Shere Fraser Releases ‘Rhyming Poem (Piano & Flute)’

Screen Shot 2023-02-20 at 1.05.24 pm
"Shere Fraser Releases ‘Rhyming Poem (Piano & Flute)’"

Just added to our playlist ‘Rhyming Poem (Piano & Flute)’ is a modern classical composition featuring pianist Angel Ruediger and Shere Fraser on flute. It is an emotional piece with a thought provoking melody that opens a calming narrative with the flute. The musical conversation resonates with a correspondence of sound that is in its own special way, a rhyming poem.

Screen Shot 2023-02-20 at 1.09.00 pm

Shere Fraser is a North American flutist and composer who taught herself to play the flute at age thirteen and later studied classical flute.

She took her music to the skies in her career as a flight attendant and entertained passengers both in flight and on the ground. Shere had the pleasure of playing for many special guests on board her flights, one of them being Michael Jackson’s brother, Jackie.

She was known as WestJet’s flute attendant and was affectionately named, WindShere. Shere is retired from having served the friendly skies for 13 1/2 years and now soars in the art of improvisation and composing with her many flutes, the sky is not her limit!

Shere plays traditional flute, Dizi, Xiao, Hulusi, Quena, Irish Whistles/ flute, Native American, Shakuhachi and Bansuri flutes. Her music is often featured on One World Music Radio.

Screen Shot 2023-02-20 at 1.10.19 pm

Angel Ruediger is a Modern Classical and New Age Brazilian pianist and composer who started to have classical piano lessons at the age of nine. She nourishes a deep interest in History and
Art that is always interconnected in creative reflections which brings insights into her musical inspiration. Although she plays mostly Modern Classical and New Age music, sometimes she has cross overs with accents into Jazz and Bossa Nova.

Stream on Spotify:

spotify_2015

Connect with Shere Fraser:

Facebook F

Gareth Koch & Martin Kennedy Release Album ‘Music In The Afterlife’

Screen Shot 2023-01-31 at 5.47.27 pm
"Gareth Koch & Martin Kennedy Release Album ‘Music In The Afterlife’"

“Brian Eno meets Massive Attack and classical guitarist John Williams”

The idea of an afterlife has fired imaginations across cultures for millennia and is one of the earliest belief systems in recorded history. It is fascinating to consider that a type of identity or stream of consciousness might exist in the absence of the physical body.
In ‘Music In The Afterlife,’ Gareth Koch & Martin Kennedy have created a sound world which seeks to convey a continued existence taking place in the spiritual realm, or otherworld. In mythology there are phases through which the consciousness passes before arriving at a reward in the afterlife. The Koch/Kennedy songs, or pieces, reflect imagined states in which the protagonist journeys through the stages of waiting, trance, drifting, resignation & Elysium.

In their debut collaboration Viennese-trained classical musician Gareth Koch & ambient music specialist Martin Kennedy have created a unique sound world. Their compositions weave acoustic & electronic realms into a seamless fabric in which medieval, folk & electronic influences are entwined. If this melange is beginning to sound like an unholy brew nothing could be further from the truth. The pieces are deft, intuitive & hypnotic, drawing the listener into a reflective & profound listening experience.

In what is termed classical music (perhaps more aptly described as western art music) the earliest notated plainchants of around CE930 were centred on spirituality & belief in the afterlife. From this point onwards classical music evolved with a connection to an otherworld or divine, often embracing various mythologies. Ambient music came of age in the twentieth century in the era of electronic synthesisers, but its origin’s date back to French classical music composer Erik Satie. Satie pioneered a genre of music which emphasised tone & atmosphere, providing the ideal sonic environment for contemplation & spiritual reflection.

Stream Below

Connect with Gareth Koch:

Celebrate Christmas with Gareth Koch’s Instrumental Guitar Album

Screen Shot 2021-11-08 at 3.25.10 pm
"Celebrate Christmas with Gareth Koch’s Instrumental Guitar Album"

Imagine timeless European Christmas music played instrumentally, as if upon a choir of lutes. Ancient & exquisite songs, deep within the human psyche, are now newly arranged by ARIA Award winning guitarist Gareth Koch. The interpretations reveal his signature blend of contemporary flair laced with medieval sensibilities.

