Archive for the ‘New Age: Electronic’ Category

Since antiquity the whereabouts of the legendary island Atlantis has been discussed. From Plato to Francis Bacon and into today’s world, it has been a frequent topic for both scientific research and art. Atlantis is also the topic for Clifford White’s new album. Here he gives the listener a fresh perspective on the old myth. Indeed, after 65 minutes of music you feel that Atlantis has risen from the ocean and become a place in your mind you can visit and revisit again and again. So hang on, and enjoy the voyage!

Atlantis is a popular theme in New Age Music. Most prominent is David Arkenstone’s Atlantis: A Symphonic Journey (2004), but also Alex Herr’s synth classic from the late 1980s Atlantis Arising comes to mind. And now we can add another strong album to the list!

I was excited when I heard that Clifford White’s new album would be about Atlantis. The reason is because his previous albums concerning water are among my all time favorites. The collection An Island Called Paradise is a like a trip to a magical and relaxing island, and I make sure to recommend it as often as I can. Selected songs from it are also among the most popular on our channel New Age Stars. We must also not forget that Clifford White is used to myths and great histories; last year’s The Gods Of Olympus was an album worthy of gods.

So with this in mind I put Atlantis on my iPhone and started my musical journey.

The album opens with the title song, which starts with the sound of waves, a quiet piano melody and then something I can describe (bear with me here) as a Vangelis / Chariots of fire-like synth pluck-beat. Which is always a welcome effect! The larger-than-life strings are also here, illustrating the grandness, the light and magic of the underwater world. The song has a very nice melody, and a calming atmosphere.

Track 2, Catacombs, takes the listener even further down – into a darker world, with a faster beat and nice dripping sounds. After all, the tale of Atlantis – like the real-life story of Pompeii – is first and foremost a dramatic story. If Atlantis hadn’t disappeared, there would be no magic; what you can’t ever see, find or reach is to man always more exciting than what is readily available. Isn’t that so?

I am fascinated by the way Clifford White changes sound from one track to the next, while the tracks still blend perfectly into each other. An example here is track 6, Time Tunnels, which is lounge in style. It has a jazzy freshness. Then it is track no. 7, Edge of the Ocean, which is laid back, has a bossa nova beat and a Vollenweider-ish electronic harp melody. This makes the album into an interesting listen.

There is no monotony or repetitiveness.

Again it is tempting to refer to Vangelis – both in style and in craftsmanship; Track no. 8, The New World, has the force of Conquest of Paradise, and lots of White’s usual magic too. The new world unveils itself before your inner eye.

Atlantis is like a box of surprises. The album closer is Exodus; an upbeat, bright piece. Here I must compare to Jean Michel Jarre’s classic Fourth Rendez-Vous. It shines bright, illustrating the overwhelming power of the Exodus.

As you can see from the references; White is here delivering a top notch album, and will once again find himself on the year’s top lists of new age albums.

Atlantis is here as real as it will ever get. Bravo!

Visit cliffordwhite.co.uk to sample / purchase his new Atlantis release and then go to his albums page.  You can also visit his NewAgeMusicNews.com website then our interview and review pages dedicated to Clifford White.

The editor notes that NewAgeMusic.nu and NewAgeMusicWorld.com are partners and supporters of Clifford White’s NewAgeMusicNews.com, but .world/nu are independent sites with no commercial ties to Clifford White/MG Music. Cover art by Medwyn Goodall – picture copyright BigStockPhoto – Regisser.com

Composing musician Paul Sills of the United Kingdom has a celestial New Age album composed from a brand new viewpoint in his already skillful approach to celestial music. It now appears Paul has taken his newest arrangement to the next level, and like earlier perceptive albums, Devas – Natures Spirit becomes his third release that in no shape, form or fashion could ever be termed commonplace.

Devas – Natures Spirits is the third great album written, performed and produced by MG Music label artist Paul Sills and by all accounts, Devas is a thoughtful departure from his second Walking Across Heaven release which created a beautiful sound sanctuary where instrumentals of piano, flute, acoustic guitar, and distant choral vocals rose to transform each song into one having an anthem like quality.

Paul Sills is a long standing MG Music Label artist and representative member of the Medwyn Goodall circle of friends, highly revered for their outstanding music and singular expression each label artist is known for producing, and now he has proven this to be true for the third time around.

Astral Doorways was Paul’s imaginative first endeavor exploring the divine and surreal side of music. All three are powerful albums, symbolic of the outer confines in synthesized ambient music that simply become a natural choice for those who love a memorable journey into the vast territories of electronic resonances that reside in a deeper realm in relaxing music.

Paul Sills and I had a recent interview and insightful discussion together on his early music career and life at MG Music, so I hope you will want to find out more about Paul at our websites. Many visitors know I have published reviews on both of his earlier albums essentially because I enjoy listening to his intensely divine brand of electronic music that consistently has a dreamy keyboard based melody and prominent celestial atmosphere.

