PGM 406: RAINFOREST SOJOURN 8

A tribal-ambient chillout mix through the tropics.🌴🥥🦜

TIME / ARTIST / TRACK / ALBUM-EP-SINGLE
00:20 / Sean Hayman / Fly Underwater (Worldwide Cut) / Rhapsody in Chill
05:35 / Deep Forest / Hunting (Version 2021) / Eponymous
09:30 / Wouter Kellerman & David Arkenstone / Taranaki Rises / Pangaea
13:50 / ELEON / Shadow Worlds / Shadow Worlds
19:40 / Translippers / Crystal Forest / Crystal Branches
24:10 / Chorus of Tribes / LoLo / Myth
29:20 / Lorenzo Montanà / Saelun / Velan
38:37 / Chronotope Project / Spirit Walk / Kaleideoscope
43:03 / Forrest Fang / Arrival – The Waking Hour / Radiance and the Receding Light
52:10 / Kamarius / The Gathering / Rituals

PGM 397: SHAMANIC VISIONS 8

A transcendent voyage into techno-tribal ambient soundworlds.

TIME / ARTIST / TRACK / ALBUM
00:25 / Steve Roach & SoRIAH / Analog Cave / Curandero
09:55 / Byron Metcalf & Steve Roach / Rite of Passage / The Serpent's Lair
22:05 / Frore & Shane Morris / Lichen Patterns / Blood Moon
33:32 / Byron Metcalf, Dashmesh Khalsa & Steve Roach / Dreamtime Alchemy / Dream Tracker
42:50 / Steve Roach & Vir Unis / Pure Expansion / Body Electric
52:20 / Frore & Shane Morris / Shadow Medicine / Eclipse

PGM 395: CANYON BREEZE 3

A spacious mix of healing flute & primeval atmospheres inspired by the American southwest.

TIME / ARTIST / TRACK / ALBUM
00:25 / Mars Lasar / Marble Canyon / Grand Canyon
04:45 / Deborah Martin & Erik Wøllo / Burial Ground / Kinishba
09:40 / Kenneth Hooper / Forest Temple / As the Crow Flies
15:48 / Jonny Lipford / The Skyward Trail / Discover the Warrior Within
20:20 / Sherry Finzer / Fascination / Dreamweaver: Music for Deep Dreaming
24:15 / Peter Phippen, Ivar Lunde, Jr. & Paulina Fae / Field of Gray / The Phantom Moon
32:15 / Steve Roach & SoRIAH / Stars of Darkness / Curandero
39:15 / John Huling / Breath of the Mountain / Mesa Sunrise: The Essential John Huling
44:52 / Suzanne Teng & Gilbert Levy / The Crossing / Shimmer
48:36 / Wychazel / Soul Journey / Spirit Flute

PGM 376: HIDDEN SANCTUARY 4

An meditative ethno/tribal/organic ambient mix inspired by indo-pacific panoramas.

TIME / ARTIST / TRACK / ALBUM-EP-SINGLE
00:25 / K Ambient Sounds / Enchanting Atmosphere / Enchanting Atmosphere
10:12 / Jarguna / Garden of the Mantras / Prospettive Animiche
18:08 / Kenneth Hooper / Forest Temple / As the Crow Flies
24:12 / Chronotope Project / Tonglen / Chronology
34:27 / Frore & Shane Morris / Hidden Meaning / Ochre
40:45 / Qeight, Translippers / Invisible Birds / Invisible Birds
46:08 / Kristina Bennett / Beauty Bowls / Shakti
50:00 / Alio Die & Lorenzo Montanà / Crystal Revelation / Dialogue of Water

PGM 357: SAVANNA SKIES

A chillout ambient lounge mix through African frontiers.

TIME / ARTIST / TRACK / ALBUM
00:20 / Chorus of Tribes / Into Morocco / Myth
06:09 / Deep Forest / White Whisper (Version 2021) Eponymous
11:52 / Jeff Oster / Serengeti (feat. Samite) / True
16:48 / Le Voyage / African Sun (native mix) / Senses of a Magic Fairytale
23:15 / Diane Arkenstone / Voices in the Jungle / African Skies
36:10 / Beautiful World / Evolution / In Existence
41:52 / Stephan Baer / Spirit of Aisha / The Dark Frontier
48:50 / David Lyndon Huff & Jack Jezzro / Ivory Coast / Worldbeat Africa
56:56 / Jai / Tanzania / African Journey

Album Review: Into the Unknown by Joseph L Young

Review by Lissette Cascante

Composer and multi-instrumentalist, Joseph L Young has enjoyed a proliferous career as a musician unafraid to go beyond boundaries of genre, style, or sound. Joseph is an established chart-topping, award-winning musician whose music has enjoyed broad radio and internet airplay, spanning such genres as New Age, Ambient, Relaxation/Meditation, Native Fusion, Jazz Fusion, and Contemporary Instrumental. But not to be limited, he has also played with a variety of bands ranging from rock, blues, folk, jazz and even Celtic.

