Conversion, the second opus from German electronic duo Guentner + Spieth, dives deep into their shared musical roots to reinterpret them through a contemporary, nuanced lens. The result is a body of work that blends ambient expansiveness with dub-inspired detail – layered soundscapes that balance openness with structure. Unbound by
Arcadia brings together zakè, Joachim Spieth, and Markus Guentner in a collaborative work that thoughtfully expands the possibilities of ambient and drone music. Released via Affin, the album merges the trio’s distinct artistic voices into a coherent whole, resulting in a body of work that is both contemplative and richly
Following the release of their acclaimed 2023 ambient masterpiece Overlay, Markus Guentner and Joachim Spieth have unveiled Overlay Reworks, an album that breathes new life into their original compositions collecting the limited 10″ lathe cuts and digital releases. This collection gathers an exceptional lineup of artists from the ambient and
Nocturna is the first collaborative album between New Zealand musician Andrew Thomas and German artist Joachim Spieth. Inspired by fleeting moments of beauty in nature, where light illuminates and then disappears into the shadows, Thomas began composing on the piano during Summer in the Southern Hemisphere. Gathering piano fragments like
Following the release of the first installment of the “Overlay Reworks” series in May, featuring remixes by Hollie Kenniff and Rafael Anton Irisarri, Guentner and Spieth have invited renowned artists Pole and Abul Mogard to rework tracks from their acclaimed album “Overlay”, released last year. These two innovators are celebrated
These days the “A Strangely Isolated Place” label is celebrating its fiftieth physical release. The anniversary offers me the opportunity to reflect on some of the events with label founder and operator Ryan Griffin, as well as give an outlook on what’s to come. J: I find it exciting that
For the collaboration album “Overlay” by Markus Guentner and Joachim Spieth, which was released last November, a series of reworks by artist friends was prepared, the first part of which will be released at the beginning of May. The composer Hollie Kenniff and the multi-instrumentalist/mastering engineer Rafael Anton Irisarri interpret
After Markus Guentner and Joachim Spieth’s first joint album, “Overlay”, was released last October, there is now a 10″ lathe cut limited to thirty pieces, which will be released on February 2nd. “Overlay Variations” uses elements that were taken exclusively from the album and puts them together to create completely
In 2001, Regensburg-based Markus Guentner and Affin’s Joachim Spieth first crossed paths through their contributions to Kompakt’s Pop Ambient series. Their creative synergy resurfaces with ‘Overlay,’ a six-track album that amalgamates decades of their distinctive styles – a harmonious blend of Guentner’s ethereal, atmospheric textures and Spieth’s pulsating rhythms. “We
With “Onda”, Regensburg artist Markus Guentner releases his follow-up to Empire, which appeared on A Strangely Isolated Place in 2021. “Onda” captivates with its orchestral-like progressions, an endlessly interwoven carpet of sound that spreads out over six etudes. As if in slow motion, he scans through the individual sound particles,
In the last few years Markus has released a concept series of albums with Theia, Empire and Extropy on the US label “A Strangely Isolated Place”. Together we launched our first collaboration tracks on Affin and the Pop Ambient compilation series, and Markus is also responsible for the new label
I’m happy to find my recent album “Terrain” in The Wire Magazine.
Whenever a new album comes out, it’s a letting go, a period that comes to an end. Terrain has taken its time, preserved many dark and light moments, created doubts and certainties… With the moment of publishing a door closes and something new begins. Whatever this “new” will bring, it’s
The Flow Of Water – The Flow Of Music is the result of a grant that I worked on in the first half of 2022. Thematically, the work deals with the translation of water sounds.
I became aware of the project Arovane at the end of the 90s. At the time it was his remix for Pub’s “Summer” which still impresses me today. Also in connection with the Berlin Hardwax localized label “DIN” Arovane appeared with some releases. And everything that came out of the
British-born, U.S.-based artist James Clements, better known to most as ASC, has been musically active for more than 2 decades. With more than 20 albums and collaborations with labels such as Auxiliary (of which he is the operator), Silent Season, Horo, Semantica (…) it needs practically no further words to
Seasons is the result of a grant I worked on in the second half of 2021. Thematically, the EP deals with the translation of nature sounds and sensory impressions that I collected in countless walks in a nearby forest.
15 years is a long time in electronic music. I associate an incredible amount of emotions, thoughts, designs, conversations, projects, contacts and travels with this time.
Some time ago I became aware of the American label “Past Inside The Present” and was amazed by their diverse and comprehensive back catalogue. The other day I had a chat about it with Zakè, the label founder.
There are publications that take you in immediately and don’t let you go. The album Materia by Italian artist Simone Giudice, released in winter 2021 on Semantica, is such a work. Captivating in its diversity and brilliantly led arrangements, it left me speechless. Therefore, I wanted to know who is
…and yes, I was looking forward to getting some answers from Ludvig Cimbrelius. The Swedish artist came to my attention a few years ago, first under his project name Purl. Some time later I discovered a whole network of projects and productions that all trace back to him. Cimbrelius has
Today sees the release of Ousia, my third album reissued as a CD (originally released in 2021 as a vinyl double 12″). Just like the previously released albums “Irradiance” and “Tides”, the album now comes in a 6-panel digipack. With Ousia, Joachim Spieth presents the third long player on his
The Berlin-based musician and label owner Głós has created his own Non-Print label in recent years, whose music builds bridges between bed and club. Since I have been dealing with this approach for a long time, it was interesting to exchange ideas personally. J: Can you tell us a little
It’s quite a while since I discovered the music of Agustín Mena who is producing ambient music under the monikers Warmth & SVLBRD. The Valencia-based producer runs the labels Archives and Faint. We lately got in touch, that’s why I asked him a few things you’ll find here… J: Your
A conversation with bvdub about living in China, his upcoming label “Silent Reign” and his own artworks
A preview on an upcoming Affin project and some infos about her recent album on Aleja Sanchez own label Northallsen Records
Introducing the Russian artist Toki Fuko. In 2015 I started working with him and with the Floating EP we’re close to a follow up.
Joachim Spieth 