Journeyscapes DJ Set: Earth Trek 4

A global ambient chillout mix for Earth Day! Please support the artists in this set by following the song/album links below.

Artist Name / Track Title / Album Title
Le Voyage / La Mer (blue horizon mix) / Spring Lounge 2021
Beautiful World / In Existence / In Existence
Rising Sun / Deep Forest / Deep Forest
Eguana / Call of the Wind / Flawless Nature
Essa 3 / Sundial / Sky Dancing: Nada Masala vol. 3
Ayla / Angelfalls (particular beach) / York: Planet Chill, vol. 1
Oliva / Wonder World / Wonder World
Blue Is Nine / Satellites / A Different Light
Quinn / In a Perfect World / Ecstasy in Avila
The Haiku Project feat. Sarah Grabow / Creation / Nebula

Journeyscapes DJ Set: Atlantis Calling 2

A trance-ambient / maritime chillout mix! Please support the artists in this set by following the song/album links below.

Artist Name / Track Title / Album Title
Nicholas Gunn / Flow / Sound Condition
Dreaming Cooper / Crystal Cave / Mysterious Places
S1gns Of L1fe / Genetic Memory / The Age of Cymatics
Biome / Walk Among the Crystal Tides / Essence
Echo Season / Between / Solarmetric
Mark Dwane / Aquatic Alchemy / Atlantean Apparitions
Sylvain Carel / Blue is the Color / Atlantide
Alpha Wave Movement / Garden of Memories / Echoes in the Vacuum
Time Traveler / Casper’s Cove / Sky Falter

PGM 294: Sacred Visions

A transcendently ethereal and meditative mix for holy week – dedicated to the legacy of the late new age/ambient/space music composer & artistic visionary Constance Demby, who left this plane on March 20th, 2021.

Artist Name / Track Title / Album Title
Constance Demby / St. Francis Prayer / Skies Above Skies
VocaMe / Spiritus Sanctus / Inspiration (Hildegard von Bingen: Lieder und Visionen)
Sherry Finzer / Searching / Renewal
Constance Demby / Deep Mother / Attunement
Steve Roach & Serena Gabriel / Glow of Light / Temple of the Melting Dawn
Mediaeval Baebes / Fatima Prayer / Prayers of the Rosary
Forrest Smithson / Halo Waves / Dieux
Jeff Pearce / Cathedral Light / Archive 1: Songs for the Gathering
Constance Demby / Gateway / Sanctum Sanctuorum
Paul Avgerinos / State of Grace / Healing
Constance Demby / Part 1 - Faces of the Christ / Faces of the Christ

PGM 293: Celtic Reveries 7

Another ethereal/ambient/chill mix for St. Patrick's Day inspired by landscapes & legends of the Emerald Isle!

Artist Name / Track Title / Album Title
Eamonn Karran / Mac Lir / I’ll Be With You
Emer Kenny / Cast A Spell / Parting Glass
Marcomé / Time to Follow / Seven Seas
Moya Brennan / Nuair a Bhí Óg / Canvas
Ronan Hardiman / Celtic Dream / Lord of the Dance
Entheogenic / Algonquin (Celtic Mix) / Dreamtime Physics
David Arkenstone / The Girl with the Midnight Hair / Celtic Chillout
2002 / Castle of Dromore / Celtic Fairy Dream
Ashley Davis / Banquet / Songs of the Celtic Winter
Clannad / Atlantic Realm / In A Lifetime
Dagda / Winds of Change / Hibernia: The Story of Ireland
Enya / Exile / Watermark
Loreena McKennitt / Dante’s Prayer / The Book of Secrets

PGM 292: The Best of 2020 (Part 3 of 3)

In this episode we present the third and final portion of the top 30 albums of 2020, with another smooth, hour-long soundscape highlighting some of last year’s favorite & most notable releases!

ARTIST / TRACK TITLE / ALBUM-EP
Time Traveler / Ancient Wanderers / Sky Falter
Tigerforest / Away (ft. Aly Frank) / Discovery
Eguana / Revival Soul / No Magic
Starterra / Celestial / Celestial
Ben Blackett / Quiet Stillness / Portals
Stephanie Sante / Photonic Memories / Dark Matter Evolution
Jeff Pearce / An Isle / Archive 1: Songs for the Gathering
Bodhi / Gathering Dawn / Deep Dream
Sambox / Taman Sari / Le Son Du Miramar
Evenfall / Translucent Veils of Gold / Indigo Skies

PGM 291: The Best of 2020 (Part 2 of 3)

In this sequel episode we present part 2 of 3 of the top 30 albums of 2020 with another smooth, hour-long soundscape highlighting some of last year’s favorite & most notable releases!