The arrangements are both elegant & appealing, sidestepping any notion of commercialised Christmas clichés. Re-imagined as troubadour-like ballads or tender Austrian folk songs, each carol receives a unique treatment. The listener is invited into an array of soundworlds, ranging from the early medieval to English folk-revival.

The music of this album leads us away from the bustle of many modern realities. Instead, we are drawn into a gentler universe, filled with subtlety & nuance. In any year, at any time, this album presents a Christmas message we all need to hear.

Song Descriptions
Little Drummer Boy
This timeless mid-tempo classic Christmas carol is dealt with not just using multiple classical guitar parts but with hand percussion and rice shakers.

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
A very old piece, dated to the 16th century and referred to in Charles Dickens ‘A Christmas Carol’. Gareth recreates the vocal melody perfectly and becomes a terrific hum along piece. Bass guitar rounds out the arrangement featuring multiple guitars: acoustic, nylon string and electric creating a lush sonic tapestry.

About Gareth Koch
Gareth Koch is an ARIA Award winning recording artist, guitar soloist, composer & songwriter. He has recorded a diverse repertory across multiple albums spanning works for classical guitar, flamenco, original compositions, arrangements, medieval projects & song writing.
Gareth is involved with many cross genre projects. Over the past two years he has released two collaborative albums with ARIA Hall of Fame inductee Steve Kilbey (The Church).

Stream here:

Connect with Gareth Koch: 

Darlene Koldenhoven’s new album has reached #1 on instrumental chart

Screen Shot 2022-09-18 at 5.35.40 pm
"Darlene Koldenhoven’s new album has reached #1 on instrumental chart"
GRAMMY® Award Winner and 3 time Nominee Darlene Koldenhoven’s new album ‘Traveling the Blissful Highway’ has been cruising up the Soundslikecafe  charts since its release in October and has now hit the number 1 instrumental album spot!!
Not only that but the single ‘Jade Dreams’ is hanging out at number 2 on the overall top 10.

Click below for the chart:Screen Shot 2022-11-26 at 12.36.03 pm

 The album also had local Australian articles in Scenestr magazine and Whats My Scene. Darlene was recently interviewed ‘across the pond’  for Aparna Vats Point of View show on Alive 90.5 FM Sydney.

The chart position isn’t surprising considering these great reviews of the album below:

It is some of the most relaxing and
dreamy music you will have the pleasure of enjoying – a slice of heaven.
– Keith “Muzik Man” Hannaleck, New Age Music Reviews, Founder 7/18/22

The music of “Traveling the Blissful Highway” is colored with many colors, as if you are enthusiastically
leafing through a color album of a wonderful photographer who captured the most beautiful landscapes
that he met on his way. And each new page is even more beautiful… There is sophistication and a lot of the
smallest nuances in its perfect sounding music. A wonderful end to a hard day, bringing peace to the soul
and clearing the mind of worries.
– Serge Kozlovsky, Minsk, Belarus skozlovsky.com 7/30/22

“Traveling the Blissful Highway is an album you will want as your musical companion, to help make your life
joumey a more enjoyable and beautiful discovery. Darlene’s experience and exposure to varied cultures,
countries and traditions have contributed positively to her broad and diverse vision of humanity and our
world which comes through in her musical compositions and especially shines on this album.”
-Lizzette Cascante, Aurelscapes 8/3/22

Screen Shot 2022-11-26 at 12.21.58 pm
Travel with Darlene Koldenhoven and her musicians on the blissful highway in her new album that features twelve instrumental tracks including four with her angelic, harmonic vocalese, occasionally used as background instrumentation. All of her compositions and arrangements invite us to go out and see the world and have a good rest at the end of an exquisite day. Darlene performs on keyboard synths, creating a culture of calm: half the album has ethnic influences to gently keep you going on the road and half lets you exit to the rest areas. Even when real travel is not in the picture, pack these traveling soundscapes for your inner and outer journey. With this album, the only passport you’ll need for these destination cities – peace, calm, happiness and bliss is your own mindfulness to visit them and the album as your tour guide.
Screen Shot 2022-11-26 at 12.20.09 pm
About

GRAMMY® Award Winner and 3 time Nominee, Darlene Koldenhoven is a vocalist, pianist, composer, arranger, lyricist, speaker, and sonic therapist from Studio City, CA, born and raised in Chicago, IL. Her last two albums, “The Grand Piano Spa” and “The Grand Piano Spa: Legacy” debuted on the prestigious Billboard Classical Crossover Charts at #4 and #8, respectively in May & November 2021.

