Erez formed a new wave band called The Omega Project where he also played keyboards. After a hiatus of 6 years, Erez Yaary returned to music making with his new work Solar Voyages. Since then, he's been putting out CD albums with Electronic Music quite regularly.

 


Yab Yum Zounds (France)

Aux Extraits de Plantes (2019)
Improvisations (2020)

Varied synth duo from Brest.

 


Yabibo Hazurfa (Sweden)

Mörkrets Tron (2017)

Industrial / power electronics-related project. However, the above album opens with a very Prog EM-influenced "Tystnaden 1977". The same mood appears at various points as the album progresses ("Mardrömmar" and "Din Döende Barndom" in particular, are very interesting). Further investigation is needed.

 


Yabrov, Aaron (Germany)

Silent Transmission (2014)
Pacific Palisades (2014) (S)
From Above And Below (2015)
Millas / Tautaval (2015)

Experimental musician (electroacoustic, musique concrete, post-industrial, noise). A fraction of his works is synth-based and will be interesting for fans of droning varieties of Ambient. I will list these releases here.

See also: Book of Kells

 


Yabuki, Shiho (Japan)

The Body Is A Message of the Universe (1987)
Purple Sails (1989)

Japanese keyboard player. She is rather new-agey, so one should tread with caution here. I included only her first two albums as of now - her debut (not sure that it was her debut, but anyway) and Purple Sails, released on the Hearts of Space label. Both are quite new-agey, but contain also darker shades and moodier moments and overall might interest fans of Electronic New Age and the more unpretentious end of the Space Music spectrum.

 


Yaffin (Netherlands)

Color (2000)
Garden (2001)
Nebula (2001)
UFO (2001)
Sphere (2001)
Liquid Planets (2001)
SF (2001)
Ego (2001)
Dataland (2002)

A project of Rob Knetsch of Novo Sibirsk that explores the more ambient side of his music.

See also: Novo Sibirsk, Beudeker/Knetsch, Electrance, Rok, Knetsch.

 


Yagya (Iceland)

Rhythm of Snow (2002)
Will I Dream During the Process? (2006)
Rigning (2009)
The Inescapable Decay of My Heart (2012)
Sleepygirls (2014)
Stars And Dust (2016)
Stormur (2019)
Old Dreams And Memories (2020)
Always Maybe Tomorrow (2021) (EP)
MOA118 (2022) (S)
Faded Photographs (2023)

Comparable to Biosphere, but also influenced by Brian Eno. Soft, delicate Ambient music with some techno-isms thrown in. Yagya is Aðalsteinn Guðmundsson.

See also: Plastik

 


Yahya, Sha'aban (Indonesia)

Return To Jogja (1992)

Gamelan-influenced music done on synthesizers. Obscure, romantic and new age-like concept album.

 


Yakushenko, Igor (Russia)

Follow Me (1990)

Although the instrumental songs on this album are credited to composer / songwriter Igor Yakushenko, everything was arragned and played on Korg synthesizers by Vitaly Baryshnikov, with a few guests on trombone, trumpet, sax and strings.

 


Yalex, Mary (Germany)

Beyond Borders (2015)
Sentimental Journey (2021)
Ohra (2022)
Fantasy Zone (2023)

Sentimental Journey features varied ambient synth compositions from this Leipzig-based artist with club background. Intense, melodic...

 


Yalivec, Igor (Ukraine)

Still Life (2021)
Etudes (2023)

The 2021 release features relaxing, a bit static ambient compositions created as "plant music" by this Dnipro-based musician and modular synth enthusiast.

See also: Gamardah Fungus

 


Yalvaç, Elif (Turkey)

Mountains Become Stepping Stones (2020)
Green Drift (2022)

Turkish clarinetist, guitarist and electronic composer. Green Drift, recorded in collaboration with British synthesist Andrew Olster, will be enjoyed by fans of both electroacoustic music and EM.

 


Yama, Joakim (France)

Arkeo (1993)
Mirage (1994)
Opium (1995)
CyberSpace (1996)
Astralia (1997) (with Dan Sin Chan)
Yamantaka (2000)
Vortex (2002)
Elixir (2005)

Melodic music with hints of Jarre. Joakim Yama was born in Lyon in 1973. He was influenced by the first generation of electronic prog composers and by the French academic / musique concrete scene.

 


Yama, Johny (Belgium)

Cosmic Music Vol. 1 (??)
Cosmic Music Vol. 2 (2001)

Johny Yama (real name - Johny Verheyden) is an Electronic Music artist from Belgium who currently lives and works near London, UK.

 


Yamaan (Japan)

幻想区域 EP (2020) (S)

A mixture of "balearic"-infused house and ambient electronics.

 


Yamada, Taiho (USA)

Stages (1999) 

Synthesist with nods to Vangelis, Kitaro, Tangerine Dream and Brian Eno. Stages contains music that was originally written for a theatre play. The album was produced by Erik Norlander.

 


Yamaha Boss (USA)

The Global Cooldown (2012)

Varied ambient soundscapes from Matthew Wingate Tuozzo.

 


Yamamoto, Ai (Japan)

Love Me Tender (2021)

Tranquil, semi-acoustic ambience from this Japanese-born, Australian-based artist who has been composing since the early 2000's.

 


Yamamoto, Junnosuke (Japan)

Future Echo (1990) (with Genzan Miyoshi)
θ波~リラクゼーションのための眠りの音楽 I (1991)
θ波~リラクゼーションのための眠りの音楽 II (1991)

Synthesist. Future Echo was done in collaboration with bamboo flute player Miyoshi (who is also known playing flute on Stomu Yamash'ta's 1993 album). The music ranges from Electronic New Age to upbeat fusion-y EM.

