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NAMM 2006 Show NewsNew Age MusicNew age music is a category for music that tends to be spiritual and contemplative in nature. It is as much a functional category as a stylistic one. New age music is music for reflection, contemplation, stretching, resting, reading and thinking. Unlike "lite" or "easy listening" music, new age music is composed specifically for these meditative tasks. New age music tends to avoid heavy rhythms, harsh sounds, complex harmonies, and virtuosic display. The focus of new age music is not on the musician or composer, but on creating music that will meet your psychological needs. New age music grew out of experimentation by a variety of composers in the 60's and 70's. Jazz and rock musicians reacted to the free-form virtuosic music that was popular at the time, and explored more meditative styles of music.
Because new age music covers a lot of stylistic territory, both electronic and acoustic musicians have created music that could be called "new age". A lot of new age music is unexceptional; it works as background music because it waters down music, stripping away anything thoughtful or challenging. The best new age music, on the other hand, has expanded the range of musical style. Halpern's work, for example, challenges many assumptions listeners often have about music. Many other artists have created music that falls into the new age category. Brian Eno's ambient music, especially Ambient 2, is very contemplative. Many electronic musicians have created new age music, including John Serrie, Kitaro, Aeoliah, Steve Roach and Michael Stearns. Some of the music of Vangelis, Tangerine Dream, and Klaus Schulze could be considered new age, also. Paul Horn has created acoustic new age music for 30 years. Synthtopia New Age Music ReviewsBrannan Lane - Piano Dreams and NightscapesThursday, November 18, 2004Piano Dreams and Nightscapes, the latest CD from electronic/ambient musician Brannan Lane, is one of the most relaxing and lovely ambient CDs released this year. Brian Eno - Ambient 1: Music for AirportsMonday, December 15, 2003Ambient 1 is simply one of the most important pieces of electronic music ever created. On Ambient 1, Eno set out to create something new, music that could be ignored as well as listened to. He succeeded wildly, and spawned a generation of imitators, inspired by the timeless beauty of Music for Airports. Brian Eno/Harold Budd - Ambient 2: The Plateaux of MirrorWednesday, December 03, 2003Imagine Eric Satie piano pieces played in an underwater parking garage, and you'll have some idea of what to expect from this classic album. Brian Eno/Laraaji - Ambient 3: Day of RadianceWednesday, December 17, 2003Day of Radiance is an excellent addition to Eno's series. Ambient 3 staked out new territory and new emotions for ambient music. The music is happy, even blissful, while remaining reflective and timeless. These pieces serve as an important counterpoint to the darker and sometimes disturbing music of Ambient 4. David Wright - ContinuumFriday, July 30, 2004With Continuum, David Wright has released a beautiful work of melodic space music that recalls classic electronic music of the seventies and eighties. David Wright - DeeperThursday, December 22, 2005Deeper is the latest CD from UK keyboard player/composer David Wright. The CD is a collection of melodic new age and symphonic electronica tracks. Dean de Benedictus - Salvaging the PastSunday, March 05, 2006On this release, Benedictus deftly mixes a wide variety of sounds, ranging from the clearly synthetic to the acoustic sounds of cello, drums and voice. Diane Arkenstone - Aquaria: A Liquid Blue TrancescapeSunday, March 28, 2004Aquaria: A Liquid Blue Trancescape is light new-age music in the style of Enigma. The music is polished, professional and produced, but also a little ponderous. Enterphase - Solar PromenadesFriday, July 09, 2004Solar Promenades, the latest release from Enterphase, is a strong set of new age/space music tracks that are dreamy and melodic, but that also carry an undercurrent of mystery and darkness. Jean Michel Jarre - OxygeneWednesday, January 28, 2004Jean Michel Jarre was one of the first generation of synthesists to break through to broad public appeal. His pioneering work on Oxygene captures the style that he would refine on future albums. It also has a unique place for many fans, because it was one of the earliest albums of synth music to capture the imagination of listeners around the world. Kevin Braheny - The Way HomeMonday, February 23, 2004This classic