Ambient Discourses // conversations with musicians and composers

Ambient Discourses // Episode 2.14 A conversation with composer Tina Davidson, giving us a deeper dive into her new album "Barefoot", out July 16, 2024. It was a delightful conversation getting a deeper dive on all that inspired her compositions in Barefoot — a collaboration with the Jasper String Quartet and pianist Natalie Zhu. Plus we covered other topics like collaborating with the a...

Ambient Discourses // Episode 2.12  A conversation with Alexander Holz of the electronic ambient project Oberlin. In addition to talking about his brand new releases “Von Wegen” — he shared about his ambient rig and preparing for concerts, his improv approach to composition, the necessity of lowering one’s ego, the balancing act of capitalism with music, and other interesting topics of conversatio...

Ambient Discourses // Episode 2.12 In this edition of Ambient Discourses, I had a thrilling conversation with ambient artist Ed Herbers, talking all about his new album "Upper Atmosphere", plus the skillful use of social media, the variety of compositional methods in ambient music, and many other interesting topics. Plus, we feature two tracks from his new album. ABOUT AMBIENT DISCOURSES...

CORRECTION: "2 Hours in Zadar" — the performer listed is incorrect and should be ECO|TONAL (Iva Casian Lakos and David Crowell). My sincere apologies for the incorrect text graphic on the video. Ambient Discourses // Episode 2.11 In this episode of Ambient Discourses, I have a conversation with composer David Crowell and his brand-new six-song release, "Point / Cloud" out now o...

Ambient Discourses // Episode 2.10 A conversation with composer, percussionist, and experimental sound designer Chris P. Thompson ABOUT AMBIENT DISCOURSES // Ambient Discourses is the podcast companion to The STOLACE | RELAY STATION, a weekly 59-minute music program that showcases ambient, neoclassical, new age, and other instrumental music from around the world. Discover new signed and independen...

Ambient Discourses // Episode 2.9 A conversation with experimental sound designer Annie Aries, who makes her debut on Everest Records with her innovative drone and sound-rich release "It's Not Quiet in the Void". You can find her debut album on music streaming services everywhere, and the swanky looking 12" pink vinyl over at https://anniearies.bandcamp.com . ABOUT AMBIENT DISCO...

/// The audio has been fixed and this episode re-released. Enjoy and thank you for your patience! /// Ambient Discourses // Episode 2.8 A conversation with composer Tina Davidson on her latest collaboration with Philip Brunell and VocalEssence, her approach to collaborating with conductors, the ensemble, and the audience, plus her views on spirituality and how it has played an instrumental role in...

In this episode of Ambient Discourses, I have a conversation with ambient artist Six Missing on the Nettwerk Music Group label. We talked all about ambient music, how meditation has played a roll in how we create and listen to music, validation as an artist, and more. You can hear more music from Six Missing at https://sixmissing.bandcamp.com as well as episode 5.3 of the STOLACE | Relay Station....

Episode 2.6 / December 11, 2023 In this episode of Ambient Discourses, I'm pausing the conversations to take stock, re-assess, and pivot — changing things up a bit based on some significant revelations and experiences I've had over the past few weeks in my meditation times. Join me as I talk about my experiences and tuning into your frequency as an artist in this episode of Ambient Discour...

My guest on the program is Taylor Swindell of the ambient project Neighborhood Libraries. He and I had a splendid conversation, learning a bit about his background, his newly found connection to the Nettwerk Music Group label, how he’s evolved over the years, the subject of understanding flow state, his latest album “Postcards from the Backyard” and more. Grab your overdue books, let’s get to it w...

My guest on the program operates under the moniker “AITIA” which is the Greek term for the word “cause”. AITIA is a brand new independent ambient musician that is off to a tremendous with their two companion albums “ENA”(éna) and “ANE” (ayn), both of which explore the concepts of the reversal of time —of which we’ll hear a few tracks later on in the program. Our conversation explored their two deb...

My guest on the program is Brian Fechino — a prolific guitarist, ambient artist, producer and mixer from the Nashville area. He has numerous releases and collaborations on the Heart Dance label, has an extensive history in the music business, and as I’ve found over the course of our conversation, both wisdom and maturity that we all could learn and benefit from. Our conversation steered through a...