In his sixth full-length album, Into the Unknown, Young delves deeper into musical expanses, with compositions that explore the mystical dimensions of time, space, psyche, and spirit, normally related to the unexplained, mysterious, or concealed. The album features three songs previously released as singles: “Secrets of Stone” released in 2021, “Remembrance of Time” in 2020 featuring pianist Lynn Tredeau, and a remix of his 2019 single “Between Worlds.”

The album also showcases more of his talent as a composer and arranger as well as his mastery of the flute. “Every note I play comes from my heart and is how I share my love of music with others, it's how I express my passion for the flute”, explains Joseph. He interlaces ancient sounds with modern synth arrangements which prevail in world fusion authenticity.

Joseph holds a second degree black-belt in Chinese Shao-Lin Kung Fu and Tai Chi which evidently contribute to his unique approach to music. “I want my music to take listeners on a journey of discovery”, he expounds, “to help them work through their emotions, releasing the negative, as they grow and change, and serving as a catalyst to help with their transformation."

The title track “Into the Unknown” is my favorite piece as it abounds with mystique and features a myriad of exotic instruments, voices, and rhythms bathed in a Middle Eastern style melody. In tracks like “Remembrance of Time”, “Enchanted”, “Secrets of Stone”, “Eclipsed”, and “Windswayed”, the alluring flute and creative musical arrangements transport the listener to ancient times, distant lands, sacred ceremonies, and mysterious places.

On other tracks like “Beyond the Horizon”, “Between Worlds”, “Transcendence”, “The Forgotten”, and “Ancestral Crossings”, Joseph seems to venture into other spheres such as space exploration, and perhaps even the afterlife. Into the Unknown is a treasure chest of musical jewels you’ll delight in listening time and time again. The unknown calls us to live consciously. Joseph composes music that speaks to the human soul, and which infuses the silence with the sounds of life.  

~Lissette Cascante for Journeyscapes 

For more information please visit the artist's website. Into the Unknown is also available at Bandcamp, Amazon, and Apple Music.

Journeyscapes DJ Set: Vision Quest 2

A spacious mix of world flute & primaeval atmospheres.

TIME / ARTIST / TRACK / ALBUM
00:19 / Bodhi / Purple Shadows / Deep Dream
08:22 / Dean Evenson, Scott Huckabay & Phil Heaven / Edge of Forever / Healing Resonance
13:58 / Suzanne Teng & Gilbert Levy / Genesis / Whisper
18:49 / City of Dawn & Sherry Finzer / Paradise Fell From Your Eyes / Solace
24:03 / Healing Sound Project / Earth / Elements
30:56 / Sherry Finzer & Karasvana / Sacred Spiral / Centered
36:00 / Byron Metcalf & Mark Seelig / Winds of Spirit Four / The Winds of Spirit
41:57 / Peter Phippen / Spirit Guides / Into the Ancient
47:13 / Sherry Finzer / Through the Veil / Connections
52:55 / Terry Oldfield / Just Before Dawn / Pure Flute

Album Review: The Moon's Within Reach by Karavan Sarai

Review by Abdul Yamani

Karavan Sarai creates world fusion music that traverse landscapes spanning from the Middle East to South Asia. Their debut album Woven Landscapes (2015) along with the band’s follow-up releases Painted Sands (2018) and Torn In Love (2020) all peaked at high positions on world music charts and achieved much critical acclaim. 

On their latest release, The Moon’s Within Reach, Karavan Sarai takes us on a mesmerizing journey inspired by Silk Road pathways and desert sands. Here you’ll discover the spirit of Egyptian, Arabian, Turkish and Indian music fused with the lush electronic creations of two-time Grammy-nominated producer and programmer Carmen Rizzo.

Instrumentalist, vocalist, composer and producer Narayan Sijan describes images of “Sufis playing music, whirling from the deserts of India to the Nile River and the Valley of the Kings in Egypt” and “fire in the sand dunes under a starry night” among his personal encounters and experiences which inspire his musical art-form, and are captured in the album’s two meditatively flowing compositions.

