The Relay Station

In today’s episode I’ve got two featured albums that are not only noteworthy and of high caliber, but carry with it their own unique transcendence. My first featured artist is Ned Milligan and his intimate album “Real Fun” — a beautifully collaged album that reads like an audio diary conveying both grief and the ephemeral. And later in the program, I’ve got the new album “Materia” from Italian sound artist Giulio Aldinucci, a colossal listening experience that vividly portrays sound as a physical substance.Plus new music from Ed Herbers, Erjos, Andrew Tuttle & Darren Cross, Harvey Valdes and more. Strap in and make yourself comfortable. Join us for the next hour for global ambient music, on The Relay Station.Artist informationNed MilliganNed Milligan — schoolteacher, musician, and founder of the experimental label Florabelle — returns with his first album in three years, called “Real Fun” — and it’s a deeply personal album. Milligan assembled the ten-song LP around moments with his son, but it’s also shaped by grief. During the process of writing and recording the album, he lost both of his parents — one suddenly and one slowly — and it’s that absence that runs quietly through the record from start to finish. In his words: “This is unavoidably present in the music, to be sure, but its presence is also a kind of offering.” He brought in collaborators too — M. Sage, Lake Mary, and Zander Raymond all had a hand in the album — handing one track entirely over to Andrew CS as what Milligan calls an “interludinal postcard.” Working with chimes, autoharp, field recordings, and piano, “Real Fun” is Milligan at his most vulnerable — and, true to the title, still finding joy in the middle of it all. The arrangement almost reads like an audio diary — cataloging passing moments, ephemeral experiences, and fragments of memory through dreamlike musical sound beds, hypnotic ornamentals, and field recordings. It’s a pleasant and intimate listening experience — and you owe it to yourself to experience this album first-hand. https://www.nedmilligan.com/https://florabelle.bandcamp.com/Giulio AldinucciItalian sound artist Giulio Aldinucci returns with his fifth album on Karlrecords, called “Materia,” continuing a run that’s included critically acclaimed records like “Disappearing In A Mirror” and “Shards Of Distant Times.” Based in Siena, Aldinucci has spent over two decades building these immersive, multilayered soundscapes — blending field recordings, choral textures, and electronic processing into something that sits between contemporary ambient and electroacoustic composition. This time, the concept is sound as physical substance. As Aldinucci puts it: “Materia focuses on the idea of sound as a matter, which can be shaped into complex forms by removing excess material from the sound mass.” He’s treating time itself as something that can be molded, shaped, and sculpted — shattering sounds down to the millisecond and reassembling them in new sequences, pushing past traditional ideas of rhythm altogether. The album provides the listener a rich tapestry of dense textures, haunting vocalizations as instruments, cavernous atmospheric conditions, and pensive arrangements that are ripe for expansive, contemplative listening sessions. It’s a top-shelf album, and you simply cannot afford to let this one slip by. https://www.giulioaldinucci.com/https://karlrecords.bandcamp.com/Playlist* [0:00] INTRODUCTION* [01:34] “Wishes That Never Came True” by Ed Herbers from “Season Cycle: Autumn” (Independent, 2026)* [04:40] “October” by Erjos from “Autumn Vol. 2” (Bigo & Twigetti, 2026)* [07:36] “Wave Ghoster Catch Up” by Andrew Tuttle & Darren Cross from “AT/DC” (Someone Good, 2026)* [11:42] FEATURED ARTIST SEGMENT* [13:48] “Rainbow Rubberneckers” by Ned Milligan from “Real Fun” (Florabelle, 2026)* [18:05] “Liena” by Harvey Valdes from “Lumora” (7d Media, 2026)* [21:43] “Hyacinth in Bloom” by John Louis Kluck from “Ethereal Space” (Ambient Cat Records, 2026)* [26:15] “We Drifted Until Morning” by The Snowball Effect from “We Drifted Until Morning (single)” (Independent, 2026)* [30:27] FEATURED ARTIST SEGMENT* [32:25] “In A Shadow Of Noise” by Giulio Aldinucci from “Materia” (Karlrecords, 2026)* [40:16] “Raw umber” by Thme from “Overleaf” (Laaps, 2026)* [44:29] “In Characteristic Form” by Celer from “Capri (Remastered Deluxe Edition)” (Two Acorns, 2026)* [48:34] “Fading Gates (of Cosmic Enlightenment)” by Ystrith from “𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌 𝐑𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬” (Independent, 2026)* [54:02] “Silenza” by David Cordero from “La Imagen Muda” (Noray Records, 2026)Become a supporter today!Join our community and become a monthly supporter of The Relay Station. Your financial support helps cover operating expenses and our collective efforts for the program to reach carbon neutrality. Join us at https://stolace.com/support/ Get full access to The Relay Station at therelaystation.substack.com/subscribe

