Today, I am pretty excited about a new collaboration project between Markus Güntner and Joachim Spieth to appear this fall (in November) on Spieth’s Affin imprint. This piece is appropriately titled “Prologue,” and I think it perfectly sets up our anticipation of what we can expect from this duo. As I’ve said many times in the past, it’s absolutely amazing to see two [favourite] artists come together and not just exchange ideas but participate in a sonic dialogue, compliment each other, and round off the tiny edges with an individual approach. The two German composers have previously appeared together, most notably in Kompakt‘s Pop Ambient series of compilations – one of their tracks, “Kari”, appears on Pop Ambient 2022. But now we get an entire album of lush and textured ambience, which would surely satisfy the cravings of many followers of this evolving genre. There is a bunch more I could say about this work, but all you need to know is instantly revealed when you simply listen. And this is what I’d like invite you to do now…

Prologue

TRACK PREMIERE : Guentner | Spieth - Prologue

Night Sea - Off Grid
Off Grid [Night Sea]

Produced & Mixed by David Grunzweig & Johan Ismael aka Night Sea
Mastered by Taylor Deupree at 12k Mastering
Artwork by Johan Ismael
Released by Night Sea (Self-release) from Berkeley, US
Release Date : December 18th. 2023

Taking the opportunity to explore a hypnagogic and meandering approach to their music, Night Sea presents the longform ambient single "Off Grid". The track was developed by the duo during the pandemic years, when time lacked its reassuring metronomic pulse.

Venturing out beyond the familiar cadence of their previous sequence based work, the piece glacially drifts across three neighboring soundscapes. Each zone is marked by aquatic environmental cues, detailed pops of hyperreal texture, and gently modulating synthesis.

Envisioned as the transition into sleep after a day’s journey across lakes and rivers, the work explores the realm of sonic perceptions as the mind rests in the fog of liminal dreaming.

Night Sea (Berkeley, US)
https://soundcloud.com/nightseaproject
https://www.instagram.com/nightseastudio
https://nightseaproject.bandcamp.com
https://linktr.ee/nightsea

Oslated.
http://www.oslated.com

Off Grid

Support & Buy

Night Sea - Off Grid [Night Sea]

01. Gallery Six - Osakikamijima 2
02. Sotvorishi - Endless Meadows [4:40]
03. Endurance - Deep Space (Farther) [16:20]
04. Jessica Saves - Nebula (Original Mix) [29:15]
05. Lorenzo Montanà - Clima [33:30]
06. Iris - Samovar [38:30]
07. Malibu - Iliad [43:20]
08. Misleading Structures - Ground Clouds [50:45]

Nebula Meadow (Ambient Mix)

Nightly session with a Yamaha SY77, Eventide H3000, Eventide Eclipse, a self written Max4Live reverb and a bit of editing 

EphemeralH3000SY77M4L

Taken from our new release 'Magnitude' by Faidel & Warmth.
Stray Lights (Ambient Version) is a bonus 'free download' track & available only at Etoka Records official page.

FREE DOWNLOAD LINK:
https://www.etokarecords.com/track/stray-lights-ambient-version

You can check 'Magnitude' album release here:
http://www.etokarecords.com/album/magnitude

Faidel & Warmth-Stray Lights (Ambient Version)/ FREE DOWNLOAD link in description

This morning, I am spending time with Joachim Spieth, who is releasing his new album, Retrace, tomorrow, October 4th, via his own Affin imprint. Spieth's particular flavour of ambient dub should be familiar to those following the annual Pop Ambient series curated by Wolfgang Voigt. A few years ago, I premiered a track off his incredibly textured Ousia album, which I subsequently proclaimed as one of the best of the year in my Music For Being Together Alone list. Since then, I have been truly captivated by his aquatic ebb and flow, heavily layered with introspective, deeply oceanic, slow tidal ambience, which tends to calm the mind by spreading its evolving soundscapes into the distant unknown. Spieth's further explorations, like Terrain (2022) and his collaboration with Markus Guentner on Overlay (2023), continued to appear in my annual celebrations of favourite music. So, it shouldn't be surprising that I'm premiering his latest track for you. On Retrace, his carefully balanced sonic expansions are complimented by hypnotic rhythms and heartbeat-echoing low-rumbling bass. "Like glittering drops of water, the sound elements combine to slowly filter through sonic biotopes until they extend across the spectrum in full frequency." Perfectly curated as a soundtrack for any time of your day, these seven pieces will guide you back into the meaning of this reality if you follow the journey, listen, and breathe.