 


Yamanaka, Toru (Japan)

A Boy Is Sleeping (1997) (recorded in 1987 - 1997)
BODYWRAPPInc. (2001)
Water Cocoon (2002)
Works Vol. 1 (2005) (with Teiji Furuhashi)
Sextant (2012)

Japanese composer whose focus is music for theater plays and installations, first as part of the art collective Dumb Type, and then solo. Quirky, ambient, experimental. Sometimes electroacoustic / musique concrete.

 


Yamaneko (UK)

Spa Commissions (2020) (recorded in 2017)

Grime / bass music project. This particular album is Ambient, though.

See also: Talbot Fade

 


Yamaoka (Japan)

Time To Time (2013)
Short Films For Long Days (2016)
December Sky (2017) (S)
Simple Songs (2018) (with Purl)
Selected Works: Fragmentary Memories (2018)
A Frozen Stream (2018)
Sculpture (2019) (with Purl)
Timeless Story (2019)
Human (2022) (with Purl)
Small Theatre (2022)
External Objects (2022)
Koyomi (2022)
Long Takes (2022)
A Tempo (2023) (with Lorenzo Montanà)
Blurry Photo (2023)
Color Symmetry (2023)

Time To Time is interesting stuff, with Yamaoka (real name - Kenichi Oka) constructing heavily sequenced themes inspired by the Berlin School and Kraftwerk. Released on Databloem label.

 


Yamashita, Yosuke & Tsutsui, Yasutaka (Japan)

Ie (1976)

Avant-garde electronic prog album with comparisons to Mike Oldfield, Battiato, Igor Wakhevitch and more.

 


Yamash'ta, Stomu (Japan)

Red Buddha (1971)
Henze / Takemitsu / Maxwell Davies (1972)
Contemporary Works (1972)
Floating Music (1972)
The Man From the East (1973) (soundtrack)
Freedom Is Frightening (1973)
Takemitsu Ishi (1973)
One By One (1974) (soundtrack)
Raindog (1975)
Go (1976) (with Klaus Schulze, Al Di Meola, Steve Winwood and others)
Go Live From Paris (1976) (with Klaus Schulze, Al Di Meola, Steve Winwood and others)
Go Too (1977) (with Klaus Schulze, Al Di Meola, Steve Winwood and others)
Art of Killing (1979) (S) (soundtrack)
Iroha-ten/chi (1981)
Iroha-sui (1982)
Tempest (1982) (soundtrack)
Iroha-ka (1983)
Sea And Sky (1983)
Kukai (1984) (soundtrack)
Solar Dream Vol.1 - Fantasy of Sanukit (1990)
Solar Dream Vol.2 - The Eternal Present (1993)
Solar Dream Vol.3 - Peace And Love (1997)
A Desire of Beauty & Wonder Stone Part 1 (1999) (S)
Listen To the Future Vol. 1 (2001)

Japanese avant-garde musician and synthesist.  His early albums are either very experimental (like Red Budda that's done with percussion sounds only) or have a jazzy / fusion-y flair. Yamash'ta collaborated with Klaus Schulze and Michael Shrieve, among others. These sessions are documented on three Go albums. They are mixed bags, although essential for Klaus Schulze completists. Still, if you absolutely don't like fusion, maybe it's better to avoid these... Starting from the early 80's, he ventured into the realms of melodic / spacey synthesizer music. Especially Sea And Sky will delight EM fans with its cosmic, oriental atmospheres.

 


Yamaya, Kiyoshi & Kubota, Haruo (Japan)

Genroku Hanamiodori (1984)

Kiyoshi Yamaya is a Japanese shakuhachi player. He released several ethnic / orchestral LP's. However, this album, subtitled "Fantastic Synthesizer Series", seems to be electronic. It is not clear whether it contains electronic versions of Yamaya's old tunes or is all-new material.

 


Yamila (Spain)

Iras Fajro (2019)
Visions (2022)

Granada-born Yamila Ríos Manzanares is a Spanish experimental composer and performer. She is a member of Sonology Electroacoustic Ensemble and her primary spheres of interest seem to lie in vocal improvisation, digital art, electroacoustics and synthesis. On Visions, she combines all of that in a single ecstatic release that manages to go from chorals / a capella of Part III to intense melodic / hymnal EM of Part II and funny collages / Spanish flamenco guitar of Part IV. Excellent and definitely progressive stuff from an artist that may surprise us more than once in the future.

 


Yamo (Germany)

Time Pie (1997)

Yamo is the solo project of former Kraftwerk member Wolfgang Flür. Reportedly, it's much more interesting than Carl Bartos' work as Electric Music, because Flür doesn't try to copy the Kraftwerk sound and creates fairly original music.

See also: Kraftwerk, Flür, Wolfgang.

 


Yankee Yankee (Canada)

The Best of the Early Recordings (2010)
Ecstatic Dreamer (2011)
Empty Room (2011)
Segments (2014)

Yankee Yankee is Whitney Ota. I don't know about the other albums of this project but Segments is a pure synth overload - analog, raw and based on sequences and heavy effects. Interesting, sort of primal stuff, bringing to mind some 1970's EM. Further investigation is needed.

See also: Dada Centauri

 


Yanni (Greece)

Optimystique (1980)
Keys To Imagination (1986)
Out of Silence (1987)
Chameleon Days (1988)
Niki Nana (1989)
Dare To Dream (1992)

Mostly new-agey music and not really worth your time. I deleted his latest works from the above discography, as it's not really EM. Optimystique is an interesting, dynamic work, though.

 


Yano, Hiroshi (Canada)

Leaned Lizard (1983)

Vancouver-based synthesist who reportedly released a 20-minute cassette in the 1980's and possibly some other things.

 


Yantis, Cody (USA)

Opticks (2024)

Based in New Mexico, Cody Yantis is a sound artist and tape manipulator. On Opticks, he uses a single synth and field recordings to create a mixture of ambient compositions (some of them droning) and experimental beeps & blips.

