Reactions

ambientsquare-500-sig“I had a full body eargasm to this yesterday. Take your best headphones, your most comfortable chair and fold in your freshest concentration…”
Tim Exile
(about “Synaptic Research“)

“You managed to surprise me with my own work”
Mark Tamea
(about the 2009 mix)

“It is a great place to keep up with recent developments, the focus being less on long feature stories or interviews and more on recommendations and on providing access to inspiring new music – it is hard leaving his page without having found at least a handful of new personal favourites.”
Tobias Fischer, Tokafi

“Understated but informative, his blog provides a community for musical collages and reviews, leaving focus purely on the music which it celebrates. Peter’s extensive knowledge and passion is a rarity that can’t be rivaled.”
Sphere Magazine


Below are some listeners’ reactions to the mixes and the blog.
Thanks to everyone for taking the time to listen and the trouble to react!
Feedback is always much appreciated!!

Audio installation as suggested by Colin Buttimer
Audio installation as suggested by Colin Buttimer.

BTW: You can of course also react and comment using the comment field on the entry pages.

  • I have only recently discovered DreamScenes releases and was immediately struck by the special atmosphere that emanates from these great mixes. Especially at night and at dawn they are magical to listen to. I’m addicted, you could say… Thanks for your great work! A fan of ambient music
    Gr4phon
  • These get me through a lot !!!
    Stephen Spera (about DreamScenes)
  • I’ve been following your work on and off for nearly 20 years now, since the sublime Mantra of Walls and Wiring (2005). Your dedication is remarkable and deeply appreciated, and your mixes clever and often sublime. You have led me to many brilliant and sadly, largely unappreciated sonic artists. So thank you very much for that!
    Simon Turner
  • The resonance and ability to unlock or nudge lost memories and associations is truly astounding. A masterpiece.
    Simon Turner (about ‘Perception Management’)
  • So many new discoveries every time I open a Dreamscenes mix, and as always the accompanying tracklist helps me dive deeper into these artist’s back catalogues of work. This genre (let’s call it ambient for brevity’s sake) is seemingly vast. Who would ever think that this genre of minimalist music would ever grow into the immensity it has become. Keep up the great work of curating the very best and offering these compositions to our attention.
    JP Boudreau
  • Dreamscenes is completely different from my other musical influences, but I enjoy each episode and look forward to many more!
    EchoSherrif
  • Thanks again for your recommendations, Peter. I’m so glad I found your site – your perspectives raise the appetite to explore what’s offered and your short descriptions sink in well.
    Carsten
  • I did not anticipate that a mix from Peter would be something of an event. Peter’s mixes are more like epic tone poems that contain both the cosmic and the mundane in one listening experience.
    Furthermore, Peter meticulously crafts his mixes. Peter might use a passage once from a song or as a leitmotif. His mixes are dense and multilayered. Peter’s skill is that despite the complexity of his mixes, they are seamless and fluid. You don’t need to know the immense effort that produced the mix you are listening to appreciate its beauty and artistry.
    Joseph Aleo (introduction for Cloudwatching / SoundWave 135)
  • Never nightmarish, these Dreamscenes are best listened to in the light of day, as the sonic path beckons the listener to futuristic scenes of humanity that is hopeful, evolving, forever moving to some yet invisible horizon. I will gladly go there. Merci.
    JP Boudreau
  • I think I’ve listened to all of Ambientblogs mixes now and each one was as good as the last. Thank you for the pleasant and sometimes disturbing sonic voyage on these musical collages.
    JP Boudreau
  • Your shows and aesthetic sensibility is important as much as they are a great listen!
    Don Hill (about DreamScenes)
  • It is such a blessing to listen to Dreamscenes mixes that not only present the best in ambient music but honors the artists by providing the Artist’s name, album and time stamp. Much appreciated.
    JP Boudreau
  • I’ve perusing your site and am very impressed with your musical selections and aesthetic in general. I can tell it’s a labor of love.
    Matt Walker
