merry christmas

Hoping that everyone all over the world will have a prosperous and peaceful 2018. Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays from your dedicated staff at Spaceman's Transmissions!

Peace. 

//tonepoet//

my favorite releases of 2017

This has to be the most stressful event for the entire year! Hahaha! Picking what seems like a handful of favorite releases out of a mountain of amazing music is not an easy task. That said, saying that this is all that I really, really love, or that these are my only favorite releases is a fallacy. I guess that it came down to narrowing ones that would fit safely within a picture. Ha! Some of the releases have music that is not only ambient on them, but I love the music regardless. Anything that I've used this year (which I'm quite certain is a whole lot) is something from a release that is above and beyond in both beauty and inspiration. This list is no means definitive, or exclusive.


Below are the links to the releases, as well as links to the artist websites (for compilations, only links to the releases). I favor each of these for specific reasons which I'll explain. On we go......

camping under the stars volume 3 (rebirth)

It is time once again, dear listen, to recognize and celebrate those who grace BANDCAMP with the presence of their aural artistry. I'm continuously inspired and in awe of the amazing vibes that live and breathe on Bandcamp, searching for a home within our minds and ears. With a small bit of searching, one can reap the benefits of the artistic fruits that creative artists have toiled over, with hopes that their creations will find a new world to take root in and germinate within us. Color your world with this session, and enable your mind's eye to relish the beauty and integrity that these artists present to you. I am but only a lone traveler and advocate among the cosmos that puts the wrapping paper upon the gift with hopes that you will taste the chocolate and search out those that have created the confection for you. No calories will haunt you as you allow yourself to surrender to its addictive nature. 

following the path of a dream (collaboration with cosmic caveman)

Hello, weary space travelers. Today, we are embarking on a special journey that is manned by two cosmic pilots that are both certified dream weavers and licensed in sonic amalgamation studies. I'm blessed by the attendance of a qualified technician in the field of aural science in an effort to tweak this morsel to its optimal state of flavor with maximum mentally digestive capabilities. Together, with the rewarding and inspiring assistance of COSMIC CAVEMAN, we were able to build a strong team of like-minded and goal-oriented unity. Collectively, we designed a tapestry that is beyond our initial prototype of a journey that begins and ends in a surreal dream world. 

to find that place called home

Just recently I got to take a trip home. I was able to get my head right and fill it up with a good bit of nostalgia. I've lived the majority of my life away from where I was born (which I will always consider my home), and even though I'm still fascinated by the many ventures that I've taken (I've lived in a few different countries and have traveled extensively throughout the US), there really is no place like home. As persistent as I've tried to be escaping home, it always still draws me back with some sort of invisible force created by my memories. Trying to separate that seed from the tree is a very futile and meaningless event. I've always looked at those who chose to live close to the place where their favorite childhood memories were birthed and didn't really understand how these people didn't move on. Now, I can say that I understand and sympathize with those individuals.

mental drift vol. 2 (still drifting)

Today we will continue a journey that we began a while back, and in doing so, we will step off with the same tapestry that we ended with on that first leg of the venture. Our desire to remain in a state of fluidity is driven by the need to coexist with those factors which seem to deplete our mental and creative flow and disrupt progress and forward momentum. Let's not create the current which exists to carry us upward and onward, but rather surrender to the woven colors and enter a dreamlike state where we rise above our earthly floor. This is where we can put our obstacles in better perspective to achieve our dreams.

As you begin your drift, be sure to mute cell phones and other distracting devices so as to fortify and enhance the experience of taking in every possible creative morsel to fill you hungry mind. With a blank slate, you will be able to craft your own artistically driven journey with colors that only you imagine and execute into a carefully developed tapestry.  Hang this beautiful creation that is unique to you within that universe of your mind that holds the things which you cherish and save for later times when called for. Enjoy the journey and keep drifting. Peace.

N/E/W/S

Hello to you all drifting among the ether of cyberspace. I am very happy to present to you my latest release entitled N/E/W/S. I've compiled sessions over the past 2 years as well as compositions that have sat in a vault, awaiting the opportunity to be developed from seedlings into living entities. My art is now ready to see daylight. With the afforded time, I was allowed to put a bit of effort into what I believe would be compositions worthy of stamp of approval. That said, I'm extremely ecstatic to be given the chance to share N/E/W/S with you all! It has surpassed my expectations in its development. I planned for a 4 song EP, but didn't want to churn something that didn't move me. I still wanted strong compositions and honest melodies, and hopefully, I believe that I have achieved that mission. What was supposed to be two distinctly different releases have been combined into this one effort to allow me the opportunity to share everything that I have in one fell swoop.

Feel free to download and keep in your library, and share it as much as you like. If you like it (or don't), don't hesitate to let me know. If you use it in any way for anything, please let me know. Thanks for tuning in. Peace.