Devas – Natures Spirits with 12 songs total is precisely what I had anticipated and had hoped to experience from this Medwyn Goodall label artist recognized for producing Electronic ambient music that is by definition, wonderfully unique and singular in style when placed alongside many of his counterparts in the electronic music category.

First song Sacred Waters is the gentle inception to a deeper Dolphina, where piano and percussion reproduce the Paul Sills expressive touch many of us have come to appreciate. Tidal sounds mark the gentle layering of acoustic guitar strums mixed with piano intervals in Memories Of The Ocean and the steady piano rhythms mixed with dreamy electronic modulations on Footprints In The Mist are likewise a wonderful reflection.

A Sketch Of Spring contains a truly exciting transformation in composition which originates with the lighter melody before a keyboard sequence modification in the arrangement reveals a fascinating cascade of piano runs and half step key changes in both lower and upper octaves, modifying this piece into one of majestic design.

Choosing a broad pathway along his journey in nature inspired celestial music, this release from Paul Sills rests at a comfortable plateau in ambience, where deep orchestrations incorporated with light melodies and rhythms admirably blend into a pleasingly dreamy atmosphere. Paul by definition, has created a deeper realm in sound, far beyond the commonplace methodology in what we regularly hear and experience from top producers of celestial music.

Visit the MG profile page for Paul Sills to sample / purchase and our page dedicated to Paul Sills.

Picture copyright Big Stock Photo – zootog

Creative talent and New Age music are identical terms in reference to the multitudes of creative and influential musicians producing music today.  This can be said of all genres of course and just like all genres, New Age had a group of select artists in the primordial years whose earlier influences formed the inception and foundation of our genre.

Clifford White is a musician living in the United Kingdom defining our New Age genre then and this is true today.  His biography as a musician began during an era when there was much less of a foundation to build upon and had to rely primarily on his own creative intuition as a vital resource.  Clifford White’s inception into the New Age genre first emerged in 1985 at age 17 when he released a phenomenal album entitled Ascension which quickly established Clifford as a leading composer and producer whose music greatly influenced our genre in the early years.

Atlantis is the 2010 MG Music label release Clifford White just produced in his present day Sanctuary Studio in St. Albans, Hertfordshire and it is nice to know his talent for producing outstanding music and creative intuition during modern times is just as ingenious today as in earlier years.  Currently Clifford presides over his multi faceted 21st Century New Media Ltd business which specializes in media consultation of Internet, film, software, television and media related training courses.  In addition to his musician website he also hosts the New Age Music News website and his presence in the New Age genre today remains on the forefront.

Clifford White has made Atlantis into an exciting Electronic composition based in theme on the lost underwater city adventures first recounted in the writings of Greek philosopher and mathematician Plato.  Knowing Clifford has made explorations of his own by using a broad range of influences and innovations with every successive album, these novel synthesizer effects translate into a modern Progressive album that reaches Epic and Cinematic proportions while recounting the ancient city lost beneath the waters.

Atlantis ( Title Song ) is the first of 11 exploratory melodies on this Electronic expedition transcending folklore of the past into a modern day chronicle overflowing with depth and creative imagination.  One innovation of many is the unique metrical timing by using the middle C note on piano.  Balanced with precision, this synchronized rhythm gives the impression of a heart beating with excitement while the main keyboard melody and regal orchestration begin to herald in this majestic opening song.  Catacombs has a more mysterious allure given the ever present key changes made throughout the keyboard melody with percussion timing and synthesizer enhancements furthering this deeper realm in atmosphere like the dreamy sequences in moderately timed song Xtasea.

The Kingdom has Contemporary guitar rhythms along with an energetic beat illustrating a brighter atmosphere to the mysterious underwater city, while the Groove qualities in Time Tunnels with percussion accents also maintain the traits given by these more modern progressive qualities.  Voice of the Aegean with a gentle guitar melody resembles the lighter variation of calm like on the song Summit which too conveys a relaxing ambiance by a more moderate tempo.  Ascendant & Exodus are comprised of more prominent synthesizer surroundings with percussion sequences of bells, woodblock and xylophone.

The Epic characteristics heard in New World begin to surface during the first measures when beautiful orchestrations given by horns and choir vocals infuse classic imagery of the legendary kingdom of antiquity for which this theme is based upon and like a paradox, Atlantis the album was composed with a modern ideology but where they share common traits by their amazing stories and early foundations that had first began on solid ground.

Visit cliffordwhite.co.uk to sample / purchase his new Atlantis release and then go to his albums page.  You can also visit his NewAgeMusicNew.com website then our interview and review pages dedicated to Clifford White.

Cover art by Medwyn Goodall – picture copyright BigStockPhoto – Dirk Paessler

In the millennium before the nation of America was founded and a new way of life was envisioned, Native Americans lived brave and free throughout the land.  History tells of the conflict and injustice imposed upon indigenous people thought to be hindering this new way of life, but in fact Native Americans were already living the proverbial American dream in sacred lands they viewed as paradise.