On the extended hypnotic piece, “Longing in the Stars" featuring Tabeah, the Turkish saz is brought into dialogue with the Egyptian oud which are encompassed by ambient textures sustained throughout. Transcendent male and female vocal melodies eventually join along, creating a colorful cultural tapestry that speaks to the depths of the soul as a sonic perfume fills the air with a mystical scent.

~Abdul Yamani for Journeyscapes Radio

For more information please visit Karavan Sarai's website. The Moon's Within Reach is also available at Bandcamp, iTunes and more.

Journeyscapes DJ Set: Rainforest Sojourn 6

A tribal-ambient chillout journey through the tropics!

TIME / ARTIST / TRACK / ALBUM
00:20 / Stephen Peppos / Sunshine / Botanical
05:17 / Wouter Kellerman & David Arkenstone / Ungana / Pangaea
09:57 / AO Music / Kutumba / Kutumba
15:12 / Eguana / Interdependent Origin / Inner Silence
20:51 / Mars Lasar / Enchanted Forest / Coastal Escape
24:55 / Loren Nerell / Dreams of Sarons / The Gong Prophet
31:43 / Erik Wøllo / Sojourn 2 / Sojourns
38:45 / ELEON / Migration / Cerulean
46:20 / jarguna / Expanse Swamps / Neogene
50:38 / Yuval Ron feat. Úyanga Bold / Mind Vision Invocation / Sacred Spiral

Album Review: Directions by Kenneth Hooper

Kenneth Hooper is a Texas-born composer and assorted flute player who initially started out playing bass guitar. In 1994, after moving to Redwood, California, he picked up his first flute at a penny whistle workshop, which eventually accompanied him everywhere while on a subsequent trip to the Amazon jungle. Upon returning to the states, he was gifted a Native American flute that he also learned to play. This led to the formation of a musical duo with his friend Garth D. Brooks under the name Elysium Calling, with whom he released two albums. Another creative path would open up for Kenneth when he entered a healing arts certificate program in San Francisco called Sound, Voice and Music, which led to the subsequent release of his debut solo double-album titled Directions.

Characterized by spaciously woven organic soundscapes ranging from gently uplifting to deeply lulling, the album features Anasazi and Chinese Xiao flutes as lead instruments throughout. Likewise, both Udu and Rav drums add an entrancing quality to several pieces, while melodic acoustic guitar gives a notable Americana flavor to three of the nine tracks total. Disc one is more rhythmic while disc two is more meditative, with the second half of the album especially emphasizing the incorporation of many nature sounds along the way, including whale-song, ocean waves, singing crickets, a flowing stream and windy effects.

One of my favorite pieces, “Directions”, beautifully opens disc one with a super-slow shamanic drum pulse, as flutes, shakers and thunderstorm effects soon enter the picture and gradually pick up pace throughout. Native female vocal chants further enhance the Southwest American atmosphere of the composition and collectively calls imagery to mind of a darkening sky over vast canyon terrain.

Another equally gorgeous piece, “Graceful Expanse” from disc two, conveys a nocturnal Pacific feel with its delicately sensuous flute notes played on the Chinese Xiao in tandem with a tranquilizing Rav drum melody. Likewise, gossamer synth-pads sustained throughout add to the composition’s enthralling ambient haze, which effectively paints enchanting visuals of a misty forest softly illuminated by starlight.

A highly praiseworthy album overall that touches on ambient, acoustic and ethnic fusion musical styles, Directions is the perfect listening experience for anyone drawn to the essences of the earth via beautifully harmonious sounds! ~Candice Michelle

Available at Amazon and other music retailers. For more information, please visit the artist's website.

Another sultrily atmospheric mix of ethno-chill & downtempo world!

Artist Name / Track Title / Album Title
Karl Maddison / Sacred Mountain / On the Road to Tibet
David & Steve Gordon / Ambient Spa / Nirvana Groove
Vellúa / Arran / Ancient Echo (Chapter 1)
Kamarius / Air Element / Elements
Guy Sweens / Sanchi / Universal Language
BlueMonk & Michael Whalen / The Way of the Samurai / Karmic Dreams
Kevin Braheny Fortune / The Courage to Love / Dreamwalker Meditation Music Vol. 2
Sommer Sun / West Sahara / West Sahara [single]
The Haiku Project / Before Sunset / Gratitude
Ananta Govinda / River of Time (feat. Pierre Edel) / Mirror of Desire

PGM 272: Rainforest Sojourn 5

Another ethno-chill / tribal-ambient journey through the tropics!

