Monday, July 18, 2022

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 BandcampAmazon, and Apple Music.

Saturday, July 16, 2022

Friday, July 15, 2022

Journeyscapes DJ Set: Parallel Worlds 3



A dream-chill mix of mind-bending ambient electronica!.

TIME / ARTIST / TRACK / ALBUM-EP-SINGLE
00:20 / S1gns of L1fe / Astral Alignment / Age of Cymatics
08:50 / Eguana / Water of Life (Vocal Edition) / Water of Life Remixes
16:45 / Evadez / Everlasting / Late Mercy
20:02 / Translippers & GMO & Dense / Bloom / Ghost Herbs
26:55 / Cosmic Cadence / Orbital Decay / Eclipse
31:48 / Lars Leonhard / Magnetar / Spaceflight
38:06 / Echo Season / Siderostat / Solarmetric
47:05 / Divine Matrix / One Small Step / Journeys
53:45 / Germind / My Space / My Space

Thursday, July 14, 2022

Album Review: Pilgrimage by Meg Bowles

Review by Candice Michelle

Meg Bowles began her musical journey as a flutist and classically trained musician before releasing her first two albums, Inner Space and Solstice Dreams in 1993, which launched her into orbit on the ambient/electronic music scene. She released the critically-acclaimed Blue Cosmos in 1996 – an album that was also my entry-point to discovering her music – which was subsequently followed by the release of From the Dark Earth in 1999. After a decade-long hiatus from recording new music, Meg triumphantly returned with A Quiet Light (2011) followed by The Shimmering Land (2013) and finally, Evensong: Canticles for the Earth (2018).

Returning in 2022 with Pilgrimage – a six-track album spanning just under an hour – Meg delights us once again with her classic signature style of electronic space music that has guided many listeners over the years through atmospheric sound worlds of contemplative beauty.

Bridging inner space to the outer cosmos, Pilgrimage evokes meteorological phenomena with its subtly shifting tonal expanses billowing out like clouds that become vaporous, forming new shapes along its path. Creating seamless contrasts of light and shadow, these ethereal yet earthbound passages convey the solitary observance of time cycles, weather changes and colorful auroras.

On one of my favorite pieces, “Cave of Secrets”, the organic sound of a water stream combined with minimalist piano drifting amid gossamer tonal mists, conveys melting icicles in a starlit cave and subterranean exploration.

At just under 13 minutes in length, “Mountains Reaching for Stars” is perhaps the most pristine piece on the album with its darkly expanding tonal waves of cinematic mystery, as intricate sound textures threaded among the ever-evolving synth-scape portray a sonic illustration of earth meets heaven.

Sending the listener dreaming into the night, “Source of Enduring Light” concludes the album with slowly interlocking high-and-low register tonal pulsations accentuated by a watery undercurrent, creating a most serene sense of being drawn to sleep beneath a canopy of stars by the sea.

A perfect album for late night listening, Pilgrimage is endlessly shaped throughout by hauntingly beautiful soundscapes imprinted with a sense of the sacred and reverent.

~Candice Michelle for Journeyscapes 

For more information please visit the artist's website. Pilgrimage is also available at BandcampAmazon and Apple Music.

Wednesday, July 13, 2022

Album Review: IN by David Helpling

Review by Candice Michelle

San Diego based guitarist and ambient composer David Helpling released his debut album Between Green and Blue in 1996 on Spotted Peccary Music and has remained one of the most prominent artists on the label’s roster – and in the ambient/electronic music scene. Since his debut album’s landmark follow-up release, Sleeping on the Edge of the World, Helpling has subsequently composed music for film, released collaborative albums with Jon Jenkins, and collaborative tracks with chill-trance acts like Tigerforest and ELEON. Following his first space-ambient solo electric guitar album A Sea Without Memory in 2017, Helpling released the more melodically dynamic and oceanic inspired RUNE in 2019.

As if coming full circle with his latest album IN, Helpling revisits the rhythmic hallmarks of his initial albums and collaborations with Jon Jenkins, incorporates signature elements of his more recent albums, and adds newer subtleties of world, vocal and classical touches to his magnificent compendium of sound.

Comprised of 13 compositions spanning 1 ½ hours, IN is characterized by lush ambient sound passages of liquid electric guitars, drifting piano notes and echoing tribal-esque rhythms. A lot of Helpling’s earlier work was stylistically reminiscent of Patrick O’Hearn’s – a welcome comparison he received much praise for – and I’m incredibly overjoyed that he’s re-incorporated a lot of that feel throughout as a seeming nod to his musical past. Nevertheless, there are certainly other previously unfamiliar surprises here; among them includes the worldly sample-like vocals of Nidhi Bhatmuley on “This Burning Sky”, a sensual and soaring epic chill-out track and one of my favorites on the album.