new age CD was originally released in 1984, but sounds as fresh today as it did when it was released. Braheny used state-of-the-art instruments of the time with rare artistry and inspiration. Klaus Schulze - Body LoveThursday, December 04, 2003"Body Love" had inauspicious beginnings as the background music of a erotic movie by Lasse Braun. Instead of the cheesy jazz typical of 70's adult movies, Klaus Schulze pumped out a masterpiece of throbbing electronica. Lambert - EssentialSaturday, October 07, 2006Essential is a collection of tracks of in the classic synth-music style. Most of the tracks are taken from earlier albums, but there are also two previously unreleased tracks, Floating In Magic and Glider. Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells 2003Saturday, February 14, 2004Tubular Bells, the best selling instrumental album of all times, gets re-recorded by Mike Oldfield for the 30th anniversary of the original. Oldfield recreates Tubular Bells using a combination of the latest recording technology, software synthesizers, and vintage instruments, including many of the instruments used to record the original. Tubular Bells 2003 sounds great! Mychael Danna - SirensWednesday, February 18, 2004Sirens is an interesting mix of space music and classical programatic music. It is minimal orchestral electronica, with occasional acoustic instrumentation added to provide interest and flavor. Fans of new age music and Danna will enjoy this 1991 release. Mychael Danna - SkysSunday, December 07, 2003This is a set of minimal tone poems that feature instruments combined with electronic arrangements. These pieces won't leave you humming memorable melodies, but if you like new age minimalism, you'll find yourself playing this often. Naked Rhythm - FrequencySaturday, June 03, 2006The debut CD from Naked Rhythm, Frequency, is a combination of dance remixes of traditional music and original tracks. Paul Avgerinos - GnosisThursday, January 11, 2007Gnosis, a new CD from composer Paul Avgerinos, explores meditative and mystical moods. Peter Gabriel - PassionSunday, April 18, 2004Peter Gabriel has been tremendously influential in promoting musicians from around the world. His work with WOMAD and Real World Music has brought sounds of the world to millions of listeners, and even more significantly, to the ears of the world's musicians. His music for The Last Temptation of Christ, a film by Martin Scorsese, mixes electronics with middle-eastern rhythms and instrumentation, fusing the elements to make music that is timeless. Ray Lynch - Deep BreakfastWednesday, March 03, 2004This 1984 release is a classic of lighter new age electronica. The music on Deep Breakfast is relentlessly catchy, with soothing sounds and attractive melodies. Robert Rich - Inner LandscapesSunday, April 04, 2004This release captures ambient space music improvisations from a 1985 concert by Robert Rich. The eight tracks showcase a variety of ambient environments that explore different moods and sound, while also blending together into a 73 minute soundworld. Robert Rich - PropagationSaturday, January 17, 2004Propagation is a deep ambient album featuring music that explores the idea of life spreading itself. Robert Rich submerses you in a soundscape that has an organic and primitive electronic feel. Robert Rich and Steve Roach - StrataSaturday, February 14, 2004Two of the masters of ambient music released this ambient space music classic in 1991. The CD brings out the best of both of their styles, the ambient soundscapes of Roach, and the electro-acoustic murkiness of Rich. This is a great colloboration that is equal to anything released by either of the two artists. Steve Halpern - Deja BluesSaturday, January 24, 2004On this release, Steven Halpern creates a musical fusion that combines some of the best ideas of new age music with the timeless appeal of the blues. Steve Roach - Light FantasticThursday, January 22, 2004The theme of this cd is refraction, the idea that a wave of light can pass into various forms, and change into a radiant display. The combination of tribal percussion, sequences, and Roach's synth washes make this an interesting example of dark ambient music. Steve Roach - Structures from SilenceSunday, January 11, 2004On this classic of ambient space music, Steve Roach uses sequencers driving quiet synthesized melodies to create a sense of timeless spaciousness. Steve Roach and Kevin Braheny - Western SpacesTuesday, March 09, 2004This 1987 release was inspired by the landscapes of the American Southwest. Both Roach and Braheny enjoy the