Sun Rain delivers a contemplative experience in his latest EP ‘Pebble/Waters’

His multi-instrumental approach shines though in his capacity to compose rich and relaxing sounds

Toronto-based musician Chad Skinner launched his solo career as Sun Rain in 2019. He is a DJ, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and producer who explores genres from modern classical, to ambient, and drone, emphasizing downtempo beats. With a versatile set of instrumental skills, he takes a gentle approach to his sound, incorporating classical piano, percussion, and synthesizers to develop intimate connections between the music and the listener. Bringing his unique, contemplative tracks to the forefront, Sun Rain is often seen performing DJ sets in clubs and at festivals to a meditative and introspective crowd.

His latest EP ‘Pebble/Waters’ drops in early April 2022 and features two quiet, relaxing, and heartfelt tracks comprised of improvised soundscapes.

Debuting as Sun Rain in 2019 with his album Sheets, Skinner showed his organic, reflective style that creates a fluid soundscape environment. The album featured rich sonic textures producing an experience of emotional significance and the gravitas of modern classical music. His ability to merge organic sounds with electronic and percussive elements and guitars results in a one-of-a-kind electro-acoustic sound. Since 2019, he has released several singles and EPs, most recently this year he dropped “Willow Tree Testing (Animal Party Remix),” as well as “Ma,” “Woods,” “Real People in Real Places (Reimagined),” and more in 2021.

His latest EP ‘Pebble/Waters’ drops in early April 2022 and features two quiet, relaxing, and heartfelt tracks comprised of improvised soundscapes. Produced with a Maestro electronic piano, electric guitar, Yamaha synthesizer, fx pedals, and tape machines, the EP reveals itself as a labor of love with a generous openness for relaxation that give the listener permission to engage, absorb, and escape.

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Coy Haste walks a desert path, with experimental groove

Working with creative dub funk label Stereo Ferment, Coy Haste brings to life folk rhythms

For the past few years, Coy Haste of Toronto has been creating percussion rich tracks of deep house. The handful of EPs so far released have drawn on funk vibes to colour the narrative existing within each collection, adding notes of tribal progression into his compact but high quality discography.

The project is a solo venture from producer Brad Weber, whose previous work includes a role as drummer for Caribou. He’s been digging deeper into nu-disco sounds, releasing tracks with firm beats and experimental electronic kicks. There’s certainly an element of organic percussion in his work, but it makes up only part of a much more expansive environment which incorporates elements of world music, techno, and funk.

With the support of the left field groove label Stereo Ferment, Coy Haste has now released 'Apicultura', the first EP from the artist since 2019’s ‘Fennel’. The four track collection attempts to interpret a cultural origin story told in the Kalahari Desert, exploring themes of powerful natural forces, personal growth and ultimately new beginnings.

Modern electronic influence melds together with classic afro synth and tribal rhythms, bringing a sense of community to the journey. Our featured track expresses a hero’s path through melody and marimba.

Support the release on Bandcamp or stream it on Spotify.

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Sun Rain returns with a new journey: Moonwalk

Lending his skills in ambient and drone to a higher plane, Sun Rain provides a glimpse of his upcoming EP

This isn’t the first time we’ve had the pleasure of listening to the ambient works of Sun Rain. When Chad Skinner first started work on the solo project back in 2019, he made a strong impression with debut album ‘Sheets’,  introducing us to his personal style of ambient and drone. Since then his discography has been steadily growing, which each new addition bringing a different shade of peaceful downtempo.

The atmospheres conjured up by the Toronto producer and composer manage to expand to the very edges of consciousness, allowing space for meditation, self-reflection, and quiet. Skinner’s talents have been honed throughout his collaborative work, sharing time with groups such as ‘Snowday’ and ‘BisonBison’. Skinner has also found development in his experiences performing DJ sets under the name of ‘Legs Florentine’.

The newest release from the Sun Rain project is ‘Moonwalk’, a precursor to a fresh EP titled ‘Ma’. Moonwalk takes inspiration from the journey taken by astronauts to breach the divide between our planet and the space beyond. Neo-classical strikes of piano create a very gradual build towards a more cosmic ambience, in a track which takes the listener to a higher vantage point; from the everyday to the infinite.

Support the release on Bandcamp or stream it on Spotify.