Additionally, Miriam Stockley of Adiemus and AO Music lends her distinctive ethereal vocalise to the songs “Slipping” and “I Too Am Coming Home”, while instrumentalist guest performances grace the songs “The Bliss You’ve Always Carried” (featuring Benjy Wertheimer) and “You Already Are” (featuring Matthew Schoening).

Essentially electronic yet inherently organic, IN caressingly washes over the senses like warm ocean waves with its silky sonic layers magnified by panoptic reverberation. Conveying a perpetual state of daydream throughout, experiencing the music is like passing through mirrored halls of sound – variably projecting mental images of swimming and flying, the sand and sea, and the sun and stars – in a breathtaking overview of planet earth.

Stunningly beautiful in and out, IN is another ingenious leap forward for David Helpling, recalling the nostalgia of many memorable ambient/electronic music releases of the 1990s and early 2000s yet creatively and technologically rooted in the present decade.

~Candice Michelle for Journeyscapes 

For more information please visit the artist's website. IN is also available at BandcampAmazon, Apple Music and Spotted Peccary Music.

Thursday, July 7, 2022

Album Review: Imaginary Trains by Michael Whalen

Review by Candice Michelle

One consistent thing I’ve come to expect from Michael Whalen is that I never know where his endless flow of creativity will lead him next. A distinguished composer, producer and Emmy Award winner, Whalen effortlessly moves through various musical styles and influences ranging from ambient to jazz, film score, solo piano and experimental fusions of different genres.

His most recent album Imaginary Trains notably recaptures the melodic ambient and euphoric chill vibes of previous masterworks like Sacred Spaces and Dream Cycle, while at times incorporating subtle touches of the colorfully vibrant nu-jazz elements of his prior 2021 album Future Shock.

Comprised of eleven compositions spanning just under an hour, Imaginary Trains could be described as sleek and sophisticated ambient-electronica that mesmerizingly elevates the soul and ignites the imagination with its bubbling and buoyantly complex three-dimensional spheres of sound. Cycling and shimmering sequencer patterns characterize most of the arrangements, which are often led by soaring synth-horn melodies that convey a sustained mood throughout of emotional suspense and elegant sensuality.

From the opening title track, “Imaginary Trains”, the listener embarks on a whimsical voyage through a seemingly utopian dream-world that simultaneously feels tangible yet surreal. “Against the Sky” follows with an equally lush arrangement and sultry bass-laden chill groove that sends this piece to the top of my favorites on the album.

Whalen enlists the guest performance of Grammy Award winning artist Ricky Kej, who lends a delicate touch of Indian instrumentation on the third track “Across the World to Be With You”.

The fifth track, “The Wayward Sun”, is especially noteworthy for its glistening aquatic textures and haunting atmospheric tension that subtly recalls the mystique of Tangerine Dream’s film song classic “Love on a Real Train”.

The closing “Distance” features singer Donna Lewis whose breathy soprano voice casts a magical haze upon this dream-pop soundscape of serenity and sunshine!

~Candice Michelle for Journeyscapes 

For more information please visit the artist's website. Imaginary Trains is also available at BandcampAmazon and Apple Music.

Tuesday, July 5, 2022

Album Review: Epica by Keith Richie

Review by Candice Michelle

Keith Richie is an ambient/electronic music composer whose brilliant artistry I initially discovered a few years ago with his landmark album Ambient Highways, originally released in 2015. An emerging artist on the scene back then, I was equally enthralled by Keith’s subsequent releases including For the Willow Wept… (2012), Skylines (2016) and others.

Influenced by electronic music greats such as Tangerine Dream, Vangelis, Carbon Based Lifeforms, Christopher Franke and John Carpenter, Keith creates cinematic ambient and sequencer-driven electronic music vistas to produce hauntingly emotive and imaginary sound-worlds.

Keith’s 2021 album Epica opens with “Remote Isolation”, gradually swelling in like an encroaching storm of descending clouds which are illuminated by distant female vocals. The mysteriously fog-filled “Rebirth” and “Dawn” follow in sequence with encompassing airy synth-pads and subtly melodic textures that further expand the inner visual-audio experience.

The next piece and one of my favorites, “Tiny Creatures”, conveys a twilight forest with its swirling synths and crystal-like keyboard notes imparting an emotionally stirring yet mistily serene atmosphere of innocence, melancholy and mystery. Another favorite, “Jade”, follows with classic electronic space sequencing set to a downtempo chill groove, relaying a futuristic dream-world of cruising and flying.

The very Blade Runner-esque “Dusk” and “Epica” ensue with ethereal wordless vocals and suspenseful rhythms, gradually building in cinematic fashion as if finally approaching an interstellar destination.