Michael Stribling has released an album to commemorate the past while honoring every Native American who lived and died protecting their sacred homeland.  To me, Michael’s dedication struck a familiar chord concerning our present values and the high price paid to keep the diverse ethnicities comprising the America of today free. 

Paradise Lost is Michael’s seventh in an enduring lineage of New Age Electronic albums making an impact in the genre, winning awards and universal acclaim during his years as an accredited musician producing outstanding ambient music.  His electronic discography like recent The Promise which dealt with life transitions is indeed a success and in my role as review publicist, quickly identified his exemplary artistry in the first few measures, so Paradise Lost is not worlds apart from earlier albums, but is clearly a monumental one as those familiar with his music would agree.

Paradise Lost has 12 symbolic songs defined by three movements and while retracing the ancestral life experiences of Native Americans, the perspective I determined from this viewpoint ranged from total relaxation to energetic, so you will find Paradise Lost is not gloomy or somber and I felt more epic in nature.  Another point worthy of mention knowing this album recounts the Native American experience, conceptual electronic orchestrations are the expressive medium given during this rendition so a harmonious contrast to more traditional depictions by wood flutes, chanting or bass drums.

Prairie Dawn is first of 5 songs to reveal a distant gaze upon the majestic landscape and of people living during this historic period, emerging with a more ambient view of tribal culture where spacious orchestrations echo the expansive lands of our past.  French horn heralds in Guardian of the Plains, then strings become like strands of wheat gently moving in the breeze while flute sets the melody upward in flight during Forest Heart. 

Synthesizer projects a windswept Eagle Above, River Below, then growing excitement and tempo ensues while racing among the scenic timberlands in Hunting Party.

March of Destiny is first of 3 songs to reference the battle over territorial supremacy and true to song title, a crisp drum cadence is timed in lock step rhythm to a salutary march across the open wilderness while horns make the melodic call to arms.  A swirling crosswind of mystery surrounds the more ambient Approaching Storm with blended electric guitar strides and again in Vision Quest where a drifting cloud of haziness finds origins by long extended atmospheric notes.

Paradise Lost ( Title Song ) is first of the final 4 songs to represent the loss of humanity and prized territories, shown by contrasting synthesizer runs, an elevated prominence boldly reaches an ascending summit while heightening the majestic image this project in entirety symbolizes.  Lament for the Land is more tributary by a solemn narrative that is likened to the soulful Hymn for the Fallen. 

Return to the Spirit World is a song telling of a higher perspective during Michael’s closing adaptation, and while entering into an ever rising plateau of instrumental ambience, each expansive layer also finds equable ground for every note to build a foundation upon, coinciding with the present unified territories everyone observes from every corner pointing North and South, East and West.

Visit the leela-music.com website to sample or purchase at his CDBaby.com page or Digstation.com page.  You can also visit Michael where he hosts his free online radio program at leela-radio.com website and our pages dedicated to Michael Stribling.

Cover art copyright Michael Stribling – Picture copyright BigStockPhoto – ta_samaya

Music and Movies are two of the most popular internet search terms used today.  These two forms of entertainment by themselves are enough to spark our interest alone yet when audio and visual productions are merged into a movie soundtrack, film score or popular music video, the results achieve an even more exciting sights and sounds experience.

David Mauk from Las Vegas Nevada is a composing performer with plenty of experience in the entertainment business while advancing in popularity from his 12 Months debut released in 2009.  His first album created much excitement for many and equally so for David since 12 Months received nomination at ZMR for Best Electronic Album and also earned David a Best New Artist nomination for the year. 

Ground Swell is his 2010 release, unique not only by the great mood effect of his classic yet easygoing electronic compositions but some songs were inspired by American realist painter Edward Hopper and Ground Swell is a CD / DVD collector’s edition that beautifully captures the early American century with Cinematic drama and makes a nice collection by any standard.  The 5 bonus video clips are nicely correlated with his unique brand of classic electronic music and are a beautiful addition to the audio CD since the extra sensory effect of video makes it easy for anyone to visualize his ambient music becoming a modern times movie score.

The National Geographic Society has already realized the dynamic effect of his compositions by integrating as their official music with many exhibits including King Tutankhamun, Golden Age of the Pharaohs, Real Pirates and Cleopatra museum exhibits, in fine music that enhances the experience for every museum visitor.

David Mauk has given everyone 2 excellent reasons to appreciate his music in 2010.   The Ground Swell CD alone is a free flowing natural display of bright ambience offered with a harmonious and casual impression, plus the DVD greatly points out the Cinematic enchantment that makes his music special.

Ground Swell is in effect an Ambient, Electronica, New Age album with a total of 14 songs.  The 5 song descriptions I will provide from the CD are ones also listed on the bonus DVD, in this all inclusive CD / DVD collection and you will find the 9 additional songs are sequential to the atmosphere and ideals this album in entirety represents.

