Top 25 Albums for the Month of March

No.	Artist	Title	Listen & Buy
01	Michael Whalen	Sacred Spaces	Amazon
02	Hollan Holmes	Milestones	Amazon Bandcamp
03	Tigerforest	Discovery	Amazon Bandcamp
04	Various Artists	The Best of Maretimo Lounge Radio, Vol. 1	Amazon
05	Clannad	In A Lifetime	Amazon
06	David Helpling	RUNE	Amazon Bandcamp
07	Stephanie Sante	Dark Matter Evolution	Amazon Bandcamp
08	Various Artists	Psychill Blossom, Vol. 1	Amazon Bandcamp
09	Rising Galaxy	Acceleration	Amazon Bandcamp
10	Tom Moore & Mike Clay	Beyond Our Orbit	Amazon Bandcamp
11	Darshan Ambient	A Day Like Any Other	Amazon Bandcamp
12	Evenfall	Indigo Skies	Amazon Bandcamp
13	Suzanne Teng & Gilbert Levy	Autumn Monsoon	Amazon
14	Forrest Fang	Ancient Machines	Amazon Bandcamp
15	Byron Metcalf & Jennifer Grais	Sacrament	Amazon Bandcamp
16	Acheloo	Debris of Nostaliga	Amazon Bandcamp
17	ELEON	Cerulean	Amazon Bandcamp
18	Hans Christian	After the Fall	Amazon Bandcamp
19	Thaneco	Alien Species	Amazon Bandcamp
20	Eguana	Invisible Civilization, Vol. 4	Amazon Bandcamp
21	Reblooming	Echo Earth	Amazon Bandcamp
22	Billy Denk	Starbound	Bandcamp
23	Germind	Synthesis	Amazon Bandcamp
24	Kirsten Agresta Copely	Around the Sun	Amazon Bandcamp
25	Various Artists	Winter Time, Vol. 8	Amazon

Album Review: Beyond the Purple Sun by Jim Ottaway

Beyond the Purple Sun is Australian music composer and synthesist Jim Ottaway’s 2019 conceptual sequel of sorts to his 2017 album Deep Space Blue. It’s also his chronological follow-up to 2018's Yesterday Passing, a comparatively more upbeat and contemporarily melodic album that was nicely nestled in between the two deep space listening excursions.

Although Ottaway has been releasing music for several years now, his earlier works were initially only available in his native Australia, until he later re-released them on the global market. Eventually, his landmark space-ambient album Southern Cross hit the scene in 2016, which quickly earned him notable praise and airplay in the Western Hemisphere. Later that same year, he released the more digitally dynamic and retrofuturistic Timeless e-Motion, my personal favorite Ottaway album to date.

Comprised of seven compositions, his 13th international release features music that was recorded from 2010 to early 2019, thereby echoing many hallmarks of his other space-ambient works released over that time-period.

As another imaginative sonic voyage to the limits of the known universe, Beyond the Purple Sun further expounds on the artist’s impressions and explorations of magnificent cosmic panoramas. Possessing intriguing song titles such as “Celestial Rainbows”, “Lavender Moons” and “Birth Of A Violet Quasar” – all of which deliver as much beauty and intrigue as they seemingly promise – the music herein often paints images of ultraviolet-illuminated celestial objects and plasma energies lighting up a black expanse. Imparting feelings of floating and weightlessness, ethereal intonations tantalizingly call from afar like intercosmic transmissions of incorporeal voices; while prismatic icy shimmers and crystallized modulations intermittently rain upon undulating drones and gurgling signal sounds throughout. Finally arriving at the hypnotizing title piece, “Beyond the Purple Sun”, a steadily forward movement is illustrated by the sustained vintage rhythm of pulsating sequencer patterns.