I’ve got music up ahead from a four-way collaboration and their new album “Windy & Carl Meet Optigan Conservatory” and I think you’re going to find it to be an intriguing slow burn with its liminal drone-like qualities; and later in the program we shed a little light on the new album “Earthshine” from Norwegian ambient artist Erik Wøllo that is sure to please the space-themed ambient music lovers out there.Plus new music from Giulio Aldinucci, Jana Irmert, morimoto naoki, Abul Mogard & Rafael Anton Irisarri and more. Strap in and make yourself comfortable. Join us for the next hour for global ambient music, on The Relay Station.Artist informationWindy & Carl with Optigan ConservatoryTwo Michigan ambient duos who’ve been friends for almost 30 years finally made a record together — Windy and Carl, pioneers of drift and guitar-born ambient since the early ‘90s, teamed up with Optigan Conservatory, made up of Frank Rotondo and Fred Thomas, for an album with the deliberately misleading title “Windy and Carl Meet Optigan Conservatory.” The whole thing came together almost effortlessly at the end of 2024 — no real discussion, just the four of them falling into a session together, layering Windy and Carl’s hovering guitar drones under Rotondo and Thomas’s electric piano and synth textures. But here’s the strange part: after it was mixed, they realized there were sounds on the record nobody remembered actually making — ghostly voices woven into the mix that just sort of appeared. It’s darker and more haunted than anything either duo had made separately, somewhere between deep-space drone and science fiction soundtrack — and honestly, the album cover, an overgrown, abandoned storefront, captures that mood perfectly. There’s an unmistakable, liminal-like, minimalist drone that girds the album, giving it a steady foundation — and atop of that various subtleties add to the mesmerizing qualities of this four-way collaboration. https://kranky.bandcamp.com/Erik WølloNorwegian ambient composer Erik Wøllo named his new album “Earthshine” after that faint glow you see on the dark part of the moon — light reflected off the earth — and it’s a perfect metaphor for what’s happening musically here: twenty short tracks that crossfade into one continuous journey, full of processed drones and sequencer pulses that rise and fall like something breathing. What makes this album unique is how it was made — Wøllo recorded it to analog 4- and 8-track tape, which slowed everything down and changed how he composed. As he puts it: “When the tape is running, something affects me, I descend into myself, realizing music completely in the moment.” That patience shows — the tape gives everything this warm, saturated glow, and the whole record feels more fluid and open-ended than his usual work, shaped as much by mood and texture as by any clear narrative. It almost goes without saying that the album — given its theme — has a decidedly space-inspired motif laid in with its swells and sweeps of sound, fluid ARP sequences, and airy synthetic layers. It’s a great listening experience with its seamless arrangement of back-to-back tracks and is worth your time and attention. https://erik-wollo.bandcamp.com/https://projektrecords.bandcamp.com/Playlist* [0:00] INTRODUCTION* [01:27] “Sera” by Giulio Aldinucci from “Materia” (Karlrecords, 2026)* [08:15] “Ultrapure” by Jana Irmert from “Messengers (Original Soundtrack)” (Superpang, 2026)* [11:09] “Throw” by morimoto naoki from “Kou” (No Ray Records, 2026)* [13:59] FEATURED ARTIST SEGMENT* [16:07] “Timelines” by Windy & Carl with Optigan Conservatory from “Windy & Carl Meet Optigan Conservatory” (Kranky, 2026)* [24:01] “Of Blessed Ages” by Abul Mogard & Rafael Anton Irisarri from “Where Light Pauses in the Silence of the Sun” (Black Knoll Editions, 2026)* [28:14] “Temporary Utopias” by Austin Williamson + Blanket Swimming from “Horizons” (Dragons Eye Recordings, 2026)* [35:43] “Väntan” by Gustav Davidsson from “Shades” (WhiteLabRecs, 2026)* [39:30] FEATURED ARTIST SEGMENT* [41:41] “Fast and Slow” by Erik Wøllo from “Earthshine” (Projekt Records, 2026)* [45:54] “List Of Sycophants and Wishing” by Celer from “Capri (Remastered Deluxe Edition)” (Two Acorns, 2026)* [48:32] “New Constellation” by Frank Pels from “Voyager” (Ambient Cat Records, 2026)* [53:18] “Sonar” by Sebby Kowal from “Glowing Paradise” (Chitra Records, 2026)Become a supporter today!Join our community and become a monthly supporter of The Relay Station. Your financial support helps cover operating expenses and our collective efforts for the program to reach carbon neutrality. Join us at https://stolace.com/support/ Get full access to The Relay Station at therelaystation.substack.com/subscribe

