Music makers

There are masses of synth jams on this contemporary producer’s Bandcamp page, not all ambient, but probably plenty of interest.

Young is a composer and sound artist who definitely doesn’t only make music you might call ambient. But you might at least check out her music made from kōkako sounds.

Jet Jaguar is the music-making alias of Michael Upton, who maintains this site.

Moody synths from a Christchurch producer who put out one album online in 2015.

A Sonic Arts grad who releases electro-acoustic material often based around manipulated vocal sounds including the breath.

This alias of Cory Champion is definitely more well-known for house, but A Path (2021) is a collection of floating melodies and chords sans drums.

After a very established run of 19 electronic drone albums between 2001-2009, Seht (aka Stephen Clover) has eased up a bit, with only two more albums in recent years. While Seht’s first decade may be typified by longer drone tracks, the recent albums lean towards shorter, more melodic tracks and include some sturdy, Kraut rock-ish drum parts. And it’s fair to say these elements showed up in earlier releases.

A husband and wife duo making soundscapes that often mix acoustic instrument as well as plenty of electric guitar. Their music ranges from long and slow drone-based pieces to something closer to folk songs, including some spoken word and singing. They have put out half a dozen releases in the last couple of years.

Derek Pearson makes richly-textured ambience out of Wānaka, using a modular synth setup incorporating sampling and tapes. He’s a film-maker and has previously written music for film. I don’t know exactly how, but I feel like it shows. A certain touch of drama?

TRDRT (as in “traderoutes”) is a space-themed synthy ambient project. There are sometimes beats, but just as often not.