PGM 281: HAUNTED WORLDS 6

Another otherworldly mix for Halloween full of darkly ethereal soundscapes!

Artist Name / Track Title / Album Title
Blue Stone / Midnight Tides / Messages
Keith Richie / Chariots of Pumpkins / 2049
The Changelings / Johnny Ether’s Great Escape / Terra Firma
Frore & Shane Morris / Night Rapture / Blood Moon
Enigma / The Die is Cast / The Fall of a Rebel Angel
Christel Veraart / Asterope / Pleiades
Kamarius / Break the Spell / A Gate to Eternity
Lisa Gerrard / Space Weaver / The Silver Tree
Hollan Holmes / Something Wicked This Way Comes / Milestones

PGM 280: Ancient Travelers 4

Another ambient journey into ancient mysteries & lost civilizations!

Artist Name / Track Title / Album Title
Tangerine Dream / Machu Picchu / Machu Picchu
Moai System / Skyline / Coded Memories
Erik Wøllo / The Crossing / Gateway
Jos d’Almeida / Puma Punku / Aether
Forrest Fang / Song of the Wanderer / The Book of Wanderers
Andrew Thomas Wilson / Gamelans of Ubud / Oz: Tales from the Blue Ship
Robert Slap / Voices from the Past / Atlantis Trilogy: Brave New World
Brannan Lane & Robert Carty / Eternal Moments (Pt. 2) / Dream Swirl
Jim Ottaway / Second Sight / When Eternity Touches Time
Mark Dwane / The Pleiadian Paradigm / Paradigm Shift

PGM 279: Balearic Shores

A nautical inspired chill-out mix in the classic style of Café del Mar!

Artist Name / Track Title / Album/EP/Single
Tigerforest / Journeys / Discovery
Jean Mare / Dream Enough (Guitar Chill Mix) / Deep Space
Villa Dayze / Closed / Closed 
OceanLab / On the Beach / Sirens of the Sea
La Estación Del Mar / Radio Sofia / Eclipse
Airstream / Moon Rising (La Guitarra Mix) / Best of Del Mar, Vol. 9
Mission Brown / Embers / Embers
Mark Dorricott & Stan Dart / Seaside / Seaside
Frank Borell / Blue Lagoon (Seaside Mix) / Chill Sunset Maretimo, Vol. 2
Vargo / The Flow (Rising Riddim Mix) / Beauty
Nicholas Gunn / Coast / Pacific Blue
Placidity / Dreaming of Mountains / Dreaming of Mountains
Thomas Lemmer & Andreas Bach / Decrescent Moon / Night Travellers

Album Review: The Front Porch of Heaven by Kevin Keller

Kevin Keller is an award-winning pianist and electronic music composer who has released numerous albums over the years. Having composed music for film and television, Kevin’s work has been featured in documentaries for the History Channel and received airplay on nationally syndicated radio programs. With musical roots inspired by innovative musical legends like Tangerine Dream, Wendy Carlos, Brian Eno and Harold Budd, Kevin’s own work is often described as ambient chamber music that blends minimalist classical and ambient-electronic styles.

Inspired by the existential and often-asked question, “When we die, where do we go?”, Kevin Keller’s latest album, The Front Porch of Heaven, came to fruition after he underwent open heart surgery. Having the foreknowledge that he’d be close to death – unconscious and without a heartbeat while placed on life support – Kevin returned from the edge of the unknown with the inspiration to compose what is easily his most beautiful set of compositions to date.

Comprised of six instrumental passages spanning just under forty minutes, The Front Porch of Heaven boasts hauntingly affecting soundscapes featuring melodic ambient sequencing, sparse piano notes, shoegaze electric guitar and subtly cinematic strings throughout. Right from the opening piece, we’re gently led through what feels like an endless mirrored corridor, wherein beautiful dreams and sacred memories are projected everywhere by surrounding incandescent light. Warm, organic and flowing, the pieces are mostly propelled along by gently pulsating rhythms, all while evoking feelings throughout of longing, nostalgia and subtle emotional tension.