Playlist* [0:00] INTRODUCTION* [00:51] “Voyager” by Frank Pels from “Voyager” (Ambient Cat Records, 2026)* [04:29] “Music for Migraines (Part 16)” by KapTep & Brannan Lane from “Music for Migraines, Vol. 2” (Chitra Records, 2026)* [09:08] “Morgenstund” by Klangwart from “Wildnis” (Staubgold, 2026)* [18:29] “Blue” by Miguel Otero from “Faint Glow” (No Ray Records, 2026)* [20:51] “Indra’s Net (feat. Michael D. Tidwell)” by Piscean Daydreams from “Unidentified Ambient Phenomena, Vol. 2” (Ambient Cat, 2026)* [25:08] “It Was All Just a Haze” by Black Brunswicker from “Dreams of a Sunflower River” (Nettwerk Music Group, 2026)* [28:58] “Armature 1” by Build Buildings x Molly Gochman from “Continuum” (Unending Loop, 2026)* [33:51] “Coober Pedy” by David Cordero & Aiko Takahashi from “Night’s End” (Home Normal, 2026)* [37:09] “Atlas Null - Distant Lights (We Will Never Reach Them)” by Deepspace from “The Atlas Sector” (Projekt Records, 2026)* [45:00] SIDE B* [45:01] “United-Kindled-Waxing” by Isabel Pine from “Fables” (Kranky / Isabel Pine, 2026)* [47:28] “Blue” by Dobrawa Czocher from “State of Matter” (FatCat Records, 2026)* [50:50] “Sacred House (Bass Flute)” by John Also Bennett from “Sacred House (Versions)” (Shelter Press, 2026)* [54:46] “Skrepana (radio edit)” by Tokoro Wohnen from “Bing Industries” (Flaming Pines, 2026)* [58:46] “Under The Blue” by Logic Moon from “Isla’s Calm Cloud” (WhiteLabRecs, 2026)* [01:04:22] “Stellar Drift” by Clariloops from “Sleeplaboratory6.0” (WhiteLabRecs, 2026)* [01:07:26] “vel” by blochemy from “elyth” (WhiteLabRecs, 2026)* [01:11:35] “Imbat” by pucemoment from “O.R.G.II” (Odd Doo, 2026)* [01:19:26] “Dreamy Street” by Christian Alsemgeest & Let Me Think from “Dissolving” (Ambient Cat Records, 2026)* [01:21:33] “Slow Fire (Remastered)” by Hollie Kenniff & Kazuma Okabayashi from “Familial Tones” (Nettwerk Music Group, 2026)* [01:25:00] “La paciencia del aire” by Pepo Galán & David Cordero from “Música Invisible” (David Cordero & No Ray Records, 2026)The Relay Station is a listener-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to The Relay Station at therelaystation.substack.com/subscribe

I’ve got two fantastic artists in store for you today, both representing vastly different facets of the ambient genre. I’ve got the new album “Melting Days” from electronic artist Lusine — and it is a compelling, ever-evolving, and emotionally deep album that’s made it to my 2026 essentials list. And later in the program, I’ve got the new album “Elyth” from Czech composer Blochemy, representing a more minimalist and gently chaotic unfolding of sound in very organic ways.Plus new music from CIRC, Absence, City Of Dawn & Kid Glovez, Eguana and more. Strap in and make yourself comfortable. Join us for the next hour for global ambient music, on The Relay Station.Artist informationLusineSeattle producer Jeff McIlwain — better known as Lusine — is back with his tenth full-length LP “Melting Days,” a return to his more minimal, texture-driven roots after 2023’s song-forward “Long Light.” The record was born out of grief, and it shows. McIlwain writes, “When you’re moving through grief, it’s as if you’re watching your previous life get foggier and foggier.” He draws comparisons here to his own 2007 ambient landmark “Language Barrier” — the album Loraine James once called her favorite ambient record of all time — along with influences like Susumu Yokota and the duo Mountains. Opener “Sightline” and closer “Uncharted” bookend the record with reverberant saxophone, while centerpiece “Pendulum” swells from muffled shimmer into something closer to pulsing momentum. McIlwain calls the whole process freeing — no compromise, no hooks required — just intuition, loss, and eventually, some clarity. This album has had its own resonant impact within my listening sessions, connecting with my own moments of grief and loss, volatile changes I’ve endured, and the wild ride that fate takes us on. It has its own sense of movement and evolution, compelling emotional depth, and a deep cavern for contemplation and reflection — the sort of album that has staying power and the ability to become a fixture in your habitual listening patterns. It quite easily earned a spot in my 2026 essentials list. https://lusine.bandcamp.com/https://ghostly.bandcamp.com/blochemyCzech composer blochemy has been working quietly in ambient music since the late ‘90s, and his fifth album for Whitelabrecs, “elyth,” is exactly the kind of slow-unfolding, texture-first record you’d expect from someone who’s spent decades letting sound guide itself rather than forcing composition onto it. Built from layers of synthesizer, guitar, field recordings, and tape-style processing, the album blurs the line between electronic and organic almost entirely — there’s no lead instrument here, just things overlapping and reshaping each other over time. As blochemy puts it: “I wasn’t trying to express a specific emotion or tell a linear story. The music became a space where I could slow everything down and simply observe.” Most of these pieces started as simple improvisations, deliberately leaving the small imperfections in rather than polishing them away — so what you’re hearing is really the sound of patience itself, and a fascination with impermanence that runs through the whole record. “Elyth” is an unapologetic slow burn, leisurely unfolding with no destination in particular — quiet, delicately reflective, and lightly erratic in its own randomized way. For those that like straying off the beaten path and into less-than-orderly arrangements, this album will be right up in your wheelhouse. https://whitelabrecs.bandcamp.com/https://blochemy.bandcamp.com/Playlist* [0:00] INTRODUCTION* [01:31] “Summer Curve” by CIRC from “Rite” (Independent, 2026)* [05:28] “Something to Let Go Of” by Absence from “Names of Unknown Places” (Imaginary North Records, 2026)* [13:45] “Live at