Chappie was bound to be something a little special since it is composer Hans Zimmer’s first all-electronic score in 25 years. He also had a little help with this, with additional music by Steve Mazzaro and Andrew Kawczynski. But how did it turn out? Chappie, being a film about a robot that can feel and think like a child can, is quite an interesting movie for anyone to score. It has to have somewhat of a child element, while still remaining robotic and ready for action and intensity…

From the twinkling glockenspiel that opens "Above The Winter Oaks", it’s clear that Japanese sound-artist Hideki Umezawa has set out to construct a shimmering world of floating textures. Sounds of breathing sift delicately around sustained reverb-y tones; metallic sounds crackle between the speakers as isolated vibraphone sketches outline ambiguous chords. There’s little sense of harmonic gravity: the music exists as suspended drones, creating a meditative "OM" of sound that empties your head…

‘Short Stories’ is a gorgeous and delicate offering from Shuta Yasukochi. The Japanese artist’s debut appears on the label Archives, spreading a sense of calm and positivity to the listener. A careful blending of swelling guitars, rounded synth-like tones, rustic field recordings, and a bed of static create a wholesome sonic image of wonder and exploration. Within the ever-evolving palette of field sounds, there is a real feeling of adventure as environments change and converse with musical vulnerability.

Directed by Nicholas Jarecki and starring Richard Gere - in the best performance of his career - Arbitrage tells the story of a troubled hedge fund magnate desperate to complete the sale of his trading empire. Cliff Martinez - who did the music for Drive - composed the beautiful and electronica driven score. It features all the musical elements that have made Cliff Martinez one of the most interesting and sought after composer of our time. The soundtrack features also music by Bjork, Billie Holiday, Jobim/Getz and a great cover of "My Foolish Heart."

This marimba and cello duo step on the path begun with their debut album These times we are Living and have created a repertoire that unites with the uncharacteristic timbre of Uyanga Bold a voice young and old at the same time a reflection of ancestral traditions and permeable to the new currents that have crossed oceans to present Mantra. With this record Socos Duo seeks to capture the different drives of the soul the stages of the future of humanity in search of the desired balance a compass that guides it an inner mantra.

Troels Hammer is set to release his highly anticipated second album ‘The/Human/Tree’ on July 21st, 2017. It’s available on Music For Dreams, a label founded by Kenneth Bager.

Exotic Plants & Flowers - An imaginative and diverse blend of ambient, rock, experimental and electronica

The Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin (DSO Berlin) has announced the winners of “Romantic Revolution: Bruckner Unlimited”, the 2015-16 Remix Contest. This edition invited sound artists and musicians to rework samples from the fourth and last movement of Symphony No. 4 in E-flat major by Austrian composer Anton Bruckner (1824-1896). With this contest, DSO Berlin and SONOS, the audio equipment company, aim at bridging the gap between two musical genres and explore spectacular new sound experiences.

Wintersilence is a project of German ambient musician Mathias Grassow. A surprising and ambitious trip from ambient to cosmic paths. This work has various influences, but all titles have something in common, they all seem to run after to an evocative attitude. Mysterious vocals, acoustic sounds, epic musical structures with Nordic sensations. Rhythms and melodies cross themselves in a mixture of savage screams, primitive emotions and futuristic effects. A really beautiful piece of work encased in a lush double-digipak which really does this release justice.

Kitaro is an amazingly talented individual. He has been one of the world's premier electronic composers and performers for decades. During that time, he has created some of the most memorable music in the new age community. His output has been both prolific and consistent. It is difficult to review his albums because they only compare to each other. Tenku is a brilliantly lyrical yet entirely instrumental CD. Kitaro speaks volumes with his synthesizers. These romantic interludes are full of gentle melodies and lush synth washes. The atmospheres are vibrant and bold. They are connected by wispy drones. There are no dark overtones or edges; this is upbeat, pastoral ambience. There are few similar artists, but fans of Vangelis, Suzanne Ciani, Constance Demby, and Dean Evenson are likely to enjoy Kitaro's music as well.

Back in 2012, ethno-ambient musician Makyo released a four track EP "Purnima" made up of his recent live recordings. This was essentially one take recordings of the live five piece Makyo band setup. It reflected the sound that the group and leader Gio had been perfecting in live situations in clubs and events in Japan over the previous year or so. Well received, as most things Makyo are, the EP represented a chance for fans living outside of Japan to experience some of the magic of a live Makyo event. Fast forward to 2014 and Makyo has delivered a remix version of that EP in the form of "Purnima Remixed". This is quite a tantalizing idea as it allows new life to be breathed into the original album while keeping both distinctly separate thanks to a live vs studio based pairing.

Dear listeners. After more than a one year break we’re finally back … In the privacy of our home studios we made over one hour material by which we want to give you an image and the atmosphere which used to surround us in our childhood. This time the main inspiration for us was either the volcanic or mysterious images of Lower Silesia as also the remarkable geological history of this area. The enigmatic energy that constantly affects us and inspires us to create still. The new album consists ten newly created tracks. We truly hope that through this album will take you on a journey to the land which you feel happiness. Moreover, we have prepared for you a special gift.It’s actually the Bonus EP which is included in the album. You will find there the remixes of our tracks from previous albums performed by artists such as: Chronos, E-Mantra, Psysutra, Suduaya and Zero Cult.

William Orbit is a British musician and record producer, best known to the public for producing Madonna's album "Ray of Light", which received four Grammy Awards.
His speciality is atmospheric keyboard electronica although much of his work features accomplished guitar playing.
Like its predecessor, "Pieces in a Modern Style 2" is a collection of classical music "covers": from Puccini to Elgar, Bach to Tchaikovsky. Special Bonus CD: 6 bonus tracks from William Orbit plus 8 remixes by Ferry Corsten, John Digweed & Nick Muir, Jakwob, Timo Maas & Santos, Alex Metric, Rockdaworld.

Perhaps one of the most celebrated soundtracks in the modern classical and ambient communities is that of Solaris by Cliff Martinez. But it’s not all that this former Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer is known for. His first film score was composed in 1989 for Sex, Lies, And Videotape, and while working with the same producer, Steven Soderbergh, Martinez produced soundtracks for Traffic (2000), above mentioned Solaris (2002) and Contagion (2011). In 2012 Martinez joins director Robert Redford for a soundtrack to a political action thriller, The Company You Keep…

Digitally remastered two CD set. For Planning for Burial's Thom Wasluck, Matawan, New Jersey, represents a location and an era. It is the first place that truly felt like home to him, where he affectionately named his home and studio the Red House. In this house he recorded his first two albums, and a wealth of lesser known material in between.