An A-Z of New Age artists

[CRAZY-HORSE]

you mentioned 'spanish guitar' and i thought....cool
you then mentioned Kenny G and i thought......i'll give it a miss LOL

[Ruby]

Next up on the Wiki list is Can Attila. He's a Turkish musician and composer. I tried to listen to 2021's Çilehane - my interest was piqued by his violin degree and I didn't want to listen to the Jean Michel-Jarre tribute album which is his most recent - Le Visage. Maybe I should have! I didn't stay the distance. It all got far too earnest. Suffice to say, his brand of music doesn't work for me but he's clearly had a very successful career in his homeland and is regarded as a pioneer of Turkish electronica. 

[Ruby]

Australis, on the other hand is a delight! Yay! The project of Utah based but Peruvian born Oscar Aguayo. I will eat my hat, without sauce, if he has not been heavily influenced by the sadly departed Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou. He doesn't sound like Vangelis - definitely putting his very own spin on things, but you can most certainly discern the influence - Mike Oldfield as well, I'm sure. 

Copy and paste from Wiki - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australis_...l_project)

Instrumentally, Australis' music uses the expected electronic synthesizers and samplers, bringing unusual and interesting sound effects to blend with the main musical body. However, much of his material also exhibits classical instruments which include piano, strings (solos and ensembles) and winds (clarinets, oboes, etc.). Additionally, he also includes exotic instruments for his more ethnic material: native winds and strings (zampona, charango) from the Andes regions of South America, and also from the Middle East (zurna, darbouka, etc.).

And to be properly new age about it, I like the energy of this music. It just sounds whole, somehow - it feels right. I looked at his website which says nothing other than New Album Coming Soon. Will be keeping a lookout for that then! Whenever and whatever it is. Meanwhile, I will look into the other albums. 

I listened to One of Ours - without complaint!! This was the most memorable track on a first up listen ... 




Edit: If this opening track is not a nod to the aforementioned Greek god, then I don't know what is! 

[JeromeD]

Some interesting stuff here Ruby. Thx for the recco. Must invest some time in these composers.

[Ruby]

^At the rate I'm going, this little exercise could last an awfully long time! Struggling to move past the A's! ....

[Ruby]

Paul Avgerinos is a Grammy Award winning New Age artist and a real posterchild for the genre, especially as used by the wellness industry. In fact I think he's created some albums especially for that purpose. I gave Grace a whirl - it's very pretty but it's not my thing ... the music, that is! Lol! Can totally get why it would be most excellent in a spa - go to sleep vibes.

[Ruby]

Right - on to the B's. Filtering out what I consider not to be suitable for this thread, despite what Wiki says! LOL! 

B-Tribe (The Barcelona Tribe of Soulsters, who incidentally are German born) - I do get how they are categorised as New Age although their most successful album using this moniker is dance oriented electronica - iFiesta Fatal!. They are the same people who put together the Sacred Spirit project. There are six albums altogether, that I can see - ranging in mood from the aforementioned debut to iSpiritual, Spiritual! which speaks for itself! 

Suave Sauve sits somewhere in the middle ... 

[Ruby]

According to Wiki, Emily Bear is next up, but I’m moving swiftly on to someone I’ve never heard of before and probably should have! Hennie Bekker is not exactly the kinda name I’d associate with New Age music but there we go again – assumptions – the road to hell is paved with ‘em.
 
Born in Zambia and very active in South Africa for some years before relocating to Canada – his output is prolific. Using mostly electronica at times and at others incorporating instruments, his music is a little eclectic.

Informed in large part by his southern African grounding, he’s made a ‘Tapestries’ series which includes titles such as The Smoke that Thunders, Kusasa and Temba, and then a ‘Kaleidoscopes’ series based on the seasons, and a ‘Tranquillity’ series which encompasses a range of moods. All this among other releases which are too numerous to mention and he's still going strong by the sounds of it!

I do like some of his stuff but can’t vouch for all of it. I listened to 2010’s Moving On which I enjoyed, with the exception of one quite loungey/jazz oriented number – from his website ….. https://henniebekker.com/music/series/moving-on

"MOVING ON is a pure, creative exploration that crosses genres and styles. Best known for his world and relaxation sounds, Hennie Bekker has combined these sensibilities with his foundation in jazz and produced an album that truly represents his depth as an artist. Moving on from the strictly electronic albums of his past, Bekker uses acoustic drums, electronic wind instruments, guitars and the latest digital studio technology to create songs and melodies that are eclectic, inspiring and whimsical."

"I Know It's a Dream" 





I also listened to Mirage which is primarily electronic. Lovely clip and I quite enjoyed this album as well - chillout with a bit of substance. It’s safe to say he is no imposter - can definitely do more dipping into his catalogue.

[Ruby]

Roni Benisek, or Benise, as he is more simply styled, is a nouveau Flamenco guitarist. There are no ratings to be guided by so I have dipped into his catalogue on YouTube. As much as I really love some Spanish strings, what I have heard is a bit too commercially oriented for my tastes. One gets the impression that he’s maniacally Spanishifying everything he touches, which includes some popular classical pieces “Clair de Lune” for example, and other well-known numbers such as “Hotel California”, and that is boring, IMHO - everything you listen to sounds frothy and frilly and light – I mean, seriously – some things just should not be jollied up. There are probably some saving graces, but you’d have to dig deep to winkle them out.

This one was better than some – saved by the fiddle … also a cover, from what I can tell … “Havana Café” …