She was inducted to the Indie Music Hall of Fame at the GRAMMY® Museum in 2019 by the Indie Music Channel Awards and the COVR Award hailed her “Chromatones” as Album of the Year a few months later. Several of her albums ranked #1 on the worldwide ZMR Radio Charts and she has 2 Best New Age Vocal Album and Best Holiday Album from ZMR.

Darlene is best known worldwide as the featured soprano in “Yanni, Live at the Acropolis” and for her role as the tambourine-waving choir nun in both “Sister Act” films with Whoopi Goldberg.

STREAM

Connect with Darlene

worldwideweb logo

Facebook F

Twitter logo

Darlene Koldenhoven Releases New Album ‘Traveling the Blissful Highway’

Screen Shot 2022-09-18 at 5.35.40 pm
"Darlene Koldenhoven Releases New Album ‘Traveling the Blissful Highway’"

The New Album is due out OCTOBER 14 with the first single Cheerful Mohana already on our playlist this one is gold for relaxing and chilling in downtime

Travel with GRAMMY® Winner and three time GRAMMY® Nominee Darlene Koldenhoven and her musicians on the blissful highway with her upcoming New Age instrumental album, “Traveling the Blissful Highway”. There are twelve instrumental tracks including four with her angelic, harmonic vocalese, occasionally used as background instrumentation. All of her compositions and arrangements invite us to go out and see the world and have a good rest at the end of an exquisite day. There are 53:46 minutes of colorful timbres and some nature sounds to keep you balanced, focused, refreshed, and joyfully relaxed. Darlene performs on keyboard synths, creating a culture of calm: half the album has ethnic influences to gently keep you going on the road and half lets you exit to the rest areas. Even when real travel is not in the picture, pack these traveling soundscapes for your inner and outer journey. With this album, the only passport you’ll need for these destination cities – peace, calm, happiness and bliss is your own mindfulness to visit them and the album as your tour guide.

Darlene says, “After being cooped up so long in Los Angeles, I ventured to London, Las Vegas and Denver during the spring this year for some appearances and was so excited to travel again that when I came home, I started writing to process my emotions from it all and I just couldn’t stop! I hope the listener will enjoy the musical adventure and immerse in the sonic benefits from Traveling the Blissful Highway with me.”

The first single from the album (and first track), “Cheerful Mohana” dropped July 15, 2022.

“Cheerful Mohana” recently received a nomination from the Hollywood Music in Media Awards for Best Ambient/New Age (ceremony 11/14/22 and won Best World Music Recording from the Indie Music Channel Awards.

Mohana means morning raga (scale) in India and is known there to have the power to calm down anxiety and soothe the depressed state of mind. Venugopala Raju, whom Darlene worked with while performing in Bangalore, India a few years ago, plays tablas and an array of Indian percussion. Ron Korb from Toronto, Canada who plays flute and the Indian bansari has also shared the stage with Darlene in Mumbai, India. Using delicate, multi-layered sounds, Darlene performs her composition and arrangements on keyboard synths, adding a touch of her syllabic singing as part of the ensemble, driving it to its cheerful finale.

About
GRAMMY® Award Winner and 3 time Nominee, Darlene Koldenhoven is a vocalist, pianist, composer, arranger, lyricist, speaker, and sonic therapist from Studio City, CA, born and raised in Chicago, IL. Her last two albums, “The Grand Piano Spa” and “The Grand Piano Spa: Legacy” debuted on the prestigious Billboard Classical Crossover Charts at #4 and #8, respectively in May & November 2021.

This past May & June gifted Darlene with a Lifetime Achievement Award from One World Music Radio and Outstanding Legacy Award from the Akademia Awards. She was inducted to the Indie Music Hall of Fame at the GRAMMY® Museum in 2019 by the Indie Music Channel Awards and the COVR Award hailed her “Chromatones” as Album of the Year a few months later.  Several of her albums ranked #1 on the worldwide ZMR Radio Charts and she has 2 Best New Age Vocal Album and Best Holiday Album from ZMR.

Darlene is best known worldwide as the featured soprano in “Yanni, Live at the Acropolis” and for her role as the tambourine-waving choir nun in both “Sister Act” films with Whoopi Goldberg. Ms. Koldenhoven has authored “Tune Your Voice: Singing and Your Mind’s Musical Ear,” a comprehensive music education book with 7 CDs or downloads. She performs her music worldwide.