Moonbeans Coffee (Excerpt 3)” by City Of Dawn & Kid Glovez from “Live at Moonbeans Coffee” (Independent, 2026)* [18:45] FEATURED ARTIST SEGMENT* [20:55] “Overlook” by Lusine from “Melting Days” (Ghostly International, 2026)* [25:39] “Fly Alone” by Eguana from “Fly Alone” (Cosmic Leaf Records, 2026)* [29:25] “Shimmering Crystals” by Ancient Astronaut from “Inner Worlds” (Independent, 2026)* [34:03] “Earthshine 2” by Erik Wøllo from “Earthshine” (Projekt Records, 2026)* [37:52] FEATURED ARTIST SEGMENT* [39:55] “ira” by blochemy from “elyth” (WhiteLabRecs, 2026)* [45:01] “Alone” by LowPilott from “Alone” (Independent, 2026)* [46:57] “c12” by Lunar Ipona from “fragments” (Independent, 2026)* [48:51] “Between Seasons” by Ian Hawgood & David Cordero from “Shifting Times” (No Ray Records, 2026)* [54:23] “Reserve” by Zen Lemon from “Functional Melancholic” (Ambient Cat Records, 2026)Become a supporter today!Join our community and become a monthly supporter of The Relay Station. Your financial support helps cover operating expenses and our collective efforts for the program to reach carbon neutrality. Join us at https://stolace.com/support/ Get full access to The Relay Station at therelaystation.substack.com/subscribe

In this program I’ve got some striking music in store for you. First up among my featured artists for today, the collaboration between Canadian ambient artist Hollie Kenniff and Japanese artist Kazuma Okabayashi — they’ve got a dreamy and pleasant new album out now on Nettwerk Music Group called “Familial Tones” that we’ll be showcasing. And later in the program, we’re giving some love to the 25th anniversary re-issue of Markus Guentner’s ground-breaking album “In Moll”, remastered and re-released on Black Knoll Editions — and it sounds absolutely stunning.Plus new music from Lusine, Logic Moon & Piscean Daydreams, billy gomberg, Brannan Lane and more. Strap in and make yourself comfortable. Join us for the next hour for global ambient music, on The Relay Station.Artist informationHollie Kenniff & Kazuma OkabayashiI think you’re going to really enjoy the collaboration between my first featured artists — Canadian-American ambient artist Hollie Kenniff and Tokyo-based musician Kazuma Okabayashi. The pair have never actually met in person during the production of their new album “The Last Bright Place”, but somehow that distance is exactly what shaped it. Trading sounds back and forth between Japan and the United States, the two built what started as a simple exchange into this full-length eight-song album — it’s cinematic, reflective, and the kind of selection that’s perfect for winding down, meditating, or just falling asleep to. Kenniff put it best herself: “Some people write letters across a distance. We wrote music. What began as a simple exchange gradually grew into an EP, and eventually into our first full-length album.” Okabayashi remarked about the sounds that came out of their collaboration — something he could never have made alone — discovering a place he had never imagined. It’s a quiet reminder that even continents apart, real collaboration can still happen and a cooperative spirit more than just possible, but an attainable reality. The album was a real treat to listen to — the whole experience is placid, dreamy, bright, and pleasantly layered with minimalist piano, luscious pads, textured guitar, and packaged together in a dreamlike experience. https://holliekenniff.bandcamp.com/https://kazumaokabayashi.bandcamp.com/https://nettwerk.bandcamp.com/Markus GuentnerTwenty-five years after it first came out, Markus Guentner’s landmark debut “IN MOLL” is getting a full anniversary reissue on Black Knoll Editions this November — and today you’ll get an early listen to a track that never even made the original vinyl pressing back in 2001. This record helped define Kompakt’s Pop Ambient sound in its earliest days, and it’s aged into something people still call foundational. Critic Mark Richardson has called it one of the best ambient releases of the 2000s, and Kompakt co-founder Wolfgang Voigt calls Guentner “one of the first, but also one of the most important ambient artists” the label ever put out. For this reissue, “IN MOLL” has been fully remastered in analog by Rafael Anton Irisarri, who says discovering the record back in 2001 “opened a door to a world of music” he didn’t know existed. Guentner’s also built a new visual companion piece for the release — so this isn’t just a reissue, it’s the album’s most complete version yet. The album is quite a wild ride through varied sonic dioramas and unique experiential vistas of sound. One moment you might be immersed in slow-burning looped patterns with soft noise, and later whisked off to distorted pulsing patterns and euphoric washes of noise and near-opaque sonic textures. It’s a ground-breaking album that is more than deserving of a rejuvenated second look. https://markusguentner.bandcamp.com/https://blackknolleditions.bandcamp.com/Playlist* [0:00] INTRODUCTION* [01:36] “Intruder” by Lusine from “Melting Days” (Ghostly International, 2026)* [05:02] “Silicon Tears” by Logic Moon & Piscean Daydreams from “Musica Universalis” (Ambient Cat Records, 2026)* [08:10] “one from october” by