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Galactic Travels™ Monthly Special Focus Log - 2010

January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December


The Special Focus for January was
STEVE ROACH
Link to the artist's website
Click on the name, photo, or logo above to visit the artist's website.

As a pioneering cornerstone of electronic music, internationally renowned artist Steve Roach has dedicated over three decades to exploring uncharted soundworlds that connect with a timeless source of inspiration.   From the expansive, time-suspending spaces reflecting his spiritual home in Arizona to the fire breathing, rhythmic-shamanic expressions woven from all things electric and organic, Roach has earned his position in the international pantheon of major new music artists through a long list of groundbreaking recordings, fueled by his prolific nature and uncompromising approach.   The core of this innovative world of sound has been nourished by years of intense live concerts in many extraordinary settings worldwide, further enhancing the emotive, cinematic soul-stirring depth of his music.

Click on the name or photo above to go to the Steve Roach web site.

Steve Roach has been a Special Focus on Galactic Travels™ a number of times before:
You can visit Steve on MySpace and become his friend.

Date Title
01/07 Arc of Passion disk 1
01/14 Arc of Passion disk 2
01/21 Dynamic Stillness disk 1
01/28 Dynamic Stillness disk 2

January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December


The Special Focus for February is
E=MOTION
Link to the artist's website
Click on the name, photo, or logo above to visit the artist's website.

E=motion is the solo project of Jacek Spruch from Gdynia, Poland. His music is influenced by Klaus Schulze and Tangerine Dream. He has also collaborated with another keyboardist, Mark Ashby. Together, they are called ESP. Their album, The Gate has been played on Galactic Travels™. A multi-instrumentalist, Jacek also plays electric guitar, bass, and drums and has played in various rock groups. Jacek offers his music for film, multimedia, and other commercial productions. He is currently working on a synthpop/electro project influenced by Depeche Mode, De/Vision, and Camouflage.

The albums featured this month are all released on Underwater Music.

Click on the name or photo above to go to the artist's web site.

Date Title
02/04 Infinite Motion
02/11 Telepath
02/18 Hypnotic Sequences
02/25 E-ternity

January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December


The Special Focus for March was
MAHONEY AND PECK
Link to the artist's website


Progressive ambient artists Mark Mahoney and Michael Peck have been performing at such prestigious venues such as The Gathering, the Stars End radio show, and Electro-Music.com festivals. Mahoney has also soloed at the City Skies festivals and on stillstream.com internet radio. Peck has also played solo at one of City Skies' monthly events.

You may find the artists on the internet:
Mark Mahoney                 Michael Peck

Date Title Artist Label
03/04 The Gallery of Subtle Smiles Mahoney and Peck Waiting World
03/11 Beyond the Vaulting Skies Mark Mahoney Waiting World
03/18 Glacial Michael Peck Gears of Sand
03/25 StarFest 2007 Mahoney and Peck Waiting World

January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December


The Special Focus for April was
RADIO MASSACRE INTERNATIONAL
Link to the artist's website
Click on the name, photo, or logo above to visit the artist's website.

Radio Massacre International is Steve Dinsdale (Keyboards, Electronics, Drums) Duncan Goddard (Keyboards, Electronics, Bass) and Gary Houghton (Guitar, Keyboards). Since 1993 they have been building a catalogue of epic electronic improvisations, distilled into permanent records by the wonders of digital editing.

After accumulating a library of 30 such pieces they finally released the double CD Frozen North in late 1995, and appeared live for the first time at the Emma festival in Sheffield. The band was also featured on the BBC's World Service, thus finding a truly international radio audience for the first time. RMI had a website long before it was obligatory, and this has enabled the forging of relationships with listeners, promoters and radio stations across the world.

Veterans of TV, radio, and concert performances all over the UK, Europe, and the US, they are coming back to the US to play at The Gatherings in Philadelphia. Their return to the US makes it a perfect time to make RMI the Special Focus.

