Joachim Spieth

This morning, I am spending time with Joachim Spieth, who is releasing his new album, Retrace, tomorrow, October 4th, via his own Affin imprint. Spieth’s particular flavour of ambient dub should be familiar to those following the annual Pop Ambient series curated by Wolfgang Voigt. A few years ago, I premiered a track off his incredibly textured Ousia album, which I subsequently proclaimed as one of the best of the year in my Music For Being Together Alone list. Since then, I have been truly captivated by his aquatic ebb and flow, heavily layered with introspective, deeply oceanic, slow tidal ambience, which tends to calm the mind by spreading its evolving soundscapes into the distant unknown. Spieth’s further explorations, like Terrain (2022) and his collaboration with Markus Guentner on Overlay (2023), continued to appear in my annual celebrations of favourite music. So, it shouldn’t be surprising that I’m premiering his latest track for you. On Retrace, his carefully balanced sonic expansions are complimented by hypnotic rhythms and heartbeat-echoing low-rumbling bass. “Like glittering drops of water, the sound elements combine to slowly filter through sonic biotopes until they extend across the spectrum in full frequency.” Perfectly curated as a soundtrack for any time of your day, these seven pieces will guide you back into the meaning of this reality if you follow the journey, listen, and breathe.