Saving the best for last, “There Are Other Worlds Than These” magnificently closes the album on a hauntingly sensual note with its pensively suspenseful melody and forebodingly thunderous drums. Whether alluding to other parallel or physical worlds seemingly just beyond reach, the piece brilliantly ignites the imagination with epic dreams and hopes of exploring new frontiers.

A must-have album for fans of Vangelis’ Blade Runner soundtrack and other sci-fi/fantasy themed music and film scores, Keith Richie continues to impressively deliver with each new album and single, securing his place among the finest ranks of electronic music’s next generation!

~Candice Michelle for Journeyscapes 

For more information please visit the artist's website. Epica is also available at BandcampAmazon and Apple Music.

Tuesday, June 28, 2022

Top 10 Tracks for April 2022

  Artist Track Album/EP/Single
01Eguana Water of Life (Vocal Edition) Water of Life Remixes
02 Divine Matrix One Small Step Journeys
03 Evadez Everlasting Late Mercy
04 Cosmic Cadence Orbital DecayEclipse
05 Ancient Astronaut FTL Hospital Planet
06 AstroPilot, Spacecraft Northern Lights Heavenly
07 ELEON Dive Hidden in Time
08 Anna B May Essence Essence
09 Michael Whalen Against the Sky Imaginary Trains
10 Translippers & GMO & Dense Bloom  Ghost Herbs

Tuesday, June 21, 2022

Journeyscapes DJ Set: Ancestral Winds 5



An organic ambient chillout mix inspired by relics of the past.

TIME / ARTIST / TRACK / ALBUM-EP-SINGLE
00:20 / Joseph L. Young / Secrets of Stone / Into the Unknown
05:15 / ELEON / Epic Journey / Hidden in Time
11:07 / Michael Stearns / Life in the Gravity Well / Planetary Unfolding
17:39 / Chronotope Project / Eidos, Realm of the Forms / Gnosis
27:46 / I-One / Hypnotizing / Hypnotizing
33:34 / Eguana / Forest Journey / Dialectics
37:36 / Lorenzo Montanà / Bloom Rain / Descent
43:36 / Erik Wøllo / All the Way / North Star
49:35 / Rusty Crutcher / Pythia’s Trance / Oracle of Delphi
55:14 / Meg Bowles / Cave of Secrets / Pilgrimage

Friday, June 3, 2022

Album Review: Oracle of Delphi by Rusty Crutcher

Review by Candice Michelle

Composer and Multi-instrumentalist Rusty Crutcher has been producing and releasing music on his own artist-owned label, Emerald Green Sound Productions, since 1987. Having released seven albums in his historical/mythical-themed Sacred Sites Series, Oracle of Delphi is the latest installment inspired by Crutcher’s exciting travels to sacred sites throughout the world.

As the album title suggests, Oracle of Delphi takes the listener’s mind on a journey to a glorious mystical place in Greece’s ancient past – Delphi, a sacred precinct that served as the seat of the oracle, Pythia, who was consulted by people throughout the Mediterranean and beyond.

Comprised of ten compositions spanning just under an hour, the album seemingly guides us through shadowy portals and watery corridors that are perfectly illustrated by minimalist neoclassical and symphonic ambient vistas.

We sail away to an enchanted land with the dreamily foreboding opening piece, “Miriam’s Wish”, which is characterized by an understated orchestration of synths, strings, chimes and woodwinds.

The third track, “Aegean Reflections”, is one of my favorites, pleasantly recalling the album Journey to Atlantis by Llewellyn and Kevin Kendle. Here an ethereal coalescence of flowing strings, siren-like vocals and pulsating rhythmic undercurrent paint tranquil mental images of a mythical undersea kingdom.

The fifth track, “Apollo Awakens”, is another highlight that perhaps suggests a misty sea voyage amid towering mounting cliffs with its haunting duduk, eerie timbres and glistening bell tones conveying exploration and mystery.

The seventh track, “Pythia’s Trance”, is especially noteworthy for its earthy touch and hypnotic mood on which delicate panpipe and melodic percussion evoke veiled forest imagery.

If you enjoy fantasy film scores and video game soundtracks – and Greek mythology in particular – Oracle of Delphi provides a great musical companion for nighttime listening by candlelight or while reading an exciting novel.

~Candice Michelle for Journeyscapes 

For more information please visit the artist's website. Oracle of Delphi is also available at Amazon, iTunes, and more.

Wednesday, May 25, 2022

Journeyscapes DJ Set: Cinematic Frontiers



A symphonic electronic epos inspired by the music of Vangelis.