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Time to wander, with Lutes Jennings’ ‘Extensions’

Extensions of a previous sound. Longform, Drone based music out of Toronto. https://lutesjennings.bandcamp.com/

Jennings offers an expansive creation housed within a diminutive discography

For the time being, Lutes Jennings is minimal. It’s an adjective that applies not just to the artist’s sound, but the project’s presence. Only two tracks have currently been released under the artist’s name, but the extended length and sunset slow pace of evolution driving forward the music means that already an environment of sound has begun to form.

Together the two tracks form the EP ‘Extensions’, a collection which reaches over seventeen minutes in total. The tone throughout the release fluctuates, at times contracting with cool waves of synth and crackles of found sound, and then later exhaling, finding warmth and light infused within the electronic glow.

In terms of its genre placement, the work of Lutes Jennings comfortably finds a home in ambient and drone, although tastes from other avenues of sound wander in. ‘Wander’ is in fact a word which seems appropriate for the artist’s style. The tracks are painstakingly gentle, with composed movements lain out across the generous timescale chosen by Jennings. It’s an ambitious release in its slow burn pace, not just bringing an ambience into life, but taking the time to walk moment by moment through the world being created.

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Alaskan Tapes presents piano led downtempo with ‘We’

"We" available now - https://alaskantapes.ffm.to/atwe.oyd https://www.Alaskantapes.com https://www.Alaskantapes.bandcamp.com https://www.Twitter.com/Alaskant...

Releasing a single affected by this year’s isolation, Alaskan Tapes joins with Nettwerk Records

The tracks created by Alaskan Tapes exist in a space which feels deeply personal, rich with organic tones and field recording samples that dissolve the distance between audience and artist. Gentle creaks and physical scrapes bring tangibility to the work of Brady Kendall, who has been developing and evolving the ambient project for the past five years.

In addition to Alaskan Tapes’ substantial discography of downtempo tracks, music from the artist has created soundscapes in a number of productions including both short films and documentaries, as well as featuring in other visual media.

The most recent EP from this artist ‘Sleeping since last year’ arrived back in March, and in the time since then Alaskan Tapes has signed to the alternative rock and electronica label Nettwerk Records. The internationally recognised group is home to artists including ‘Passenger’ and ‘fun.’, and should provide Alaskan Tapes with a more dynamic platform for exposure than he’s previously been able to access.

Alaskan Tapes latest single is therefore his first with Nettwerk Records. Titled ‘We’, the track was released on August 21st and recorded as isolation began to take effect in the first phase of lockdown. The ambient solace is characteristically rough around the edges, and benefits from being so.

Stream the single on Spotify or Soundcloud

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More soothing sounds over on our Ambient playlist!

New steps into new landscapes, with Fermi Lekunde

There seems to be life in Fermi Lekunde’s music that the artist didn’t put there himself. There are artists that look to echo the ambience of scenes in nature, and do so well, but Fermi Lekunde brings about unexplored synthetic ecosystems. The glitchy, quirky beats are surrounded by brittle, insect-like melodies, and there’s constant alien warmth generated by the contrast of an unfamiliar environment set against a sense of discovery.

Fermi Lekunde is the alias of Marlin Tusha, an artist based in Toronto and heavily inspired by the techno and electronic scene that exists in the region. IDM and ambient music tends to be his area, with a well measured addition of glitch to the mix.

May 15th saw the release of Lekunde’s third release, the six track EP ‘Hydra’. The characteristic creation of new space continues, with songs like ‘Another’ placing samples further out in stereo, then reflecting them back and forth. The carefully engineered beats and synths which carry each track are to be praised, but the sounds which take background roles provide a more detailed and less tangible flavour.

As with previous releases, ‘Hydra’ has been released through Doubt and Uncertainty Records, another confident step in a growing discography.

Support the album on Bandcamp or stream it on Spotify.

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Letting consciousness wander with Fried Dough; Who is the Dreamer‽

Thank you, Twin Peaks.

In a period of physical isolation, electronic psych band Fried Dough has layered together a track which sets its focus on mental emancipation, incorporating dreamlike synth for a harmonic electronic release.

The group are based in Toronto, Canada, originally forming through a chance connection in the commercial sound industry. Aaron Gaistman, Andrew Cariboni and Nolan Bouvier join together to create music with a blend of vocals, guitar, keys, synth and an injection of electronica.

They’ve previously worked through moods of dance and trip hop, taking risks with vibes of psychedelia. Fried Dough remains tenaciously creative however, and never seem to have settled into a single genre.

