Marc Ertel & Wayne Robert Thomas - "Coronation Ring" (11:56)
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: zake has written a new album to get 2025 underway in his usual prolific fashion, and it comes as both a triple CD set with the same tracks in different versions, but also as this special vinyl release with five different pieces from his Caelum series, limited to just 200 copies. As you would expect from this most masterful ambient leader, this is another immersive work that blends shifting synthscapes with melancholic chord work, beautiful keys with more lingering feelings of sadness. Another triumph if you ask us.
Orchestral Tape Studies II(coloured vinyl LP + MP3 download code (comes on different coloured vinyl, we cannot guarantee which colour you will recieve))
Review: As with the first volume of his Orchestral Tape Studies series back in 2019, zake places a real focus on tone and recurrent murmurs in these magnificent arrangements. They are a mix of delicate repetition, sound treatments and subtle manipulations that pay homage to minimalist symphonic composers and orchestras in his own unique way. It is another adventurous and immersive listen from zake and one that comes in many different coloured vinyl versions. This one is a coloured version, but what colour you will not know until you open it up.
Review: Here comes yet another vital album of enthralling ambient from the super prolific Past Inside The Present label head zake aka Zach Frizzell. This is a numbered audiophile vinyl version (including a download code limited to 150 copies) of Veta, which is a world of smoky half-tones that mix up modern ambient classical with analogue production. The artist himself describes the work as "exercise in knowing when to draw back the mix" which speaks to its perfectly reduced sound - a blend of the organic and the synthetic that is masterfully layered and laden with heavy emotions.
Review: This is a reimagined edition of Zach Frizzell aka zake's 2023 album B and expands on its monochrome, drone-driven soundscapes. It complements a series of chiaroscuro art prints and evokes a grayscale melancholy rich in texture and depth as the music conjures images of a weathered dock at dawn with fog and dense landscapes closing in on the horizon. New pieces like 'Betrayal' and reworked tracks like 'Burnt' reveal zake's signature restrained, simmering power and overall the vibes here range from the haunting 'Blight' to the reflective 'Barren'' which emphasise zake's open-ended, evolving approach to ambient music.
Review: Ambient innovator make seems to drop something new almost every week. But you won't hear us complain because few have a breadth and depth of sound that matches his lo-fi and absorbing output on his home US label Past Inside the Present. He dropped the first volume of his Orchestral Tape Studies way back in 2019, and finally follows it up now with a second volume. Once again this is a selection of richly layered movements of fragmented orchestral loops that all pay homage to minimalist symphonic composers and orchestras and makes use of field recordings as well as gentle drones to soothe your soul.
Review: US ambient maestro zake and vocalist Angela Winter exchanged ideas for a whole year in the course of putting together this, this debut collaboration. It comes as a numbered CD with a download code and is, according to zake, "the perfect orchestration between two individuals at the right moment." We agree as it beautifully navigates a realm between the terrestrial and cosmic with organic drones and ethereal vocals fort and centre. The likes of 'Terminal Sleep' contrasts dynamic drones with introspective moments while 'Advent' offers harmonic pulses and sculpted vocals as Winter's instinctive responses to everyday sounds enrich the album's allure. A perfect soundtrack to quiet introspection, Mid Sky is another gem in a long line of them from this label.
Review: It's not just a clever name. Zake and City Dawn have come up with a record that genuinely sounds like the reflective moods that so often follow great loss, realised on record. Sweeping synth-strings on 'We Once Believed We Owned The Sky' only serving to reiterate the sense of lamentation that seems to pervade every corner of this album.
Sometimes looking back on what was but will never be again is the only real way of making ourselves feel better - by connecting to intensely emotional memories we can trigger an outpouring that's truly cathartic. As if following that pattern, Frizzell & Duque: A Sorry Unrequited is a strangely uplifting experience by the time we're listening to the closing bars of 'The Sparrow's Flight', even if that's only because of the sense that others have the capacity to feel the same as we do.
Review: Stay With Me is an album by Past Inside The Present label head zake and T.R. Jordan from back in 2022. Now it has been revisited for a series of remixes by Dotlight and extra synth and field recording additions by zake that have all been pressed up to 180 gram purple vinyl. It is a work of immersive ambient beauty, with slowly shifting soundscapes defined by the most subtle of synth wisps, but each conveys a great feeling. Dutch guitarist Dotlights brings gentle beats to the likes of 'Infinite Sound' that add downtempo depths and late night romance to the already soothing original sounds.
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: Past Inside The Present label head and ambient powerhouse zake and Tyresta follow up their recent and well-received The Worlds We Leave Behind with Jade, a companion album that expands on previous themes in three long-form tracks. It's a deep blending of pregnant drones and delicate details that is typically organic and analogue. 'Jade No. 1' layers analogue textures that make for a comforting, melancholic embrace, while 'Jade No. 2' features more fractured melodies and natural sounds that bring a sense of peace and calm. The third cut, 'Waiting For the Light,' is a lofty one with soft synths and orchestral gravitas that with the other two pieces make for a contemplative and reflective listen.
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