2026 #ambient

Abul Mogard is the alter ego of Italian musician Guido Zen, known for his evocative albums and immersive live performances. Based in Rome, he has appeared at prestigious festivals and venues, including Berlin Atonal, Poesia en Voz Alta (Mexico City), the Centre Pompidou (Paris), Centro de Cultura Condeduque (Madrid), Auditorium San Fedele (Milan), Le Guess Who? (Utrecht), and the Southbank Centre (London). Commissioned by the Organ Reframed festival, Mogard composed a piece for pipe organ, electronics, and trombones, performed at Union Chapel (London) with the London Contemporary Orchestra. His work also extends to film, including soundtracks for Duncan Whitley’s ‘Kimberlin’ and ‘Phoenix City (2021)‘, the latter commissioned by the Coventry Biennial. The BBC has featured his music multiple times, with Mary Anne Hobbs praising his remixes for Carl Craig and Fovea Hex (feat. Brian Eno), listing them among her favourite tracks. Mogard’s music has found its place across creative fields, from film and television to fashion, contemporary art and advertisements. Recent releases include ‘Impossibly Distant, Impossibly Close’ with Rafael Anton Irisarri and ‘In uno spazio immenso’ with Grand River, alongside collaborations with KMRU, Colin Potter, CoH, and Cindytalk. His new album ‘Quiet Pieces’ will be released on his imprint, Soft Echoes.

from spotify

MAXIMUM EXPOSURE INC. PRESENTS JOY RIDER, THE DEBUT ALBUM FROM DOWN TOWN, THE TORONTO DUO OF IAN ELIAS AFIF AND MAXWELL CECIL STOVER.

PRODUCED AND MIXED IN COLLABORATION WITH TONY PRICE IN TORONTO, JOY RIDER PORTRAYS A NEW VISION FOR LOW-END MUSIC AS SCULPTURE. LIQUID BASS PAINTINGS, ALLOY TONE ABSTRACTIONS — A VIRTUAL STILL LIFE FORMED OUT OF FRETLESS ALUMINUM BASS, SPECULAR SOPRANO SAXOPHONE CYBERNETICS, AND METALLIC RHYTHM ARCHITECTURES.

THESE PIECES BELONG TO A LINEAGE OF POST-MINIMALIST, LOW-END EXPERIMENTALISM THAT TREATS ELECTROACOUSTIC IMPROVISATION AND AMBIENT SYNTHESIS AS MUTABLE SOUND MATTER —JOE ZAWINUL’S CIRCUITBOARD CARTOGRAPHIES, THE INSURGENT BASS GUITAR MUTATIONS OF BILL LASWELL, MICK KARN, AND ROBBIE SHAKESPEARE, EVAN PARKER’S RECURSIVE MULTIPHONIC INVESTIGATIONS, THE MOST TEXTURAL SIDES FROM THe ЕСМ CATALOGUE AND THE SONIC HOLOGRAPHY CONSTRUCTED BY JON HASSELL AND MICHAEL BROOK DURING THEIR SESSIONS IN HAMILTON, ONTARIO.

THE ALBUM UNFOLDS LIKE A SERIES OF SUSPENDED ENVIRONMENTS — MUSIC FOR INSIDE A CITY.

from bandcamp