ZAKE 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: Stasis Sounds For Long-Distance Space Travel III concludes a five-year journey by unrelenting ambient don zake and 36 as they once again cook up ambient soundscapes with real emotional depth. Inspired by a fan who said, "I was terrified of space travel, until I heard this album," the series explores the tension between isolation and wonder and this third volume shifts from drifting to arrival, where melancholic piano and deep synths mirror descent, landing and the quiet awe of beginning anew. With tracks like 'Final Approach' and 'Blue New World,' the duo crafts cinematic, immersive music for inner and outer voyages that are full of warmth, weight and the haunting beauty of the cosmic unknown.

Review: UK producer Trevor Huddleston aka 36 and the Indiana-based Past Inside The Present label's head Zake return to their Stasis Sounds For Long Distance Space Travel project, a universe that suspends the listener in time across glacial soundscapes and a general sense of cosmic awe. Soft, slow-moving drones and textural washes drift like solar winds through the vacuum, suggesting the boundless calm of deep space. The production is rich, gentle with tonal shifts and barely-there harmonics that evoke both distance and intimacy, wonder and melancholy. It feels like music beamed in from the edges of the known universe. If you fancy a contemplative journey from the edge of Earth's thermosphere into the unknowable beyond, tune into Stasis Sounds on your best headphones.

Review: Hot on the hells of the epic work Stasis Sounds For Long Distance Space Travel Part 1 comes the second instalment, seeing 36 and Zake "continue their journey through the outer reaches of space in hypersleep" as they have it. There's a healthy 18 track selection to lose yourself in, as these experts of the sublimely chilled ambient get to work - in a typically gentle fashion, obviously.

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: 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 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: 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: Zake and City of Dawn are the aliases of Zach Frizzell and Damien Duque respectively, two Texan ambient explorers with plenty of sizeable lineage in the field. Frizzell in particular runs the highly regarded Past Inside The Present label, and he also has a staggering amount of recorded work to his name. The pair have worked together a lot over the past two years, and now they make the move to Danish label Azure Vista for this blissed out excursion into purest drone abandon, with all the soothing harmonic tones your restless mind could ever wish for.

Review: A new double cassette box from Past Inside The Present, which sees its co-founder zake in relatively rare solo mode mixing soothing ambient sensibilities with orchestral, classical influences. 'Dernier Souffle (Pt 1)' is a great example of how the two can meld very easily and comfortably, a sense of slowly retreating heartache creeping over its open, slabs of floating sounds, whereas the three parts of 'La Paix Eternelle (Pt 1), on the other hand, evoke heavenly choirs of angels. An album with its head in the clouds, for sure, but once you join it there you won't want to come down.

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: Esteemed ambient auteurs, zake and ossa's collaborative output continues to soothe and delight in equal measure. After Syntheticopia in August 2022 and the dark long-player 'A Pale Shelter' in 2021 between zake, ossa, and City of Dawn comes Module, a collaboration that includes seasoned electronic producer Ruben A. Tamayo, under the alias FAX. The power trio brings forth an eight-track excursion into heavy ambient atmospheres with moody soundscapes and a real weight of melancholy. As always, the textures are grainy and lo-fi, the drones long-held, and the chords which poke through the clouds, bring subtle rays of hope and optimism. It is the latest and maybe the greatest chapter in this ongoing story from zake and ossa with featured collaborators.

Review: Past Inside The Present boss zake, Joachim Spieth and Markus Guentner join forces for a collaborative work that flits gracefully down the seam ambient and drone music. The vision unfolds across eight tracks, from the opener 'Elysium' and its almost hymn-like grandeur and the airy swathes of synth on 'Horizon', right through to the super sustained notes of 'Utopia' at its end. A meditational listen for sure, but one with plenty of mood peaks and troughs along the way.

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.