TIME / ARTIST / TRACK / ALBUM-EP-SINGLE
00:20 / Vangelis / Theme from Antarctica / Antarctica
07:41 / Kerani / Gravity / Stardust
13:47 / Keith Richie / V Feeling / Ambient Highways
19:18 / Vangelis / Islands of the Orient / Oceanic
26:28 / Tigerforest / My Face In The Rain / Songs of Reverence
31:15 / Tsode / Nine Worlds / Yggdrasil
36:10 / Vangelis / Blush Response / Blade Runner
41:45 / Australis / Outposts Of Certainty / Sentient Genus
47:42 / Vangelis / Pinta, Niña, Santa Maria (Into Eternity) / 1492: Conquest of Paradise

Dedicated in loving memory of legendary Greek musician and film composer Evángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou (3/29/43 – 5/17/22), known professionally as Vangelis.

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

Journeyscapes DJ Set: Secret Caravan 6



A magical night journey into Sahara & Silk Road chillout.

TIME / ARTIST / TRACK / ALBUM-EP-SINGLE
00:20 / Desert Dwellers / To Be the Air / Breath
08:09 / Didon / Beside You - أنا معك / Beside You - أنا معك
11:42 / Eguana & Qeight / The Path of Faith / Recreation
16:33 / Obsqure / Silk Roads / Silk Roads
22:35 / Gian Berselli & Jérémy Marais / Mouna / Creative Stillness
27:55 / Jef Stott & Mah Ze Tar / Atlas (original mix) / Zikr Project: Atlas
35:42 / Mamak Khadem / Messenger / Remembrance
40:27 / Kamarius / Jadral / Wheel of Truth
47:16 / Opium Moon / Dhikr: Day / Night + Day
53:47 / Karavan Sarai / Longing in the Stars (part 1) / The Moon’s Within Reach

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

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

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Journeyscapes DJ Set: Sweet Mystique



A luscious mix of sultry downtempo chill.

TIME / ARTIST / TRACK / ALBUM-EP-SINGLE
00:25 / Opium Moon / I’ll Wait For You (Supreme Beings of Leisure Remix) / I’ll Wait For You
05:16 / Eric Hilton / artifact22 / artifact22
09:30 / Eguana / Lifeless / Lifeless
15:58 / Persia Beatz / Liquid Karma (Hypnoasia Mix) / Winter Time, Vol. 10
22:17 / Carl Weingarten / For Rosa / Stop Me Try
29:05 / Thomas Lemmer / Arise / Arise
32:43 / Qeight / Between / Between
37:15 / Stephen Peppos / Sun Dancer / Botanical
43:36 / Blooy feat. Anatole Muster / Sleephearts / Sleephearts
46:33 / Maji / Seven (ft. Sarah Martinico) / Healing, Vol. 1
50:41 / Jens Buchert / Twostroke / Dawnrider
55:13 / Zero Cult & Unhide / Migration / Lofi Grill, Vol. 1

Monday, March 21, 2022

Journeyscapes DJ Set: Cosmic Visions 8



A dream-chill mix of surreal ambient soundworlds.

TIME / ARTIST / TRACK / ALBUM-EP-SINGLE
00:25 / Erik Wøllo / Sojourn 1 / Sojourns
06:22 / Sverre Knut Johansen / Density / In Orbit
10:47 / ELEON / Venus Rising / Epoch
15:45 / Zero Cult & Unusual Cosmic Process / Awakening / Awakening
22:28 / Hollan Holmes / A Ribbon of Life / Emerald Waters
27:40 / Astropilot, Spacecraft & Lauge / City in the Clouds (Extended Version) / City in the Clouds
34:24 / Tauon / Travel / Far Away
38:15 / Johan Agebjörn & Mikael Ögren / The Hall of Crystals / Artefact
42:33 / Steve Roach / The Spiral Heart / Into the Majestic

Tuesday, March 15, 2022

Journeyscapes DJ Set: Celtic Reveries 8



An ethereal celtic chillscape across the emerald isle! Dedicated in memory to Irish flautist Brian Dunning (21 December 1951 – 10 February 2022).

TIME / ARTIST / TRACK / ALBUM
00:20 / David Arkenstone / Call of the Celts / Celtic Chillout Beats
04:25 / Emer Kenny / Amhrán Na Leabhar (Song of the Books) / Emer Kenny
09:42 / Jeff Johnson & Brian Dunning / The Healing Dream / Patrick
15:37 / Clannad / I Will Find You / In a Lifetime
20:39 / Anúna / Christus Resurgens / Cynara
23:51 / Le Arcane / Mother / La Via dell’Energia
27:42 / Llewellyn / Kingdom of the Faery / Celtic Legend
34:30 / Moya Brennan / Falling / Two Horizons
38:47 / Jeff Johnson & Brian Dunning / Under the Summer Stars / Eirlandia
42:46 / Chris Conway / From Shore to Shore / Celtic Dreamer
49:55 / Dagda / Abhaile / Hibernia: The Story of Ireland
53:33 / Jeff Johnson & Brian Dunning / Lady Sovereignty / The Bard & the Warrior

Thursday, March 10, 2022

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.

Tuesday, March 8, 2022

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