Continuing to impress and expound with each recording, Jim Ottaway has become one of today’s preeminent composers of ambient sci-fi and space music. Thoroughly immersive and transportive, Beyond the Purple Sun is definitive deep space listening for lovers of astronomical mysteries! ~Candice Michelle

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

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An Interview with Michael Whalen about his album Sacred Spaces

We’re thrilled to present an audio interview with recording artist and Emmy Award-winning TV and film composer Michael Whalen. He’s back with a spellbindingly beautiful new album of ethereal ambient electronica titled Sacred Spaces. We not only discuss his latest release, but also cover various topics related to the music industry, revisit the past, and reflect on where things might be headed in the future. So please find or create your own sacred space to get comfortable in, as we delve into the moods, emotions and soundscapes of Sacred Spaces with Michael Whalen!

Music from the albums Sacred Spaces, Kiss the Quiet and Dream Cycle can be heard throughout this segment.

Journeyscapes TV

Chill out to this music video playlist showcasing some of the best in ambient, electronic and atmo-world exquisiteness!

PGM 255: Imaginary Boundaries

A mesmerizing sound voyage beyond the limits of the mind!

Artist Name / Track Title / Album Title
Schiller / Die Farben der Nacht / Morgenstund
Michael Whalen / Sacred Spaces / Sacred Spaces
Rising Galaxy / Lovers in the Rain / Acceleration
La Estacion Del Mar / Melek in Alfeti / Landscapes
Frank Borell / Enter the Light (Buddha Gold Mix) / Autumn Breeze, Vol. 2
Stan Dart / Distant Life (Deep Space Mix) / Retrospective
Isophene / In This Wind / Reverbatory
Sinius & Atmospheric Research / Sailing Through (ft. Ulrich Schnauss) / Hypnotic Gestures
Cocogroove / Caribbean Secrets (Buena Vista Mix) / Caribbean Secrets
Imprum / Wind / Trilogy, Vol. 3

PGM 254: Celtic Reveries 6

Another enchantingly ethereal Celtic soundscape inspired by St. Patrick’s Day!

Artist Name / Track Title / Album Title
Clannad / Vellum / Nádúr
Emer Kenny / Golden Brown / Emer Kenny
Catherine Duc / Inishowen Dawn /Voyager
Eamonn Karran / The River / I’ll Be With You
The Spirit of Eden / The Sun & The Moon & The Stars / The Sun & The Moon & The Stars
Enya / Athair Ar Neamh / The Memory of Trees
Dagda / Lake Derravaragh / Hibernia: The Story of Ireland
Llewellyn / Gawain and the Loathly Lady / Celtic Legend
The Munros / Celtic Crosses / Celtic Essence
Jeff Johnson & Brain Dunning / Eirlandia / Eirlandia
Nóirín Ní Riain / Ngamhna Fé'n bhFásach / Celtic Soul
Loreena McKennitt / Moon Cradle / Parallel Dreams
Mychael Danna / Sky 7 / Celtic Twilight, Vol. 1

Journeyscapes DJ Set: Arctic Sojourn 3

Another hyperborean soundscape to convey a mythical voyage on the North Sea!

Artist Name / Track Title / Album Title
Shunkan Idou / Eternal Compass / Neverland
Sean Hayman / Timeless (Level 7 Mix) / Winter Chillout Lounge 2019
Retro Rider / Mont Blanc (The Electric Feel Cut) / Wintertime, Vol. 8
David Helpling / Be / RUNE
Darshan Ambient / LightFigher / A Day Like Any Other
Rising Galaxy / Farewell Horizontal / Acceleration
ELEON / Once There Was a Place Like This / Cerulean
Stephanie Sante / Quarks Dance / Dark Matter Evolution
Michael Crain & Jason Carey / Crystal Blue / Tiamatu: Twilight of the Arctic
Sundrugs / Forgotten Constellation / Desert Underground
Evenfall / Dusk at the Amethyst Gateway / Indigo Skies

PGM 252: Ancestral Winds 4

Another entrancing excursion into atmospheric world and tribal-ambient soundscapes inspired by relics of the past!