Darlene Koldenhoven – Traveling the Blissful Highway is Out October 14

STREAM

Connect with Darlene

worldwideweb logo

Facebook F

Twitter logo

Throwing Shapes Releases Single ‘Into The Void’

Screen Shot 2022-07-25 at 4.25.53 pm
"Throwing Shapes Releases Single ‘Into The Void’"

The track begins slowly and builds with a fat bass line and fast beat. There is a duality between the slower chords and melodies, and the busy drums, that makes this track interesting and a little unique. This track is about meditation, diving deep ‘Into The Void’ of your own mind and soul.

Some slow piano begins this track with an almost ambient flavour, but wait. Full arpeggio keys, drums and bass hit hard creating a dance floor smash. There’s a breakdown back to the chilled vibe before stretching back into the frenetic uptempo vibe that is Throwing Shapes’ signature.

Screen Shot 2022-05-10 at 5.26.12 pm

About Throwing Shapes 

Throwing Shapes is Fox Shannon: a musician, DJ and producer from Perth, Western Australia.  Unique and forward thinking electronic music.  With influences from Pendulum, Sub Focus and Shock One to Disclosure, Deadmau5. Pink Floyd and David Bowie.

Throwing Shapes have performed alongside other well established D’n’B artists such as Terrence & Phillip at local dance music festivals such as Reawakening and Back2Funk. Their energetic performances and catchy dance floor hooks have seen them feature on numerous compilation and won growing interest from community radio, with air play around the country and some US stations.

Listen

Screen Shot 2022-07-25 at 4.37.54 pm

Connect with Throwing Shapes

Facebook F

Throwing Shapes Releases Single ‘Mind Filter’

Screen Shot 2022-06-15 at 5.27.23 pm
"Throwing Shapes Releases Single ‘Mind Filter’"

An up-tempo drum & bass track with an edge. A heavier rock vibe to this track with soaring synth lead lines and pumping rhythms – a fusion of rock and dance music. It’s about how we tell ourselves certain stories about our own lives, which aren’t always true. Sometimes they become an observation of life through a tinted glass or a ‘Filter’ for the ‘Mind’, distorting our view of the world and preventing us from seeing the truth of our own lives.

Screen Shot 2022-05-10 at 5.26.27 pm

About Throwing Shapes

Throwing Shapes is Fox Shannon: a musician, DJ and producer from Perth, Western Australia.  Unique and forward thinking electronic music.  With influences from Pendulum, Sub Focus and Shock One to Disclosure, Deadmau5. Pink Floyd and David Bowie.

Throwing Shapes have performed alongside other well established D’n’B artists such as Terrence & Phillip at local dance music festivals such as Reawakening and Back2Funk. Their energetic performances and catchy dance floor hooks have seen them feature on numerous compilation and won growing interest from community radio, with air play around the country and some US stations.

Listen

TS MIND FILT.ffm

Connect with Throwing Shapes

Facebook F

Gareth Koch Releases Single ‘Flamenco Arabe’

Screen Shot 2022-06-15 at 4.09.17 pm
"Gareth Koch Releases Single ‘Flamenco Arabe’"

Soundslikecafe presents the next in this wonderful series of Flamenco Spanish Guitar pieces by Gareth Koch.

Moorish influence in flamenco music goes back thousands of years, but it was the Islamic invasion in 711, that determined the musical influences from North Africa. The Moors and Arabs brought their musical forms to the Peninsula. The Emirate, and later Caliphate of Córdoba became a centre of influence in both the Muslim and Christian worlds where it attracted musicians from all Islamic countries.

Song Description

This flamenco piece starts with a Tabor drum and includes some bass guitar filling out the lower frequencies. The song evokes a Middle-Eastern as well as a flamenco mood and as always the playing is superb and is a worthy addition to the monthly single releases Gareth is undertaking.

Screen Shot 2022-06-15 at 4.25.11 pm

About Gareth Koch

Gareth Koch is an ARIA Award winning recording artist, guitar soloist, composer & songwriter. He has recorded a diverse repertory across multiple albums spanning works for classical guitar, flamenco, original compositions, arrangements, medieval projects & songwriting. He has appeared at major festivals within Australia, Europe, Asia and North America.