Dawn in Pennsylvania has a singular piano melody backed by a deeper synthesizer profile that gives depth to the overall bright and casual mood and is effective at producing a story line of realism by a light atmospheric point of view with cymbal taps and percussion enrichments.   Summertime is like an ode of joyous celebration the summer season always represents, marching right along in attitude by a majestic piano movement.  Lower piano octaves maintain the rhythm while upper ranges move up and down the scales in half steps while bell tones ring in the seasonal event.

Chop Suey relies on tenor drum and percussion rhythms as a prelude to keyboard producing the light staccato note melody with a casual feel.  During refrains the dynamics are rearranged to a deeper tenor and nicely embolden the song while adding tonal drama.  Queensburo Bridge carries nice rhythmical metrics by strings subtle back and forth sway while light synth notes and key changes introduce sparkling overtones into the melodious theme.

New York Movie is a dreamy song that transports you to a different place and time with strings becoming the prevalent character in the lighter melody.  Percussion plays a more indirect role by sharp woodblock notes and when xylophone enters, the soft percussion detailing projects nice sparkling tones in a secondary rhythm.

David Mauk made 12 Months an impressive introduction into New Age music.  Ground Swell is another fine classic that makes musical entertainment an even better experience, offering his appealing to the senses experience like the premiere attractions many people are searching for at this very moment.

Visit the davidmauk.com homepage and then sample / purchase on his music page.  Learn more about David at his MySpace page and then our pages dedicated to David Mauk.

Cover art copyright Kelly Stamblesky – Smith. Picture copyright BigStockPhoto.com – Ondrej Garaj

Davol is our interview guest at NewAgeMusic.nu & NewAgeMusicWorld.Com and knowing the positive nature of his music, we hope to create a little excitement of our own today.  Davol is a widely popular musician easily recognized by his Electronic Contemporary Instrumental melodies that readily elevate the mood sensation and their highly melodic rhythms in turn offer an inspiring upbeat atmosphere.

Davol’s music eloquently brings a positive and energetic influence to the forefront of New Age music and today we hope to encourage every visitor to learn more about him.  Review publicists B.T. Fasmer and interview host John P. Olsen have published earlier reviews of his current album Good Sign and we invite you to read these reviews on our pages dedicated to Davol.

John :  Thank You for sharing your time with us Davol.  Your April 2010 release Good Sign is an excellent album and another fine release of the 6 albums total you have produced since your decision to pursue music as a new career in 1989. 

Good Sign is successfully making waves with your large fan base and ZMR charts presently have listed at # 2 for May.  This is great news naturally, but I personally believe much more recognition may be in store for Good Sign.  What are your thoughts on the direction this album is heading and do you set out to win awards and earn top recognition  ?

Davol :  Although I always try to keep my music at a high standard, I was pleasantly stunned to see how this album has taken off!  This is the first time I’ve worked with the renowned promoter Ed Bonk, and it’s been quite rewarding.  Every aspect of a creative project is educational, including the promotional side.  As for awards, we’ll see what is possible …   maybe you could help me out with a Grammy nomination ? !      

John :  Hey, B.T. and I will see what we can do …. Lol !   What you said about Ed Bonk is true.  We consider Ed a good friend and hear the exact sediments from his clients all the time.  Everyone speaks pretty highly of Ed Bonk ( Lazz Promotions )

Your scholastic training in jazz, classical piano and harpsichord were early prerequisites in your move toward the more modern music influences you produce today.  Would you provide our visitors an outline of your studies and music history  ?

Davol :  When I was quite young I started with the trumpet.  But the monophonic nature of it frustrated me, so I became interested in piano at the age of 12.  I studied classical piano a bit, and harpsichord a little in college.  I’m actually now studying jazz piano with a local jazz master. It’s challenging and fun.  I’m probably his most remedial student, still learning the basics!  In a sense, I kind of feel like my compositional work exists very separately (in my brain and heart) from my previous musical training. Obviously there is some kind of relationship and influence, but I really feel like the electronic music I write is more influenced by my love of pop music.

John :  You have a PH.D and had begun an already successful career as a medical researcher and microbiologist until 1996 when you then chose to begin a commercial venture producing multimedia music.  What were the timeline of events that led to your decision to pursue music as a new career and was this career move an easy choice for you to make at the time Davol  ?

Davol :  Oh gosh no, it wasn’t easy.  I had worked so hard to become a medical researcher and get my doctorate, but I was also very burned out.  I was doing music professionally WHILE I was finishing my PhD in microbiology and continued doing both simultaneously over the years.  The problem was that to be a really good scientist, one must be very focused.  In other words, you work in the laboratory in the daytime, and you’re expected to read journals and write papers in the evening.  I wanted only to write music in the evening!  So there was sort of a mutual incompatibility with the two careers.  When I left science, I felt that I had learned a great deal and had published significant work.  That was satisfying.  I actually did return to science in the last 5 years, sort of in a roundabout way; I was a public health educator for a Hepatitis C non-profit organization.  I was giving educational talks about HepC, mostly to ex-convicts who were on parole.  It was a very unusual and educational experience.

