interview: roger goula

I was extremely fortunate to be rewarded the opportunity to interview Roger Goula who has just released a colorful journey of space meets post-classical music entitled OVERVIEW EFFECT. It has become one of my favorite releases in 2016 (which is reserved for very, very few releases). You can read the review of Overview Effect HERE. Special thanks goes to Katie (!) for giving me the unique experience to pick Roger's mind for such insightful and thorough ponderings. 

TONEPOET: Greetings, Roger. First off, I want to sincerely congratulate you on the momentous occasion of releasing Overview Effect. As an advocate and connoisseur of this particular genre, I have to say that you've really dialed in a heartfelt tip of the hat to this style of music. How did this vision come to fruition, and who or what was instrumental or influential in providing you the means to bring this project to life with such integrity in regards to this genre?

review: roger goula - overview effect

It might come to no surprise that of all of the sub-genres of ambient, I'm very fond of space music in particular, and by far my favorite mixes tend to be the ones that are space themed (ODE TO THE COSMIC VOYAGER and GAZING INTO THE INFINITE COSMIC ABYSS). I've followed the musical careers of such pioneers as Jonn Serrie and Michael Stearns, and I've witnessed the birth of stars (pun intended) within this genre such as Luca Gherardi and Vortex Mechanic. Even when I have free time, I'll manage to take in Vangelis' unbelievable footage of Mythodea Live in Greece. For me, space is the place. It's a music form that consistently seems to access a bit more thematic elements than the typical drone-based ambient, and it definitely creates a deeper field in which to be aurally lost within. When I discover a new artist in the space genre that is par with the seasoned veterans, I become that child in the candy store. Such is the case with the ROGER GOULA release of OVERVIEW EFFECT. 

soundtrack for imaginary spaces

I'm VERY happy today that I have (finally) completed a project that has taken me a year. It has a been a very difficult year trying to make the time to get ideas down, compositions written, and all of the technical details ironed out. Perseverance has fortunately paid off and I can finally deliver the strongest music that I've been able to write in the time that I've been doing this. 

This is a pay-what-you-want release. If you feel like paying, beautiful. If not, also beautiful. Even if you pay the bare minimum you will get a PDF booklet with explanations of every variation of artwork that I had considered as front covers for this release. You also get all of the artwork. If you want the music, and the artwork, but are not in a position to pay, just contact me and I'll be more than happy to send you a download code. No strings attached (no email lists, or spam or any of that other garbage, I hate that as much as anyone).

Please share the music with everyone that you can, and most of all enjoy it. I took special care to produce something that fulfilled my soul before I even considered releasing it into the ether. Mouse over the image above and you can click the link to be taken to the download page. Peace.

//tonepoet//

review: cloudfall - days of wind

It's not often enough that I get the chance to put my thoughts down on releases of independent artists that are relatively new to putting out music and don't have the benefits of great promotion. So it warms my heart when I actually find a very strong outing that might seemingly go unnoticed and be able to use the music in a session in hopes that it will put the artist's names out there for others to discover. CLOUDFALL is one such discovery for me. Oftentimes, I'll go on Bandcamp in search of what I can get for free so that I can sprinkle future mixes with unknown artists that happened to surface (and not end up broke from it!). I came across Cloudfall's release DAYS OF WIND, and can't sing enough praises about it. With new artists, it happens that one song stands out and the rest is filler. This is not the case with Cloudfall. I've managed to use (quite effortlessly) quite a few colors in the last three mixes (WHEN NIGHT MEETS LIGHT, MUSIC FOR STARGAZING, and ODE TO THE COSMIC VOYAGER). I got a chance to communicate with Cloudfall, and his means for creating his sonic ventures, while simple in design, are complex in delivery. This unassumingly astonishing release delivers a mountain of emotive sound that is wrapped in an honesty and intensity.

review: jóhann jóhannsson - orphée

Hello, all. I'm very pleased to be given the opportunity to put my thoughts down on a release that is equal parts inspiring and beautiful, while wrapped in an elegance that displays the highest degree of musical integrity. JÓHANN JÓHANNSSON is an Icelandic composer that has blessed us with a vibrantly organic journey that combines thoughtful melodies intertwined with a delicate minimal approach to classical music. Jóhann is a Grammy nominated and Golden Globe winning artist that has fine tuned his sense of melody and harmonic space through his film work and live performances. Much respect to an artist that is not living in the vacuum of a sterile studio environment, but rather embraces the challenges of communicating their vision in the world of live performance. His TOURING SCHEDULE can attest to his dedication of realizing the importance of performing for an audience and being sensitive to their interpretations.