Featured Artists: April 2010

Here's the featured artists for April, 2010. This time around it's two artists and one label, all doing ambient music of different kinds. Enjoy.

First up is Andrew Lahiff, who I discovered a couple of years back. He's released a number of albums, and puts up individual songs for download as well. He plays ambient music with a depth and spaciness that I don't hear very often. His music doesn't seem to get a lot of attention, and I hope that changes. His new album, A Perpetual Point In Time, is very deep and rich. I hope you all check it out. As I write this, I'm downloading a new album he just put up for free download. I hope you all enjoy his music.

http://www.andrewlahiff.com/music.html

Next is Richard Skelton. I've only recently discovered his music, and I'm glad I have. He plays ambient music in more of a "classical ambient" style, or perhaps "chamber ambient". He combines acoustic instruments with electronic sounds to create something very expressive and emotional. His albums start as limited editions in handcrafted boxes, though some have made it to wider release. He records both as Richard Skelton and A Broken Consort, playing similar styles. His latest Richard Skelton release, Landings, is available on Type Records, while the latest A Broken Consort can be found on the Tompkins Square label. Here's a link to his personal website. Enjoy.

http://www.sustain-release.co.uk/

This month's label is local to me, based out of Westchester County, NY. The label is 12K, started by Taylor Deupree back in the late 90's. I knew of the label, but wasn't familiar with the music or its local connection until just recently. Their music is primarily ambient, though more of a minimalist or experimental style, exploring the boundaries of ambient sound. Some of it can be a bit too experimental for my tastes, but some of it is pretty special. Two new releases I've been playing, the Solo Andata and Tomasz Bednarczyk are available on 12K. Take a look and see for yourself.

http://www.12k.com/