Read more on Headphone Commute:
https://headphonecommute.com/2024/10/03/joachim-spieth-longing/

Retrace

TRACK PREMIERE : Joachim Spieth - Longing

Well, folks, here we are, near the end of this year. I could say a lot about 2024, none of which was highly positive and worth celebrating, so I’m happy to close this chapter and move on anew. If I could try to name one highlight of the last year, it would be the accelerating advancement of artificial intelligence, and even then, I’m not sure if it’s a good thing. I am confident that I’m not alone in this sentiment, having spoken to many musicians and label owners reflecting on the state of the scene, the music “business”, and the world in general. Plenty are struggling to keep going and hopefully persevere. With that said, I did spend a tremendous amount of time highlighting the albums worthy of your attention and money and selected my favourites for the upcoming Best of the Year feature, which I will begin publishing on January 1st. It’s one thing worth looking forward to. The other is this fantastic collaboration between my favourite artists, Joachim Spieth and Agustín Mena, recording as Warmth and SVLBRD. Separately, the two have produced an abundance of heart-warming music on their respective labels, Affin and Archives, which has kept me in comfort, sanity, and peace. Mena’s 2018 release Parallel nursed me out of COVID and remains at the top of my rotations, unparalleled in its charm. Meanwhile, Spieth’s dubbed-out ambience has been a spellbinding companion at home and on my travels, reducing anxiety and focusing the mind. I’ve profiled both artists on these pages in-depth (read the most recent In the studio with Joachim Spieth), and I’m excited to announce their upcoming joint release and share an exclusive premiere of this beautiful track.

Read more about this Track Premiere on Headphone Commute:
https://headphonecommute.com/2024/12/30/joachim-spieth-warmth-spectral/

Fragments

Spectral

TRACK PREMIERE : Joachim Spieth | Warmth - Spectral

I7HVN - Kekule 
Primal Inflection [SC004 / Safar Collective]

Produced by Ishan Gaur aka I7HVN
Mastered by Ishan Gaur 
Artwork by Ishan Gaur & Garima Katiya
Released by Safar Collective from Indore, India
Release Date: March 25th, 2025

‘Primal Inflection’ by I7HVN – A Complex Tale on Safar Collective

After a  seven month hiatus, I7HVN makes a return with Primal Inflection, his first release of 2025. Featuring four originals and four remixes by Innerworld, PYNX & ezkape, Turqua & Vedik the EP finds its home on Safar Collective, blending intricate rhythms and deep atmospheres with his signature broken beat, IDM-influenced sound.

Inspired by a bio-punk aesthetic, the release unfolds with Kekule, a meditative and textured ambient electronica piece that sets the tone with its atmospheric depth. The EP continues with Fluid Mosaic Model, where broken beats flow seamlessly through liquid textures, enriched by rhythmic patterns drawn from Indian religious gatherings. The title track, Primal Inflection, rises with slow-building intensity, locking into a fierce 160 BPM pulse, broken drum patterns, and haunting vocal hooks sampled from Japanese horror. Closing the originals, Chalcanthite glows with a sharp yet delicate energy, racing through fluid IDM sequences while maintaining a warm, melodic core.

I7HVN (Indore, India)
https://soundcloud.com/i7hvnmusic
https://www.instagram.com/i7hvn

Safar Collective
https://www.safarcollective.net
https://soundcloud.com/safar_wav
https://www.instagram.com/safar.collective
https://safarwav.bandcamp.com

Oslated.
http://www.oslated.com

Primal Inflection

Kekule

I7HVN - Kekule [Safar Collective]

From a series of (almost) daily ocean glimpses. The music is composed to a video of the sea (photons captured fresh every day). You can experience the full video version here: https://youtu.be/oemViQtsRUs

Glimpse 1460 (Oct 1 2025)

Shaded Explorer - Empatia [SSCD19]

@EmanuelePertoldi returns to Silent Season with his second album, Empatia. The deep techno producer takes you on a trip with this 10-track album due out March 2016 in digital and limited edition CD.

http://shop.silentseason.com/album/empatia

Limited edition CDs in the traditional Silent Season recycled jacket. Each CD includes a color insert, stickers, stamped, hand numbered, and sent with love from Vancouver Island.

The album recounts a personal vision of empathy with people and nature. All the tracks born taking inspiration from journeys, landscapes, emotions, human iterations and intimate moments. Dedicated to those who respect the treasure where we live in, becoming an integral part of it.

01. Resilience
02. Mental Decoupling
03. Corresponded Serenity
04. Tomrum
05. When I Decided To Live
06. L'Aura Marina
07. Senza Fine
08. Distant Connections
09. Inner Treasures
10. Speranza

Written and Produced by Emanuele Pertoldi / Italy

Mastered by Stephen Hitchell [ e c h o s p a c e ]

Photography by Danthon / Victoria

- - - -
Inquiries
info@silentseason.com
www.silentseason.com


Bandcamp

Shaded Explorer - When I Decided To Live [SSCD19]

All tracks are written, produced & recorded by Sergey Korotaev 
© Concrete Records 2017. Distributed worldwide by Total Wipes. 
Mastering by: Unit-8 at Ideal Mastering Lab - Email: i.m.l@ml-limited.co.uk 
Artwork: phasecomunicazione.com

Toki Fuko - Don't Trust The Humans [Element Three]

ambient & electronic music ... soundscapes, tones, melodies, textures, field recordings

Nebula Meadow (Ambient Mix)

Jacob Newman