John :  I read at your website that many of your albums are designed with a theme in mind based on events during the time period.  What themes are behind Mystic Waters & A Day Like No Other ?

Davol :  Mystic Waters was released in 1989, a time when “fantasy” albums were all the rage.  So, it was conjured up with that genre in mind.  There was a sense of peace and tranquility, a sense of fluid movement, like water. 

A Day Like No Other marked a pretty big change in my life, sort of a reinvention, as I hadn’t released an album for 7 years (since Open Book).  I wasn’t sure that I would do any more albums, frankly.  I was burned out and was now producing on my own label.  Also, ADLNO was the first album I ever wrote and produced without any co-producer.  In other words, I had to finally trust myself, in a very singular sense, and believe in what I was doing!  Also, ADLNO was the first album I wrote in a completely software-based studio environment, so the toolset and sound palette was utterly different from the past.  It moved me more into a guitar-based sound that I find very appealing for the pop-style in which I write.  So, the ADLNO album represented everything “fresh” and “new” to me, hence the name.

John :  Nice reinvention Davol since A Day Like No Other happens to be one of my favorite albums !  There were some particular circumstances happening during the production of Good Sign.  What was going on at the time and how did you maintain the Davol can do attitude  ?

Davol :  Yes, some challenging things …  a couple of close loved ones struggling at the end of their lives and passing on, I had to move my mother into a retirement home, find a home for her dog, empty her house and sell it, etc, and a 14-story high-rise was built directly across the street from my home.  That meant 1.5 years of incessant noise, my street closed off every day, etc.  It was overwhelming.  Oh, and I almost forgot, the interior of my house flooded, TWICE. 

Due to the construction, I ended up working on the Good Sign album in the evenings.  I would start work after dinner and finish at 2:00 am.  It was a very unhealthy lifestyle for about a year, but hey, I got it done!!    I think the album truly was my catharsis, so the focus was JOY, OPTIMISM, and POSITIVITY!

John :  After listening to several prior radio interviews at your website and it’s pretty easy to recognize you are a positive and upbeat person as you were saying and just like your music reflects.  Is it your intent to instill a positive influence into all of your music and just how exactly do you transfer a positive personality trait into musical notes  ?

Davol :  I guess I have always tried to keep a positive outlook in life. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the tedious minutiae of the day-to-day, but important to never lose sight of the fantastic gifts we all have.  Certainly I try to convey that optimism in my music, but hopefully without being cliché or trite. That can be a fine line, I know.  It probably sounds like a really old fogey thing to say, but I’m so glad that I was young when I was!  Fashion ads were largely about people with smiles on their faces when I was young.  Nowadays, so much of the advertising looks like a bunch of mean, unhappy people wearing sunglasses and deadpan looks – so much pretense and attitude.  I like the concept of “hope”, so I would never make a good Buddhist   

I think there is also often a slight tinge of melancholy in the music I write.  Sort of a mix of bright optimism blended with a small amount of “reality/regrets/disappointment/loss”.  I prefer that 90:10 mix.  I can certainly appreciate very dark music, it’s just simply not my forte to write in that genre, so I typically don’t.

John :  Yes, I love the dramatic notations you infuse into your work.  Has today’s technology made a big impact in regards to the way you have composed music in the past, and what electronic equipment do you use  ?

Davol :  Yes, definitely.  I work on a Mac, using the sequencing host Logic Studio.  My soundset includes instruments from every major software synth manufacturer.  I’m particularly fond of MusicLab’s RealGuitar product.  It’s the BEST for acoustic guitar strums that layer so beautifully with my synth textures.  It gives everything a wonderful energy and feel.  Using a software-synth studio has advantages and disadvantages, but I’ve chosen to simplify my life by not using any hardware instruments anymore.  I could never turn back now.

John :  Good Sign features a song called Truth 2010.  This is the first time you have made the Truth song available on CD and is the remix of your conceptual Truth Video that created a dramatic reaction among many people and considered political in nature.  How and why did you produce the Truth Video, and what where the political and competition events occurring during production  ?

Davol :  That was a creative vanity project that appealed to me at the time.  And I had never done a video and wanted to learn how to create and edit video.  Needless to say, THAT took a great deal of time, but was fun.  That was back in 2007 and there was so much political discontent in the US, that I wanted to take a few steps backward and comment on the fact that so much of our “reality” is based on media stories that, for all we know, may have very little to do with the truth.  If the past is any judge, everything should be suspect.  But we pick and choose, deciding that story “x” is reasonable and we believe it, but story “y” is crazy and we reject it.  We do this in history and have created a revisionist history that is written into textbooks.  If we know that about history, why don’t we view current events reporting with the same skepticism?  So, to return to your question, my focus wasn’t so much on the current politics of the time, but taking a glimpse at the last 100 years or so of US history, in particular.