 


Yantra Mandir (Switzerland)

Garden of Reality (2016)
The Birth of Acid (2018)

Synth drones, ethnic motives and slow rhythms. A project of Jerome Doudet.

 


Yar (Belarus??)

Into the Depths of Negativity And Hate (2011)

Depressive ambient sounds from this black metal project.

 


Yard, Ryan (UK)

The Nature of Solitude (2017)
Going Home (2018)
The Boy Inside the Machine (2019)
The Nature of Solitude II (2020)
Reset 21 (2021)

Long instrumental tracks in the style of Mike Oldfield.

 


Yared, Gabriel (Lebanon)

Sauve Qui Peut (La Vie) (1980) (soundtrack)

Lebanese-born pianist and soundtrack composer. In his early days he did interesting electronic arrangements sometimes, the above soundtrack, where Georges Rodi also participates on synth, being a good example. Further investigation is needed.

 


Yargui, Fred (France)

Berlin Experiment (2010)
Time To Dream (2011) (recorded in 2008 - 2011)

French synthesizer artist heavily influenced by 1980's Tangerine Dream. Fred Yargui has been making Electronic Music since 1984.

 


Yaryu (Japan)

梵​楽 (2023)

Yaryu (also and mostly known under its Japanese name 野流) is a three-piece synthesizer ensemble that continues that country's tradition of melodic and meditative synth music (Kitaro, Tomita, Hiroshi Yoshimura, etc.), with also a touch of Laraaji (the zither / harp sounds).

 


Yasei (Japan)

Iriomote (2013)

A duo of Hakobune and Hiroki Sasajima. As expected, this is Ambient.

See also: Hakobune

 


Yas-Kaz (Japan)

Jomon-Sho (1984)
Mahoroba (1984) (with Himekami)
Kaido (1985) (with Himekami) (soundtrack)
Egg of Purana (1985)
Earth Suite (1985) (with Usagi-Gumi)
Virgo Indigo (1986)
Unetsu - The Egg Stands Out of Curiosity (1986) (with Yoichiro Yoshikawa)
Moon Rabbits (1987)
Shinran / Path To Purity (1987)
Spirit Warrior (1988)
Shinran / Shiroi Michi (1991)
Omote - The Grazed Surface (1991) (with Yoichiro Yoshikawa)
Shijima - The Darkness Calms Down In Space (??) (with Yoichiro Yoshikawa)
Yuragi - In A Space of Perpetual Motions (1994) (with Yoichiro Yoshikawa)
Virgo Indigo (2020)

Yasukazu Sato aka Yas-Kaz is former jazz drummer turned new age percussionist. Yeah, his music is new agey. By the way, his debut album is supposed to be completely acoustic. However, I have some reasons to believe that there is also some interesting electronic stuff in his discography. Further investigation is needed.

 


Yasu Ether (Brazil)

All That's Here Will Be Sunlight (2020)

Varied ambience.

See also: Mount Shrine, Lindsheaven Virtual Plaza.

 


Yasukochi, Shuta (Japan)

Short Stories (2017)
Leaving (2018)
By the Sea (2019)
In Full Bloom - Themes For A Better Tomorrow Vol. 1 (2019)
Quiet Reminders (2020) (with Carlos Ferreira)

Japanese ambient artist with a shimmering, droning sound.

 


Yatha Sidhra (Germany)

A Meditation Mass (1974)

Yatha Sidhra are two brothers Rolf and Klaus Fichter. Their first band was Brontosaurus, which later changed the name to Yatha Sidhra, reflecting their oriental influences. Their only record was produced by Achim Reichel in 1974. The music is in a way similar to early Popol Vuh or Ash Ra Tempel, very spacey and mesmerizing, featuring moog, guitars, percussion and flute.

See also: Dreamworld

 


Yatoni (Switzerland)

Ten Lands (2020)

Cinematic music between ambient electronics and more rhythmic / melodic forms.

 


Yav' (Russia)

Ïëà÷ ëåñîâ (2006)
Óìèðàëà ðå÷êà (2007)
Äûõàíèå íàâè (2009) (S)

Pagan Ambient from this Belgorod-based project.

 


Ybalferran (Poland??)

Our Last Days (2020)
Relief By Seclusion (2021)
Karadi (2023)

Light, airy, melancholic ambience with noisy insertions.

 


Ye Ye (UK)

Nt Uzzn (2021) (S)

Ambient music with vaporwave and 1990's psychedelic ambient techno touches.

 


Yehoshua (UK)

/prəˌnʌn​.​siˈeɪ​.​ʃən​-​s/ (2016) (S)

Ambient, a bit glitchy electronics with a strong Prog EM flair.

 


Yellow Magic Orchestra (Japan)

Yellow Magic Orchestra (1978)
Solid State Survivor (1979)
Public Pressure (1980)
Xoo Multiplies (1980)
BGM (1981)
Technodelic (1981)
Service (1983)
After Service (1983)
Naughty Boys (1983)
Faker Holic (1991) (recorded in 1979)
Technodon (1993)
Live At Budokan (1993) (recorded in 1980)
Live At the Greak Theater (1997) (recorded in 1979)
L-R Trax (2005) (recorded in 1978 - 1980)
No Nukes 2012 (2015)

Legendary Japanese trio of Ryuichi Sakamoto, Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi that mixed Kraftwerk-like musical aesthetics with very unique sense of humor. The band did not exist officially since around 1984, nevertheless once in a while the guys got together to record an album or to do a concert. One of such reunion works is Technodon. Bands like Kraftwerk and YMO were crucial for the development of such styles as techno, industrial etc., but also for the development of modern music in general. It goes without saying that they are recommendable, but beware the general 'pop' format for this 'anti-pop' music. All YMO members have also released numerous solo works.

See also: Sakamoto, Ryuichi, Hosono, Haruomi, Takahashi, Yukihiro.