It’s been a little while since Fried Dough have been on the radar with a new release, so it’s great to get a chance to catch up on what how their sound has been evolving. The freshly delivered track ‘Who Is the Dreamer‽’ takes a step away from their previous ventures into experimental rock and enlivens the IDM side of their production. Influence from groups like Massive Attack and Boards of Canada play a part in this synth heavy release which takes a journey from warped meditation into an open and expressive cool down.

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A tranquil escape with Alaskan Tapes' "Sleeping Since Last Year"

Taken off of my new EP entitled "Sleeping Since Last Year" out March 26th. You can pre-order this track on Cassette, or CD and bundles via Bandcamp, and take...

Alaskan Tapes is the ambient music project of Toronto based artist, Brady Kendall who has been steadily releasing his productions on albums and EP’s since 2015. Intent on creating music that is defined not only by catchy melodies, but also by texture and depth, he is often incorporating live tracked instruments into his compositions. He is well known for his melancholic and dreamy use of piano, alongside field recordings and electronic elements. 

Alongside his steady stream of releases, he is regularly composing soundtracks and film scores. His music can be heard in a variety of short films, including “Childhood Trauma” and “Mag Sein” by Director Eliot Rausch, or “ABADDON” by Director Rogerio Silva, to name a few.

Sleeping since last year is Alaskan Tapes’ most recent drone based EP. Throughout the 6 minutes, drifting chords and notes collide and embrace with heavy reverberation. Reaching its peak, the same elements unweave and cascade away with subtlety. Appropriately titled, the title track off of Sleeping since last year offers the listener an invitation of tranquility, a much needed escape in hectic times.

Grab the album on cassette, CD, or digital over on Bandcamp

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Patient Serenity with ‘And, We Disappear’ – Alaskan Tapes

Track 7 of 'Views From Sixteen Stories' out Sept.19 Pre-order the 12" Vinyl, or CD here: https://alaskantapes.bandcamp.com/album/views-from-sixteen-stories French Horn played by Jay Austin Mastered by Taylor Deupree

Hailing from Toronto, Canada, Alaskan Tapes is a producer whose work demonstrates a consistently impressive level of talent in the creation of ambient music. A few tracks even include full vocals; the artist’s skill evident in just how well those additions complement each melody.

Compared to other productions from Alaskan Tapes, the track ‘And, We Disappear’ is one of the most gentle. Previous tracks show a more deliberate movement to construct an environment around the listener, with a more powerful undercurrent. Certainly, behind the creation of this recent track lies both experience and effort, but despite these qualities (or perhaps because of them), the sound produced is never overbearing. Instead it’s patient, warm, and softly quite emotional.

The samples feel organic and physical, backed up with a light addition of field recording style scrapes and creaks. This level of the track plays off the more overarching orchestral layer, giving a sense of detail and texture. When a more individual string melody does emerge, it’s already late in the song, and past the point of acclimatisation. Despite the delayed entrance of the sample the harmony is perfectly maintained and the latecomer rounds off what really is a beautiful track.

Grab the whole album “Views From Sixteen Stories” now available on vinyl, cd and digital.

Hear more from Alaskan Tapes
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Carefully Constructed Soundscapes with Carson Teal - Liquid Honey

In most cases the objective of ambient music is ultimately to construct an atmosphere, and it’s impressive just how quickly Carson Teal is able to achieve this with Liquid Honey, a track which extends a little past the two minute mark.

The Toronto based artist continues to play with the low, measured, dubstep style which underlays his previous work, but this element of the sound takes more of a backseat than in past tracks; instead it supports the cinematic beat collapses that thread throughout Liquid Honey and provide a sense of pace and purpose.

Overlaid onto these heavier sounds, the influence of Carson’s experimental field recording roots can be heard. The track name put me in mind of something smooth and sweet, but immediately things went in another direction as I was met by an insect-like buzz which I could believe was sampled from a mosquito. High pitched but delicate whirs and clicks pervade the song, echoing notes which make full use of surround sound and successfully establish the soundscape before the latter half of the track as the ambient crescendos roll in.

Carson Teal gives us a dreamlike track that immediately draws us in, delivers an environment, and quietly fades out. Certainly, I’ve heard songs five times the length that don’t match the level of immersion achieved by Liquid Honey. Grab the whole EP here.

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Check out the label- Bedroomer
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