Safe to Say - Down In The Dark - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Eight distinguished artists wrote and recorded original pieces for this album which joins the dots between vintage, experimental and neo-classical ambient, and pays tribute to the relaunched Made To Measure composers' series.All tracks were made to measure for this album, and revolve around the loose idea of wordless fiction. Aside from being such a seductive, fascinating collection of tracks and moods, the album is also modestly aiming at joining dots between certain classic ambient composers (represented here by Benjamin Lew & Steven Brown and Stubbleman, whose work has previously appeared in the Made To Measure series), artists who approach experimental ambient from their pop or club background (Lucrecia Dalt, Inne Eysermans, Matias Aguayo), and eminent exponents of the great new generation of ambient music composers (Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, Christina Vantzou, Mary Lattimore, Félicia Atkinson).

Skyharbor bridge the gap between the postmodern prog-metal movement and the broader rock world, both literally and figuratively, crossing over creatively with dedicated skill and composure without sacrificing their identity. Sunshine Dust, the band's first in nearly four years and first full length album in a decade, delivers on the atmospheric and emotional promise of their earlier material, with breathtaking tectonic shifts between wall of sound ambience and groove.

The Dark marks the debut of EEA, a newly formed ensemble consisting of saxophonist Peter Epstein, Larry Engstrom on trumpet, and pianist David Ake. Whether performing original compositions, collective improvisations, or overlooked gems from the jazz repertoire, the Dark explores the full range of moods and textures afforded by this unusual instrumentation. Epstein, Engstrom, and Ake have performed and recorded alongside many of the world's finest artists in jazz and improvisational music, including Ralph Alessi, Uri Caine, Scott Colley, Ravi Coltrane, Charlie Haden. EEA allows all of their varied experiences to make it's way into their music.