  • Damn, I can’t stress enough how much I enjoy this. It’s so fascinating to listen to. Mindboggling sound design full of surprises throughout. Each track does something completely unique and I’m in constant awe of the skill of the artists that create these magnificent pieces. Not to mention how it’s mixed so perfect, creating some amazing moods / stories that simply can not be compared with anything else.
    Peter Spaargaren
  • Ik wil je even laten weten hoe ik geniet van je ambientblog; aan het eind van de dag is het heerlijk om niets te hoeven zoeken op spotify, maar blind je ambientblog op shuffle aan te zetten. Zachtjes op de achtergrond past het bij alles wat ik op dat moment aan het doen ben. Bellen met mijn moeder, lezen op de bank met de poes op schoot, dromen en denken over wat ik gedaan heb en waar ik mee verder wil. Daarna neem ik de sfeer mee naar beneden, met een glaasje wijn bij mijn lief in de studio. Na een dag monteren is het voor hem meestal prettig om in de stilte te zitten en zijn oren te laten rusten. Maar intussen is het vaste prik om samen verder te luisteren waar ik boven ben gebleven. Het geeft ons beiden genoeg ruimte om te ontspannen, werkt als een creatieve massage die de bij hem een wens tot componeren oproept en bij mij eindeloze variaties in mogelijkheden bij wat maar voorbij komt.
    We genieten er intens van. Dank voor al je zorgvuldige werk.
    Iris Honderdos
  • I like to think that I put a lot of thought and effort into these mixes. Hopefully, the mix as a whole is greater than the sum of its parts. But what I do is nothing compared to the transformative touch that Peter Van Cooten brings to his mixes. Each mix is a unique work of art. Peter rarely lets a track play in its complete form. Instead, he uses smaller samples and deftly weaves the tracks in and out of each other. Sometimes 2,3, or 4 tracks play simultaneously, creating something new from different elements
    Dave Michuda, Low Light Mixes (on ‘Lockdown‘)
  • I accidentally found out about your blog a week ago and I want to say it’s like a dragon’s treasure chest. Being in a lockdown ambient music does a magic by transporting a person into a different realm.
    Aziz
  • I’ve recently been enjoying your PvC mixes on Headphone Commute. They are wonderfully atmospheric and thought provoking.
    Gail Priest
  • Your curation and your ear for the best in ambient is second to none.
    Don Hill
  • I’m busy listening to your November DreamScenes mix as I write. I’m pretty blown away, and to be honest, I keep changing what i’m writing because as it plays on i’m more intrigued. I’ve actually deleted everything I had written! I don’t think I’ve ever heard a mix this good. Your attention to detail is exceptional and I would call this a mastery of song selection and timing. The music has swayed my mind from the land of promo’s, demo’s and marketing, into a mythical i-dont-know-land.
    Jason
  • The mix is really wonderful Peter! The combination really works out beautifully. I would almost dare to say that you have put together the ultimate dream-pop album
    Max Delissen (on ‘James & Anne‘)
  • Your sense for Ambient and the outskirts that lie around it is inspiring.
    Gert de Meester
  • Fine superb blend only possible by an alchemist.
    Luis Alberto Martins (on ‘No Stars‘)
  • The Best FREE ambient/chill-out music to be found anywhere…get the app from the Playstore. Stream to your Bluetooth speaker or Alexa..the mixes can also be found on TuneIn radio.
    Kelvin Smith
  • Ik ontvang jouw recommendations altijd met veel plezier! Je hebt me al veel gave acts laten ontdekken en jouw begeleidende teksten zijn ook zeer informatief en vermakelijk. Keep em coming!
    M
  • I follow you since a long time ago and I want to tell you that you are the best blog of ambient music on the net since a lot of years.
    It’s a real pleasure to find a lot of news about this music.
    Eddy
  • Finding your blog and the way things are accessible, linkable, etc — far outshines others of a similar ilk. Keep up the good work, truly.
    Evan
  • I find it really impressive that ambientblog.net  is active for such a long time and still provides great, often obscure music. I remember being it really helpful back in 2010 when my musical journey began. I’ve got amazing memories with music of A Winged Victory for the Sullen or Loscil which was due to your articles, that I find out about them. Even nowadays, though everyone has less and less free time, I look at your site sometimes or listen to your mixes.
  • Have a good time and please continue your work – it is important for all music lovers!
    M
