This music is all encompassing, but also brilliantly compelling and impressive. It gifts you the escapism, at the same time as reminding you of the talent and thoughtfulness of the composer behind it.
Instrumental
Creative film composer Will Bates incites a multitude of emotional reactions, with the infectiously melodic, quirky yet enthralling tones and ventures of The Pirate Album.
Music to lift you out of your lull – to soothe the soul and raise the mood, to entertain and impress; everything we hope for when we press play or enter a venue. Mark Vickness Interconnected captures the very essence of all of this, and does so from the very moment the music hits the airwaves.
Instrumental composer and producer David Ratmoko, inspired by a breadth of musical corners from eighties synth-based to traditional and neo-classical, delivers the very best of his intoxicating creativity, with the vast and immersive, distinct yet deeply involving single Prelude Three.
Searching For Colors is a feel-good project on the surface, but it’s also musically masterful, thoughtful and intentional in its direction, and undoubtedly highlights the very best of our generation’s instrumental prowess and potential in reclaiming the prestigious corners of timeless music.
Proxxes achieves a fine balance of all essential elements as a contemporary DJ. The skill require to let euphoric and evocative music fully embrace its listeners, alongside the creative ambition and heart to make something that feels genuine and ethereal. Weave in that inherent versatility, and whilst the Proxxes style becomes easy to recognise, no two tracks are ever the same.
The Touch Of Time is conceptual by nature, but entirely free from lyrics – gifting listeners their own unique experience and escapism as they delve into these melodic and intense to euphoric compositions.
Backed by another fireside set of visuals, juxtaposition is a crucial aspect of the artistry of Björn Donath. The music presents an ambient to heavy metal arrangement but at a surprisingly mellow, cinematic tempo, the scene feels arena-ready and boldly passionate, yet the setting is calm, collected, ready to relax. The whole thing utilises polar opposites to captivate its audience, and the result is a rather perfectly timed three-plus minutes of expressive and modestly evolving emotion.
The work feels devoted to its story, this prolonged melodic venture of changing emotions – rather than simply a showcase of the quickness and skill of a pianist. That approach is rare these days, and allows the album to ignite its rightful spark within the first few moments of listening.
German guitarist and composer Björn Donath masters the skill and emotion of instrumental escapism, with the eclectically played 8-string guitar and surrounding composition of Peace Within.
Instrumentally eclectic world music and traditional folk tones unite with electric guitar and strong grooves – Woven Green provide the vastness of organic musical escapism, with the beautifully unpredictable and imaginative album Emergence.
Cinematic mastery designed to humbly envelop listeners in a progressively intense, slowly but surely evolving blanket of sound and feeling – Hungarian composer and producer Zságer Balázs captures the essence of immersive audio, with the provocative, powerful and deeply moving single Esik Eső.