Perseverance

If there's one thing I am sonically thankful for in recent years, it is my discovery of Nala Sinephro and contemporary ambient jazz. I'll admit I am relatively new to this specific subgenre, but I love it, and it has been a source of spiritual experiences I have a hard time putting into words.

At first, I ventured into the world with the naive thought it would be easy to find more of this, but I was proven wrong. Thankfully, Simon Herody and his full-length album, Water From Mars, came into my life, and my craving has been satisfied (for now).

Completely self-taught, Simon's journey into music began almost by accident. Picking up a plastic clarinet at the age of 20 with no ambitions of becoming a musician, curiosity quickly snowballed into an obsession that led him to explore everything from saxophone and accordion to piano. The French artist loves exploring the connections between landscapes, memories, and improvisation, and all of this is tastefully molded by blending meditative synthesizer pads with spiritual jazz influences and ambient / drone elements. For today's spotlight, I picked the track I enjoyed the most, "Perseverance", but I highly recommend listening to the full album, released via We Release Records.

Ten beautifully curated compositions that unfold like a journey down a slow-flowing river.

"What to expect? Sci-fi jazz, ambient dub, all-instrumental kosmische, hard & soft lounge, spaced for all tastes. Monolithic saxophones waves, synth of all kinds, Y2K-style machines, weird obvious sounds from what’s left of us in space. I’ve traveled through, came back, thirsty. You’ll find 10 niche tracks for every speculation of joy that will come when we finally find water up there," he shared on Instagram.