Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Past Inside the Present label head and ambient powerhouse zake aka Zach Frizzell has collaborated with several of his renowned peers over the years, not least From Overseas aka Kevin Sery and James Bernard. Their collaborative album Flint showcases them all their peak with an immersive blend of their own sounds making for a rich soundscape full of subtle depth and warmth. Beginning with 'Conifer,' the record evokes autumn's crisp air with understated drones and field recordings while the title track layers electronics, bass and guitar into a lush, Fripp & Eno-inspired sound. Together with other widescreen standouts like 'Fir' and 'Thistle' they create a beautifully cohesive and reflective ambient trip.

Review: Barely a week seems to go by without us hearing from zake, the US ambient producer who is hugely prolific and also unwaveringly creative with each new project. For this latest in a long line of many essential albums on his own Past Inside The Present label he links with From Overseas for the sublime sounds of Demain Des L'aube. This is a 160-gram audiophile vinyl version that sinks you deep into his widescreen and sweeping crepuscular synth work. It is delicate and spare but hugely impactful and never less than utterly comforting, even when the moods can be heavily introspective.

Review: This is a special cassette tape version of the recent album from zake, one of ambient's most prolific artists, alongside From Overseas on his own Past Inside The Present label. As always it is an almost impossibly deep ambient selection that once again finds him exploring fresh and always emotionally moving musical territory. Demain Des L'aube features eight tunes that convey real melancholia and have a gently persuasive sense of movement. Each one is vast in scale and sweeps you up and sinks you into the grainy lo-fi pads, wispy melodies and distant string-based sombreness.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


Barely a week seems to go by without us hearing from zake, the US ambient producer who is hugely prolific and also unwaveringly creative with each new project. For this latest in a long line of many essential albums on his own Past Inside The Present label he links with From Overseas for the sublime sounds of Demain Des L'aube. This is a 160-gram audiophile vinyl version that sinks you deep into his widescreen and sweeping crepuscular synth work. It is delicate and spare but hugely impactful and never less than utterly comforting, even when the moods can be heavily introspective.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


zake has to be one of the most prolific musical creators out there right now, but even more remarkable than the amount of music he puts out is the fact that it is all so unwaveringly good. This time he has worked on a record with From Overseas: Demain Des L'aube comes on his own Past Inside The Present label on lovely opaque maroon vinyl and is another deep dive into his personal vision for ambient. All eight tracks pair devastatingly impactful synths that convey real melancholia with a gently persuasive sense of movement. They sweep up and around you, stretch out to infinity and leave a last impression on your heart.

Review: zake has to be one of the most prolific musical creators out there right now, but even more remarkable than the amount of music he puts out is the fact that it is all so unwaveringly good. This time he has worked on a record with From Overseas: Demain Des L'aube comes on his own Past Inside The Present label on lovely opaque maroon vinyl and is another deep dive into his personal vision for ambient. All eight tracks pair devastatingly impactful synths that convey real melancholia with a gently persuasive sense of movement. They sweep up and around you, stretch out to infinity and leave a last impression on your heart.

Review: Past Inside The Present wastes no time at all in getting back to serving up essential sounds in 2024, this time with Live Improvisations offering up music by zake, From Overseas, Hakobune and Chihei Hatakeyama. The first side is music made back in 2014 in a session between Yorifuji and Hatakeyama in rural Japan and the flipside is a response to it from zake and From Overseas. It makes for two delightfully crepuscular ambient pieces that slowly and subtly unfurl and draw you in deep to their ever-shifting layers and billowing synth-scapes.

Review: This is a special audiophile vinyl version of Live Improvisations, an album featuring two sides of music, one the response to the other. The A-side is a recording of a 2014 session between Hakobune and Chihei Hatakeyama that was made with the colours of autumn and rural Japan in mind. Both of these artists have composed dozens of works that have established them as leaders in their field and this is no different. On the flip, zake and From Overseas craft 'Live Improvisation II' and 'forge an intercontinental bond' as they recorded the music in one take with no editing afterward. It's a gorgeous listen that shows a real mastery of tone and texture.

Review: This new one from our favourite US ambient outlet takes the form of a selection of long-form compositions from artists who are close to the label. As such it's a perfect reflection of its signature sound - deeply immersive soundscapes, slowly shifting synths and meditative moods made with a mix of hardware tools, guitars, pedals and even baritone vocals. It's named after a Norwegian term for warmth and intimacy, which certainly plays out from the evolving loops of 'A Whisper' to the textured melancholy of 'Canaan' and the reverberant drift of 'Coronation Ring'.

Review: Certain Path is a serene, piano-driven album by collaborators zake (aka label head Zach Frizzell), From Overseas which is Kevin Sery and City of Dawn aka Damien Duque. This reflective collection of seven pieces invites deep contemplation with tender piano motifs and subtle drones creating a meditative atmosphere. Opening with 'Where Time Slows Down,' the album blends delicate melodies with layered guitar textures. Inspired by Frizzell's wife, the title track offers heartfelt emotion, while 'Avec l'aide de Vincent' honours a close mentor. Throughout, the artists employ nocturnal recording sessions, field recordings and analogue treatments to craft an introspective, evocative listening experience.

Review: zake, best known for his work on the prolific Past Inside The Present label that he co-founded, lines up with esteemed soundtrack wizard James Bernard and Marc Ertel, whose work centres on the healing, restorative powers of music. The album for Florina Cassettes boasts five tracks that veer on the grander end of the ambient scale - big, airy, blustery mini-symphonies that blow out the cobwebs, from opening tune 'Protector Of The Night' to closer 'Who Hath Listened'. If there is a moment of respite, it's the midway point, 'Sustained Beath', way more static and calm than the tracks it intersects. It's still filled with drama and emotion, as everything here does.

Review: Back in February, the prolific Past Inside The Present label boss Zake hooked up with Marc Ertel, James Bernard, and From Overseas at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis for a very intimate live show in a historic Gothic Chapel. A vast array of instruments were used including a Fender Telecaster, Meris Mercury 7, Eurorack modular synthesizer, Stingray bass guitar and literally tens more tools and toys and the resulting eight tunes of absorbing ambient are all presented here. It is another mystic and mystifying release from this label that reaches sublime new emotional highs.

Review: What more could you ask for than three highly respected masters of ambient sound coming together to create a piece de resistance of aural brilliance? PITP and ZDR does it again; this time combining an incredible 'trio de force' consisting of zake, Markus Guentner, and James Bernard. Introducing 'Pyramiden'; a declaration of ambient excellence that will no doubt be held with the highest regards for generations to come. These eight arrangements take the listener on a journey to the most remote places, finding comfort in the beauty of stillness, awe-inspiring landscapes, and illuminated nights of wonder. The tracklist may suggest a cold, lonely affair with titles such as, 'Polar Night', 'Seafrost', and 'Arctic Choir' but it is quite the contrary. Even in the coldest of times and places, warmth has its place and purpose. Warmth in this case could quite possibly be hope. An incredible array of textures and layers permeate throughout Pyramiden with impeccable beauty and pure resonance.