John :  Do you plan to release more CD albums and song videos in addition to the current ones featured on YouTube, and I ask this half joking Davol, but do you consider yourself a political activist in a sense after the Truth Video ?

Davol :  No more politics! Read my lips!     I really want to focus on what I do best, simply write music.  And that is where my heart and head truly reside.  So, no more detours or distractions from the music.  Videos take so much time, that I don’t care to be involved in that either, although others are certainly welcome to consider such a project using my music – I’m open to that.  Albums are definitely my focus for the future.  As for CDs, well, they will soon be obsolete  

John :  It has been a pleasure to meet you Davol.  B.T. Fasmer and I will keep our visitors informed on the latest news about you so let’s keep in touch.  Before we go today, is there anything you would like to tell your fans or bring up that we haven’t talked about  ?

Davol :  I came so close to abandoning my music career before the A Day Like No Other album, that I just want to thank everyone over the years who has emailed me or left a comment on my Guestbook page.  It is truly those supportive words, stories of moments in people’s lives where my music touched their hearts that have kept me creating.  I thank you all, and hope to keep providing music that will intrigue and touch listeners in a meaningful way.

John and B.T. Fasmer, thank you so much for supporting independent artists and this opportunity to share with fans.

We encourage our visitors to learn more about Davol and the place to find him is his davolmusic.com website homepage.  Read his biography page and go to his music page to purchase / sample or at CDBaby.com page.  Then read our reviews of Good Sign at our pages dedicated to Davol.

When you hear New Age Contemporary Instrumental music having great rhythms and a wonderful upbeat atmosphere expertly blended with beautiful electronic melodies, this may be a promising sign you are listening to one of many quality songs produced by Davol !

Davol has just released Good Sign which decisively aligns itself to symbolize my description above and become an encouraging assertion to those in the music world already familiar with his first name artist title they are indeed listening to someone known for producing top quality music. 

Successful in many aspects of his life, after obtaining a Ph.D. in 1989 his earlier career as a medical researcher and microbiologist were judiciously shelved in 1996 when he began a commercial venture producing multimedia music.  During the same year his debut Mystic Waters became another personal success and made it to # 15 on the Billboard New Age Chart, where it remained a lengthy 25 weeks. 

The decision to pursue a full time music career was fantastic news to those who already knew of his premium quality melodies, plus the worldwide usage of his songs involving television, radio, video and numerous multimedia production scores has clearly magnified this proficient artisan to many more.

Good Sign is an album that upon closer examination is rapidly multiplying in popularity and already making waves with his fans since the April 2010 release date.   ZMR has set at # 3 for the month of April, so another positive finding for the very latest from Davol. 

The 4 additional albums A Day Like No Other, Open Book, Paradox & Nature Of The Beast are all relatives to his current yet each one is a natural variation that evolves into their individual class, each interrelated by a characteristic source of fascinating drama.

Davol has exceeded his artistic intentions with Good Sign and the early reactions granted to his progressive album does replicate the characteristic source of fascination one will find in his entire discography.  Good Sign is symmetrical to Davol’s principal expression of innovative quality music accented with inspiring drama. 

 Scarborough Days is the first song of 8 tracks that gives you a clear indication of the momentum and direction of this definitive album, along with the resulting positive influences his entire discography symbolizes.  This lively song highlights the optimistic upbeat feel and beautiful keyboard synthesizer melodies those who collect his albums know so well and treasure.

Good Sign ( Title Song ) is more moderate by a light ambient feel that will brush a dark cloudy day away for anyone and promptly replace it with a bright sunshiny day full of color simply by the rich interwoven keyboard melody.

Truth 2010 is an electronic Dance / Club influences remix featured during the popular online video now available on this album.  A heavier percussion tempo prepares the groove rhythms before exploration into deeper shades of electronic intensity and is very much in time when comparing to his conceptual Truth Video which captures the superficial and unbalanced influences often portrayed in television media.

Nautikos is another favorite by displaying a natural sophistication and contemporary elegance given the positively upbeat keyboard melody blending notes to perfection.  This song steadily integrates harmonic spectrums in sound while harboring the glowing standard of inspiration Davol can readily achieve, making this album and his entire music collection an exceptional find for anyone. 

Those already familiar with his captivating music have another reason to celebrate.  Newcomers will perhaps experience this sweeping source of fascination for themselves and learn why everyone is excited about this promising new discovery by Davol.

Visit davolmusic.com to sample / purchase or visit his CDBaby.com page.  You can also find out more about Davol at his biography page and MySpace.com page.

