The Dutch Electronic Musician Hans van Kroonenburg chooses to make his life bigger through playing concerts as Skoulaman, and ours richer through the act of listening. His Fluxes in Philadelphia (71'45") extends the fleeting connection of the concert venue through a live CD. Recorded on 18 May 2019 as part of The Gatherings Concert Series it reaches moods and emotions that a less adventurous contemporary instrumental music could ever possibly touch. Seated in the pews during this confident performance it was hard to recall the existential emptiness of modern life just beyond the reverberating sanctum. The seven tracks found on Fluxes in Philadelphia are examples of the Skoulaman live dynamic at its peak - living in the flow of the moment and simply playing to those assembled from the heart. With still sustaining synth pads supporting interlocked sequencer blips, rising keyboard lead lines converse with electric piano. In the ambient, more reflective zones the mind flows inward - with the focused, melodic, rhythmic sections leading us on a journey outward. When stirring up metallic glitter analogue synthesizers breathe ethereal tones. In an instant we hear the lyrical rush and rumbling of a coming time. With its celestial choirs, growling pads and delicate textures this work portrays a certain amount of drama - yet its delightful acceleration never disturbs the friendly and contemplative feel. With the sound expanded on two tracks by local electric guitaristHarrison McKay, the Skoulaman show took flight in midnight swirls and cloud nine bliss - and demonstrates the rare thing that may be felt when a unique talent, receptive audience and reverential air all converge in a unique sanctuary setting. This is a realization that could never be the mere distillation of several classics, as the unique and supportive atmosphere contributed so significantly. The conditions under which this music was made are of a factor that can never be replicated - a one-time-only moment for Skoulaman to hold forth and make his statement. Those at the performance could see the joy this man took in the act of playing music and creating something new. Through the release of Fluxes in Philadelphia everyone may now hear this joy. This event and album reminds us that the world is still full of beauty and kindness - and the musical realm Skoulaman creates is a place we should all aspire to live in.
Please tune into the 12.15.19 broadcast of STAR'S END Ambient Radio for music from Fluxes in Philadelphia by Skoulaman
For more on Fluxes in Philadelphia, please access: www.groove.nl
Skoulaman live at The Gatherings 18 May 2019 (excerpt) Baku Memories from the album Fluxes in Philadelphia
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City of Bliss & Love by John Morrison
Please make time to access, read and share John Morrison's insightful and comprehensive new feature City Of Bliss & Love: An Oral History of Ambient and Experimental Electronic Music in Philadelphia, which includes great insights into the background, history and current efforts of Philadelphia's Space Age - including quotes from STAR'S ENDco-founderJohn Diliberto and long-time host Chuck van Zyl. Obviously a major task for all the events, artists and personalities of the past 40 or 50 years to be distilled into this piece, this article shows a great effort! Please use the link below to access/share John Morrison's excellent article. Thanks!
Johnny Lancia realizes blissed-out ambient works and concerts under the name Huron. His music is filled with heady drones and idiosyncratic rhythms that reflect the natural world - filtered through a variety of modular synthesizers, analog electronics and tape manipulation processes.
Huron will perform a live-to-air concert during the 01.26.20 broadcast of STAR'S END. Please tune in for details.
Produced by Public Radio Station WXPN, Chuck van Zyl:Live on Star's End 08.26.18 (63'36") is not a commercial release. It is available only as a "Thank-You" gift to those making a donation to WXPN/STAR'S END.
This album is a conventional silver CD featuring over 60 minutes of the Chuck van Zyl live electronic realizations made in the WXPN performance studio during a private Salon Concert (for Tony Masiello) and live-to-air broadcast of 25/26 August 2018. Its four parts each offer passages of improvised in-the-moment sequencer manipulations, amidst the ethereal yearning of synthesized harmonies and cresting lead lines. The listener is invited inside, to float away as the patterns and textures envelope them - tumbling in circles, spirals and pinwheels, beneath unfurling ribbons of creamy synth melodies and modulated, chirping effects.
Chuck van Zyl:Live on Star's End 08.26.18 may seem more like a spiritual expression than an exploration of a musical form. This work has mysterious power purely on a sonic level. But the miracle of this release is that every time we listen to it, our minds will hear something new - and will so find a different album. Absorbing the full tapestry of the Electronic/Berlin-School experience, and the ideals of live improvisation, we can easily imagine every concert outing serving as a mystic portal for this musician's own spiritual journey.
Whether channeled from the astral plane, or just the transformation of electricity into sound, Live on Star's End 08.26.18 is for those seeking a deeper examination of tone and mood. Anyone in love with Spacemusic and its very specific poetry will want to own this recording. While this musical form may have been established in the 1970s, Live on Star's End 08.26.18 feels made-today fresh. A ceaselessly inventive work, its history begins now.
Beginning with the 10.07.18 edition, an archived stream of each broadcast of STAR'S END will be available through the WXPN website. To listen anytime, please access: tinyurl.com/starsendarchive
The Signal: Podcast
This edition of The Signal includes notes on five releases from the Projekt Records label.
Please listen in as host Chuck van Zyl reviews:
Phase IX by Lorenzo Montana
MantraSequent by Jeffrey Koepper
Following the Ether Sun by Forrest Fang
Different Spaces by Erik Wøllo
Spiral Revelation by Steve Roach
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STAR'S END on The Internet
The Listening List - Recent Album Reviews From STAR'S END
(Please Click on an Album Cover)
November 2019 Top 30 STAR'S END Releases - Alphabetical
Have you ever been looking for something on this website only to become bogged down by the massive size and enormous content? Now you can find what you are seeking somewhat easier. Searching the STAR'S END Website has become much easier. Look for info on artists, albums, track names, labels, etc. via a Google "site search" - now part of the STAR'S END Website.
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The Dutch Electronic Musician 
Please make time to access, read and share 
Johnny Lancia realizes blissed-out ambient works and concerts under the name Huron. His music is filled with heady drones and idiosyncratic rhythms that reflect the natural world - filtered through a variety of modular synthesizers, analog electronics and tape manipulation processes.
Produced by Public Radio Station WXPN, 
Have you ever been looking for something on this website only to become bogged down by the massive size and enormous content? Now you can find what you are seeking somewhat easier. Searching the STAR'S END Website has become much easier. Look for info on artists, albums, track names, labels, etc. via a Google "site search" - now part of the STAR'S END Website.
Have this update emailed to you as a newsletter once a week by joining the STAR'S END Radio Group at Yahoo Groups. Whether it's a review of a new spacemusic release, an artist interview or news about an upcoming in-studio concert, receiving the newsletter is a convenient way to keep informed of the music featured on STAR'S END Ambient Radio each week.
