Music for Magnolia Trees is a compilation of downtempo and ambient electronic music, curated and presented by TRIP FM and Triplicate Records.
This 15-track project is a pleasant journey, peppered with peaks and valleys of mood and energy. Pinging back and forth between ethereal ambience and chill-out beats, the diversity of the artists work is spread out like a fine mixed-berry jam over crispy toast.
While you could not say this is a purely ambient release, the whole track list exudes an ambiance of warmth and comfort, even when the grooves are hitting. The resulting listen is wholesome and enjoyable, whether passively as background music, or actively, perhaps as soundtrack to an afternoon bike ride.
Several of the tracks stand-out in their splendor and composition – such as ‘I’ll See You When The Rains Come‘ by Johnny Fallout, which travels between heartwarming classic ambient and late 90’s IDM sounds, making for quite the electronica odyssey. ‘Different Vibrations‘ by Cathode Ray Tube is another highlight, packed with deeply satisfying percussion delays and textural synth-work.
‘Gone Without A Trace‘ is a personal favorite, swirling together all sorts of instruments and inspirations to create a head-bopping trip-hop track that would not be out of place in a Thievery Corporation DJ set.
There’s a definite old-school electronica energy to the project, and it would likely sit well with fans of Boards of Canada, Squarepusher and Casino versus Japan.
Between the bliss and the beats – there’s a lot to enjoy in Music for Magnolia Trees. Nearly an hour of lovely electronic music, created and curated by talented folks. Hopefully you can make some time to give it a listen – which can be done via the labels Bandcamp page, or streaming on all the popular platforms.
Eternity Tree 