Echoing Delight is a classic set of electro-tribal minimalism from Vidna Obmana (aka Dirk Serries). It features Djen Ajakan Shean and Tom Kloeck as guest performers. Serries created this deep soundscape just before his introduction to Steve Roach. Serries' work up to this point had been almost exclusively electronic minimalism. This CD shows hints of what is to come. Tribal rhythms and textures are interspersed among the atmospheres and ambient airs. The ethnic timbres are subtle but they are there. Serries' sound design creates a nice balance. It is distinctly minimalist and clearly tribal. This classic CD will appeal to fans of Steve Roach, Mathias Grassow, Klaus Wiese, Amir Baghiri, and Robert Rich.

With the help of frequent collaborators (and ambient pioneers) Steve Roach and Robert Rich, as well as percussionist/programmer Djen Ajakan Shean, Vidna Obmana piles layers upon layers of diverse sonic textures to create a seamless, flowing record perfectly suited for meditation or simple relaxation. By incorporating various ethnic instruments (including flutes, didgeridoo, and percussion) with abstract synth textures, natural ambient sounds and effects-layered vocals and chanting, Obmama creates mesmerizing, otherworldly soundscapes unlike anything you've heard before. A nice chill-out disc after a night of overstimulation, The Spiritual Bonding is a soothing, natural remedy for 21st century digital burnout.

Recorded live and mixed by none other than Brian Eno, 'The Surgeon…' is one of Fourth World inaugurator Hassell's most breathtaking full-lengths, capturing the physicality of his performance and matching his lopsided trumpet work with hypnotic synths and ghostly, muted percussion. If you've not jumped into his catalog before, this is the perfect starting point!

Overwhelmingly interesting and extremely variant, Jon Hassell's Dream Theory in Malaya is rescued from the stereotypical new age recipe, thanks to its ever-changing instrumental structure and the use of numerous eccentric instruments that emerge as the album progresses. The album's concept is taken from an anthropologist's 1935 study of a tribe of Malaysian aborigines who made it part of their daily routine to discuss the dreams they had the night before. To this story line, Hassell has created a novel and extraordinary set of instrumental meanderings that even includes a refurbished and re-fragmented set of rhythms that was believed to be created by the Semelai tribe. The mixture of bowl gongs, bells, and assorted drums captures the primeval spirit of the album, while Hassell's use of the trumpet on all of the tracks implements some of today's modern sound amongst the percussiveness…

Paradise Cinema is a project led by multi-instrumentalist Jack Wyllie (Portico Quartet/Szun Waves) with contributions from Khadim Mbaye, Tons Sambe and Laurence Pike. The first, eponymous, Paradise Cinema record, released in 2020, was recorded in Dakar and featured the dense rhythms of Mbalax music combining with Wyllie’s textural saxophone and synth playing.

Open air live recording, in the Flemish Ardens on august 14 - '98. This concert was recorded on the night of the falling stars between 23:00 & 04:00 h. Two 30+ minute tracks of tribal ambience with world influences, along the lines of David Parsons. The title track starts very subtly and slowly, with gongs and bells for the first five minutes. Drifting atmospheres then come into play, followed by a simple repeating rhythm of two short drum beats followed by a long beat, slightly lower in tone. The music is contemplative, and isn't either too light or too dark, but rather tends to take on the mood of the person listening at that moment in time.

The legendary SUNS OF ARQA release their 40th album 'The Wolf of Badenoch', an epic masterpiece based on the life of Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan who was the third surviving son of King Robert II of Scotland, making him the great-grandson of Robert the Bruce. This album takes you on a deep hypnotic journey through the life of one of Scotland's most notorious historical figures.

Iconic tribal-trance drummer, composer and recording artist Byron Metcalf makes his Wayfarer Records premiere with a collaborative effort entitled "Rituals of Passion” co-led by award-winning virtuoso violinist Ari Urban. Passionate, evocative, and trance-inducing, Rituals of Passion is unlike anything you’ve ever heard and features guest performances by internationally acclaimed multi-instrumentalist Dashmesh.
Created over four days, the foundation of Rituals of Passion was born from a unique blend of meditation and improvising to truly capture the spirit of the moment. Basic percussion grooves and keys were laid down as foundations by Byron so that Ari’s stunning capacity for channeling could be optimized to create amazingly mystical and intuitive moments with her violin and viola…

Ulf Soderberg is the creative talent behind Sephiroth. The gorgeous gothic architecture his compositions are framed in resemble no one else's. They move the listener in a very specific way to the interior, far inside the composition's marrow, and then leave her or him there. Söderberg's music has the stamp of the dark northlands all over it, but there is a warmth and passion in it as well. He relates stories about the inexorable and destructive power of Time, mankind's futile attempts of resistance, and the sunken cities, fallen towers, and overgrown ruins that this has resulted in. Dark eerie soundscapes and ritualistic drums are combined with his own field recordings from places like Cairo, Iceland, and gloomy Nordic forests. Truly mysterious and truly fantastic.

This enigmatic multi-instrumentalist draws from the diverse culture and history of his Mexican homeland, as well as his early experiences playing in progressive-rock bands south of the border. Reyes combines flute, pre-Columbian instruments, and percussion with synthesizers and voice to cast a spell of ritualistic intensity. Like shadows from Mexico's sultry and savage past, his music has a dark quality to it that sometimes scares off the unprepared, but adventurous listeners will find plenty to admire in his evocation of jungles, jaguars, and Aztec rites. Though his albums are often difficult to find, most of his imported releases are well worth the extra effort and expense involved.
Reyes died Saturday, February 7, 2009, of a heart attack at his recording studio in Mexico City, he was 57.