I've been interested in this "new age" style of music since the early 1980's when I heard an amazing piece of piano music playing through the radio speakers as we listened to our public radio's board operator fill some time after the conclusion of a symphony program. Frantically, I dialed the station. It was a track from Liz Story's "Solid Colors," a new CD from Windham Hill, I was told.
I was hooked.
After that, it was Mark Isham, George Winston, David Lanz, Michael Hedges, Nightnoise, Alex DeGrassi, Tingstad & Rumbel and it went from there. And Montreux! I wore out several cassettes (and would kill for the self-titled CD!) of theirs.
I was a volunteer at that same station beginning in 1988. I hosted "State of the Arts," a weekly talk show about the El Paso arts scene for five years. I tired of that but wanted to stay affiliated with the station, so I volunteered for the Sunday night 10pm to 1am jazz shift. That was fine for a couple of years but I wanted to do something with the hundred or so CDs that I'd been accumulating. It took the station a while but, in October of 1999, I was given the green light for a "new age" music show, anchoring a lineup of "New Dimensions," "Hearts of Space," and "Audiosyncracy," my show. The name hit me late one night, as I was searching for something that wasn't "Sonic Landscapes," "Ethereal Delights," or whatever. I wanted to show that the music was idiosyncratic but worth the investment of a late hour prior to a work day.
More than five years later the show's still going strong, holding down the top ratings for the period. Over 800 CDs are now in the library and the show is a part of the international "new age" scene. The show has reported to New Age Voice (now New Age Reporter) since March of 2000 and is on most promotional databases.
Two special aspects of the program are its annual "best of" show, featuring the best new music received the previous calendar year. Another is the "Essential Audiosyncracy Collection" which is an feature of the show that maintains and irregularly updates a list of the CDs I wouldn't want to be on an island without. Purely subjective but fun and always a conversation-starter!
More recently, in an effort to broaden the reach of the show and with the cooperation of many of the independent artists I play, I began a podcast based on the music of the show. I call it "Audiosyncracy 3x3" and all of the participating artists, including several of my MySpace friends, are featured with their consent. The podcast is available in the iTunes Music Store and must be viewed in iTunes as it's "enhanced," containing cover art and links to the artists' web sites. I invite any independent artists interested in participating to listen to the podcast and contact me. The podcast's purpose is to promote this awesome music and help the artists drive sales.
You keep making it, I'll keep playing it!
-Jamey