As a near-death survivor myself, The Front Porch of Heaven not only explores a subject close to home that I can personally relate to, but does so with inexplicably beautiful perfection. While I highly enjoyed Kevin Keller’s previous two albums, Ice Worlds and La Strada, this album goes even deeper emotionally and gets to the heart – both figuratively and literally – of the composer behind the sonic splendor.

Enthusiastically recommended to fans of artists like Tangerine Dream, Patrick O’Hearn, Harold Budd and Robin Guthrie, The Front Porch of Heaven is a beautifully brilliant work that lingers on long after the journey has ended! ~Candice Michelle

Available at Amazon, Bandcamp & iTunes. For more information, please visit the artist's website.

Album Review: Portals by Ben Blackett

One of the best musical discoveries this year hails from recording artist Ben Blackett with his magnificent album Portals. Comprised of 9 compositions spanning approximately 42 minutes, Portals takes the listener on an epic chill-out escapade that seemingly transgresses the boundaries of natural, supernatural and technological realms. Brightly euphoric yet blissfully serene, Portals is atmospherically resplendent and radiant. Processed piano and electric guitar melodies are woven among translucent electronic textures, quasi-gothic choirs, ethereal vocal washes and semi-muffled grooves, which collectively create an overall dreamlike haze. Imparting sights, sounds and sensations of the elements, electricity and energy, the compositions on Portals variably evoke mesmerizing images of the sun, the stars, the rain and the sea.

Highlights include “Last Rays of the Sun” wherein majestically soaring guitar and ascending choral figures are interspersed with exotic vocal touches. Conveying a magical and mythical quality, the piece brings-to-mind that of riding on a Pegasus across a sunlit sky. My absolute favorite is “Quiet Stillness” with its sun-kissed atmosphere and ecstatic mood. Here, swirling tonal layers and encompassing muted rhythms impart feelings of being caressed by warm ocean waves and glistening soft sand, resulting in a gorgeously lush, sensual soundscape. Likewise noteworthy is “Essence” with its chill-trance rhythm underscoring psychedelic patterns of color and light, as well as “Deep Currents” with its ecstatic wordless vocals weaving in-and-out of a colorful waterscape.

A breathtakingly beautiful sonic adventure, the experience of listening to Portals is one that evokes liberating sensations of flying and floating. An absolute must-have album for fans of melodic ambient and chill-out electronica, Portals is sure to evoke feelings of peace, positivity, creativity and freedom! ~Candice Michelle

Available at Amazon, Bandcamp & iTunes.

PGM 278: Starry Seas 2

Another ethereal ambient mix to convey a mythical & nocturnal sea voyage!

Artist Name / Track Title / Album Title
Blue Is Nine / Drawing Me Near / A Pool Appears
Acheloo / Mystical Shadow / Debris of Nostalgia
Serena Gabriel (feat. Steve Roach) / The Gazing Pool / Inanna’s Dream
Forrest Fang / Atlantis / The Book of Wanderers
Jos d’Almeida / Atlantic Mist / Aether
David Helpling / Ascension of the Whales / Rune
Ambiscend / Moonlight Serenity / Tranquility II: Mind & Soul
Jeff Pearce / A Voice in the Waves / Hidden Shores/Empty Beach

PGM 277: Into Fall 2

Another ambient autumn mix of cooler tones & deeply chilled rhythms!

Artist Name / Track Title / Album Title
ELEON / Elixir / Chillscapes, Vol. 1
Le Voyage / Fantastic Galaxy (Endless Horizon Mix) / Autumn Breeze, Vol. 2
Michael Whalen / A Metaphysical Morning / Sacred Spaces
Sacred Seeds / Awakening / Alpha Seeds
Patrick O’Hearn / Equinox / Trust
Suzanne Teng & Gilbert Levy / Sueños / Autumn Monsoon
Eguana / Swirling Leaves / Serenity
Sambox / Lojong / Le Son du Miramar
Kevin Keller / Just Over the Ridge / The Front Porch of Heaven
Richard Souther / Chasing Echoes / Waiting in the Wings
BlueMonk & Michael Whalen / Moon Scape / Karmic Dreams

An Interview with Yuval Ron featuring his album Four Divine States of Mind

We’re honored to present an audio interview with Yuval Ron. He's an Israeli-born, world-renowned musician, award-winning composer, educator, peace activist and record producer. Among Yuval’s career accomplishments includes his musical score to the Oscar winning film West Bank Story as well as concert performances throughout countries like Morocco and Turkey. This year Yuval released a beautifully sacred world music album called Four Divine States of Mind and it includes some amazing guest performances by noteworthy names like Deva Premal. So please join us for an inspirational journey into the musical meditations of Yuval Ron!

