Browsing Tag

Ambient Trip Hop

The Silent North is oscillating through ‘Parallels’ in his latest ambient instrumental score.

Posted on 12 December 2023

As a sublime continuation from his 2023 EP, Inflections, The Silent North, the musical persona of Scottish solo artist Paul Russell, has broken his proverbial vow of silence to unveil the ambient twilight in his latest instrumental piece, Parallels, an auditory experience that melds tranquillity with intoxicating allure.

Parallels is a testament to Russell’s eclectic mix of influences, artfully blending electronic, ambient, and guitar elements into a cohesive and mesmerising cocktail. The track’s foundation is built upon subtle yet compelling trip-hop rhythms, with all the intricate beats and moody atmospherics within the tonally expansive soundscape which uses reverb to complement the progressions with an ethereal quality.

Far from detracting from the organic feel of the music, the digital touch enhances it, creating a harmonious balance, resulting in a sound that delivers swathes of cross-over appeal. With the planned release of Illuminate in February 2024, The Silent North continues to build a compelling discography that showcases his unique musical vision.

Parallels hit the airwaves on December 1st; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Tre. Charles melded soulful undertones with resonantly mantric vocals in his ambient indie dream-pop single, Lately.

Posted on 15 March 2023
https://soundcloud.com/user-927736750/lately-2/s-0bEGiubGPfS?in=user-927736750/sets/tre-charles-currently-ep-demo/s-vyUjqvhKQ7t&si=b3399ccd97c44b2398eab32ecc2c9458&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

I’ve been around the shoegaze and dream-pop block a fair few times, but the latest single, Lately., from the alt-indie artist, Tre. Charles, is a strikingly crystal-clear cut above the rest.

With his soulful vocals bleeding into the choral amalgam of trip-hop, Avant-Garde RnB, ambient electronica and indie rock, the quiescently powerful release is a feat of unparalleled consoling alchemy.

Staying true to his brand of soulful undertones, resonantly mantric vocals, and evocative crooning, the East Coast-born artist orchestrated an efficaciously disarming hit that will make your soul as perceptible as the one poured into the lyrics.

Any fans of James Blake, Frank Ocean, Sampha, and Moses Sumney won’t want to miss out on this reverb-drenched opportunity to form a connection with the award-winning D’angelico Guitars-sponsored artist. We’re officially stoked for the upcoming EP due for release in 2023.

Lately. will officially release on March 15th; hear it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

JRMR synthesised the ultimate ambient dream pop instrumental score with his latest single, wind dust.

Posted on 17 November 2022

‘wind dust.’ Is the latest stylishly synthetic single from the up-and-coming experimental music producer JRMR (Jon Munoz). The tranquil beguile of the ambiently dreamy textures allow you to key into transcendental Beach House-Esque tones for two short but sweet minutes as the shimmering reverb washes over you, bringing catharsis in every cinematic wave.

Since his 2019 debut, the Puerto Rican experimentalist has remained prolific by releasing a string of singles which set the anticipation for his first mixtape, death is an illusion that glows in the dark. With that titular nod to the philosophy of the enigmatic artist, you get a clue to the psyche from which his sonically spectacular singles were born. It is one that I, for one, can get on board with, and it seems I’m not alone in my penchant for JRMR’s experimental dream pop aesthetics. His most popular single, avarice. has clocked up over 17k streams on Spotify alone.

Head over to Spotify to add wind dust. to your playlists.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Get your catharsis fix with Dawn Shy’s debut ambient electronica single, Of Morning

Posted on 1 March 2022

Of Morning is the debut single from the up-and-coming solo artist Dawn Shy (Charlie Howson). The trippy downtempo electronica mix lets the drumbeats kick under the echoey, chamber-y reverb that makes Of Morning such an indulgent aural dive. Especially with the sporadic vocal samples that amplify the haunting nature Of Morning. Little more is said than the repetition of “I promised you”, but the timbre of the instrumentals that flit between light and dark textures more than gives the context.