  • USB arrived a couple of days ago, though I’ve been listening to the mixes for the past couple of weeks!
    Your “ambientblog.net” imagery and “kaleidoscopic” sound are effective as “mantram” and inclusive as “mandala;” …”rope to the sky” transcendence.
    Good for driving or early morning headphones, when no one else is around 🙂
    Terry Sutton
    TERRY SUTTON AB MANTRA
  • Profound soundscapes! Your range, skill, and efforts (and joy of sharing) are much admired (and appreciated)!
    Clyde Sutton
  • Thank you for creating those beautiful and heart-touching mixes. I did only hear a few yet, but I do like them a lot…
    Stijn Swinnen
  • This is a drug without any serious side effects!
    GvdZ (about the USB Collection)
  • ambientblog.net is a treasure for all sound lovers. I’m very happy to own a USB stick full of ambient bliss, and magnificently crafted ambient mixes.
    Glen Wever
  • You are an inspiration for me, and I never fall tired listening to your Mixes and individual suggestions. Thanks to you who introduce me Akira Rabelais, Fovea Hex and The Hafler Trio, among others. Many thanks once more.
    LuMar 
  • I love your blog and it has introduced me to new music, and help me discover releases by artists I already knew (such as the Brian Eno Robert Fripp collaboration “beyond even”) that has inspired my own music. Thank you so much for helping to promote and introduce people like myself to beautiful life-changing music.
    Matt Hooke
  • you make such great mixes!
    misterinterrup
  • I’ve been enjoying the blog for quite some time now. I’ve been introduced to some good music thanks to it.
    Mark Licklider
  • I really like your work with the site! I have found a lot of new artist thru the year!
    Viktor
  • thanks for maintaining the ambientblog.net – one of the best ambient oases in the web!
    Angel S.
  • Whenever I listen to anything that’s come from your direction I remind myself that i really should listen to much more music.
    Simon Turner
  • Thanks for your hard work on “Ambient Blog” —I  appreciate the HUGE effort and integrity you’ve put into the site and have enjoyed reading!
    Nick Chase
  • 興味深い音楽紹介サイト見つけた。
    @pindine
  • All DJs regardless of genres should strive to attain this kind of artistic expression in their mixes. Respect!
    DJ Seroton (On Synaptic Research)
  • I’m listening through your back catalogue of mixes again, enjoying them sooo much. You’re a national treasure. If I ever get round to writing an album again (this may be many years hence) it would be my dream for you to co-produce it/conduct the narrative!!
    Tim Exile
  • Can’t recommend these mixes enough. Peter Van Cooten blends beautiful scapes that go down well when writing, reading and coding…
    Arno Peeters, TapeTV
  • Thanks so much for everything you have done to support independent ambient music composers – you are a treasure to the community!
    Jeffrey Ericson / Chronotope Project
  • Peter’s extensive knowledge and passion is a rarity that can’t be rivalled.
    Amber Ainsworth, Sphere Magazine
  • I have been a long-time follower of your blog and the careful selection of artists and albums that you post has helped guide my musical inclination and knowledge. I wanted to first and foremost thank you for doing what you do, creating a space where music that deserves a spotlight is able to get one. Keep on spreading the thought-provoking sounds and artists who deserve a place to present their work.
  • Just a great recent discovery…and the App rocks. Renews my faith in mankind and intellectual curiosity :). Keep up the great work! A new follower…
    cl
  • Roamin put me on to your mixes whilst I was staying in Australia, and I’m working my way through your not inconsiderable body of work. I shudder to think how long your mixes take to put together, but the craftsmanship is top-notch and shines through in these beautiful pieces!
  • I was really pleased to discover your ambient music site. I have been fascinated by this music for the last 6 years, and have even created my own ambient tunes. Keep up the good work!
  • Hi, I’ve discovered AmbientBlog last month and I’ve spent so many hours by reading and listening to your posts ! It’s perfect.
  • Your blog is the greatest ambient blog out there! Really !!! I already found so much great music and acoustic art on it. Keep up this great work!
  • Love your soundscapes! Brilliant co-work with Klankschap also. Great listen when working at my studio, conspiring new story´s around my artwork 🙂 Thnx!
    Lars Daniel Rehn