Artist Name / Track Title / Album Title
Al Jewer & Andy Mitran / Sky Mountain / Music of the Earth
James Asher & Ayako Tanaka / Alignment / From Bud to Bloom
Suzanne Teng & Gilbert Levy / Journey of Life / Autumn Monsoon
Byron Metcalf & Jennifer Grais / Of Whales and Wolves / Sacrament
Sherry Finzer & Will Clipman / Kilauea Rain / The Space Between Breaths
Forrest Fang / Zone One / Ancient Machines
Steve Roach & Vidna Obmana / The Memory Pool, Part 3 (edit) / Ascension of Shadows

Top 25 Albums for the Month of January

No.	Artist	Title	Listen & Buy
01	David Helpling	Rune	Amazon Bandcamp
02	Eguana	Destiny	Amazon Bandcamp
03	Byron Metcalf & Jennifer Grais	Sacrament	Amazon Bandcamp
04	Germind	Thoughtform	Bandcamp
05	Acheloo	Debris of Nostalgia	Amazon Bandcamp
06	Suzanne Teng & Gilbert Levy	Autumn Monsoon	Amazon
07	Forrest Fang	Ancient Machines	Amazon Bandcamp
08	Shunkan Idou	Neverland	Amazon Bandcamp
09	Remote Vision	The Outer Plateau	Amazon Bandcamp
10	Rudy Adrian	Woodlands	Amazon Bandcamp
11	Michael Crain & Jason Carey	Tiamatu: Twilight of the Arctic	Amazon
12	Steve Roach	Trance Archeology	Bandcamp
13	Rising Galaxy	Acceleration	Amazon Bandcamp
14	Reblooming	Echo Earth	Amazon Bandcamp
15	Michael Brückner	The Undercurrent	Bandcamp
16	Thaneco	Alien Species	Bandcamp
17	Billy Denk	Starbound	Bandcamp
18	ELEON	Cerulean	Amazon Bandcamp
19	Germind	Synthesis	Amazon Bandcamp
20	Chris Russell	Gnostic	Bandcamp
21	Spacecraft	Mars	Amazon Bandcamp
22	Various Artists	Autumn Breeze, Vol. 3	Amazon
23	Jim Ottaway	Beautiful Desolation	Bandcamp
24	Marconi Union	Dead Air	Amazon Bandcamp
25	Kick Bong & Squazoid	Magic Beetle	Amazon Bandcamp

Journeyscapes Presents: The Top 30 Albums of 2019

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

	Artist	Title	Listen & Buy
	ll nøthing ll	Artificial Nature	Bandcamp
	Alio Die & Lorenzo Montanà	The Threshold of Beauty	Amazon Bandcamp
	Byron Metcalf & Mark Seelig	Persistent Visions	Amazon  Bandcamp
	Chronotope Project	Lotus Rising	Amazon  Bandcamp
	Cryounit	Paradox	Amazon  Bandcamp
	Desert Dwellers	Breath	Amazon  Bandcamp
	Eguana	Invisible Civilization, Vol. 3	Amazon  Bandcamp
	Eguana	Synchronicity	Bandcamp Amazon
	Forrest Fang	The Fata Morgana Dream	Amazon  Bandcamp
	Fourth Dimension	Ubique	Amazon Bandcamp
	Germind	Absorbient	Amazon  Bandcamp
	Germind	Thoughtform	Amazon  Bandcamp
	Hibernation	Ambient Re:Works 01	Amazon  Bandcamp
	Jeff Pearce	Skies and Stars	Amazon  Bandcamp
	Jonathan E. Blake	The Fellowship of Jupiter	Amazon  Bandcamp
	Kaisaku	Aishū	Amazon  Bandcamp
	Le Voyage	Senses of a Magic Fairytale	Amazon
	Louigi Verona	Nocturnal Creatures	Bandcamp
	Mark Dorricott & Stan Dart	Seaside	Amazon  Bandcamp
	Mark Dwane	Astrology	Amazon  Bandcamp
	Mark Dwane	Martian Apparitions	Amazon  Bandcamp
	Massergy	Fire Opal	Amazon  Bandcamp
	Nicholas Gunn	Riding the Thermals	Amazon
	Off Land	Field Tangents	Bandcamp
	Rudy Adrian	Woodlands	Amazon  Bandcamp
	Shinpal	Seven Lives	Bandcamp
	Steve Roach	Atmosphere for Dreaming	Amazon Bandcamp
	Sverre Knut Johansen (with Robert Rich)	Precambrian	Amazon Bandcamp
	Thaneco	The Cretan Tapes	Bandcamp
	Tom Moore & Sherry Finzer	Sound Currents	Amazon Bandcamp

