11. AshraNew Age Of Earth
It comes from a very different place in its sentiments. There’s obviously a very strong dynamic that I appreciate, it’s a very bright and light record. For me this album is the sound of morning. ‘Deep Distance’ is the one particular track I always tend to gravitate towards; it’s hugely optimistic but in a very sophisticated way. It’s a beautiful piece of music.
I can’t put my finger on when I first heard this, I have to admit, but I’m sure I only heard it in the last ten years. I can see my reaction – I was completely blown away by this incredible, beautiful music, but I can’t remember when.
There was an album that didn’t quite make it onto the list, Long Lost Relatives by Syrinx, but ‘December Angel’ on there makes me feel the exact same way as Ashra. It’s very bright, a classic piece of electronic music. I was watching a documentary on modular synthesis calledI Dream Of Wires and that was one of the bands I hadn’t heard. That one track was one of those moments when I thought: ‘I can’t believe I’ve never heard this before.’ It’s one of the most crushingly beautiful pieces of synth music, it’s such a lovely thing to realise that even after all these years there are pieces you can find that still have this emotional impact on you.