Artist Name / Track Title / Album Title
David Lyndon Huff / The Journey / Worldbeat
Diane Arkenstone / Night Flight / Spirits of the Rainforest
Soulfood / Chameleon / Breathe
Chris Spheeris with Robert Cory / Island of 1000 Temples / Mystic Traveller
Enigma / Light of Your Smile / Beyond the Invisible [EP]
Mark Barrott / Island Life / Sketches from an Island
Baka Beyond / Ndaweh’s Dream / The Meeting Pool
Kamarius / Earth Element / Elements
Brannan Lane & Tom Larson / Tails of the Rain Forest, Part 1 / Tribal Spirit
Sambox / Amazon / Freedom World

PGM 271: Dharmic Odyssey 2

Another meditative mix of Eastern-inspired ambient mystique!

Artist Name / Track Title / Album Title
Madhavi Devi / Jade Breeze / The Truth of Being
Ragani / Protection (Ganesha Gayatri) / Light of Savitri
Mark Seelig / Raga Ayahausa / The Disciple’s Path
Jarguna & Henrik Meierkord / Älva / Tapestry Flow
Yuval Ron / Equanimity (Upekkha) / Four Divine States of Mind
Howard Givens & Craig Padilla / Prana / The Bodhi Mantra

Album Review: Autumn Monsoon by Suzanne Teng & Gilbert Levy

Married musical partners Suzanne Teng and Gilbert Levy create outstanding global instrumental music that is often meditative yet movement-oriented. They also release music as part of an ensemble group called Mystic Journey (which also includes band members Dann Torres and Jon Ossman) whose previous album, Kingdom of Mountains, made a lot of noteworthy impressions in the scene. The duo’s latest album, Autumn Monsoon, is certainly no exception and I’ve been thoroughly enamored with it ever since the first listen.

Originally from Berkley, California, Suzanne is an acclaimed world flutist who holds a Master’s degree in music from Boston University’s School for the Arts. Having released several albums to date including solo recordings, her music has garnered critical praise in mainstream publications and she’s performed live on national television. Not only does Suzanne play all the flutes from the Western flute family, she also plays an array of indigenous flutes from around the world including Native American, African, Asian, European and Middle Eastern varieties.

Born in raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, Gilbert began playing drums at an early age, later going on to perform professionally in bands and clubs located on the famous Bourbon Street. Eventually, he made the transition from mostly playing in R&B, jazz and pop music bands to playing world drums, notably African and Middle Eastern hand percussion as well as the metal melodic Hang. He’s also expanded his global musical palette to include several stringed instruments.

Comprised of ten enthralling compositions spanning approximately forty-eight minutes, Autumn Monsoon invites the listener for a mesmerizing musical sojourn across India, West Africa, the American Southwest, the Saharan desert – and even making a stop at the Andromeda galaxy along the way. Suzanne opts for Native American flutes as the main navigator throughout this album, while Gilbert gently propels the voyage along with a multi-cultural array of percussion. In between these prominent instruments, exotic strings and synthesizers are layered in, with added contributions along the way from Jon Ossman on Indian dilruba and Dann Torres playing both nylon and steel string guitars.

Opening with the title track, “Autumn Monsoon”, we’re immediately greeted by the soothing sounds of Native-style flute and the lovely tonal melody of Hang, a percussive instrument that has long been one of my favorites. Added bass dulcimer and a synth-beat join in for an organically downtempo rhythm, as all the musical parts collectively create a warmly intoxicating sonic brew.

On “Indian Sisters” Suzanne plays an enchanting flute melody to the seductive rhythm of shakers, tabla and udu drums. Enticingly sensual and one of my favorites, this fluid composition seemingly moves along in coy, serpentine fashion. We’re also treated to the hypnotic pulse of frame drum on the mysteriously nocturnal “Traveler”, which additionally showcases a nomadic flute melody and woodsy strumming of the Turkish saz.

Imparting an American southwestern feel, the equally stunning “Canyon Ghosts” is led by a slow drumbeat with a pulse that seemingly connects to the heart of the earth. Gorgeously complimenting it is an echoingly distant flute melody accompanied by another one brought more to the foreground, as the music effectively occupies a space where ancient spirts dwell and secrets of the stars are pondered.

Like a waterfall washing over the senses, “Sueños” (meaning “dreams”) is perfectly illustrated by lulling synth-tones coupled with entrancing flute and percussion. Fittingly paired with the ensuing “Andromeda”, this hauntingly tranquil piece turns one’s attention towards the night sky with its reverberating flute melody amid a softly sustained synth-drone.

