This month’s ambient roundup offers an eclectic mix of sounds, capturing the breadth and depth of the genre. From the ethereal, room-specific compositions of Isabelle Gustafsson-Ny to the lush, multi-layered landscapes of Elori Saxl, these tracks showcase a range of explorations in sound.
Whether it’s Patricia Wolf’s melodic musings on birds, Nexcyia’s artful manipulation of granular synthesis, or the natural forces embedded in SUSS’s latest release, there’s something here to draw in every listener. Relax, settle in, and enjoy our curated selection of the 15 Best Ambient tracks this month.
Isabelle Gustafsson-Ny – Ur Flode
Gustafsson-Ny conceived her latest album Rosenhagtorn as a house, with a different song is playing in each room, allowing her to explore the rawness and fragility of each instrument with incredible freedom and sensibility. She describes the album in the following words: “In the music there is both repetition and flow, but also the creak of the pedal organ.”
Elori Saxl – Surfaces
With Drifts and Surfaces, American experimental electronic composer Elori Saxl flourishes quietly in present-tense synthesis. The three-piece set originates from three different commissions, each influenced by her experience of living on Madeline Island, a small island in Lake Superior, and unified by shared themes that explore how technology has come to define our daily life: the blurring of physical and digital worlds, the compression and datafication of human experience, and the paradox of everyday stasis and constant change.
Patio User Manuel – Picnic at Gas Station Park
On his third album as Etelin, Alex Cobb explores the intricacies of separation and belonging using field recordings and electronics, reconfiguring the dividing line between what is artificial and natural in the process. Maintaining a sense of playful reverence and lurking melancholy in its glitchy pastoralism, Patio User Manual hums with a meticulous and singular energy.
SUSS – Beasts
SUSS’ fifth release, Birds & Beasts, on Northern Spy Records, finds the New York-based ambient trio digging deeper, populating its stark, ethereal soundscapes with primal currents of sound inspired by the cycles and rhythms of the world around us. But while conveying the power of natural forces, it also embraces occasional warm rays of hope and humanity.
Patricia Wolf – Soaring
For Nite Hive’s third release, Patricia Wolf expresses her love of birds with the aptly titled ‘The Secret Lives of Birds’. She dives deep into her personal library of field recordings and birding experiences, writing songs that show the variety of emotions and wonders that birds bring. Using electronics and field recordings, Wolf celebrates the avian world with sentimental and melodic musings on their behaviour, beauty, and the challenges that they face in the Anthropocene.
Nexcyia – Tales
Given Adam Dove’s background in sound art practices, it’s no surprise that his inaugural full-length release is a rich soundscape, weaving through the realm of harsh sampling and gentle synthesis. Requiring the listener to explore with him the boundaries between reality and illusion, he neatly manipulates granular synthesis, and interweaves a library from his own archived audio, while pondering the very essence of our universal desire to belong.
Raphael Roginski – Smiltyninis Slamutis
The new album by Polish guitarist Raphael Rogiński is named after the grass snake Žaltys, a revered household spirit in Lithuanian folklore, and explores themes of Eastern European mythology and nature. As a conduit of cultural exchange, “Žaltys” connects with Rogińsk’s previous work, most recently his critically acclaimed 2023 album “Talàn”.
Katatonic Silentio – Drip In The Cave
Mariachiara Troianiello, the force behind Katatonic Silentio, continues her exploration of spatial and sound design, slicing various forms of dub while following her instincts and storytelling through each work.
Yetsuby – I If Drink This Potion
Yetsuby is the solo project of South Korean artist Yejin Jang. Since 2019 she has carved out a reputation as something of a prolific visionary, with 6 albums, 7 EPs and a flurry of singles between her two projects to date. Yetsuby’s debut release on Seb Wilblood’s all my thoughts label is a heartfelt and forward thinking mini LP. The 6 track release effortlessly chimes into the deeper, inner emotions whilst providing a window into her abundant breadth of skills through tantalising themes of sonic alchemy.
Total Blue – The Path
‘Total Blue’ is the Los Angeles-based trio of Nicky Benedek, Alex Talan, and Anthony Calonico. Despite collaborating for over a decade, ‘Total Blue’ represents a new chapter in their artistic journey together as a trio. Embracing chance, inviting the unknown, and guided by a spirit of sheer play and exploration, ‘Total Blue’ was driven by a desire to ‘touch the beyond’ in pursuit of an elusive vibe the three had been chasing for years.
Daou – Night Watch
Daou is the music project of Paris-based architect, musician and multidisciplinary artist Georges Daou. Born in Beirut, he moved to New York in 2014, where he honed his guitar skills at the hands of renowned jazz guitarist Dom Minasi, all the while working as an architect and pursuing various artistic projects and collaborations. His latest album Bluebird is a collage of sounds, a metaphor for the intricate puzzle of perception, portraying the myriad ways our experiences and memories can be reframed and reinterpreted, sometimes in a fictional way.
KMRU – Natur 2
KMRU sees ‘Natur’ as a way to reconsider what technology actually is and how it changes our perception of reality. This can be abstract, or more basic – like wearing rubber soled shoes to walk on asphalt, or using a leaf to drink water in a swamp. “Nature is connected with technology, and we’re so connected with nature that we adapt,” he says. “It’s like being blind, but still seeing.”
Gallery Six – Bouku
Japanese producer Gallery Six releases his third LP of the year, continuing his exploration of deeply meditative ambient via carefully chosen field recordings and exquisitely delicate sound design.
u-Ziq – Reticulum A
A back-to-first-principles record, Mike Paradinas’s latest album was inspired in part by the group of artists IDM was coined for; melodic dance music that didn’t come out of urban scenes, but interpreted them from a distance.
Night Tapes – assisted memories
Night Tapes started out as evening jams between housemates Max Doohan, Sam Richards and Iiris Vesik in London. Night time London, genre-blending, multi-fidelity recordings and honest reflection contribute to their atmospheric soundscapes that ultimately make for fresh and envelope pushing dream pop, which, as in on the title track for their latest EP, explores lush and emotionally resonant ambient.
The post The 15 Best Ambient Tracks of August 2024 appeared first on Magnetic Magazine.