  • Big respect for what you’re doing with your ambient blog and with promoting good music! It is indeed thanks to people like you that the music eventually reaches the people that would love it! Especially having in mind that most labels (esp. netlabels) are managed and maintained as a more of a hobby thing and the people (like me, and also like you, I guess) have their full-time jobs, and the amount of stuff coming out. It is really difficult to keep proper PR and promotion of the label nowadays, so everything that happens really happens because of devoted people like you!
    Ivo Petrov; Mahorka.org
  • I have been a fan of your blog for some time. You have turned me onto some wonderful music, thank you.
  • i love your ambient blog man, keeps me updated with almost everything!
    xxxKillianxxx
  • Gefeliciteerd met je succes en de goed beluisterde (en gemaakte) mixen!
    Geweldig dat je er zo’n enthousiast publiek mee weet te bereiken. Ik vind je ook steeds beter worden erin, gek genoeg ben je als maker bijna helemaal verdwenen en zijn de laatste paar mixen die ik beluisterd heb een organisch verloop waar begin en einde van gebruikt materiaal bijna helemaal niet meer van elkaar te onderscheiden zijn. Maar dat maakt de mixen ook zo sterk en daarmee ook jou als maker vind ik, want dat is natuurlijk maar een mening : )
    Matthew
  • a very good place for the amateur of ambient music
    Dominique Meens
  • Mr. van Cooten: ‘ a bit of a Cosmic Balance’ is what your life’s work has brought to me, Thank You – also having lived & breathed Music for most of my 70 years, and having felt unfulfilled with a great portion of that enjoyment, I recently was led to ‘Ambient Music’, and your work, Thank You again for enabling so many souls to participate within such a palette as you offer in this genre.
  • My ‘Eternal’ Thanks and keep pursuing your dreams and intuitions!
    Doug Dean
  • Vele uren verbijsterend knap in elkaar gezette klanklandschappen…
    Max
  • What an amazing array of mixes you’ve put together. Real labours of love!
    Roamin’
  • LOVE the site and have discovered so many new things because of you. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
    Swartzet
  • I really dig the tracks on your blog and the feel of it is pretty easy on the senses.
    Marwin
  • Chillzone without borders!
    Arno Peeters
  • Zonder enige twijfel en waarde oordeel, heb je de mooiste site waar in verhouding weinig te zien, maar des te meer te horen izzz. Says an old fart. 1971
    Walter
  • ben je muziek gaan luisteren op aanraden van een collega, en ik moet zeggen dat ik er helemaal weg van ben. Briljante soundscapes en moods zet je neer!
    Peter S.
  • Thanks again for the mixes. You are ridiculously talented and make me, a fellow music type person (done some Nine Inch Nails remixes over the years, plus some of my own stuff) quite jealous:)
  • Great finds in ambient music together with knowledgeable liner notes. Continuously manages to deliver music that I haven’t heard of and is a joy to read.
    Suecae Sounds – “The best music blogs (you’ve probably never heard of)”
  • ‘Klank Apotheek’. Dat schoot mij te’binnen. Aldus naar/via je site luisterende naar…
    Walter van der Ent
  • enjoying your mixes one after another… great restraint, deep knowledge, exquisite taste!
    Maximum respect man!
    Gosh Snobo
  • I really like your blog. The whole idea of there being one place where great ambient music (and other genres too!) are massed is such a great idea. I really respect what you do, and am appreciative of the effort you clearly put into maintaining your blog.
    Tim
  • Leave it to Peter van Cooten of AmbientBlog to discover and bring to our attention a few gems that fell through the cracks… Always with his finger on the pulse of latest trends in ambient, modern classical, and experimental genres, Peter covers some of our favourite and previously unknown selections on his site
    Headphone Commute 
  • Ik zit al uren met gespitste oren in m’n speakers. Wat een verademing. Dit is precies wat ik al een tijd zocht. Helemaal enthousiast.
    Willem van Maren
  • Great and fantastic podcast, great and fantastic blog. Recommended just for educated ears.
    Jordi Fradera (via Facebook) 
  • Perfect sonic mood enhancers
    Phil RetroSpector
  • I’ve been enjoying your site for quite some time now and felt it time to comment on all its ‘ WONDERFULLNESS’  🙂 The mixes are something I listen to, without fail, on a continual basis, and always look forward to updates. To find the calibre of Artists you’re showcasing is no mean fete.
    Congrats from a loyal follower.