freedom and wildness of the California wilderness, especially the Mohave Desert. This inspired the music on CD, which has become a classic ambient space album. Thought Guild - [context]Wednesday, October 27, 2004The latest CD from Thought Guild, [context] is an exciting retro-synth CD that showcases their talent for creating live electronica and an extensive knowledge of classic synth music. Tomita - Snowflakes are DancingTuesday, December 09, 2003This stunning album of Debussy classics is a tour de force of modular synthesizer orchestration. It features lively performances that served as a contrast to the drier arrangements of Tomita's contemporary, Wendy Carlos. Van and Borner - MiraclesMonday, September 27, 2004This release from Polish duo Van and Borner is hard to find, but worth looking for! Vangelis - 1492 Conquest of ParadiseThursday, February 19, 2004Conquest of Paradise is a sumptious combination of orchestral electronica, folk melodies, choral vocals and renaissance influences. Vangelis - Alexander SoundtrackThursday, November 18, 2004Alexander, the soundtrack to the Oliver Stone biopic, features Vangelis at his best. It is a rousing score, a satisfying album, and a likely Oscar contender. Vangelis - Blade RunnerFriday, February 20, 2004Blade Runner is a science fiction classic, and it has a classic electronica score to go with it. Vangelis - DirectSaturday, January 17, 2004This 1988 Vangelis CD is a bridge between the symphonic electronica sound that Vangelis made popular in the eighties and is current, more dense orchestral sound. Direct is a mixture of electronica, new age, space music, and folk sounds, mixed together in the unique style of Vangelis. Vangelis - OceanicSunday, April 18, 2004Oceanic is a collection of tone poems with Ocean themes. On this 1996 release, Vangelis creates a soothing 50 minute journey through deep oceanic spaces, sounding a bit like a Hearts of Space show. The new age music showcases his wonderful ear for melodies and lush synthetic orchestration, but does not have the edge or sense of experimentation that marks his best work. Vangelis - Opera SauvageSaturday, November 22, 2003Vangelis' Opera Sauvage is one of the classics of popular electronic music. New Age Music SitesHearts of Space1/10/2004Hearts of Space began as a radio show in the seventies, and then moved to public radio in 1983. For the last twenty years, HOS has been a leader in the worlds of new age, ambient and space music. Michael Stearns12/8/2003Stearns is an well-established composer of electronic music. His site features a history of his work with modular synthesis and unusual instruments. Robert Rich11/30/2003This site is the personal site for Robert Rich, an innovative creator of electro-acoustic music. It includes interviews, news, biography, FAQs, and a discography. There are Quicktime previews of many of his albums. Stephen Halpern12/29/2003The music of Stephen Halpern has lived outside of the electronica mainstream for 30 years. Nevertheless, it has been very influential, especially in the world of New Age music. Steve Roach1/10/2004One of the pioneers of ambient electronic space music, Steve Roach has been creating innovative soundscapes for nearly thirty years. His site explores his prolific output, and lets you sample his meditative electronica. Tangerine Dream11/27/2003This is the official website of Tangerine Dream, and is a very polished, professional site. There is news, a history of Tangerine Dream, its members and performers, a discography, and a photo archive. There are audio clips from their albums, and even a TD store. Wendy Carlos11/27/2003The site of Wendy Carlos, one of the pioneers of electronic music. The site has a discography of Carlos' albums, and she provides commentary on each one. Search for new age music with the Ebay Auction Finder! Recent Electronica NewsBrian Eno To Score Spore1/16/2007Brian Eno is reported to be working on the soundtrack for the Will Wright video game, Spore. Ueberschall Intros Scoretrax Royalty-Free Music Library1/14/2007Ueberschall has announced the release of SCORETRAX, a royalty free music library for Video, Film, Flash, TV, Advertising, Animation, Games, Music on hold, Multimedia, Education, Broadcast and Website Producers. Ueberschall Intros Liquid Trumpet1/14/2007Ueberschall Liquid Trumpets are loop-based construction kits (480 licks) adding over 1000 add-on licks and phrases (jazz, funk, pop, soul, afro cuban, buena vista, bebop and electronica).
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The most important artist of early new age music is probably 