Here it is! Journeyscapes Radio’s special annual presentation where we reflect on some of the past year’s top releases spanning the ambient, electronic and atmospheric world music spheres. 2019 was arguably the most exciting year in music we’ve had so far, with a few veteran artists in the field releasing some of their best work in years alongside newer comers on the scene debuting equally phenomenal recordings. As always, our final list is by no means complete with regards to the sheer volume of amazing music that came our way last year. However, we’ve narrowed the selections down to 30 albums or EPs that were released prior to November 1st, 2019 (and charted on Journeyscapes before December 1st). Shaped by varying moods, tempos and mental imagery throughout, many ambient music substyles and hybrid styles have been presented here, resulting in an intuitive interconnectedness that compliments and harmonizes all musical selections with one another. One track from every featured release has been included in this episode, which consists of five continuously mixed sets. Clocking in at just over three hours, this entire uninterrupted program can be streamed below with the accompanying alphabetized list of recordings. On a final note, this episode was created entirely during time spent in the Sahara Desert region of Morocco, hence the inspiration for the program’s artwork selection. ~Candice Michelle
Dreams Beyond Terra is the debut album from electronica recording artist ELEON who co-produced this project with guitarist and ambient musician David Helpling. Comprised of twelve engrossing compositions, Dreams Beyond Terra is a sonically epic and soulfully elevating listening excursion into euphoric ‘chill’ and downtempo-trance. Likewise, some cuts feature Helpling on electric guitar, which he ethereally weaves into these lushly majestic soundscapes.
Sounding off this fantastical journey is “Species Communicating”, a piece that immediately conveys a rapturous sense of travel by flight with its pronounced bassline and steady trance-dance rhythm. Seemingly unbounded by any specific locality, it’s as if one is viewing oceans and landscapes while soaring high above the earth. Moving next into “Terra Sanctuary”, breathy vocal intonations add another element of intrigue to what could be described as a ‘chill-trance’ anthem. Tracks like “Carbon Beings” and “Bionic Travelers” employ the kinds of digital sequencing and heavy downtempo beats that often characterize ‘psybient’ music, except that the overall mood here tends to the more euphoric and extrospective as opposed to the psychedelic and introspective. My favorite composition herein is the mesmerizingly beautiful “Earth to Heavenly Places”, with its title perfectly summarizing the overall feel of the album. Sensually trippy and fantasy-like, softly-uttered female vocals lightly scattered among the piece lends it an extra dimension of mystifying intrigue. “Will Your Heart Dance with Mine” is the most subdued and light-bodied track on the album, with its subtle rhythm and ethereal synth-pads conveying a floating airiness that pleasantly recalls some material from Bryan Carrigan’s Inspired album.
Integrating trance, downtempo and ambient musical concepts for an end-result that will appeal to a wide-range of electronic music lovers, Dreams Beyond Terra easily makes the short-list for this year’s finest electronica albums! ~Candice Michelle
Available at Amazon, Bandcamp and other music retail & streaming platforms.