ARTIST / TRACK TITLE / ALBUM-EP
Eguana / Negative Charge / Destiny, Vol. 2
Richard Ross / Thermals / Event Horizon
David Helpling / Be / Rune
Christel Veraart / Maia / Pleiades
Byron Metcalf & Jennifer Grais / Communion / Sacrament
Erik Wøllo & Michael Stearns / The Nomad’s Journey / Convergence
Kevin Keller / The Forgotten Places / The Front Porch of Heaven
Suzanne Teng & Gilbert Levy / Sueños / Autumn Monsoon
Desensitized / Formulata Oblivonos (A Complicated Tale) / Hemispherica Portalis (Portal of 1000 Years)
Forrest Fang / A Recursive Tale / Ancient Machines

PGM 290: The Best of 2020 (Part 1 of 3)

In this special episode we present part 1 of 3 of the top 30 albums of 2020 with a smooth, hour-long soundscape highlighting some of last year’s favorite & most notable releases!

ARTIST / TRACK TITLE / ALBUM-EP
Michael Whalen / Devotion / Sacred Spaces
Giuseppe Dio / Long Road / The Phoenix
Jim Ottaway / Between Truth and Dreams / When Eternity Touches Time
Infinite Dreamer & Solarsoul / Sunset Eclipse (Original Mix) / Sunset Eclipse
Nicholas Gunn / Coast / Pacific Blue
Acheloo / Distant Sign / Debris of Nostalgia
Hollan Holmes / Transmitter / Milestones
Rising Galaxy / Lovers in the Rain / Acceleration
Lingua Lustra / Inner Beauty / Astra
Mark Dwane / 24th Century / Future Tense

PGM 289: Northern Lights 7

Another luminous soundscape inspired by the aerial majesty of the aurora borealis!

Artist Name / Track Title / Album Title
Erik Wøllo / Virtual World / Emotional Landscapes [Remastered]
Alpha Wave Movement / Dusk Descending / The Edge of Infinity
Kevin Keller / The Sky Below / The Front Porch of Heaven
Patrick Kelly / Adrift in Time / Beyond the Horizon 2: Mystical World
Jarguna & Uzbazur / Sublimation / Sublimation
Johan Agebjörn / Siberian Train Part II / Mossebo [Remastered]
David Helpling / The Black Rock / Rune
Thierry David / Galactic Bliss / Stellar Connection
Jeff Pearce / A Surrounding / Archive 1: Songs for the Gathering

Album Review: Hemispherica Portalis (Portal of 1000 Years) by Desensitized

Desensitized is the musical duo of Deborah Martin and Dean De Benedictis whose collaborative debut album Hemispherica Portalis (Portal of 1000 Years) was released on the Spotted Peccary Music label in the fall of 2020. Comprised of 7 compositions spanning over 75 minutes, the music is accompanied by one of the most visually stunning and interpretive album artwork designs that I’ve seen in recent memory, courtesy of Daniel Pipitone. Additionally, Hemispherica Portalis was mixed by fellow Spotted Peccary Music resident Matthew Stewart and mastered by Howard Givens at the label’s studio in Portland, Oregon.

As someone who’s enjoyed Deborah’s and Dean’s previous individual and collaborative works with other artists, I was immediately intrigued upon learning sometime back of an upcoming collaboration between the two, particularly since the stylistic flavors of these two artists are quite distinct from each other. Deborah’s sound tends to occupy a more ethereal realm influenced by new age and world music leanings that often explores cultural, mythical and earth-centered themes. By comparison, Dean’s music (which also includes his works under the project name Surface 10) is overall darker, more experimental, industrial and alien with often glitch-like minimalist beats. And yet together these two have created a lushly hypnotic masterwork wherein the signature hallmarks of each artist merge seamlessly to form a new element like perfected alchemy.



Right from the opening title track one is immediately led through a deep exploration of fluidly freeform and blossoming patterns that seem to musically interpret varying biological metamorphosis and photosynthesis from an immersive, microcosmic perspective. Observational yet sensational in nature, familiar yet abstract aural textures paint a surrealistic dream-world that is strangely idyllic and beautifully bizarre. Shaped throughout by bioluminescent soundscapes that are distinctly electronic yet feel very much organic, the compositions move through simultaneously aquatic, biotic and mechanical sound environments that convey a strikingly vivid alternate reality.

Recalling at times the ambient classic Orchid by Ishq, Hemispherica Portalis offers a similar sonic immersion along with the hyperreal imagery it evokes. Easily one of the most stunning albums of the year, it's not only sure to remain a standout on the Spotted Peccary label but hopefully results in more collaborations between these two brilliant minds in the very near future! ~Candice Michelle



Album & artist links:
Bandcamp
Amazon
iTunes 
Spotted Peccary Music
Deborah Martin
Dean De Benedictis

PGM 288: Frozen Skies 2

Another glacial ambient-space mix for wintertime stargazing

Artist Name / Track Title / Album-EP-Single
Jim Ottaway / Ice Age / Aurora
Shunkan Idou / Formerly Seen / Formerly Seen
Isostatic / Crystals of Ice / Cloud Forms
Time Being / Drifting Form, Ineffable Void / An Ocean of Time
Robert Carty & Brannan Lane / Polar Shift / Climatic Infusion
Isostatic / The Endless Tundra / Glacial Epoch
Shinpal / Winter Solitude / Momentary Disappeared Memory
Michael Crain & Jason Carey / Glacier / Tiamatu: Twilight of the Arctic

PGM 287: Hypnotic Voyage 6

Another trance-ambient excursion through mind-bending otherworlds!