In December 2006, RMI released the long awaited six CD compilation Lost in Space, a career retrospective but containing entirely unreleased studio material from 1987 to 2003. The discs from this box set not previously featured on Galactic Travels™ will be featured this month.

Become RMI's friend on MySpace.

RMI has been featured on Galactic Travels™ before in June, 2008.

Click on the name, photo, or logo above to go to the artist's website.

Date Title
04/01 Lost In Space disk 4
04/08 Lost In Space disk 5
04/15 Lost In Space disk 6
04/22 Blacker
04/22 e-live 2008

January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December


The Special Focus for May was
Link to the artist's website
Link to the artist's website
Click on the name, photo, or logo above to visit the artist's website.

The man behind Create is Steve Humphries. Using a variety of hardware and software synthesizers his music reflects the Berlin School sound he has loved with a passion for many years. As well as playing electronic music Steve also loves listening to other artists/bands, including Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, Radio Massacre International and Airsculpture (to name but a few). Steve is relatively new to making music, only starting in September 2002 after trying a demo of the software program Reason. After getting to grips with the demo he went out and bought the full version, which he used to record his first CD Reflections From The Inner Light which was released in August, 2004 on the Groove Unlimited label.

Steve is a member of Astrogator with Jez Creek (Modulator ESP). Steve is also a member of Quadra with Brendan Pollard (Rogue Element), John Sherwood (4m33s, Cult of Ashand, Entity), and Jez Creek (Modulator ESP, Astrogator).

Become Create's friend on MySpace and Facebook.

Create has been featured on Galactic Travels™ before in April, 2008.

Click on the name, photo, or logo above to go to the artist's website.

Date Title
04/06 Reflections From The Inner Light
04/13 Space Time Continuum
04/20 Lost On an Island of Adventure
04/27 In the Blink of an Eye

January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December


The Special Focus for June was
Link to the artist's website
Link to the artist's website
Click on the name, photo, or logo above to visit the artist's website.

Jesse Sola is Numina. He plays lush, floating ambient music where themes mix with rich, synthetic orchestrations. Jesse very quickly established himself in the ambient firmament. His deep pulsing tones swirl all around you, encompassing you in ambient soundworlds that embrace you with quiet, deep, and dark sound clouds that unfold ever so slowly.

Become Numina's friend on MySpace and Facebook.

Numina has been featured on Galactic Travels™ before in July, 2006.

Click on the name, photo, or logo above to go to the artist's website.

Date Title Artist(s) Label
06/03 Sound Symbols Numina Numinamusic
06/10 Inside the Hollow Realm Numina and Caul Gestalt
06/17 Sanctuary of Dreams Numina Hypnos
06/24 Shift to the Ghost Numina Hypnos

January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December


The Special Focus for July was
RENE VAN DER WOUDEN
Link to the artist's website
Click on the name, photo, or logo above to visit the artist's website.

Rene van der Wouden is a Dutch electronic musician. All the albums featured this month are on his own REWO Records label. René has been active in music since he was eight years old, beginning with classical and jazz piano lessons, followed by the organ. As a child, René was fascinated by the organs and synthesizers he saw on TV every week on two Dutch music shows; Toppop and Countdown.

In 1987, René's interest in electronic music grew with his discovery of Jean Michel Jarre, Vangelis, Tangerine Dream, and Jeff Wayne's "War of the Worlds" along with exposure to "CD-show" on Dutch radio. The music of Patrick O'Hearn, Mark Isham and Steve Roach also started to influence René. Klaus Schulze's music became an influence when René heard "The Dresden Performance" on the radio.

René bought his first synthesizers in 1993 and has been making electronic music ever since. His first album and concert performance were in 2005. A number of albums and performances have followed.

Become Rene's friend on MySpace and Facebook.

Click on the name, photo, or logo above to go to the artist's website.