 


Yellow Note (UK)

We Love Everybody... And You're Next!!! (2003)

Yellow Note started in the 1990's as David Barratt's vehicle for the exploration of drum'n'bass and related sounds. After 2000, he resurfaced under the same name, but this time obviously influenced by electro, power pop and especially Kraftwerk's pioneering sound, which is especially obvious on tracks like "The Fury" and "Perfect World" (this latter one harkening back to Karl Bartos' / Electric Music's debut from 1993). The epic, 17-minute closer "The End" is an unexpected ambient trip, which heightens the status of this album among EM fans even more.

 


Yelmur (Netherlands)

How We Hide (2022)

A pseudonym of Dutch artist Jelmer de Haan, currently residing in Berlin. He composes complex music with sort of a RIO flair, a jazzy flair, quick tempo / theme changes and a special focus on analog synths. Overall falls into the category of progrock / EM hybrids. Inetersting stuff.

 


Yen Pox (USA)

Blood Music (1992)
Yen Pox (1993)
Deliver (1995) (S)
Hollow Earth (1996) (S)
New Dark Age (2000)
Mnemonic Induction (2002) (with Troum)
Universal Emptiness (2011) (S)
Between the Horizon And the Abyss (2015)

Dark Ambient from Michael J.V. Hensley and Steve Hall.

See also: V.O.S., Hollow Earth, Gorehallreider, Blood Box, Mud.

 


Yeong Die (South Korea)

Parallel Cosmo (2021)
Tomorrow? (2021)
Weather Z (2021)

Seoul-based Yeong Die composes music with a repetitive structure mixing her cultural heritage with sort of a modern club (dubstep, downtempo) cum progressive electronics type of sound.

 


Yershova, Angelina (Kazakhstan)

Cosmotengri (2019)

Rhythmic tracks and ambient tracks with World Music and ritual influences.

 


Yeyazu-Kon (Mexico)

Guerrero de la Conciencia (??)
Return Through the Cosmic Gate (1991)

Mexican electronic musician.

 


Yhdessa (Italy / Netherlands)

Along the Simple Line (2022) (S)

Yhdessa is a female duo of musicians based in Berlin. Melodic, analog, with some classical instrumentation / sounds.

See also: Grand River

 


Yialmelic Frequencies (USA)

Zjumk / Yililok (2018)

Flowing, meditative synth music from Diva Dompé who is based in Los Angeles. Some tracks ("Clay") make nice use of sequencing. Very nice stuff in an individual style.

 


Yi-Jong Hou, Julian (Canada)

Grass Drama + Selected Works (2020) (recorded in 2014 - 2020)

Julian Yi-Jong Hou is based in Vernon, British Columbia. Grass Drama + Selected Works is a varied collection featuring the different facets of his creative work, from calm, folky singer-songwriter material to collages of sounds culled from Chinese soap operas on to instrumental ambient compositions that are often quite new-agey or piano-based and impressionistic. Best track: "Foreign Shore".

 


Yikii (China)

Black Hole Ringdown (2023)

Yikii Tong is a Chinese musician, one half of the Anemone duo together with Japanese sound artist Ninomiya Tatsuki. Black Hole Ringdown is a shadowy, fairy tale / horror music affair, with whispered voices and obscure sounds, including toy boxes and stuff. It has some Dark Ambient appeal to it, perhaps falling just short of being considered Dark Ambient or any EM. The final track ("The Crawling Stars") does sound like a mixture of "The Thing" soundtrack and Dark Space, though. File under EM-related.

 


Yilan (UK)

Sunken Place (2021)

Bass music / club musician. Sunken Place is completely beatless and ambient, though.

 


Yilei, Li (China)

0:00 (2019) (S)
Unabled Form (2020)
之 / OF (2021)
Secondary Self (2022)
Nonage (2024)

London-based artist whose style is a mixture of musique concrete / glitch / looping techniques and ambient electronics.

 


Yilmaz, Brahim (Turkey)

The Oval Window, the Horses And the Wife (2015)
Languor of the Moon (2015)
Masks of Beasts (2016)
The Tapestry of Their Marriage Was Woven With Violence (2018)

Lo-fi, sometimes melancholic Ambient.

 


Yin-Wong, Flora (UK)

Holy Palm (2020)
The Sacrifice (2021) (EP)
Sacro Bosco (2022)
Cold Reading (2023)

From noisy, dark soundscapes to processed violin and ecstatic ambient pieces. A mixture of acoustic and electronic sounds. Flora Yin-Wong is a London-born Chinese-Malaysian musician.

 


YISX (USA)

Origins (2016)

Dramatic, cinematic Ambient. A project of Martin Shearman-Brettle.

 


Yiyuan, Liang (China)

虚菩提的致幻剂 Hallucinogen of Nihilism Bodhi (2011)

Diverse Chinese experimental / folk musician. The above album features long, dark electronic tracks.

 


YlangYlang (Canada)

Life Without Structure (2016)

A project of Montreal-based Catherine Debard. She is an art-pop / lo-fi / experimental musician and singer. She often approaches ambient or EM sound but rarely actually crosses into that territory. One of the exceptions could be Life Without Structure, which, among low-key songs backed by synths has some ambient experiments, like the 10-minute "The Way Shadows Play".

 


Ylia (Spain)

Dulce Rendición (2020)
Ame Agaru (2023)

A project of Barcelona-based Susana Hernández. Richly cinematic, ambient compositions, mixing analog synths, some sampling, tribal elements and a bit of voice.

See also: Bola del Desierto

 


Ynoji (Belgium)

Guldstun (2016)

Rich, emotional Ambient from Lucian Ditulescu.

 


YNV (Belgium)

Golden Hour Ritual (2021)
Cosmic Cult (2022) (EP)
Western Paradox (2023)

Belgian artist currently residing in California. Weird, rhythmic, tribal, cabaret-like, repetitive EM.

