[Magnatune : we are not evil] [Free trial: only $15 per month] [login] [info]
The Valley Below by DP Kaufman DP Kaufman : The Valley Below.
 Ambient, melodic electronica meets neo-classical.

North Carolina Film Composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist Doug Kaufman has returned with The Valley Below, an album that unfolds in pure magical melancholia. It's delicate piano and guitar compositions, lavishly textured by gorgeous string arrangements and haunting airy synths, spawn wistful and hope-filled melodies that soar and subside in cinematic grandeur.

"The Valley Below" echoes the same masterful strokes as Kaufman's 2014 release "Fear And Curiosity" with its expansive ambient electronica laid out like a sumptuous blanket but it's the addition of guitar to the forefront and improved songwriting that makes this a far more compelling listen. The creative process explains Kaufman was completely different.

"Whereas "Fear And Curiosity" was for me a musical representation of processing some psychological questions of our motivations, and hope and tragedy, "The Valley Below" was more of a purely musical exploration; following the emotional trajectory of each sound as I tried some different directions. "Memorial" was recorded on an old upright piano, but then I experimented with a lot of sampled percussion and synth patches. The second track, "To Face the Unknown", was an attempt at more of a pure guitar-driven post-rock sound. Later in the album, I incorporated some string arrangements from a group in Saint Petersburg I worked with, as well as some more purely ambient concepts. So kind of working backwards - starting with musical concepts and seeing where that led as opposed to starting with a concept and writing for it".

The Valley Below is an intimate listen with a nostalgic desire, each piece touching an emotional nerve and resulting in a stirring score yearning for a film, with tracks like "Memorial", "Eyes Aglow", "Cerro Torre" and "Through Black" striking deeply and deserving to be graced with the larger than life treatment of the silver screen.
Songs:

1. Memorial
2. To Face the Unknown
3. The Valley Bellow
4. With Abandon
5. This Dawn Will Rise to Worlds Untold
6. Eyes Aglow
7. Cerro Torre
8. Aether
9. Through Black
10. Hunters in the Snow
11. There was Night

Listen to: the entire album.

License Ambient, melodic electronica meets neo-classical by DP Kaufman for your project.
Play the music of DP Kaufman in your restaurant or store.

Release date: 12/14/2017
DP Kaufman lives in North Carolina USA

Tagged as: Electronica, Experimental, Instrumental Electronica, Contemporary Piano, Daydreaming, IDM

Recommended albums:
  1. Romantic Dinner Classical Compilation by Magnatune Compilation: the best music from Magnatune
  2. Blues for all Occasions by Alan Marchand: Toe Teasin' Jazz Tunes For All Occasions
  3. The Black Dragon by Canconier: Medieval music from the 12th to the 15th centuries
  4. Pfff by Brigitte Meuwsen: positive vibe electro pop
  5. JS Bach on Guitar and Ukulele by Daniel Estrem: colorful classical guitar
  6. Vol 1 - Well Tempered Clavier Book 2 'Flat Keys' by Katherine Roberts Perl: Bach on the harpsichord - poetic and expressive
  7. Sonic Graffiti by Ben Rusch: Unique to the power of twenty-two (so far...)
  8. A Celebration of Robert Burns by Shira Kammen: early folk and celtic music.
  9. La Domna Ditz - Songs of the Trobairitz by Rossignol: spare and lyrical medieval troubadour songs
  10. Christmas Guitar by Jeff Wahl: acoustic new age and jazz guitar.
  11. Traces by Jesus in Japan: a reflective voice in a noisy world
  12. The Lost Mode by The Lost Mode: medieval music meets living modal music traditions
  13. Fairest Isle by Wildcat Viols: viola da gamba girls gone wild!!
  14. Sabbath Day's Journey by Lydia McCauley: intriguing piano compositions with dynamic accompaniment
  15. Essential Scarlatti by Colin Booth: solo harpsichord music
  16. In thy Dormition thou didst not forsake the World, (O Theotokos) by Putinki Church Choir: clear calm voices of spiritual music
  17. Passions and Fantasies for Solo Piano by Joel Bruce Wallach: magical, heart inspiring music
  18. Scarlatti on Guitar and Ukulele by Daniel Estrem: colorful classical guitar
  19. Bach Cantatas by The Sarasa Ensemble: Lively, bright Baroque
  20. Corrette - Le Phenix - Les Delices de la Solitude by Musica Franca: buoyant Baroque bassoon
Downloads:
  • MP3: High quality MP3 variable-bit-rate files. Most people download these: they are audiophile files that play everywhere.
  • ALAC: Perfect quality Apple Lossless format files. If you use iTunes or an iPod, get these. They're an exact audio copy of the original CD, and include the CD artwork and artist info. This is the same format as High Definition audio provided by the iTunes store.
  • AAC: High quality Apple Audio Codec files. If you use iTunes or an iPod, these files sound great and include CD art and artist info. This is the standard format provided by the iTunes music store.
  • WAV: Perfect quality WAV files. This format works everywhere, and is an exact audio copy of the original CD. It sounds fantastic. Album art and artist info is unfortunately not possible with this format.
  • FLAC Perfect quality open source FLAC files. This is an open source audio format. It is an exact copy of the original CD, and includes CD artwork and artist info. Works great on Linux, VLC and many audio players based on open source.
  • OGG: High quality open source OGG files. This is an open source audio format. It is a compressed (smaller file size) version of the original CD, and includes CD artwork and artist info. Works great on Linux, VLC and many audio players based on open source.
  • 128k: Medium quality 128K MP3 files. These are medium audio quality MP3 files that will work on every device. The audio quality is good enough for most uses. These files are intended for cases where you want to conserve disk space.