“it’s calming, yet there’s so much taking place” MusicMasterXC with ‘Antarctica’ now 3rd on Reverbnation Ambient Charts

This is a really powerful piece of music. The opening bars of instrumentation set a soundscape that washes over you, calms and intrigues you all at once, then as things progress there’s a sense of creative freedom and unusual artistry. Nothing is quite as you might expect, from the instruments chosen to the flickers of distant, tribal drums, and even to the vocal part that later comes into play.

There are a few artists and bands that come to mind when this sort of sound pours out through the airwaves, but nothing too nostalgic stays for long; the music in this case has a really new and unpredictable style to it. There’s even the sound of a saxophone at one point, and as mentioned, there are these snippets of unexpected emotion every now and then to really keep things interesting. The music actually gives you the feeling of wandering down a busy street; every sound you hear is someone new that you pass – every snippet of instrumentation is a moment of their lives passing by in unison with yours.

The great thing about the musicality itself is that you can really pick out these sounds – this could very well be an organic performance, nothing electronic, nothing synthesised, just real instruments being played right there in the moment. Whether this is the case or not, the effect is lasting, and the way in which each instrumental moment fits in so well with the piece adds a huge amount to the value and strength of the listening experience. It’s a pleasure to listen to, it’s calming, yet there’s so much taking place – your mind can wander freely, while your body relaxes, and all of these stories unfold before you as you sit and take it all in.

By Rebecca Cullen

Rebecca is a Musician and writer from Manchester, UK, with an MA in Song Writing.