 


Yog Sothoth (Germany)

Prehistoric Dawn (2012)
Dreams of Mystery (2012)

Melodic Electronic Music by Cologne-based musician Michael Wilkes.

See also: Mystical Light

 


Yog Wolley (Italy)

Music Public (1988)

An early project of Luciano Triolo later known as Joyello and switching to experimental music. This is an exercise in 1980's electro-pop, though, obviously influenced by Kraftwerk. Perhaps more a curiosity than anything else, Music Public distinguishes itself as one of the few (I cannot even think of any other at the moment) albums that take their cues from Electric Cafe-era Kraftwerk. Although the plodding drum machine sounds here are different and not nearly as diverse and those of Kraftwerk, the melodies and the sounds are very Electric Cafe, very "The Telephone Call" / "Sex Object" to be exact, sometimes down to almost copying the chord progressions from the latter.

 


Yogtze (Austria)

Yogtze (2020)

Darkish, growling, but melodic synth compositions from Daniel Helmer and Daniel Meuzard. Sort of cinematic. Not bad.

 


Yoker Moon (USA)

Architect Of My Own __ (2022)

Solo electronic compositions from member of rock band Deer Leader. Varied, mostly payful, with some piano / synth combinations and abstract modular synthiness.

 


Yokota, Susumu (Japan)

Sakura (2000)
Cloud Hidden (2019) (recorded in ??)

Techno / IDM / glitch artist Susumu Yokota was quite well-known in his native Japan among lovers of club-related non-danceable electronic music. It's a daunting task to try and process his rather extensive discography on the subject of EM-compatibility. However, Sakura in particular seems to mix his techno influences with a more ambient sound. At least some of the tracks sound very prog EM-related. At the end of his career he seems to have plunged into the world of neo-classical structures. Susumu Yokota died in March 2015 at the age of 54.

See also: Mantaray

 


Yolabmi (Japan)

To Nocturnal Fellows (2019)
Life In A Shell (2019)
Spirit's Whereabouts (2019)
By the Sea (2021)
For Wind Poetry (2022)
Internal Resurrection (2023)
Hydra (2023)

Glitch-oriented artist from Japan. The above releases may appeal to fans of ambient electronics.

 


Yonaites, Heath (USA)

Uncertainty & Incompleteness (2000)
The Seed Project (2001) (with K.M. Krebs)
Rim of the Sun (2002)
Where (2002)
Abyssal Plain (2003)
Ship of Theseus (2003)
Indra's Net (2006)
Clouds of Six Directions (2007)

Dark Space / experimental acoustic artist from New Mexico. Sometimes the music consists of soundscapes, sometimes it's rock-influenced.

 


Yonao, Keishi (Japan)

MAD STALKER 2142 (1994)
Cyberphonic I (2014)
Cyberphonic II (2014)

Video game and film / animation composer. The short tracks on MAD STALKER 2142 remind on Tangerine Dream from around the same time. The Cyberphonic series is more intense, but is also nice EM with flashy solos.

 


Yonder, Katya (Russia)

Motherland Landscapes (2015)
OST Conditions (2016)
Winter Skins (2017)
Multiply Intentions (2020)

Nice, airy ambient works.

 


Yorda (USA)

Bury Me In the Forest/Layer 01 (2015)

A mixture of guitar and synth/keyboard-based ambient pieces.

 


Yorishiro (Japan??)

I (2016)

Psychedelic mixture of guitar and electronics, which at times brings Heldon to mind.

 


Yorke, Loula (UK)

Florescence (2022)
Volta (2024)

Synthesist with a penchant for modular systems. Playful, sequential, minimal, explorative EM. Nice stuff.

 


Yorkston, James (UK)

J Wright Presents (2021)

Scottish folk musician and singer-songwriter. J Wright Presents is an album of instrumental EM, though. As James explains, he'd often press the play button on his machines in the studio and try to improvise on top to see what happens. The album is a collection of some of the results of such experiments.

 


Yorky (UK)

Sundance 3 (1997) (S)
Yorky's Chillout (1998)
The Yorky Planets (1998)
Dreams (1999)
Live At Ekko, Utrecht (2000)
Daliesque Cloud Formation (2001) (S)
Lord of Light (2002)

Symphonic electronics with beats, long ambient passages and sequences.

See also: Sherwood, John, 4m33s, Noise Kommandoh, Ambient Ashand, Cult of Ashand, Entity, Quadra.

 


Yoshikawa, Yoichiro (Japan)

Unetsu - The Egg Stands Out of Curiosity (1986) (with Yas-Kaz)
The Miracle Planet (1987) (soundtrack)
Cyprus (1988) (soundtrack)
A Dream of Aku-Aku (1988) (soundtrack)
Aries (1989) (soundtrack)
Aqua Fantasy (1990)
Omote - The Grazed Surface (1991) (with Yas-Kaz)
Shijima - The Darkness Calms Down In Space (??) (with Yas-Kaz)
Yuragi - In A Space of Perpetual Motions (1994) (with Yas-Kaz)

Japanese composer and member of new wave bands D-Day and Yapoos. On his solo soundtrack work, he shows an individual, often lush, melodic EM style.

 


Yoshikawa, Yoshio (Japan)

SFX Symphony Abbey Road (1985)

A strange and unlikely album that combines electronic arrangements of classical pieces and Beatles songs (?)

