Ambient
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France’s Pierre Boulez was a giant of avant-garde music in the period following the Second World War. He is part of a conversation that includes greats like Arnold Schoenberg, John Cage and Karlheinz Stockhausen. His “Le Marteau sans maître,” “Pli selon pli” and “Répons” (premiered in 1955, 1960 and 1981 respectively) all count as major…
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After producing a trio of richly sentimental discs under the titles Kodachrome, Ektachrome and Verichrome, Dylan Boyd has emerged from his Tulsa, Oklahoma darkroom with a hypnotic new album. Dreamcatcher offers up the same wistful, tranquil beats that have made previous works such easy listens. While its cover fits neatly with past work, the music’s…
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Cindy (formerly Gordon) Sharp’s name doesn’t figure prominently in the history of alternative pop music. It might have, but the Scottish vocalist, musician and producer turned down multiple invitations to join Duran Duran in the band’s very early days after meeting John Taylor at a Japan show in London. Sharp was unimpressed by the young…
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An old friend of mine, who makes part of his living as a ghost writer, once shared a story about a client he’d completed an assignment for getting into hot water. An attentive reader had spotted a passage in the piece that was a bit too much like something he’d read elsewhere. As you can…
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We tend to associate ambient music with pleasant sounds. It’s an artificial distinction of course. Many of the genre’s most creative works – particularly in recent years – are packed with grainy, abrasive elements that on their own can be quite difficult to listen to. Placed in the right context though, they often provide welcome…
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Alt Empordà, which sits on the northeastern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, is best known internationally for its Dali Theatre Museum. Visitors can find many of Salvador Dali’s original works there. In January, the picturesque comarca was slammed by an EF2 category tornado with winds as high as 180 km/hr. Damage was reported in Cistella,…
The Moderns 