In today's program, I’ve got two new albums that have both made my essentials list for 2025 and are captivating new albums in the ambient genre. In the first hour, the enigmatic Aiko Takahashi enchants us with their transcendently beautiful album “The Grass Harp” out now on Laaps Records. And later on in the program, Vancouver-based electronic artist Loscil treats us to a spell-binding listening experience with his minimalist, yet engaging ambient release “Lake Fire” released through Kranky. Both artists have physical media accompanying their releases — you really should check it out.
Plus our conversational topic for today: tell us about the most transcendent moment you’ve had with ambient music! Where were you? What were you listening to? And what was the culmination of your listening session? Let’s strike up a conversation.
I’ve got some fantastic tracks ahead — new music from Andrew Lozano, Kilometre Club, Observable Universe & Piscean Daydreams and many more ahead.
Strap in and make yourself comfortable, join us for the next two hours for global ambient music, on The Stolace Relay Station.
Featured artists
Aiko Takahashi https://aikotakahashi.bandcamp.comhttps://laaps.bandcamp.com
Loscil https://loscil.bandcamp.comhttps://kranky.bandcamp.com
Featured album /// “The Grass Harp” by Aiko Takahashi
Aiko Takahashi is back with another captivating release through the awe-inspiring French label, Laaps Records. Aiko does not disappoint with the delivery of their most recent album “The Grass Harp” — a soothing release rich with heavily manipulated loops woven together in a dreamy tapestry of truly inventive sound design, minimalist piano, and delicate textures. Aiko’s intentional use of silence and elongated pauses feels like a pensive, meditative walk through story-like groves of old trees whispering a gentle wisdom through the rustling leaves, in every drop of falling rain, and every blade of grass rising to meet your bare feet. It’s that beautiful, and has made my essentials list for 2025. “The Grass Harp” by Aiko Takahashi is available now on most streaming music services as well as at https://laaps.bandcamp.com.
Featured album /// “Lake Fire” by Loscil
Vancouver-based artist Scott Morgan who operates under the name Loscil, is out with another stunning release available through Kranky. “Lake Fire” reflects the vast expanse of Morgan’s creativity, ingenuity, and deeply artistic prowess for sound manipulation and texture design. The album’s esthetic feels like a sort of dystopian David Lynch-inspired film, rich with mystique and intrigue, densely layered textures, and a lightly opaque veneer that ties it all together into a cohesive story. The instrumentation with both their compositional and stereoscopic arrangements are inventive and extremely well done, and makes for a truly rewarding and memorable listening experience, worthy of your undivided attention. “Lake Fire” by Loscil is available now on most streaming music services, as well as on vinyl, CD, and digital media at https://loscil.bandcamp.com.
Playlist
* "param" by Alexis DElozanne from "Abréviation"
* "X-Mark (with Marie)" by Kilometre Club from "An Alphabet Of Distance (Deluxe Expanded Edition)"
* "Till we meet again" by Tamer Elshabrawy from "Clown code"
* "A Beacon" by Giuliano Favata from "Inescapable Reality"
* "Field of Memories" by Arrival In Eden from "Field of Memories"
* "Yoke" by Purelink from "Faith"
* "La Leçon" by Aiko Takahashi from "The Grass Harp"
* "Voyager" by Andrew Lozano from "Voyager"
* "Reflections of the Pure Land [Daydreamers]" by observable universe + Piscean Daydreams from "Zenscapes"
* "Covered In Noise" by Hara Alonso from "touch•me•not"
* "Not Alone" by Six Missing from "Without Mind: Accept (EP) - part two"
* "Heartwood" by Hiram from "Green Green Earth"
* "Harmony in Chaos [Live] Part 1" by City Of Dawn from "Harmony in Chaos (Live from Run Pony Run)"
* "Apparition" by RL Huber from "Hafgufa"
* "Walk on the Roof" by Dionisaf from "Lost Rarities"
* "Everyday Dread" by Gregory Paul Mineeff from "Exhumed"
* "Lake Fire" by loscil from "Lake Fire"
* "After the Sun Has Set" by HERE from "Hues of Amber & Rose"
* "Warden's Bacillus" by ab9st8 from "Glory to the Victor"
* "Still Visible" by Jason van Wyk from "Inherent"
* "Incandescence" by E J R M + Unusual Cosmic Process from "Incandescence"
* "Low Motion (Dionisaf Remix)" by KapTep from "Exhale"
* "Kafka" by First Snow of the Year from "Hibernation"
* "Yielbongura" by Ozbolt from "Chasyng Drakens"
* "sixteen" by Stolace from "Jamuary 2025"
