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Cephas Azariah's Top Five Ambient and Downtempo Tracks
Indian-born British composer Cephas Azariah shares his top five ambient and downtempo tracks with us. These tracks served as influences for his latest EP ‘Lunar Tides’, out now on Reflections.
⚫️ Tony Anderson - Younger
"Tony has been the biggest influence on my approach to making music. I relate to his non-classical, untaught musical background which is a testament also to my writing style - often a playful, curious search into melodies and sounds that eventually stumble into a story worth telling."
⚫️ Ólafur Arnalds ft. Bonobo - Loom
"I’m a big fan of old analog synths and Ólafur takes it a whole new level. He puts a simple arpeggio through his Korg PS-3100 to create Loom’s signature sound. This repetitive evolving sound along with Bonobo’s sampling magic culminates into one of classical crossover’s best tracks. You can hear patterns inspired by this throughout the 'Lunar Tides EP'."
⚫️ Audrey Assad - It Is Well with My Soul
"Hymns and spiritual songs were a big part of my musical formation for as long as I can remember. This particular one is my ground zero track - keeps me rooted and reminds me that ultimately everything works out for the best. Audrey’s voice has something transcendent about it and an unexplainable peace often follows."
⚫️ Peter Sandberg - Motion
"I listened to this at the start of my day, everyday during 2022. This track brought back the simplicity in creating music for me. I love how bold he is with the mechanics of the piano. It’s as if the whole thing is an instrument, not just the strings and hammers. It was my theme for the year - a sense of accepting my whole being for it is and creating out of that."
⚫️ Dobrawa Czocher - Forgive
"This is a new favourite. Dobrawa has an intrinsic honesty that’s undeniable. I tend to end my day listening to her works and other cello-based crossover music."
Written by: Ella Machen
Photo credit: Will Chamberlin