My guest on the program is Jorn Swart of the neoclassical project Doeke — spelt D O E K E — Doeke creates remarkably beautiful neoclassical piano compositions, has a delicate touch and sensibilities steeped in nostalgia and memory. Our conversation took us through splendid places, like the beauty found in small details, working within the flow state, learning to let go and balance the ego, and so...

Ambient Discourses, episode 2.1 Interview with Greg Webster of Sonaura My guest on the program is Greg from the ambient project Sonaura, and it was a memorable one that wove through fascinating topics. We explored the nostalgia of tape loops, talked about his latest album Noumena, waded in the pools of existentialism and other golden conversational nuggets for the contemplative artist. Sonaura on...

Episode 022 / September 24, 2023 My guest on the program is Sherry Finzer — a flutist from Phoenix, Arizona in the United States and the driving force behind Heart Dance Records and Higher Level Media. Our conversation was simply sublime — we talked about creating space for the listener, her work with the Insight Timer meditation app, her new album The Gratitude Project, and much more. Sherry was...

Episode 021 / September 20, 2023 My guest on the program is Tim Allen of the Australian ambient and electronic project Spectrical. Spectrical has three releases on Bandcamp that capture his exploration of sound design, creating interesting soundscapes for the listener to dive into. My conversation with Tim carried us through topics like the musicality in electrical signals, the relationship betwee...

Episode 020 / September 17, 2023 In this episode, my guests on the program are a trio from Italy that goes by the name PCM — Francesco Perry, Matteo Cantaluppi, and Matteo Milea. I really enjoyed this conversation, with these three electronic artists that have been collaborating and creating music together under the n5md record label. Our conversation steered through what collaboration looks like...

Episode 019 / September 13, 2023 In this episode of Ambient Discourses, we dive in deep with the dynamic Italian ambient duo that is ILUITEQ. My conversation with Sergio and Andrea took us through numerous topics of interest including the challenges of collaboration, what shapes us and our expressions, maximizing our creative output, and more. You can also hear ILUITEQ featured on The STOLACE | RE...

Episode 018 / September 10, 2023 In this episode of Ambient Discourses, we become acquainted with ambient electronic artist Jack Dolan of Staeppanwulf from the United Kingdom. We touched on his concept of literary isolationism and how it informs his music, plus peeking behind the curtains towards the eternal source of inspiration, and a variety of philosophical concepts like the unity of opposites...

Episode 017 / September 8, 2023 In this episode of Ambient Discourses, we meet British singer-songwriter, turned ambient musician, Will Samson, who absolutely won me over with his minimalist composotion "And Yet" from his 2023 release "Harp Swells", now available everywhere. Our conversation steered through his background, the sorts of things that inspire him and have helped sh...

Episode 016 / September 3, 2023 In this episode of Ambient Discourses, I have an absolutely brilliant conversation with multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and composer for film and TV, Högni Egilsson from Iceland. Högni shared in great detail many of his methods and approaches to composition, along with his experience composing for the hit Netflix television series "Katla". Plus,...

Episode 015 / August 27, 2023 In this episode of Ambient Discourses, we meet Daman Hoffman of the ambient project Ceramic and have an extraordinary conversation about his journey toward sobriety, the inspiration behind the name Ceramic, the connectivity we experience as creators, and even delving into topics of balance, spirituality, and being a vessel during the compositional process. You can als...

Episode 014 / August 23, 2023 In this episode of Ambient Discourses, I have an earmark conversation with Yannick Mirko, a talented artist, creator, and musician spanning multiple mediums of expression, including musical theatre, songwriting, indie films, a prolific blog and podcast, and more. We talk about their exploration of gender, navigating the world with a rare disease, equity in the arts, a...

Episode 013 / August 20, 2023 In this episode of Ambient Discourses, I have an absolutely entertaining conversation with JD Ryan of the ambient music project Thorny. Our conversation steered through numerous topics including the work required to find your voice, finding creative clarity, what success looks like, and more. JD also managed to perform some interviewing martial arts on me, making me t...

Episode 012 / August 13, 2023 In this episode of Ambient Discourses, we have a mind-altering conversation with one of the legends in the ambient music genre, Robert Rich, an extremely prolific composer and creator who has over 50 albums to his name, over four decades of music that transports you to another time and place. In my interview with him, we talk about his origin story, the story of the p...