Picture Copyright BigStockPhoto.com – Yakobchuk

Some New Age music has the power to inspire us right from the moment it was first created, capturing your attention right from the beginning while also standing the test of time.  Inspiring music reaching this level is powerful, imaginative, and well defined.

Something I find just as inspiring are the true life biographies of the artists themselves and their individual success stories that sets them apart from all others, and what may be revealed in their futures.  I find their innermost passions and true life stories of their careers incredibly powerful and real.

Clifford White is a musician living in the United Kingdom defining our New Age genre in many respects, and if you knew the significance of Clifford’s story, you would agree we can expect more contributions in the future.  His insightful inception into the New Age genre emerged as a teen back in 1985 when he released a phenomenal hit entitled Ascension, establishing Clifford as a leading composer and producer who greatly influenced our primal genre in the process.

Ascension l l – The Healing Touch on the MG Music label is his 2010 sequel revisiting the very essence of his younger creative spirit, now with newly enlightened perceptions as an acclaimed artist.

 Clifford White first composing the historic international best-seller Ascension back in 1985 now celebrates his 25th year commemoration by the powerful and inspiring Ascension ll – The Healing Touch.  The biography of Clifford White reaches another chapter in his life and music, telling much about the man and his insightful dedication to the New Age genre.

The true story of Clifford White is unique from so many artists since he began a recording studio while retaining producer credits on 26 albums, founding the music magazine Sound Waves and the New Age Music Association ( NAMA ) persevering even more where he and top artists began promoting our genre by concerts and individual recordings during the early years.

Ascension ll – The Healing Touch has a reverent infusion into 9 classic songs, ushered in by A Blessing, where mid tempo bell tones unite in a gilded keyboard melody rising to embrace a peaceful interlude in mind calming ambiance.  Orchestra stanzas enter a rich fullness in depth, giving a gentle swaying motion which readily personifies the aesthetic legacy of his insight into a genre promising peace and tranquility to all. 

Eternity denotes wonderful orchestration with flugelhorn articulating an offertory role in a gentle concerto.  Chimes and keyboard form an abstract atmosphere with chorals that lightly crescendo into a proclamation of relaxed contentment, while Luna adheres to a steady rhythmic keyboard pattern as upper octaves support a light shimmer to an already glistening theme.

Sanctuary gives retrospect imagery of the song Hallowed Ground from the first Ascension album, where songbirds begin verbal episodes of their creative entity, lightly recalling a past heritage.  The new melody in Sanctuary now signals in peaceful orchestra illuminations where bells signal in light contrast to a calming melody while songbirds again give a final repose about the common ground shared in melodies during the past 25 years.

In a counter beat melody, Reawakening joins with strings, soprano choir, and percussion woodblocks in a peaceful realm, while The Answer & The Power Within embrace ethereal sensations in synthesizer projections that evoke supreme auditory notes, residing in high melodic textures that reach for the stratosphere in harmonic purity.

The Healing Touch ( Title Song ) is a lightly ascending piano melody where an invocation with celestial harp gently strums a transcendent likeness, remaining well versed with the ethereal theme.

 Ascension  ll bestows another great testimonial to the aesthetic values of Clifford White and his time tested principal leadership towards a music genre that promises peace, relaxation, and calming tranquility with every defining moment.

Clifford currently presides over his multi faceted 21st Century New Media Ltd business, specializing in media consultation of Internet, film, software, television, and media related training courses, having also designed the Medwyn Goodall MG Music.com website.  In addition Clifford has created the New Age Music Network social forum and operates his New Age Music News website.

Visit cliffordwhite.co.uk to sample / purchase  Ascension ll and then be sure to read the full biography on Clifford White.  Here is his dedicated page at our website.

Picture Copyright BigStockPhoto – dndavis

I’m always amazed when an artist totally changes style from one album to the next. Only a talented and versatile artist is able to express something entirely different from one release to the next. Last year Clifford White gave us the massive The Gods of Olympus, which tells the story of the principal gods of the Greek pantheon. The 71 minute long album is simply a new age music Tour de Force, an album worthy of gods.

This year Clifford White has something truly different in store for us; The Healing Touch – Ascension II. It is just as laid back and chilled as The Gods of Olympus was dramatic. In other words; totally different. White is proving that magic also is to be found in the most gentle of sounds.

Indeed, you might argue that The Healing Touch is not all new. This is because it actually is the sequel to one of the most successful new age music titles of all time: Clifford White’s debut album Ascension (New World Music, 1985). This album did not have a subtitle about healing like the new release, but nevertheless people all over the world has been aware of the album’s  healing properties since it was released back in the golden age of new age music. It truly is a pillar, both in the genre and in Clifford White’s discography.

Clifford White is proving that magic also is to be found in the most gentle of sounds.