billy gomberg from “capacity” (Florabelle, 2026)* [12:20] FEATURED ARTIST SEGMENT* [14:30] “Familial Tones” by Hollie Kenniff & Kazuma Okabayashi from “Familial Tones” (Nettwerk Music Group, 2026)* [18:48] “In Dreams” by Brannan Lane from “The Sleep Album Vol. 2” (Wayfarer Music Group, 2026)* [21:36] “Isn’t That Something?” by Ned Milligan from “Real Fun” (Florabelle, 2026)* [28:31] “Above You and Right Here” by Steen Chorchendorff Jorgensen from “Within Gravity” (Independent, 2025)* [32:19] FEATURED ARTIST SEGMENT* [34:31] “In Moll 4 (25th Anniversary Edition)” by Markus Guentner from “In Moll (25th Anniversary Edition)” (Black Knoll Editions, 2026)* [41:21] “Coast Starlight” by Windy & Carl with Optigan Conservatory from “Windy & Carl Meet Optigan Conservatory” (Kranky, 2026)* [48:20] “Deckard” by Calm Pieces from “Suburbia, Still” (WhiteLabRecs, 2026)* [54:06] “The arks Berkshire, Valley Forge, Sequoia and Mojave” by vOLKER rAPP from “Silent Running” (Cyclical Dreams, 2026)Become a supporter today!Join our community and become a monthly supporter of The Relay Station. Your financial support helps cover operating expenses and our collective efforts for the program to reach carbon neutrality. Join us at https://stolace.com/support/ Get full access to The Relay Station at therelaystation.substack.com/subscribe

My two featured artists on the program have some pretty fantastic sonic spaces in store for us, and I can’t wait to share them with you. Akira Film Script is back with another release, offering up his new album “Vibrations” through SoundGhost — and it has an irresistible vibe about it that makes for a fantastic listening session; and later in the program I’ve got an album out now on WhiteLabRecs from Finnish composer Aki Yli-Salomäki and Helsinki violinist and violist Kreeta-Julia Heikkilä that will sweep you off your feet.Plus new music from Akira Uchida, Almost Random, Anenon, Brady Cohan and more. Strap in and make yourself comfortable. Join us for the next hour for global ambient music, on The Relay Station.Artist informationAkira Film ScriptRyan Watts released another banger under his moniker Akira Film Script — the project name for his ongoing dive into ambient and multi-genre electronic sound — with a new album called “Vibrations”, out now on SoundGhost. The whole thing kicked off when Watts got his hands on a Teenage Engineering OP-1 field synth, which let him dig back through decades of old recordings — ghosted notes, busted sampler experiments, all kinds of sonic ephemera — and reshape them into something new. A lot of these tracks start from a single healing tone or frequency and just unfold from there into drones, pads, and these ghostly, half-intentional textures. It’s less about precision and more about feeling — detuned, morphed, warped sounds doing the emotional heavy lifting. Taylor Deupree handled mastering, so you’re getting that signature 12k polish tying it all together. The album was a beautiful listening experience for me, offering a pensive space at a slow, unhurried pace — with moments of euphoria, hushed melancholy, and intimate dreamy soundscapes. It’s one of his finer recent works and I can’t recommend it enough. https://akirafilmscript.bandcamp.com/http://soundghost.bandcamp.com/Aki Yli-Salomäki & Kreeta-Julia HeikkiläFinnish composer Aki Yli-Salomäki steps outside his usual contemporary classical and orchestral work for “Viriää,” his debut on WhiteLabRecs, teaming up with Helsinki violinist and violist Kreeta-Julia Heikkilä. The record leans on the familiar textures of violin and viola, but Yli-Salomäki threads in subtle electronic undercurrents underneath — what he calls “slowly unfolding structures” built around timbre and resonance rather than melody or narrative. A lot of the album lives in how a single tone shifts almost imperceptibly over time, recorded close and dry, with barely any reverb, so it feels like the instruments are right next to you. Even the Finnish-language track titles are intentional — a quiet nod to preserving smaller linguistic identities — and the whole thing centers on Heikkilä’s expressive playing, which Yli-Salomäki says became the record’s real source of inspiration. The album indeed carries this intimate feeling throughout, with delicate minimalism, pensive introspective motifs, and moments of dreamy and sometimes dramatic contemplation. It’s masterfully crafted, an absolute treat for the senses, and is an album you can’t afford to miss. https://whitelabrecs.bandcamp.com/https://aki-yli-salomaki.bandcamp.com/https://www.kreetajuliaheikkila.com/Let us know what you thought about the music today!Playlist* [0:00] INTRODUCTION* [01:31] “Nusa II” by Akira Uchida from “Nusa” (Iikki, 2026)* [08:19] “Night at the Nameless city” by Almost Random from “Fragments From the Waning World” (Cyclical Dreams, 2026)* [13:09] “When The Light Appears, Boy” by Anenon from “Dream Temperature” (Tonal Union, 2026)* [17:43] FEATURED ARTIST SEGMENT* [19:41] “Phase Tuning” by Akira Film Script from “Vibrations” (SoundGhost, 2026)* [25:54] “Reverie” by Brady Cohan from “Everything That Matters” (dense presser, 2026)* [29:58] “Ficus Elastica” by Dionisaf from “House Plants” (Chitra Records, 2026)* [33:51] “Momentary” by M. Cross Dougherty from “Oceans” (Ambient Cat Recordsa, 2026)* [37:09] FEATURED ARTIST SEGMENT* [39:18] “Suuntaa” by Aki Yli-Salomäki & Kreeta-Julia Heikkilä from “Viriää” (WhiteLabRecs, 2026)* [43:11] “Slowly Traversing the Wall” by RL Huber from “Sea Legs” (Independent, 2026)* [48:10] “Autumn” by ai yamamoto from “Seasons” (Someone Good, 2026)* [54:24] “DEL 1” by Toàn from “Solitarium” (WhiteLabRecs, 2026)Become a supporter today!Join our community and become a monthly supporter of The Relay Station. Your financial support helps cover operating expenses and our collective efforts for the program to reach carbon neutrality. Join us at https://stolace.com/support/ Get full access to The Relay Station at therelaystation.substack.com/subscribe

