Juno Recommends Ambient / Drone November 2021

Review: Markus Guentner returns with his signature expansive ambient world-building, and the third concept album on A Strangely Isolated Place, titled Extropy. Extropy marks the final chapter in an accidental triptych of Astronomy-related exploratory albums on A Strangely Isolated Place. From the creation of the Earth and the Moon in his debut album on ASIP, Theia; to the relationship the Earth holds with the greater Galaxy in the follow-up album, Empire (2018). To now, Extropy, and the indefinite growth of the life we hold so dearly.

Review: Ryuichi Sakamoto and Christian Fennesz came together to stunning effect on their collaborative album Cendre. Now, for the first time ever, Touch are releasing it on vinyl. It was initially recorded between Vienna and New York in 2004 and 2006 with each artist responding to the other's compositions. Accompanying text says that the record fuses "unstructured and imaginative qualities of improvisation with the satisfying sculpture of composition." In short, it is a powerful ambient album with a quiet but devastating artistry. Heavy chords linger in the air, distant shakers take your mind away, foggy atmospheres are run through with gentle winds. It is beautifully melancholic.

Review: Los Angeles based ambient husband and wife duo, awakened souls join with Reunion Island native, From Overseas to create Keep The Orange Sun. After hearing each other's individual music, a deeper conversation started about shared musical influences and inspiration leading to the creation of this album. Keep The Orange Sun guides the listener on a thoughtfully curated path. Starting with the certainty of life's changes (Certainty of Tides) to arising self-doubt (Release/Adapt) and celebrating immersion in the present moment as the gateway to deeper connection with nature and one's life (Keep The Orange Sun). The instrumentation present in each track channels elements of electronic, shoegaze & ambient with each artist's distinct musical fingerprint highlighted.

Review: Limited Edition Cassette + Download Code.

Review: RECOMMENDED
You'll find it hard not to imagine some cavernous, ancient church while listening to the sounds on this four track outing. There's real depth to the refrains at play here, which is one of the reasons Matthew Cooper, the artist behind the Eluvium moniker, never fails to make an impression. Music that is at once incredibly patient but also uncompromising. Subtly overwhelming, for want of a better phrase

A follow up to his Virga I outing, this second chapter in the tale is just as atmospheric, spatial, and beautiful. These are the notes that you'd want to hear when discovering new worlds, and also the tones that make you feel as though ancient civilisations are finally being understood. Or at least appreciated. Timeless ambient stuff with a heavy drone slant, it's accomplished in every way.