 


Yoshimatu, K. (Japan)

Melancholy Mix (1982)
Spherical Voyage (1982)
Emerald Eclipse (1983)
Sepia Reminiscence (1983)

Aka Juma. The music released under his own name generally focuses on vocal songs and guitar, with synths in supporting roles. Most of it is badly recorded and sounds as if from the 1960's or early 1970's, mixed with 1980's new wave. Nothing fancy here and sometimes even annoying (for me). However, some of his EM material also found its way to these releases, albeit served in small doses. Of interest is track 1 from side B (I think) of Melancholy Mix, with its sequencers and guitars (sounds like Ashra circa Blackouts), some parts of Spherical Voyage (the whole album is instrumental and creates a nice pastoral feeling), track 1 from side B of Emerald Eclipse, which repeats the formula of the Melancholy Mix track, but in a cornier, poppier and, day I say it, JMJ manner (with guitar solos, though), and, finally, Sepia Reminiscence, some instrumental parts of which tend to focus more on synthesizers than on guitars or other instrumentation and are made in a unique pastoral and repetitive style. Interesting artist, and as much as I find his vocal delivery annoying, I find his instrumental EM work singular and strangely alluring. However, if it is EM you're after, I'd recommend that you go for the Juma albums first and then get the above for completeness (especially Sepia Reminiscence). There are a few releases by him that I haven't heard and that also can contain some relevant music, so further investigation would not harm.

See also: Juma

 


YoshimiOizumikiYoshiduO (Japan)

Live In Temple Inryo (2020)
To the Forest To Live A Truer Life (2022)

A piano & voice / modular synth duo from Japan. Unpredictable, explosive, abstract, electroacoustic...

 


Yoshimura, Hiroshi (Japan)

Wave Notation 1 - Music For Nine Post Cards (1982)
Pier & Loft (1983)
Mori No Yoake (1984)
Green (1986)
Soundscape 1: Surround (1986)
Flora 1986 (1987)
Static (1988)
Wetland (1990)
Face Music (1994)
環境演出音 (1995)
Quiet Forest (1998)
Four Post Cards (2004)
Soft Wave For Automatic Music Box (2005) (recorded in 1973 and 1976)

Although some people might lump this in the new age category, Hiroshi Yoshimura's music actually has more to do with minimal composers like Philip Glass or Terry Riley. On Green (a version of which appears on new age label Sona Gaia) he uses FM-synthesis together with gentle nature sounds for an ambient, repetitive and relaxing listening experience. Hiroshi Yoshimura died in 2003.

 


Yossür & Yoçon (France)

Frayilitu2 (2018) (S)
Turbulents (2020)

A duo from Tours playing an unlikely mixture of stripped down Kraftwerk, hip-hop rhythms (or so it seems to me) and a slightly oriental / minimal flair akin to some YMO or Japanese synth fusion.

 


Yotto (Finland)

Erased Dreams (2022)

Ambient EM from Otto Yliperttula, who is mostly known in the club circles. This is nice dreamy, progressive material, though, that has it all, from drones and melodic synths to sequencing and soft rhythms.

 


You (Germany)

Electric Day (1979)
Scanner (1981) (S)
Timecode (1982)
Wonders From the Genetic Factory (1984)
Laserscape (1986)
Era (1996)
Benaki Cycles (2010)

A classic of German electronics, the formation known today as You (sometimes referred to as "Yourovision") was born in 1977, when Udo Hanten (synthesizers) and Uli Weber (guitar) decided to work together in the field of Electronic Music. Udo Hanten had considerable experience in the field, having worked with Harald Grosskopf on Synthesist. The collaboration went fairly smooth and in 1979, synthesist and graphic designer Albin Meskes jumped on the wagon, completing the trio. After the first album, Uli Weber left the group, and subsequent works were done in the duo format by Udo Hanten and Albin Meskes. Overall, the group had several LP albums released and a CD boxset in 1996 that gathered all of their previously released works and one CD with completely new music. The drums on the first LP are played by Harald Grosskopf (in the credits he appears under a pseudonym). Sadly, Udo Hanten passed away in August, 2018.  

See also: Central Europe Performance, Robot City.

 


You + Your D. Metal Friend (Germany)

Sonnier (2016)

A duo of Cico Beck and Markus Acher in repetitive, experimental, semi-acoustic style, influenced by ethnic music (like Gamelan), Cluster (or so it seems to me) and minimalism. Keyboards, harmonium, mellotron, drums, percussion, guitars, etc.

 


You Are Not All Boring (Canada)

Pixelated Gateway (2010)

Varied electronic compositions, from ska / reggae-like tunes to general melodic EM.

 


You'll Melt More! (Japan)

New Escape Underground! (2013)

Wow. You'll Melt More! is a Japanese girl idol group, who entered the krautrock wave with the above album. I don't know what the producers were thinking, but looking at the stylized Neu!-like cover of this album you already expect something cool, and indeed, the track "Sweet Escape" sounds like a Japanese girl band backed by Neu! / La Dusseldorf in their prime, all the motorik craze, all the soft guitars, all the keyboards and synths, the highly repetitive structure... There are four songs in all and the flip contains instrumental versions of these. Seeing that they also had an album out in 2014, mocking Suicide's eponymous release, it becomes clear that whoever is behind this project, knows his shit for sure. Great fun! More, please.

 


Young, Dennis (USA)

Reel To Real (2015) (recorded in 1982 - 1983)
Wave Electronic Music 1984-1988 (2016)
12/31/1982 (2017)
Synthesis (2018) (recorded in 1984 - 1988)
Primitive Substance (2019)
Portastudio Ambient Tapes (2019) (S)
Bella (2020) (recorded in 2018)
Voyager (2022) (recorded in 1994)
Crawl (2022) (with Danny Scott Lane)
Compass Rose (2022)
Red Smoke, Blue Mirrors (2023)

Dennis Young (aka Dennis Andrew) is the marimba player / drummer of NYC-based Liquid Liquid. He is also a solo synthesist with a 1970's-influenced, minimal analog style. He first came in contact with EM listening to German EM pioneers Klaus Schulze, Tangerine Dream and so on. Assembling his own studio, he started a parallel solo career to his activities in Liquid Liquid, paying homage to his main influences - the synthesizer greats. He released some of his solo music under the Dennis Andrew moniker. However, recently some albums (mostly in genres other than EM) were released under his real name also. Reel To Real is a collection of solo live performances from the Liquid Liquid days. Not much in terms of electronics here, although "Contortions" and "Forbidden Planet" will be of certain interest. In 2016, Bureau B released a selection of tracks from his cassettes as Wave Electronic Music. It is not clear at the moment, whether it includes any previously unreleased material. In any case, as his cassettes are hard to come by, it's a good starter.