Date Title
07/01 Pro Sequentia
07/08 Recreation
07/15 Alchemia
07/22 Universal Quiet
07/29 Numerus Fixus

January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December


The Special Focus for August was
COMPUTERCHEMIST
Link to the artist's website
Click on the name, photo, or logo above to visit the artist's website.

computerchemist is the ongoing solo project of Dave Pearson, who lives in Székesfehérvár, Hungary, after moving from the UK in 2008.

Ever since the early 80s Dave's music has been strongly influenced by "classic" Berlin School performers such as Tangerine Dream (mostly from the '72-'86 period) and Klaus Schulze, as well as taking inspiration from newer, more contemporary musicians with a diversity ranging from The Mars Volta to Csaba Vedres.

Become computerhemist's friend on MySpace and Facebook.

Click on the name, photo, or logo above to go to the artist's website.

Date Title
08/05 atmopheric
08/12 icon one
08/19 landform
08/26 aqual measure

January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December


The Special Focus for September was
MODULATOR ESP
Link to the artist's website
Click on the name, photo, or logo above to visit the artist's website.

Modulator Experimental Synthesis Project (Modulator ESP) is Jez Creek from Nottinghm in the UK. He performs improvised music that explores the boundaries of dark ambient, drone, Berlin School sequencing, and noise using modular synthesis, real-time sampling, sound manipulation, and live looping.

Modulator ESP has been described variously as "vintage synth overload to propel you into the outer reaches of the cosmos" and "one man will descend to (this) earth in a hail of analogue synth tones; called upon from the singular consciousness of John Carpenter and Vangelis - like a 2046 dystopian dream with the optimism of Jean Michael Jarre, and his penguins."

When Modulator ESP discovered that there was more to EM than TD, Jarre, Pickford and Shreeve by finding bands like Arc, RMI, Redshift, Airsculpture, and Arcane, bands that were doing a more retro-styled improvisational take on EM, it came as a revelation to him. One of the reasons he'd left the band he was in was because he wanted to do something a bit more freeform. He knew he still wanted to play live but without playing along to pre-programmed, structured backing tracks.

Things started to snowball when he discovered certain synthesizers, both hardware and software, step sequencing, and delay processors.

Modulator ESP loves playing synths because he loves the electronic, synthetic, other worldly nature of the sounds. This makes Ambient, Berlin School EM the best style for his interests. He plans to stretch the boundaries by incorporating some of his progressive influences.

Modulator is coming to the US to play at the Sopundscapes Concert Series on Sunday, September 5, at 8:00 pm and at the 2010 electro-music festival which takes place Friday through Sunday, September 10 through 12. He will preempt the Featured CD at Midnight on the 9th by playing a live set on Galactic Travels™ from the studios of WDIY.

Become Modulator ESP's friend on MySpace and Facebook.

Click on the name, photo, or logo above to go to the artist's website.

Date Title
09/02 New Horizons
09/09 Live Concert
09/16 Marakata
09/23 Silent Running
09/30 The Unknowing

January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December


The Special Focus for October was
Link to the event's website
Click on the photo to visit the event's web site.

The Ricochet Gathering is a unique, yearly event held in exotic places for the purpose of having electronic music fans and musicians live in a communal setting for a few days to inspire, create, and enjoy electronic music! All music created at this event is live, unrehearsed, and improvised. The event is tied to EM pioneers Tangerine Dream and organized by Vic Rek. The event modestly started in 2000 with one organizer and five attendees. It has grown to include many musicins and fans who clamor to attend year after year.

Each year, an inspirational location is selected and is somehow tied to a Tangering Dream theme. To date, locations have included the Okefenokee Swamp, the Mojave Desert, Poland, the Canary Islands, Tuscany, Yellowstone, Transylvania (Romania), and Croatia. The gathering in Croatia was the last one as they have been known.

This year, Ricochet Gathering is having its grand finale in Berlin, Germany where Berlin School or spacemusic began. This is a celebration of 40 years of spacemusic and features a four day concert festival.