Music from the albums Four Divine States of Mind and Voyage Through the Chakras can be heard throughout this segment.

PGM 276: Fantasy Flight 3

Another euphoric mix of chill-trance & ambient electronica to convey feelings of boundless freedom!

Artist Name / Track Title / Album Title
Tangerine Dream / Catwalk (Dress-Up Mix) / The Dream Mixes
Schiller / Klangwelten / Sun
Ben Blackett / Deep Currents / Portals
Unusual Cosmic Process / Parhelic Circle / Frames of Silence
Giuseppe Dio / Over the Clouds / The Phoenix
Dream Twice / Begin / Enta
Jim Ottaway / The Skies the Limit / When Eternity Touches Time
ELEON / Last Flight Home / Flight Lounge
Tigerforest / Constellations / Discovery
Dlaivison / Ouverture / Aeon
Astral Fogg / Timelessness (Eternal Remix) / A Breath of Fresh Air

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

Album Review: Tranquility II: Mind & Soul by Ambiscend

Darren Rogers is a Texas-based electronic music composer who released his first solo album in 1997. He later formed a duo called Orion’s Belt with the late ambient/electronic musician and acclaimed music reviewer Jim Brenholts, as well as lent production and keyboard talents to a couple of albums by guitarist Vance Sheaks. Further releasing several solo albums and singles since, Rogers’ latest full-length recording, Tranquility II: Mind and Soul, was released under the project name Ambiscend and is the sequel to 2018's Tranquility. Comprised of seven compositions spanning just over an hour, Tranquility II is a mesmerizing display of oceanic-infused soundscapes that are accentuated with celestial and cinematic touches.

Previously released as a single, “First Christmas Snow” opens the album with minimalist classical sensibilities of subtle poignancy, making it perfectly suited to a wintry film score. Soothing ocean waves introduce the next piece, “The Calling of the Sea”, which follows with gentle whale-song amid shimmering tonal mists. Like much of the album, its evocative of marine life and underwater kingdoms, often bearing reminiscence to some of the environmental-themed albums that Medwyn Goodall releases on his label by artists like Midori, Paul Sills and Wychazel.

Additionally, twinkling star effects descend upon mysterious passages like “And the Stars Reflection Upon the Ocean” and “Gaze to the Stars”, while the watery “Moonlight Serenity” atmospherically captures our glowing lunar companion’s glistening reflection.

On both “Beyond the Horizon” and the final piece, “The Soul’s Calling”, ethereal vocal intonations seemingly transmit that of a siren calling from beneath the waves. Featuring also the solemn touch of Armenian duduk, the hauntingly beautiful closer paints a solitary scene of sailing through a sea fog.

A remarkably resplendent album from Darren Rogers – and possibly his best to date, Tranquility II: Mind and Soul conveys an enchantingly serene sonic journey throughout that will appeal to stargazers and seafarers alike! ~Candice Michelle



Available at Amazon and Bandcamp.

PGM 274: Private Beach

A sensual beachside/poolside mix of ambient groove & downtempo chill!

Artist Name / Track Title / Album Title
Pascal Dubois / Lounge Bounce (A Place in the Clouds mix) / Masterpieces, Vol. 2
Artenovum & Svetlana / Virus to Heaven (Svetlana vocal mix) / Mystic Voices
Eguana / Night Drama / No Magic
Potlatch / Romantic Vacancy / Romantic Vacancy
Magnetik feat. Marija Balaz / Stranger (Emil Eliav remix) / Stranger
Villa Dayze / And I Wish / And I Wish
Ben Blackett / Quiet Stillness / Portals
ELEON / Secretly Meeting with You / Rendezvous
Triptone / City of Love / City of Love
Le Voyage / The Mystic Café (secret mix) / Senses of Magic Fairytale
Chromocode / Stains of Black / Stains of Black
Jean Mare / Never Be (Vocal Downbeat cut) / Deep Space
Tigerforest & Eskadet / Karukera / Discovery