Overall characterized by fluid rhythms and encircling atmospheres, Autumn Monsoon is an alluringly beautiful and earthily sensual output from start to finish. Every melody, tone and space in between conveys a sense that these musicians were focused yet relaxed during the album’s creation. Simply one of the finest achievements in the overarching style of ambient-world music that I’ve recently discovered, Autumn Monsoon offers a remarkable transcontinental, trance-shamanic journey that listeners will want to embark on repeatedly! ~Candice Michelle

Available at Amazon, iTunes and other music retail platforms. For more information, please visit Mystic Journey's website.

PGM 241: Cave Light

An organic ambient mix with subtle ethno-tribal elements inspired by Plato’s Allegory of the Cave.

ARTIST – TRACK TITLE – ALBUM TITLE
Chronotope Project – Gateless Gate – Lotus Rising
Crystalline Dream – A Thousand Petals of Light – Seventh Chakra
Alpha Wave Movement – Stellar Mantra – Celestial Chronicles
Jarguna – Sacred Shen – Fusion of Soul
Steve Roach – Opening the Space – Fever Dreams II
Kelly David – Laukoo – Meditation in Green
Robert Rich – Eroding Columns – Tactile Ground
Paul Avgerinos – Gnosis – Gnosis

An Interview with Will Clipman at the Heart Dance Records Summit

We’re honored to present a special interview with world percussionist Will Clipman to beautifully wrap-up the series of interviews we conducted at the Heart Dance Records summit in Phoenix, Arizona earlier this year. A seven-time Grammy Award nominee and three-time Native American Music Award winner, Clipman’s numerous recordings have included collaborations with fellow musical legends R. Carlos Nakai, Gary Stroutsos, William Eaton and Robert Tree Cody. Renowned for his distinctive polyrhythms that draw from a pan-global percussive palette, Clipman’s signature sound often traverses the musical boundaries of ethnic fusion, tribal-ambient and even Acoustic Americana, such as on the recent Trialogue album, which he recorded with flutist Sherry Finzer and guitarist Darin Mahoney.

Music from the albums Pathfinder, Sacred Clay, Awakening the Fire, Heart of the Wind, Trialogue, Dancing into Silence, People of Peace, and Feather, Stone and Light can be heard throughout this interview.

Album Review: Ethereum by Joseph L Young

Joseph L Young is a world-flute master and keyboardist. His fourth album, Ethereum, is comprised of twelve beautiful compositions that showcase his multi-instrumentalist talents and keen ability to tap into the essence of music from various cultures. Among the instruments Joseph plays are Native American flutes, Chinese flutes, South and Central American clay drone flutes, Irish pennywhistle, and even Saxophone on one track. These exotic elements are deftly interwoven among indigenous percussion and atmospheric synthesizers, thereby lending an overall shamanic and trance-inducing quality to several of the compositions.

“Wavelength” opens the album with hazy tones and suspended chords that envelope a subtle flute melody. Serene and warmly-lit from the very first note, this piece brings images to mind of an afternoon sunset casting its beautiful glow over a rocky desert terrain. The title piece, “Ethereum”, follows next with a native-style flute that seems to echo throughout a vast canyon. This hauntingly beautiful and slightly forbidding ambient flute piece is likewise accompanied by droning synths, rainstick sounds and washes of chimes, which seem to evoke a sacred semblance of channelling an ancient wisdom or unveiling of hidden secrets. The comparatively lighter and more gossamer “Shimmers” ensues with Celtic harp and Irish pennywhistle, a delicate piece that conveys a fairytale-like medieval or renaissance flair. Changing scenery once again, “Boundless” begins with a low rumble and slithering sounds that introduce native-style flute and reverberating, slow-paced percussion, as hypnotic vocal intonations are echoed among its cavernous ambient soundscape. It is followed by the notably intriguing “Illumination”, a radiant piece that evokes images of a watery cave illuminated by sunlight pouring through. Here, piano and flute exchange dual melodies among a backdrop of chimes, Udu drums and atmospheric synths. Exuding both Celtic and Chinese overtones, “Free” is another piece particularly worth noting, which features vocals by Lenise Redding who sings a bewitching and mystical melody. Concluding the album is the beautifully nocturnal “Sapphire Moon”, which is guided along by subtle percussion and occasional shooting star effects, as a chorus of flutes seem to gently serenade the moon.

Brushed by colorful hues of various cultures throughout, it’s easy to slip into a deep zone while listening to this album. I’m especially fond of the many echoing effects and intricate textures throughout these beautifully relaxing and soulfully rejuvenating passages. With similarities that could be drawn to works by Scott August and Al Jewer & Andy Mitran, Ethereum is a wholly rewarding excursion into ethno-ambient flute music! ~Candice Michelle

Available at Amazon and other music retail & streaming platforms. For more information please visit the artist's website.