Each album featured this month was recorded at a Ricochet Gathering and is released on either the Ricochet Dream label or it's sublabel, Imperial Teutonic.

The Ricochet Gatherings was the Special Focus before: Click on the picture above to go to the event's web site.

Become Ricochet Dream's friend on MySpace.

Click on the name, photo, or logo above to go to the artist's website.
Date Title
10/07 Mojave 2003 (disc one)
10/14 Mojave 2003 (disc two)
10/21 Muflon Sorcers
10/28 Okefenokee 2002

January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December


The Special Focus for November was
DAN POUND
Link to the artist's website
Click on the photo to visit the artist's web site.

Dan Pound is from Santa Rosa, California. Profoundly influenced by Steve Roach, Dan's music stretches beyond those parameters into a space that Dan explores with aplomb.

Dan was classically trained on piano, guitar and double bass at an early age and started writing songs soon after. He went on to be in the local honor orchestra and was soon writing pieces for the entire ensemble. Besides performing and composing, Dan has earned degrees in recording engineering and electronic music technology, and has received credits as 1st engineer and mixer for an indie jazz release, "Crusin' Some Grooves" by the Steve Wolfe Quartet.

Over several years, Dan has pieced together a home studio where he does most of his work, recording and producing his music independently. He specializes in music for film and multi-media, as well as recording and producing his own albums on his newly developed label, Pound Sounds.

Several of Dan's songs have received airplay on many ambient radio programs, including the widely syndicated NPR program, Hearts Of Space, as well as many others. In September of 2009, Dan was named Artist of the month on the on-line web radio site, Stillstream.com. Many of Dan's CD releases have been ranked in several on-air programs' monthly and yearly top release lists.

Click on the name, photo, or logo above to go to the artist's website.

Become Dan Pound's friend on MySpace and Facebook.
Date Title
11/04 Drift
11/11 Night Watch
11/18 Lunar Effect
11/25 Trance Meditation

January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December


The Special Focus for December is
MODULATOR ESP
Link to the artist's website
Click on the name, photo, or logo above to visit the artist's website.

Modulator Experimental Synthesis Project (Modulator ESP) is Jez Creek from Nottinghm in the UK. He performs improvised music that explores the boundaries of dark ambient, drone, Berlin School sequencing, and noise using modular synthesis, real-time sampling, sound manipulation, and live looping.

Modulator ESP has been described variously as "vintage synth overload to propel you into the outer reaches of the cosmos" and "one man will descend to (this) earth in a hail of analogue synth tones; called upon from the singular consciousness of John Carpenter and Vangelis - like a 2046 dystopian dream with the optimism of Jean Michael Jarre, and his penguins."

When Modulator ESP discovered that there was more to EM than TD, Jarre, Pickford and Shreeve by finding bands like Arc, RMI, Redshift, Airsculpture, and Arcane, bands that were doing a more retro-styled improvisational take on EM, it came as a revelation to him. One of the reasons he'd left the band he was in was because he wanted to do something a bit more freeform. He knew he still wanted to play live but without playing along to pre-programmed, structured backing tracks.

Things started to snowball when he discovered certain synthesizers, both hardware and software, step sequencing, and delay processors.

Modulator ESP loves playing synths because he loves the electronic, synthetic, other worldly nature of the sounds. This makes Ambient, Berlin School EM the best style for his interests. He plans to stretch the boundaries by incorporating some of his progressive influences.

Modulator ESP has been featured on Galactic Travels™ before in September, 2010. He also played a live set on Galactic Travels™ that month.

Become Modulator ESP's friend on MySpace and Facebook.

Click on the name, photo, or logo above to go to the artist's website.

Date Title
12/02 EMS VCS3 Experiment 1
12/09 Historic Edition Volume 5
12/16 Historic Edition Volume 6
12/23 Live in the USA 2009
12/30 Alien Forest Observations

January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December


Galactic Travels™ is designed to bring WDIY listeners hour-long soundscapes of electronic, ambient, and space music.
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