Album Review: Liquid Mind XIII: Mindfulness by Liquid Mind

Liquid Mind is the successful longtime recording project of veteran musician Chuck Wild, whose music career of more than 40 years boasts some noteworthy accolades and highlights. Prominent among these includes his keyboardist days with the 80s-rock band Missing Persons (alongside bassist and latter-day ambient musician Patrick O’Hearn) as well as studio work with Michael Jackson in the 90s. However, the introspective musical sphere that Wild occupies as Liquid Mind, which saw its inception with the album Animus Minimus in 1994, is a notable contrast to the more bustling pop-rock world that he formerly immersed himself in. Having released sixteen Liquid Mind albums to date, Wild’s peaceful music has garnered a well-earned listener following with his works being especially popular in the spa, massage and wellness industries.

Titled Liquid Mind XIII: Mindfulness, Wild’s latest album is named for what could be deemed the most popular new age trend to arise over the last few years. However, for the dedicated mindfulness enthusiasts out there, as well as those less familiar with what the practice entails, it’s worth noting that Liquid Mind has long been a leading mindful music trendsetter by crafting harmonious sounds which are intended to promote many of the same purported benefits that mindfulness exercises strive to achieve.

Spanning just over an hour, the album features a total of six soothingly serene soundscapes comprised of slowly-shifting and oscillating major-key chord progressions, which mostly occupy the mid-to-high range. Continually unfolding throughout in a gradually ascending motion, silken chords with softened edges smoothly transition from one to the next. Given that the compositional structure is all ‘release’ and no ‘tension’, there aren't any elements of surprise along the way, which allows for the listener to simply achieve an uninterruptedly passive state of mind. Overall, it’s a listening experience which could be figuratively compared to that of floating like a cloud in the lotus position without pause, nor a tangible destination in mind.

Without getting too bogged down in genre categorization, I’ve always perceived this kind of music to be an emblematic representation of the new age genre, which I intuitively distinguish from the often overlapping yet nonetheless distinct ambient genre. Specifically, Mindfulness is positivity-minded, pure relaxation music that feels like receiving a mental massage or aromatherapy for the ears. And though as a listener I do tend to gravitate towards moodier atmospheres that convey some suspense and tensity, likewise, as someone coming from the perspective of having worked in the spa industry, I’ve found this type of music to be perfectly suited to that environment with its oft-reported therapeutic effect on both clients and holistic practitioners! ~Candice Michelle

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

PGM 273: Land's End 2

More space-ambient panoramas inspired by nocturnal seafaring!

Artist Name / Track Title / Album Title
Jeff Pearce / Opening / Archive 1: Songs for the Gatherings
Isostatic / Planetary Approach / Glacial Epoch
Chris Russell / Invitation / Destiny
Acheloo / Underworld / Debris of Nostalgia
Chris Russell / Tycho Crater / Elliptical
Jeff Pearce / Mist / Hidden Shores/Empty Beach
Hollan Holmes / The Farthest Fringes / The Farthest Fringes

Album Review: Debris of Nostalgia by Acheloo

Acheloo is the recording alias of Italian ambient composer and guitarist Carlo Luzi, whose music I initially discovered in early 2018 with his 2017 album Ethereal. Titled Debris of Nostalgia, Acheloo’s latest full-length release is comprised of nine hauntingly beautiful soundscapes filled with mystery and melancholy. Written, produced, mixed and mastered by Luzi, who also designed the album’s cover artwork, Debris of Nostalgia features luminously drifting electric guitar figures and sparsely shimmering piano notes, which are carried along throughout by expanding clouds of quasi-cinematic permeance.

The profoundly affecting compositions are quietly understated yet emotionally intense, a characteristic that is perhaps best exemplified on “Distant Sign”, which perfectly captures how a piece of music can be so subtly simple yet magnificently moving. Softly rolling in and out like an ocean tide, the main repeating chord figure of this unforgettably gorgeous passage conveys a poignant comfort and mysterious longing that washes over the senses, as shadowy tonal atmospheres materialize like rising mists from the sea.