See also: Andrew, Dennis

 


Young Hierophant (USA)

The Night Office (2016)

Minimalist analog synth music with a cosmic flair, inspired by all-night sermon. Repetitive musical phrases, arpeggios and melodies that could well be a new EM genre. Catholic Ambient, anyone? Young Hierophant is Andrew Horton.

 


Young, John (UK)

Scientific Breakthrough (1999)
N.C.V. (2000)

Collaborator of John Wetton in Quango and Asia. Also associated with groups like Fish and Greenslade. He has at least one more album that contains neo-progressive symphonic rock (it's called Life Underground). N.C.V. (= No Commercial Value) is relaxing Electronic Music in the style of Vangelis. Scientific Breakthrough is a library record.

See also: Asia

 


Young Jr., Claude (USA)

Celestial Bodies (2013)

Claude Young Jr. is one of the central figures of the Detroit Techno scene. On Celestial Bodies, he largely dispenses with beats and makes a wonderful Prog EM album - spacey, droning, a bit dark and with great synth sounds. Great for lovers of Space Music and EM in general. I wonder how it managed to go largely unnoticed in 2013..

 


Young Male (USA)

How To Disappear In America (2016)

Releasing some techno EP's, this artist settled on a more laid-back and varied melodic / rhythmic synth sound with influences of Ambient, synthwave and Tangerine Dream's soundtrack work.

 


Young Marco (Netherlands)

Biology (2014)
Sorry For the Late Reply (2015)
Bahasa (2019)

A project of Marco Sterk. Tribal / tropical ambience / World Music.

 


Young, Matthew (USA)

Recurring Dreams (1981)

Nocturnal electronic album from this "homegrown" musician out of the USA. Matthew Young then went on to produce Traveler's Advisory (1986) which featured a different style altogether, relying on vocals, hammered dulcimers, drums and synths in supporting roles.

 


Young, Mikey (Australia)

Your Move Vol. 1 (2017)
You Feelin' Me? (2017)
Curtains (2020)

Member of several bands, mostly in post-punk / new wave / synth-pop genres. Solo music is often rhythmic and relaxed, influenced by "balearic beat" or synthwave, but also strongly informed by Prog EM, especially on slower, ambient tracks and the slightly offbeat sequencer closer "Enigmatic Cosmic Enforcer". Pretty entertaining stuff if you ask me.

 


Young, Nate (USA)

Stay Asleep: Regression Vol. 2 (2011)
Binding Confusion (2013)
Regression (2016)

A deviation for this noise musician, known mostly for his work in Wolf Eyes. Stay Asleep has an almost horror synth sound to it. Ok, but very repetitive. A similar vibe is felt on Binding Confusion. It's noisy and rough, but there's that unmistakable Prog EM streak heard on some parts of it.

See also: Moon Pool & Dead Band

 


Young, Nathaniel (USA)

Stringed Exploits (2016) (S)
January 2015 (2016) (EP) (with Warren Mattox)
Accosting Form, Pure Intent (2019)

Very nice, moody, repetitive electronics with a dark edge on Accosting... from this Brooklyn-based artist.

See also: Moral Extrication

 


Young, Roland (USA)

Mystiphonic (2013)
Confluences (2015)
Hear/Here (2017)
Spontaneous Bounce (2022)

Avant-garde jazz musician who uses quite a bit of electronics. He has been around at least since the 1970's. I will try to list his releases that include EM-compatible material.

 


Young Scientist (USA)

Over Low Trees (1979)
Results, Not Answers (1979)
Live Sciences (1980)

Obscure Electronic Music band from Washington area that later gave birth to "Palace of Lights" label. The line-up included James Husted (Sequencer People, K7SS), Marc Barreca and Roland Barker.

See also: Barreca, Marc, Barker, Roland, Sequencer People.

 


Youngblood, Nathan (USA)

Asunder (2007)

Ambient musician based in Tuscon, Arizona. Asunder was mastered by Steve Roach who also plays on this album.

 


Younge, Adrian (USA)

The Electronique Void (2016)

California-based artist. He makes music in different styles, mostly hip-hop, funk, soul etc. The above, however, is synth music in a cheesy style, influenced by 1960's and 1970's EM, all the crispy and warm synths, all the beeps and blips, all the chirpy drum machines, the occasional vocoder... It all sounds like a lost electronic library album from 1972 (in the case of the cheesier stuff) or 1979 (in the case of the more disco-ish numbers).

 


Youngs, Richard (UK)

New World Memory (2019)
Ein Klein Nein (2020)
Metal River (2020)
CXXI (2021)
Blue-Thirty-Nine (2021)
New Emptiness (2022)
Modern Sorrow (2023)

Long-standing Scottish experimental musician from Glasgow. He has been around at least since the late 1980's. New World Memory has something of a weird krautrock vibe going, so it might be of interest to fans of the more outlandish forms of EM (Moebius, Cluster, etc.). Ein Klein Nein sounds like a minimal mixture of Talk Talk and Grosses Wasser.

 


Younng (Russia)

Endless Running Around (2020)

Varied electronic compositions recorded late at night. Mostly ambient and playful. Sometimes more dramatic.

 


Youpidou (France)

Nature Tape I (2019)

An ambient tapestry of sounds with a few touches of dub techno (in the sounds, not rhythms). A project of Denis Morin.