What makes The Healing Touch so special are the carefully crafted layers of sound. Like on all White’s releases there are strong melodic elements – the lead instruments here are flute, harp, synth, bright piano and a nice selection of analogue sounding synths. But that is just one layer. In the background, much less audible, are quite extraordinary synth strings and bass effects that just takes my breath away (yes, I know, I’m a 80s type of synth fan – and proud of it ). This is where the gentleness and healing is to be found. Most tracks are without a distinct drum beat (except for track six, Divination) – which makes it great for massage or chill out sessions after a hard day at work.

There are two types of tracks on The Healing Touch album. One is the chilled and positive type (for instance track 3, Luna). The other one is the almost sacral, larger-than-life type that makes one think of Vangelis’ best moments or Patrick o’Hearn (for instance track 2, Eternity, or track 9, The Answer). White’s magic is in the combination of these two worlds of sound, creating a package that is simply irresistible. Here Clifford White is just as chilled as on his compilation, An Island Called Paradise.    

It is hard to select one favorite track on the album, but I instantly fell for track 3, Luna. It makes me think of Tangerine Dream’s new material, and it is just as good – the piano part in the end is played with force and integrity. I’m sure Edgard Froese would agree. I also enjoyed the very deep bass and light high hat rhythm.

Last year’s album, The Gods of Olympus, is just so impressive and complex – but clearly not for everyone. In this way The Healing Touch is different; this is an album that almost everyone will find enjoyable. It is just so relaxing, so warm.

After all, we all need a healing touch from time to time…

Sample the album on Clifford White’s homepage. 

Picture montage copyright Clifford White.

In a dream of fascination, one man’s New Age Symphony moved light years ahead in time by his first release on the AMAdea Records label based in Bulgaria.  This visionary dream now advances into a deeper realm by his second release to become a world class symphonic revolution.

Bryan El is the artist title with a minds eye resemblance when confronting electronic music and where his first album Out Of This World began to witness a calculating number of people to his quickly multiplying fan base. 

Those familiar with the classic symphonies of Bryan El would be compelled to look you straight in the eye then admit his music carries a modern day or futuristic atmosphere, and some might even say his visionary projects are somewhat revolutionary.

Northwest Europe is the geographical homeland where Bryan was educated and currently lives, arriving at his stair stepping music ambitions after having studied Graphical Arts at Belgium’s Holy Technical Institute, along with a professional career and creative interests in website design.

Spiritual Evolution marks the second Bryan El album, where some stereotypical guidelines in music are crossed, and synthesizer boundaries seen in many modern electronic influences begin a new interpretation.  To me, Bryan boldly speaks this universal language loud and clear, marked by his spirited crusade of premium brand electronics in a fascinating second symphonic proclamation.

Spiritual Evolution closely examines the challenging theories that make synthesized music a great formula and what can be interpreted from the use of electronic components and one steadfast individual.  Integrating Contemporary New Age, Electronic, Groove, and Chill Out touch, every precise beat becomes relative motion in this modern day configuration.

Ascension makes your first trek into the deep symphonic creations of 13 song origins known front and center by an escalating song of beauty.  During keyboards methodical exhibit of eerie ambience, glowing strides measured out by cellos back and forth inclinations, sway in time behind strong percussion rhythms in an effective blend of unifying ambience.

Dreamscape literally rises above like a hand waving crowd given the pronounced upper tempo showing the lofty abstract of this logistical dreamscape.  While rising to a high plateau on synthesizer, the keyboard staccato notes nicely contribute to equal groove timing, and deeper bass percussion entertains a pronounced beat while progressing into a conjoined helix of modernistic apparitions.

Lightly steady rhythms give Sunburst & Airwave a well blended symphony along with a modern common denominator akin to song Moonshine, with the exception of a more elevated tempo.  The mid range Arcana hazily drifts towards an ethereal plane, much like the heavier percussion and choral backed piano rendition heard in Soulbound.

Fantasia first appears to have a light linier florescence on the outer surface, yet there lays a deeply mysterious vector line etched parallel within this song.  This imaginary line soon unfolds in a moderate tempo harmony with timpani, bass, and snare percussion holding steadfast in their revolving rhythms.

When keyboards enter a beautifully drawn out melody, soprano vocals strongly unite with their tenor and deep bass equivalents to incorporate powerful sketches of light contrasting mystery.

Solaris XL is an iconic song most popular with fans of Bryan El and while this upbeat revision holds a vogue mindset with a completely new matrix, the spirited melodic glow that made this selection most popular, is once again expected to acquire renewed acceptance and favor of those loyal to Bryan.

Those familiar with the name Bryan El have surely acquired this newest world class symphony for their collection.  Newcomers will hopefully visualize their first opportunity to discover the candescent fascination behind Bryan’s unique brand of great symphonic music most are sure to see as revolutionary.

Visit bryanel.com website to sample / purchase or CD Baby.com page.  Be sure to visit Bryan’s profile page at amadearecords.com website and then check out the large selection of great musicians showcased at the AMAdea Records label.

Picture Copyright Bigstockphoto – sgame