Album Review: temporal.Divergence by Peter Edwards Ambient

Peter Edwards, an ambient/dark ambient experimental soundsculptor based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, recording as Peter Edwards Ambient, landed on my radar screens only during the summer of 2018, shortly before releasing his third full-length CD album temporal.Divergence as the next chapter of dark ambient pentalogy. Available in digital formats since August 18th, 2018, the stunningly designed 6-panel digipak was released a few weeks later through Peter's own Caffeinated Monk Production label, the home of his previous two impressive CDs, suspended.Lucidity (May 2015) and binary.Abstractions (July 2017). To me, this was a huge discovery indeed!!!

Perfectly described as "ambient music for time travellers", this thrillingly immersing odyssey is ignited by the shorter "Prelude", which immediately sets the spatially tenebrous atmosphere. The 6-plus minutes long title track "temporal.Divergence" is fueled by bouncing cyber-tech pulses juxtaposed by industrial outbursts, razor-sharp beats, and heavenly hissing solitariness. A truly jaw-dropping introduction to distinguishably transporting realms by Peter Edwards!!! "quantum.Flux" at 7:33, the longest ride on the album, amalgamates massive drone reverberations with transcendentally helixing meridians and ear-tickling glimmers. Another aural spectacle! "revolution.Induction" masterfully merges hypogeally enigmatic stratums with perpetually ascending galvanic beacons and eerily rumbling fractals. Sonorously mindblowing! "gravField.Theory" dives into gargantuan depths, which are persistently illuminated by eternally galloping oscillations and piercing sci-fi narrations by Randy Savage, who also contributed his voice on the opening "Prelude". "dark.Matter" sails through unfathomably breathtaking realms, where intangibly thundering, yet tenaciously ambiguous magnitudes, commingle with inconspicuously emanating desolations and transmogrifying resonant vertexes. Beyond the gates listening splendor continues also through "causal.Continuum", when mesmerizingly barren heavy-duty beats collide with remotely roaring perplexes. "tempo.Kinetix", as indicated by its title, shifts into a vigorously driven scenario, perforated here and there by outbursting strikes, while immensely panoptic layers are guarding above. "time.Machine" merges abysmally engulfing murmurs with translucently flickering fragments and clandestinely arising oracular ephemerons. On "The Quantum Mechanics Of Time Travel Through Post-Selected Teleportation", mysteriously nuanced drones are reinforced by the narrations of a "quantum mechanic" Seth Lloyd of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Short epilogue "Gate.22180818" closes the album, but hidden also is a 4-minute untitled bonus track, which remains in fascinatingly enveloping monochromatic cosmic zones, percolated by gossamery evanescent traceries and ear-bending numeration.

Peter Edwards Ambient is a truly staggering exploration, which shifts each listener into magnificently adventurous portals, uniquely sophisticated, meticulously crafted and intriguingly rewarding. His 64-minute temporal.Divergence album is an all-inclusive magnum opus, both sonic and visual (design by Savage Internet Media), with deeply focused content and superb presentation. A vast display of artistic brilliance, which is, unfortunately, still hidden to a larger audience within the ambient drone soundscaping. On the science note, this must be some kind of a call I received only several months after experiencing the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array, a Radio Astronomy Observatory located on the Plains of San Agustin in central New Mexico. I really wish I knew this gifted sound designer when passing by Albuquerque. Grab your headphones and immerse yourself into this exquisitely monumental futuristic journeying!!!

Reviewed by Richard Gürtler (Oct 20, 2019, Bratislava, Slovakia)