Ambient producers have their work cut out for them when it comes to establishing themselves in any given scene. Dawn Shy succeeded nonetheless, thanks to his impeccable sense of timing, command of cathartic progressions and ability to reflect emotion through melody. His solo project may have been born through the end of uni boredom, but he is definitively one to watch

Of Morning is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

OXYG3N introduces us to the ‘New Electric’ in his cinematic electronica single

Posted on 15 February 2022

After growing up on an aural diet of Hooverphonic and Portishead, finding stellar trip-hop in this era is often a thankless mission, but OXYG3N allowed the endeavour to pay off in his recently released ambient work, New Electric.

Right from the prelude, the emotional magnetism in the reverb grips you before pulling you into the hauntingly cinematic track that almost resonates as spiritual. With the chorally quiescent vocals floating in the ether above the snappy structure of the beats and the mellifluous synth melodies, it’s impossible to feel anything less than transfixed once this meditative yet visceral all the same track reaches its outro.

It scarcely comes as a surprise that OXY3N can rack up tens of thousands of streams with singles such as Forbidden Cube, which leans on hip hop with more weight than New Electric, but you’ll still hear nuances of urban grit in the sonic bliss. It is officially better than anything Beach House has released in recent years. For your soul’s sake, delve in.

New Electric is now available to stream via Spotify, along with OXYG3N’s other tranquil hits.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Davesar – Fates Dance featuring Archana: Dark, dancey indietronica alchemy.

Posted on 20 November 2021
Davesar

NYC artist and producer, Davesar, may be still flying under the radar since his debut but with his latest dark and moody single, Fates Dance, featuring Archana, he’s proven that he has what it takes to climb the electronic charts.

Fates Dance carries the gravitas of Warpaint, Portishead, Policia, Chelsea Wolfe and Crystal Castles with all of the excitement of discovering a new artist with the ability to orchestrate his own very distinct brand of dark dancey alchemy. The indietronica beats are a triumph within themselves; in combination with the clever layering of vocal melodies, Fates Dance feels like exactly that; a whirlwind of rhythm through the futility of trying to control your fate.

Archana’s sultry in spite of being commanding vocals were a perfect fit for the track around Davesar’s compassionately gentle vocal timbre. The collaborative chemistry between them is potent; we can only hope there is more music from the collab in the pipeline.

Fates Dance is due for release on November 19th, 2021. You can catch it for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Annie Christina broke the RnB mould with her trippy dream hop exploration of soul in ‘Take Me Far Away’.

Posted on 18 November 2021
Beautiful Words Came To Form Havoc by Annie Christina

On November 8th, Montreal’s most luminary RnB soulstress, Annie Christina, launched her debut album, Beautiful Words Came to Form Havoc, on Bandcamp ahead of the official December 2021 release.

The lead track, Take Me Far Away, is a quiescently meditative soundscape that resonates like the calm after a storm. The Canadian singer-songwriter, producer and DJ has taken a structurally experimental approach to her music since her debut but it truly shines through in the ambience of Take Me Away, which falls away from the ABABCB structure and grooves through dreamy experimental progressions which tie in nuances of dream pop, trip-hop.

Take Me Far Away is now available to stream and purchase on Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Hranrad shows us the pinnacle of alt ambient electro pop with his standout track, ‘Misdemeanor’

Posted on 20 April 2021

Berlin-based artist Hranrad’s standout track, Misdemeanour, taken from his EP, Persona, is ambient aural experimentation at its finest. The self-described ‘genre-curious bedchamber producer’ was just as eccentrically playful with Misdemeanour as he was with his bio.

The delicate tapestry of contrasting and complementary tones is unapologetically authentic, not just in terms of sonic originality, you’ll truly get a sense that the notion of pretences was a million miles away from this tender and expressively honest track. We hope to hear plenty more of his haunting yet comforting melodies in 2021 and beyond.

Misdemeanour is available to stream with the rest of Hranrad’s debut EP, Persona, via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast