Philipp Kessler lives in Switzerland, where he writes and records music. His latest single is called “Pulsar.” And as Kessler says, “My music will take you on a trip through outer space.”
And he’s not kidding.
Stylistically, Kessler’s music is referred to as ambient music. Ambient music eschews the usual structure and rhythm associated with most genres of music. Instead, ambient music attempts to establish an atmosphere or milieu by means of tone and texture. More specifically, Kessler’s music falls into the category known as space music, which does exactly what the term implies: by means of soundscapes, space music evokes sensations like flying or soaring through the vastness of space.
Kessler describes it like this: “The ambient sound is there for you to relax and creates an atmosphere to forget about everyday woes. The never ending fascination for the universe is the driver behind my music.”
“Pulsar” begins with high-pitches galactic tones, which is then augmented by a bass line, followed by lower tones and a series of streaming cosmic sonic curls that intertwine and interweave, creating a complex pattern of sound that ebbs and flows, while simultaneously expanding and sparkling. There’s a lot of layering, but each layer is discernible if you listen carefully. The layers don’t merge and forge a wall of sound. Instead they form a tapestry of crisscrossing sonic filaments that actually, if you close your eyes and lean back, generate a kind of glistering realm in your mind. The result is more reflective and pensive than introspective. You’re not examining yourself for flaws or causes and effects. Rather you’re seeing yourself as the baby in the cosmic bubble in 2001: A Space Odyssey. You looking out and seeing you.
Good stuff!
And if you turn your imagination loose, “Pulsar” conveys you to the Empyrean – the place of pure fire. Bravura effects: grayed pink, the color of omnipotence. Red, yellow, orange: the colors of the most fugitive of gases – transport, no doubt, which accords with the temperament of beauty.
I really enjoyed listening to “Pulsar.” Kessler has produced a beautiful, evocative piece of ambient music. Some of the best ambient music I’ve heard, and I will be adding “Pulsar” to my personal playlist, the one I listen to at the gym while on the treadmill.
Find out more about Philipp Kessler here.