The album’s use of the word “nostalgia” effectively conjures both a relative personal past and ancient mythical past, as such is the case with the mesmerizing farewell, “Underworld”, which exceptionally embodies this quality. Evocative of entering a gateway to another realm, metallically shimmering guitar notes peer through towering icy blasts, which can be likened to sailing on a cold sea through a mountainous strait, as we are briefly met by a hauntingly disembodied echo that beckons from the amorphous ambient fog.

Easily a top contender for the year's finest ambient recording, Debris of Nostalgia immediately captivated my ears upon first listen and has only increasingly enamored me over the past few months. A crowning achievement for Acheloo, the minimalistic elegance and aching sense of yearning the compositions convey puts me in a similar headspace as Harold Budd’s outstanding classic The White Arcades – a compliment of the highest order! ~Candice Michelle 

Available at Amazon and Bandcamp. For more information please visit the artist's website.

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

Album Review: Celtic Fairy Dream by 2002

Originally comprised of husband and wife duo Randy and Pamela Copus, multiple award-winning and Billboard charting phenomenon 2002 debuted on the music scene nearly three decades ago with their album Wings (1992). Progressively evolving over the years to incorporate more lyrical and tangible melodies into their definable 'neoclassical new age' sound, more structured songs would eventually become a mainstay when the couple’s then-adolescent daughter Sarah Copus was officially recruited as 2002's third member and lead singer in 2014 for their landmark album Trail of Dreams.

A thematic sequel to Celtic Fairy Lullaby (2016) and follow-up to A World Away (2018), the band’s latest release, Celtic Fairy Dream, serendipitously parallels the maturing artistry of Sarah Copus, with her angelic lullabies once again shining in the incandescent glow of celestially sailing soundscapes. Comprised of cinematic orchestral and synthesizer arrangements, listeners are treated to the lulling sounds of harp, flute, guitar and additional multi-layered vocals throughout. Included are several renditions of traditional Irish and Welsh songs in signature 2002 fashion, as the musical sojourner is spirited away to another time and place where ancient lore and mythic beauty comes to life.



Of particular noteworthiness is “The Green Fields of Autumn (Coinleach Glas an Fhomhair)”, a traditional Irish song popularized by the legendary Irish band Clannad. Although both renditions are equally exquisite, 2002 contrasts Clannad’s mainly acoustic and earthier version with one that's more ethereal and shimmering.

My absolute favorite piece on the album is “David of the White Rock (Dafydd y Garreg Wen)”, a solemn 18th-century Welsh musical air and folk song. With the harp central to its poetically lyrical theme, 2002's gorgeous rendition aptly showcases the enchanting instrument, while the soundscape simultaneously exudes both a monastic and romantic atmosphere. Visions of majestic castles and mythical lands emerge from its velvety mists, as Sarah imparts a haunting melody in the beautiful Welsh language.



Another stunning offering from 2002, every composition herein magically unfolds like the turning of sparkling pages of a fairytale picture book. Sure to be embraced by many adults and children alike, Celtic Fairy Dream is another must-have album for fans of Celtic, ethereal and fantasy music in the spirit of Enya, Clannad and Loreena McKennitt! ~Candice Michelle

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

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

PGM 270: Close Encounters 3

Another ambient/electronic sci-fi set inspired by unidentified aerial phenomena!

Artist Name / Track Title / Album Title
Ancient Astronaut / Ancient Astronauts Part 1 / Through the Tunnel of Love
K. Markov / Close Encounter / Visitors
Alien Mutation / Dubula Technoid / Chill Out Trance, Vol. 2
Thaneco / Little Greys / Alien Species
Eguana / UFO / Destiny
Shinpal / Twisted Sensation / Momentary Disappeared Memory
Side Liner & Aviron / That Friday (Space Ambient Mix) / That Friday [single]
Martin Stürtzer / Pleiades / Far Beyond the Stars
Mark Dwane / Light Years / Future Tense