Artist Name / Track Title / Album-EP-Single
Zero Cult / Air / Air
Arkanna / Wonder Cloud (Side Liner Remix) / Wonder Cloud (Side Liner Remix)
Time Traveler / Explorer Beware / Sky Falter
Echo Season / Pilot / Solarmetric
Eguana / Night Starry Sky (vocal version) / Flawless Nature
Moonsong / Transequence / Ambient Odyssey
Transponder / Europa Prime / Hyperion Gate
Unusual Cosmic Process / Elysium (Lounge Remix) / Elysium

PGM 286: Divine Offerings 3

Another ethereal-ambient chillscape for the winter solstice & Christmas season!

Artist Name / Track Title / Album Title
Pilgrimage / Campus Stella/Field of Stars / 9 Songs of Ecstasy
Shunia / Alleluia / Breeze at Dawn
VocaMe / Aer Enim Volat / Hildegard Von Bingen: Inspiration
Christel Veraart / Celaeno / Pleiades
Divine Works / Divine Works II / Soundtrack to the New Millennium
Marya Stark / Negra Luz / Sapphire
Samite / Stars to Share / Winter Solstice on Ice
Paul Avgerinos / Song of Gladness / Phos Hilaron
Mythos / Sirens / Mythos
Voxfire / Rosa Das Rosas / Fontis
Mysteria / Seraphim / Chasing the Divine

PGM 285: Beyond Perception 2

Another ambient-electronic voyage through interdimensional dream-worlds!

Artist Name / Track Title / Album Title
Evenfall / Monsoon Winds / Monsoon Winds
Retro Rider / Lonely Cowboy (West Beach Mix) / Winter Time, Vol. 9
Dr. Psychedelic / Power of Dub / Chill Out Trance Vol. 2
Echo Season / Elevated / Solarmetric
Jim Ottaway / Diamonds in the Rain / When Eternity Touches Time
Eguana / Listen to the Universe / Destiny, Vol. 2
Kick Bong / Let Me Fly / Zelitude
Richard Ross / Oort Cloud / Event Horizon
Starterra / Council of Nine / Celestial
Germind / Last Humanity / Antimatter, Vol. 5

Album Review: Pleiades by Christel Veraart

One of the most hauntingly beautiful recordings to come my way this year is the album Pleiades by Christel Veraart. Aptly comprised of seven compositions spanning approximately fifty-three minutes, Pleiades offers a mystical sonic journey hat seemingly bridges an invisible portal from earth to the cosmos. Although Christel has released several prior albums, I’ve only recently become familiar with her work and I’m beyond delighted to have discovered this musical gem in particular.

Likewise, I’ve always been fascinated by the constellations and the ancient mythologies connected to them, with the Pleiades (also known as "the seven sisters") figuring prominently in many cultures throughout history. Named for each of the seven stars in this mysterious constellation, Pleiades features monastic-style female vocalese that effectively recalls the sacred music of the 12th-century mystic nun Hildegard von Bingen. With her otherworldly incantations wrapped in droning electronic soundscapes that are often accentuated by repeating melodic bell-tones and subtle ethnic percussion, Pleiades can be likened to that of exploring a secluded forest cathedral within an icy dreamland, which lies somewhere beyond the ether.

Personal favorites include “Asterope” with its darkly minor-key figures, along with the ghostly encircling “Celaeno”, both of which exude bewitchingly strange and sensual atmospheres. Also noteworthy is the somewhat Celtic-esque “Maia” wherein Christel’s tantalizing vocals echo among shadowy harp timbres.

Sonically immersed in a divine feminine aura of sacred mystery, Pleiades is an engrossingly enchanting album best played at night and will unquestionably appeal to many fans of Lisa Gerrard, Áine Minogue and Hildegard von Bingen! ~Candice Michelle

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

PGM 284: Enchanted Worlds 4

Another bewitching blend of ethereal vocals & lushly chilled soundscapes!

Artist Name / Track Title / Album Title
Jillian Aversa / Aletheia / Atlantis Awakening
Marya Starks / In Between / Sapphire
Blue Stone / Set Me In the Sun / Messages
Eurielle / Gold / Arcadia
Oslee / Song of Bliss / Elevate
Delerium & Kirsty Hawkshaw / Inner Sanctum (Journeyscapes radio edit) / Poem
Static Shore / Hush / Panikon
Ananta Govinda / Onto the Timelessness / Mirror of Desire
Kerensa Stephens & ZX1899 / Solar / Supernature
Christel Veraart / Alcyone / Pleiades
Amethystium / Strangely Beautiful / Isabliss
Eden / Adonis / Return to Innocence