    Clifford Collie
  • Music for Astronauts – best Ambient-Portal in the Web! Love to paint to this Music!
    Caos Conzept
  • I have been a longtime reader of ambientblog.net. I can seriously credit you with opening my mind to a TON of great new artists.
    Christopher
  • I love your mixes. The music you select is interesting, touching, inspiring, but not obtrusive, and I always listen to them when I’m editing my photos, which I mostly do in the evening. It’s a perfect background that keeps me focused.
    Alexander Kunz
  • Gisteren door (de tegen de schemering) sneeuw gebanjerd. Met eufcurse de nodige mixen van uwer hand op mijnkopfhorer. Landscaping Royalè.
    Walter
  • Your website Ambientblog.net is superb. I’m very glad to have encountered it. The dark winter nights have just got a little lighter (or is it darker?), better, either way.;) I look forward to exploring it more thoroughly.
    Conrad
  • I enjoy your mixes very much. And I want you to know that I also support the artists you feature by purchasing their CDs. Your commitment and hard work is much appreciated.
    Scott 
  • If you enjoy the experimental, minimal and atmospheric these extraordinary mixes are a must-listen.
    FlawedMonkey (via Facebook)
  • In de afgelopen weken heb ik je mixen stukje bij beetje binnen gehaald via itunes en de playlists in een word document gezet. Nu kan ik op mijn internetloze vakantie!
    Ik ben ontzettend blij met ambientblog….
    Els K (via Facebook)
  • Peter was one of the few guys at Dutch national radio truly willing to take risks. He never cared for image or star-appeal and always went straight for the music. It’s a pity his show was taking off schedule, but ambientblog is still an excellent source for ambient, drones and sound art…
    Tokafi
  • Liked it plenty. Have a number of your mixes on the old iPod. Frequently listen to them at work.
    KindlyStranger (via Twitter)
  • thank YOU for sharing such a great masterpiece.
    Zool (about Peinzing-1)
  • Ik heb Dreamscenes 1 t/m 4 gedownload. Ik was wat down en daas, en ben toen ‘s avonds met 1 van die mixen op mijn hoofd in de Hoogvliet boodschappen gaan doen 🙂 🙂 🙂 ->
    De buitenwereld word er weer een stuk acceptabeler door. Het was bijna een soort 3D arthouse film, die aan me voorbij ging. Moest wel ff wennen met focussen, eeehh? wat moest ik ook’alweer hebben?
    Walter van der Ent
  • PvC´s listening suggestions are just about the most reliable on this list!
    SF (via ambient@hyperreal.org mailinglist)
  • Ik kan mijn bewondering en dankbaarheid nooit genoeg gestalte geven voor mensen zoals jij, die koppig goede muziek naar voor blijven schuiven, ondanks het feit dat er nauwelijks geïnteresseerden zijn. Word je daar nooit moedeloos bij?
    PdB
  • Your blogs are wonderful. Thanks for the share!
    Aris M
  • Snow falling outside, bubbles floating inside and Ambientblog mix on the ipod.
    DM (via Twitter)
  • It’s a fantastic resource. Go on, download a podcast or two, darken the lights and sit back. Each one lasts an hour or so and drifts through so many of my favourite artists. If you like what you hear, listen to the rest. What a treat!
    Stuart Eglin
  • Like myself, most of you probably will not be very familiar with this style, and it takes a little while to get used to the sound. But once it captivates your mind, it will take you along on a mental trip, much like classical music or movie scores. Not a single beat is heard, but wicked things are definitely happening!
    Lock It Down

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5 Comments

    1. Can you explain to me where you got that idea? I am proud to say that Ambientblog is completely ad-free and will stay that way!
      It is funded by myself and by people who are kind enough to send donations (check the ‘Thanks’ page). I am NEVER paid for a recommendation and I definitely would not accept that, ever!

      The only things I receive for free are the promos that artists or labels send me for review. As stated on the ‘Promo?’ page, I can only review a part of the albums I receive. Many remain unmentioned, for many different reasons. Such as the one you sent me. But you cannot conclude that I get paid for promoting simply by the fact that I did not post about your album. Hell, even the thought of that offends me.

    1. Thanks for mentioning this, Coen. The Donate button in the footer of the page did work, but the buttons on the ‘Surround’ and ‘Thanks’ page did not.
      Fixed now.
      Glad you brought this to my attention: I rarely donate to myself 😉