//tonepoet//

[DOWNLOAD N/E/W/S]

imagining your world from here

Hello, fellow cosmic dwellers, and welcome to the latest edition of Spaceman's Transmissions. This journey will require us to transcend a bit higher than our earthly floor to get a bird's eye glimpse of the celestial body that we call Mother Earth. During our travels, we'll seek to exist just above the surface of whatever turmoil and disruptions lie below our comfortable ceiling, and put into perspective all of the situations that need our attention and consideration. With this calibration of mental facilities, our goal is to then seek the answers to the many puzzles that life throws us, with a renewed creative focus that will effortlessly untangle the mysterious responsibilities that cause friction and turbulence. All that we here at Spaceman's Transmissions ask is to allow yourself the single hour within your day to let go and find solace, peace, and comfort in the tapestry of color and sound. Allow this collage entry into your unsettled mind in effort that it will untangle the situations that bind you to what ails you. Your mission, should you accept, is to seek and implement the peacefully subliminal flow so that you may assist others with turbulent situations in an effort to pay it forward.

interview: olivier alary

With this posting, I was really far too fortunate to be granted an exclusive interview with OLIVIER ALARY. His newly released album, FICTION/NON-FICTION from 130701, is above and beyond a truly flawless work of musical art. The facets of musical depth go beyond any sort of cliched genres of post-classical or ambient, and instead delve into a realm of pure musical art with the highest regard to emotional impact, all the while staying true to this artist's intentions and integrity. You can read the review of the album HERE. When I come across musical masterpieces such as this (with an absolutely astounding roster of support musicians), I can't help but wonder the who, why, and how. Being a musician myself, getting inside the minds of musician/composers such as Olivier is the kind of insight that is as inspiring as the music that he's presented with this release. That said, take in a really great read from the mind of Olivier Alary. 

TONEPOET: Hello, Olivier. Congratulations on such a powerful release. Fiction/Non-Fiction is a deep journey and a beautifully conceived release. The compositions are minimal yet intense, and each song presents such a diversity in instrumental color that is effectively drawn from each individual musician. Did you play a big role with meticulous guidance of the musicians to your final compositions, or did you allow them to explore their parts with the intention of a pleasant surprise as an outcome?

OLIVIER: Thanks for your kind words! Regarding this process, it’s really a lot of back and forth.

I’ve developed personal techniques with many musicians for the past ten years.

review: olivier alary - fiction/non-fiction

It's an absolute honor to be sharing my thoughts on an outstanding new release from a very gifted French composer by the name of OLIVIER ALARY. I was familiar with Olivier before his release of FICTION/NON-FICTION by way of the release  ELEVEN INTO FIFTEEN (A 130701 COMPILATION). I've even been fortunate enough to have used 2 songs of his in recent sessions (WHEN NIGHT MEETS LIGHT as well as WE HAVE BECOME INFINITE). With the release of Fiction/Non-Fiction, I thankfully have a treasure trove of new sonic colors in which to feed my ears and mind. 

review: selffish - he she them us

I can tell that my aural experience is going to be an amazing one when I find myself peering about the room searching for that sound that I just heard, without a conscious awareness that it's the music that is creating this backdrop within my mind. This extremely artistically imagined release from SELFFISH (Andrejs Eigus) creates that space. By introducing colorful images of sound through, Selffish meticulously constructs some of the best and most ambitious music to ever grace my ears in a long time. It might sound juvenile to even say it, but trying to explain the beauty, intensity, and perfectly executed intention of this music is cheapening the actual experience of taking in HE SHE THEM US. This is a rare case of the book (that you are now reading) being a fraction as good as the movie.

we have become infinite

Hello, ambient space travelers. Today, we will embark on a journey through a cerebral dreamlike state of semi-conscious travel, with a duration lasting from the cosmic sunrise to the cosmic sunset. For a single hour out of your busy and turbulent life, we will assemble ourselves comfortably within our space pods for a colorful excursion that brings us many peaks and valleys. Each interpretation of this experience will be unique. Knowing this, you are equipped with the knowledge that your journey belongs to you alone. Right now, no one's experience is more important than your own. 

as we unfold our celestial daydreams

Greetings, fellow travelers. Today, we here at Spaceman's Transmissions wish to be blessed with your attendance on our latest journey to the celestial horizon in effort to witness the event of an aural rain-shower. Our journey will reward us with the beautiful visions of a world within our minds. There is still a realm of your mind that is untapped and undiscovered, full of creativity, beauty, and child-like wonder. Let go of the chaotic physical realm and delve into the sonic realm to reap mental benefits. Within our tired minds, we will map out our path to solace and mental clarity. We will attempt to reemerge with a renewed sense of purpose, enlightenment, and comfort. Take in the beauty of this session, and realize that its sole purpose is to put you, the aural attendee, in a new headspace. With your accommodations upgraded to first class, we are quite confident that this undertaking will be a successful one.