Brannan Lane is back with another release available through Chitra Records, a placid, space-filled escapade with his new 2026 ambient release, “Folding Space” that’ll take you to intergalactic destinations within; and later in the program Japanese sound artist Iu Takahashi returns with the ornately imbued album “Ipsum” — her second release with the French label Laaps records — and it’s spellbinding to say the least.Plus new music from Aiko Takahashi & Scattered Light, Deaf Center, Deepspace, C-Shape and more. Strap in and make yourself comfortable. Join us for the next hour for global ambient music, on The Relay Station.Artist informationBrannan LaneBrannan Lane returns with another addition to his prolific catalog of works on Bandcamp through labels like Wayfarer Music Group, Valley View Records, and Ambient Cat, this time releasing through Chitra Records. His latest release “Folding Space” taps into one of the more widely held subgenres within ambient music — and that’s the theme of space and space travel. While Lane isn’t breaking any new ground with his latest release, it’s rich with all of the hallmarks you’d expect from a space-themed album — leisurely sweeping pad synths, a vast airy like atmospheric quality, and sparsely imbued artifacts and ornamentals throughout the release. It’s a lush, relaxed, and tranquil listening experience that offers the listener a space to unfold, unwind, and release — experiencing their own sort of inner-galactic space travel right within the fabric of their own mind. It’s a pleasant album to lose yourself into, and I recommend it for that space-vibed listening session. https://brannanlane.bandcamp.com/https://chitrarecords.bandcamp.com/iu takahashiIt feels a little like Christmas morning whenever a new release comes my way from Laaps Records, and today is one of those lucky days. Returning to Laaps records with her second release on the boutique French label, Japanese sound artist Iu Takahashi returns with the ever expressive album “Ipsum”. Drawing her inspiration from Hiroshi Yoshimura and Satoshi Ashikawa, Takahashi has crafted an album that is intriguing, mesmerizing, and at times haunting and almost unsettling. “Ipsum” is ornately imbued with light percussive noises, shadow-like voices dancing around the periphery, lightly peppered with delicate particulates, and fused with mesmerizing sound beds that tie it all together. It’s a richly minimalist album crafted within the tradition of Japanese ambient music, and is a beautiful and beguiling album that will leave you bewildered and enchanted by its unique beauty. https://iutakahashi.bandcamp.com/https://laaps.bandcamp.com/Playlist* [0:00] INTRODUCTION* [01:27] “Le Voile D’automne (Corduroy)” by Aiko Takahashi & Scattered Light from “Pour un Instant” (No Ray Records, 2026)* [05:11] “Once Upon” by Deaf Center from “Through Time” (Sonic Pieces, 2026)* [11:16] “Atlas Prime - The Vast Gate” by Deepspace from “The Atlas Sector” (Projekt Records, 2026)* [14:58] FEATURED ARTIST SEGMENT* [16:41] “Time Is Nowhere” by Brannan Lane from “Folding Space” (Chitra Records, 2026)* [20:39] “Ep-26 Pt.II” by C-Shape from “Ep-26” (Independent, 2026)* [24:46] “Canvas” by Hollie Kenniff & Kazuma Okabayashi from “Familial Tones” (Nettwerk Music Group, 2026)* [28:23] “Sol” by John Louis Kluck from “Ethereal Space” (Ambient Cat Records, 2026)* [34:36] FEATURED ARTIST SEGMENT* [36:21] “Dejavu” by iu takahashi from “Ipsum” (Laaps, 2026)* [41:49] “Fortsätt” by Klara Lewis from “Opening” (Editions Mego, 2026)* [44:51] “l23” by Lunar Ipona from “fragments” (Independent, 2026)* [49:41] “Linnéplatsen” by Hara Alonso from “Music of Many Nows” (FUU, 2026)* [54:14] “The Deep Blue (Pt.1)” by buoy from “Hideaway” (Independent, 2023)Become a supporter today!Join our community and become a monthly supporter of The Relay Station. Your financial support helps cover operating expenses and our collective efforts for the program to reach carbon neutrality. Join us at https://stolace.com/support/ Get full access to The Relay Station at therelaystation.substack.com/subscribe

Playlist* [0:00] INTRODUCTION* [00:50] “Sunlit Solitude” by Spectrical from “Litchfield” (Perceptual Tapes, 2026)* [07:20] “Tharsis (KapTep Remix)” by Fumana from “Moonglow” (Ambient Cat Records, 2026)* [12:30] “Sign” by Akira Kosemura from “Polaroid Piano (15th Anniversary Edition)” (Room 40 / Someone Good, 2026)* [14:32] “What Brings You Here” by Jics from “New South Wales” (WhiteLabRecs, 2026)* [16:27] “Chackers” by memorysound from “Fading Bright” (Perceptual Tapes, 2026)* [19:52] “Blooming (Preludio)” by Dionisaf from “Blooming” (Ambient Cat, 2026)* [24:18] “Sacred House (Prophet)” by John Also Bennett from “Sacred House (Versions)” (Shelter Press, 2026)* [34:14] “The Unknowable Realm of Wisdom” by Loneward from “Paradox of Silken Stars” (Independent, 2026)* [40:39] “Where I End” by The Silent Tide from “Drift & Distance” (Mare Nostrum Label, 2026)* [45:00] SIDE B* [45:01] “First Circle” by Adam Filip from “The Returning Circle” (Cyclical Dreams, 2026)* [52:40] “quiet sky #4” by tom eaton from “quiet sky #1” (Independent, 2026)* [55:51] “Echo 2” by Kasia Gawlik from “Echoes of Ceramics” (WhiteLabRecs, 2026)* [01:01:45] “Part 1” by Danny Clay from “A Moment Beyond” (Iikki, 2026)* [01:10:09] “Receptivity” by Akira Film Script from “Vibrations” (SoundGhost, 2026)* [01:15:16] “Cabin” by Arovane & Taylor Deupree from “Enth” (Laaps, 2026)* [01:20:18] “From Trondheim” by Passepartout Duo from “Pieces from Places” (Independent, 2026)* [01:22:48] “Sit Spot” by Theddra from “Inland Sea” (Mare Nostrum, 2026)* [01:25:39] “summer’s glow” by anthéne & simon mccorry from “wellspring” (Home Normal, 2025) Get full access to The Relay Station at therelaystation.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode we showcase ambient artist Zensor from the Netherlands and their pleasant, slow-burning dystopian full-length LP that’s sure to please; and later in the program Australian musician Tsubai makes his ambient genre debut with an album inspired by the majestic landscape of Greenland and it’s magnificent landmark, the Ilulissat Icefjord.Plus new music from Andrew Tuttle & Darren Cross, Wil Bolton, Dionisaf, Rhins and more. Strap in and make yourself comfortable. Join us for the next hour for global ambient music, on The Relay Station.Artist informationZensorZensor is an ambient music project from the Netherlands that fuses organismic and modular synthesizers with manipulated field recordings and circuit-bent electronics. Their music blends these worlds into lush atmospheric soundscapes that fuse the natural world with the mechanical. Relatively new to The Relay Station, their brand new album “Slow Wave” marks their ninth release on Bandcamp and offers up a pretty cool minimalist and experimental soundtrack. Zensor refers to their music as a sort of living organism of sound, something that unfolds and evolves organically during each and every performance. “Slow Wave” has a lightly liminal quality, laced with washes of soft noise, undulating looped phrases and motifs, and mesmerizing layers of repetition. It gives off dystopian vibes, as if it were the soundtrack to a contemplative, slow-burning sci-fi fantasy, that is more quietly expressive than it is a thunderous action thriller. I think you’ll really enjoy this understated collection of compositions — be sure to give this album a spin in your next listening session. https://zensor.bandcamp.com/TsubaiFollowing the release of “We Were Here” under his indie rock and shoegaze moniker Stubai, Australian musician Matt Teffer takes a slight detour into ambient territory under the project name “tsubai”. His debut ambient album “Ilulissat” was inspired by a recent journey to Greenland’s Ilulissat Icefjord in July 2025 — and from that has come a deeply immersive reflection on one of the planet’s most awe-inspiring landscapes. One listen and you’ll see quite clearly how Teffer effectively captures the majesty and mystery of the icescapes of Ilulissat. Transfixed by the scale, shifting forms and colors of the icebergs, Teffer returned home to Sydney inspired to translate his experience into sound. Using nothing but electric guitar as its sole sound source, ilulissat weaves vast, glacial soundscapes through meticulously layered recordings. Patient movements and stillness give way to emotional swells, evoking towering ice formations slowly emerging from the mist before opening into expansive, soaring passages reminiscent of a seabird sailing the arctic air above the fjord. It’s a great album that you can’t afford to miss. https://stubaimusic.com/https://perceptualtapes.bandcamp.com/Playlist* [0:00] INTRODUCTION* [01:25] “Is This Too?” by Andrew Tuttle & Darren Cross from “AT/DC” (Someone Good, 2026)* [04:24] “Resonancia Angular” by Wil Bolton from “Aunque llegue la mañana · Refracted” (No Ray Records, 2026)* [08:56] “Magnolia Flower” by Dionisaf from “Mississippian” (WhiteLabRecs, 2025)* [15:39] Featured Artist Segment* [17:29] “Stage Three” by Zensor from “Slow-Wave” (Independent, 2026)* [22:54] “Electric Woods” by Rhins from “The Invisible” (Dragon’s Eye Recordings, 2026)* [31:03] “Sodium Vapour Halo (alone)” by Lawrence English from “The Rest Is My Ghost” (Room 40 Records, 2026)* [35:24] “Dead Of Night” by Arcane Trickster from “Dead Of Night” (Cosmic Leaf Records, 2026)* [39:57] Featured Artist Segment* [41:49] “Sublimation” by Tsubai from “ilulissat” (Perceptual Tapes, 2026)* [47:11] “Dream to Fade” by Orkun A. from “Dew” (FUU, 2026)* [52:52] “What Remains” by Ian Hawgood & David Cordero from “Shifting Times” (No Ray Records, 2026)Become a supporter today!Join our community and become a monthly supporter of The Relay Station. Your financial support helps cover operating expenses and our collective efforts for the program to reach carbon neutrality. Join us at https://stolace.com/support/ Get full access to The Relay Station at therelaystation.substack.com/subscribe

I’ve got some outstanding featured artists in the lineup for today’s program — in a word: sublime. Black Brunswicker is back with a new album on Nettwerk Music Group that is a delightful tribute to guitarist John Fahey in her album “Dreams of A Sunflower River”; and later in the program David Cordero and Aiko Takahashi treat us to a divine collaboration with their album “Night’s End” out now on the Home Normal label.Plus new music from Vin Downes & Tom Eaton, Arbee, Celer, Giulio Aldinucci and more. Strap in and make yourself comfortable. Join us for the next hour for global ambient music, on The Relay Station.Artist informationBlack BrunswickerBlack Brunswicker is no stranger to our programming lineup here on The Relay Station, and has a fantastic new album that comes to us through the Nettwerk Music Group label. Indiana-born, Manchester-based guitarist Etta Helfrich, who operates under the moniker “Black Brunswicker”, channels the rootsy American primitive style of John Fahey on her latest release “Dreams of a Sunflower River”. The album is comprised of ten warm, languid tracks written back in 2019 as she was first exploring Fahey’s fingerstyle technique. Recorded to analog tape for what she calls its “spectral” quality, the album graciously wraps Midwestern memories — cornfields, rivers, fading relationships — in a haze of reverb and hiss, evoking what she describes as a mood imparted “without necessarily saying something.” Her album’s first single “A Raga Called John” pays direct tribute to Fahey’s “Sunflower River Blues” with dreamy, leisurely qualities — an experience that is consistent throughout the album. The sonic space that she’s created is lightly wistful laced with a gentle, daydreamy undercurrent that tenderly shepherds the listener through hushed, placid landscapes. It’s a gorgeous listen that I think you’ll enjoy through and through! https://blackbrunswicker.bandcamp.com/https://nettwerk.bandcamp.com/David Cordero & Aiko TakahashiTwo top-shelf artists are back in the limelight on the program — Spanish ambient artist David Cordero and Slovenia-based ambient artist Aiko Takahashi — this time as a collaborative pair. Their brand new album is “Night’s End”, a new joint-effort album from these two outstanding artists, available on Home Normal. “Night’s End” is a full length LP crafted with gentle piano and modular electronics, and hovers in the threshold between the late hours of twilight and the first waking moments at dawn. It really is a perfect matchup straight from the cosmos. Cordero’s melodic clarity pairs beautifully with Takahashi’s finely detailed sound design, each track ornately imbued with piano notes floating like points of light against soft waves of electronic texture. Nothing about this album is hurried to express its ideas; instead it’s an album of quiet possibility and gentle release, as if the last traces of darkness are slowly giving way to morning. The album feels like that trailing moment from a pleasant dream as it slips through your fingers like an ephemeral mist — here for a moment, and then lost to memory. It’s a precious album and has become one of my 2026 essentials. You will want to queue this up for your next listening session. https://homenormal.bandcamp.com/https://davidcordero.bandcamp.com/https://aikotakahashi.bandcamp.com/Playlist* [0:00] INTRODUCTION* [01:31] “disappear into winter” by Vin Downes & Tom Eaton from “Until the Light Was Gone” (Independent, 2026)* [06:28] “Absence motivée” by Arbee from “En vain” (Chitra Records, 2026)* [11:31] “Ascensionaires” by Celer from “Capri (Remastered Deluxe Edition)” (Two Acorns, 2026)* [14:42] Featured Artist Segment* [16:39] “I’ve Got Something To Share” by Black Brunswicker from “Dreams of a Sunflower River” (Nettwerk Music Group, 2026)* [21:13] “Come Luce, In Sogno” by Giulio Aldinucci from “Come Luce, In Sogno (single)” (Karlrecords, 2026)* [28:28] “Lowside” by Fax + Braulio Lam from “Mixed Signals III” (Dragons Eye Recordings, 2026)* [34:42] “eletricidade estética” by hugo espirito santo from “têmpora” (Independent, 2026)* [38:23] Featured Artist Segment* [40:26] “Montsec” by David Cordero & Aiko Takahashi from “Night’s End” (Home Normal, 2026)* [43:38] “At Last It Leaves You” by Lynn Wright from “Before The Sinking Plains” (Miasmah, 2026)* [46:56] “Intro: Light” by Six Missing & Patrik Berg Almkvisth from “Developments (EP)” (Nettwerk Music Group, 2026)* [50:06] “My Heart Has A Home” by HERE from “Acceptance” (WhiteLabRecs, 2026)* [54:31] “Fossil Whisper” by DTime from “Nightwoven” (Cyclical Dreams, 2026)Become a supporter today!Join our community and become a monthly supporter of The Relay Station. Your financial support helps cover operating expenses and our collective efforts for the program to reach carbon neutrality. Join us at https://stolace.com/support/ Get full access to The Relay Station at therelaystation.substack.com/subscribe