 


Your Leader (USA)

The Stars Are A Lie (2021)

Rather schizophrenic project from Oakland, California, mixing noisy synth-punk songs, sampling, space rock and EM.

 


Your Planet Is Next (Sweden)

Gröna Stugans Väd (2018)
A New Smile (2018)

Gröna Stugans Väd is an atypical, lo-fi ambient synth album from this acid house-related project. A New Smile also has some interesting EM material (the first track being a good example).

 


Your Silent Face (UK)

Red Rain (2016) (EP)

Your Silent Face is Manchester-based electronic musician Mike Cooper. He is very diverse, but mostly techno-related. The Red Rain EP, though, ends with an ambient piece called "Scorched Earth".

 


Yourhighness (Sweden)

Selected Electroacoustic Works 2002-2020 (2020)

Johannes Wikström aka Yourhighness has been making music (mostly within the techno / club idiom) since 1997. Selected Electroacoustic Works gathers his more cinematic material that mixes acoustic and electronic sounds, sometimes going for symphonic moods and reminding on Hans Zimmer, Edward Artemiev and others.

 


Youth (UK)

Middle Class Riot (2014)
Pharaohs From Outer Space (2018) (with Nik Turner)
Interstellar Energy (2020) (with Nik Turner)
Occular (2020) (with Jaz Coleman)
Spinning Wheel (2021)

Youth is a moniker of Martin Glover, a synthesist related to the dub, trance and space rock genres / scenes. On Occular, you will hear mostly rich, melodic, almost classically-inspired electronic pieces.

 


Youth Team (UK)

I Have Heard the Signal, I Am Waiting For the Call (2021)

Scottish musician with his own vision of intense melodic electronics - sometimes harkening back to the classic sounds of the Golden Era of EM, sometimes sounding completely of its age. Often with a post-rock feel.

 


Yoyu (Canada)

Ordinary Moon (2017)

Ambient project of Ali Khan. Electronic soundscapes, warm electric piano and synth melodies, field recordings... Sometimes with a "Vangelis meets Steve Roach" feel.

 


Ypsway (Belgium)

Synthetic Dream (1989)

Melodic / rhythmic music from this duo, recorded live in Berlin.

 


Yrena (Czech Republic)

Worlds of Music (1994)
Island (1998)

Czech electronic duo formed in 1992. A bit like Vangelis.

 


Ytamo (Japan)

Vacant (2020)

Japanese indie pop / J-pop singer. On Vacant, she is moving in the ambient direction, with some tracks being completely instrumental and having a wacky Cluster-like quality to them.

 


Yttrium (Germany)

Neodym (1987)

Rare tape by this synth trio of Uwe Stephany, Boris Nogalj and Dave Schmidt (aka Sula Bassana).

See also: Sula Bassana

 


Yu Su (China)

Yellow River Blue (2021)
I Want An Earth (2023) (S)

Chinese artist residing in Canada with her own sonic travelogue of mainland China - diverse electronics, from relaxed and sort of ambient to rhythmic and even experimental.

 


Yuco (Japan)

Licht (2021)

Yuco are two friends from Tokyo who make ambient acoustic compositions, sometimes with a lo-fi feel. There's some of that on Licht, too. However, there is also a Prog EM streak that can be especially felt on tracks like "A Scene of Angels".

 


Yuen, Kevin Gan (USA)

...In Antiquity (2009) (S) (with Scott Miller and Demian Johnston)
Keep Your Hands (2011) (with Demian Johnston)
The Emerald (2014) (S) (with Fermentæ)
Uncloaked Infinite (2017) (S)

A bit noisy and sometimes intense ambient soundscapes from this Bay Area musician and graphic designer. Kevin Yuen is also a member of Circle of Eyes (ambient doom) and Sutekh Hexen (black metal / noise).

 


Yuen Ruiz, Vincent (Denmark)

Above (2020) (recorded in 2016 and 2020)

A dramatic ambient synth piece recorded on a Jupiter 8 synth in 2016 and an upright piano re-interpretation from 2020.

 


Yugen Kala (Spain)

Nothing Is Original (2020)

A project of two brothers from Vigo, Galicia, Spain. A mixture of bass music, IDM and Progressive EM.

 


Yuki, Yama (Japan)

Gibon (2021) (with Guilherme Darisbo and Crise Vitória)
Inverted Cities (2021)
Music For Ride Hailing Services (2022)

Japanese musician currently residing in Brazil. Inverted Cities is an album that represents his melodic synth impressions of the various cities he visited over the years.

 


Yuksek (France)

Gaïaland - Soundtrack From The Serie (2023) (soundtrack)

Yuksek is Pierre-Alexandre Busson. He can be generally found composing electro / nu-disco / techno music. On Gaïaland soundtrack he goes the EM route, though, creating multiple pulsations and pads from (mostly analog) synths.

 


Yunomi (UK)

Amaryllis Dream (2014)
Floracopia (2015)
Ecalyculata (2017)

Deep psychedelic soundscapes with concrete and ethnic influences.

See also: Ishq, Elemental Journey, Elve, Experiments In Silence, Crystal Moon, Colourform, Ishvara, Futurology, Omni Vu Deity, Dividenthal And Aumgn, Indigo Egg.

 


Yupanqui, Luca (USA)

Sounds of the Unborn (2021)

These compositions were produced by the yet unborn daughter of Elizabeth Hart from Psychic Ills and Iván Diaz Mathé. Sounds from Elizabeth's uterus were recorded and then the obtained data were analyzed using a "biodynamic MIDI technology" and played back through a synthesizer. The results are pretty spooky I must say.

 


Yuri (Canada)

Off On A Tangent (1984) (S)

Yuri Gorbachow, who made a lot of sound editing for various film productions, released this private electronic record in 1984.

 


YYYY (Argentina)

El Tamaño de mi Silencio (2019)

Hypnotic Ambient with touches of industrial.

 


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