BT - 1.618

Absolutely gorgeous music and video here from BT. Beautiful composition on the video, and his whole oeuvre is pretty impressive, a wide range of electronic music styles. This song is from his album "A Binary Life", you can read a little more about it here.

Olafur Arnolds - "Ljosio"

Ólafur Arnalds - Ljósið (Official Music Video) from Erased Tapes on Vimeo.

Without going too much into details, I've been going through a really tough point in my life. Much emotional distress and questioning of life's purpose, etc..

The music of this Icelandic prodigy Olafur Arnolds has really helped me to reach a small bit of peace. He composes gorgeous, neo-classical works that feature subtle use of electronics on some songs but strictly acoustic instruments on others. Ethereal, inspiring, powerful, and delicate are but a few of the adjectives one can use to describe his work. I own his original album "Eulogy for Evolution" as well as one of his newer works "Dyad 1909", but have yet to pick up his second full length "..and they escaped the weight of darkness". I simply have too much respect for this artist to download it I want to wait until I can buy it.

Here is a link to a series of 7 songs he released for free on the internet and where you can learn a bit more about him.

His latest album on Amazon.

Emancipator - soon it will be cold enough

I know it must seem like every artist I'm putting up here is amazing, which they are, but this dude definitely is one of the sickest and most talented producers I've heard in YEARS. Yeah man, this guy makes music that's just too damn good, it's one of my all time favorite albums. I actually paid to download this at his official website, but that's your call. It's got perfectly fitted, processed piano lines mixed with strings, acoustic guitar, warm synths, and hip hop beats, blending them together seamlessly into a dynamic, moving work of art. He's got a new album coming out in January 2010, the first track is up on his site - more goodness. If anything, buy the new album or go see him on tour if you live on the west coast - sadly doesn't seem like dude is doing more then one show out here on the east.

http://www.mediafire.com/?j5tnmmduizn

http://www.emancipatormusic.com/

Dextro - "Winded"

This is another album I find myself frequently playing and then having to tell people what it is. My one friend even played it for one of his students in home room before school and the kid was really diggin' it. Dextro is a dude from Scotland who makes really beautiful, ambient, vaguely trip hop sounds. I read a review of the album somewhere that likened the new album "Winded" to a Van Gogh painting, in that layers are revealed upon deeper appreciation and contemplation of the work. He heavily uses ambient noise textures, reverberated piano loops, and chilled out down tempo beats as well as acoustic guitars and vocal passages that culminate in a work that is profoundly relaxing and uplifting at the same time. The first track "Closer" I am so so on actually, a little too Boards of Canada for me, but the album quickly gets amazing. Sososo good, I can't recommend this one highly enough.

http://www.mediafire.com/?uz3xmjwymzk