Born in Milan, Koch began his musical studies on piano and clarinet, and at age 12 was accepted into the Mozarteum in Salzburg. He received his Bachelor of Music degree at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music before winning a scholarship for advanced guitar study at the Vienna Academy of Music. He holds a PhD in Music.

In 2002 Koch formed what might be termed the first guitar supergroup. Saffire – The Australian Guitar Quartet soared to number 1 on the classical music charts and appeared on the pop charts. The quartet released a total of 3 best-selling albums.

Gareth is involved with many cross genre projects & in 2020 released two collaborative albums with ARIA Hall of Fame inductee Steve Kilbey (The Church).

Listen:

GK arabe

Connect with Gareth Koch: 

Instagram logo

 

Gareth Koch Latest Single Buleria Flamenca

FOG582 Gareth Koch Buleria Flamenca 3000px
"Gareth Koch Latest Single Buleria Flamenca"

More superbly articulated traditional flamenco guitar on this fine new tune from Gareth Koch.  The classical nylon string flamenco guitar tells the whole story and the sound of Spain comes through very strongly.

The Bulería originated among the Calé Romani people of Jerez during the 19th century.  It is among the most popular and dramatic of the flamenco forms.  The name bulerías comes from the Spanish word burlar, meaning ‘to mock’ or bullería– ‘racket, shouting, din’.  The style allows freedom for improvisation along with a lively metre which is dramatic & highly virtuosic.

GK PR Code Blue pic edited

Gareth Koch is an ARIA Award winning recording artist, guitar soloist, composer & songwriter. He has recorded a diverse repertory across multiple albums spanning works for classical guitar, flamenco, original compositions, arrangements, medieval projects & songwriting. He has appeared at major festivals within Australia, Europe, Asia and North America.

Born in Milan, Koch began his musical studies on piano and clarinet, and at age 12 was accepted into the Mozarteum in Salzburg. He received his Bachelor of Music degree at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music before winning a scholarship for advanced guitar study at the Vienna Academy of Music. He holds a PhD in Music.

In 2002 Koch formed what might be termed the first guitar supergroup. Saffire – The Australian Guitar Quartet soared to number 1 on the classical music charts and appeared on the pop charts. The quartet released a total of 3 best-selling albums.

Gareth is involved with many cross genre projects & in 2020 released two collaborative albums with ARIA Hall of Fame inductee Steve Kilbey (The Church).

Listen

gk-ffm

Connect with Gareth Koch: 

Instagram logo

 

Gareth Koch Releases Single ‘Soleares Flamenco’

Screen Shot 2022-05-03 at 5.46.09 pm
"Gareth Koch Releases Single ‘Soleares Flamenco’"

Soleares is one of the most profound forms of flamenco, often referred to as the heart & soul of the genre. The mood is solemn & grand & when sung the lyrics are deeply heartfelt. The style originated among the Calé Romani people of Cádiz or Seville in Andalusia. The metre or ‘compás’ of Soleares is one of the most widely used in flamenco & is the foundation style for many flamenco forms. The track was recorded in a single take on a beautiful Ignacio Rozas flamenco guitar, hand-built in Madrid.

Song Description

Tasteful nylon string guitar begins this full sounding flamenco piece. Traditional guitar ‘knocks’ feature here and there on the percussion side. The song is so masterfully played it’s hard to imagine that it is just one guitarist and done in one take.

About Gareth Koch
Gareth Koch is an ARIA Award winning recording artist, guitar soloist, composer & songwriter. He has recorded a diverse repertory across multiple albums spanning works for classical guitar, flamenco, original compositions, arrangements, medieval projects & songwriting. He has appeared at major festivals within Australia, Europe, Asia and North America.
Born in Milan, Koch began his musical studies on piano and clarinet, and at age 12 was accepted into the Mozarteum in Salzburg. He received his Bachelor of Music degree at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music before winning a scholarship for advanced guitar study at the Vienna Academy of Music. He holds a PhD in Music.
In 2002 Koch formed what might be termed the first guitar supergroup. Saffire – The Australian Guitar Quartet soared to number 1 on the classical music charts and appeared on the pop charts. The quartet released a total of 3 best-selling albums.
Gareth is involved with many cross genre projects & in 2020 released two collaborative albums with ARIA Hall of Fame inductee Steve Kilbey (The Church).

Soleares Flamenco is OUT NOW – via MGM

Stream / download here:

Connect with Gareth Koch: