It's an impossible task to narrow down the multitude of ambient recordings released every year into a definitive "Best of" list. There's so much music out there that I'll never hear it all and what I do hear is hard to give the proper attention to. So many factors can influence a record making the list - where did a first hear it, what mood was I in, what other music did I listen to around it, did I use it in a mix, etc. Suffice it to say, this list is not definitive and is highly subjective.

 I will end up making two mixes from this list - this first one is more straight forward ambient and the next one will have a more modern classical/electro-acoustic tone. I split it into two mixes so that I didn't end up with a 4-hour mix. Ain't nobody got time for that!

 So here it is, my personal favs of 2019, in alphabetical order:

BEST AMBIENT MUSIC OF 2019: 

1. A Winged Victory for the Sullen - The Undivided Five [ninja tune]

2. Ann Annie - wander into

3. Anne Muller - Heliopause [erased tapes]

4. anthéne - asymmetry [whitelabrecs]

5. Benoît Pioulard & Sean Curtis Patrick  - Avocationals [Beacon Sound]

6. Bersarin Quartet - methoden und maschinen [denovali]

7. Chihei Hatakeyama - Forgotten Hill [room 40]

8. Danny Scott Lane - how to empty a cup [shimmering moods]

9. Glåsbird - Grønland [whitelabrecs]

10. Halftribe - Backwater Revisited [dronarivm]

11. Hipnotic Earth - Suspended In Silence [whitelabrecs]

12. Hipnotic Earth - Extended Savasana [desert trax]

13. Ian Hawgood - impermanence [Slowcraft]

14. Innesti - Between Worlds

15. Jazzdefector and Slow Clinic - Green Echo [whitelabrecs]

16. Jens Pauly - Vihne [whitelabrecs]

17. Jogging House - Lure [seil records]

18. Jonsi & Alex - Lost And Found [krunk]

19. Kryshe - Hauch [serein]

20. Loneward - Home

21. Louigi Verona - Nocturnal Creatures

22. Luis Miehlich - Timecuts [whitelabrecs]

23. M. Grig - Mount Carmel [12k]

24. Marty Hicks - Olreilion [white paddy mountain]

25. Moss Covered Technology - Slow Walking [polar seas]

26. Ohio - upward, broken, always [12k]

27. Olga Wojciechowska - Infinite Distances [ASIP]

28. Past Inside The Present - Healing Sounds- A Compilation for Hurricane Recovery [pitp]

29. Plïnkï Plønkï - Pangur Din [piano & coffee records]

30. Porya Hatami, Aaron Martin, Roberto Attanasio - Sallaw [dronarivm]

31. Ripperton – Contrails [ESP institute]

32. Seabuckthorn - Crossing [eilean]

33. Sean Curtis Patrick - The Best Driving Music in the World Ever [pitp]

34. Sjors Mans - Noord [piano and coffee records]

35. Sven Laux and Daniela Orvin - The Writings [dronarivm]

36. The Phonometrician - Mnemosyne [lost tribe sound]

37. Trond Kallevag Hansen - Bedehus & Hawaii [hubro]

38. Various Artists - Place Language [fluid audio]

39. William Ryan Fritch - Deceptive Cadence- Music For Film Volume I & II [lost tribe sound]

40. William Ryan Frisch - Artifishal [lost tribe sound]

And here's the tracklist for the actual mix:

T R A C K L I S T :

00:00    Innesti - Barrockstadt Station (Between Worlds)

04:28    anthéne - lucky (asymmetry)

07:25    Moss Covered Technology - Gen #4 (Slow Walking)

10:50    Ohio - Crepescule (upward, broken, always)

14:10    Benoît Pioulard & Sean Curtis Patrick  - Sunek (Avocationals)

17:25    Ripperton – Love Is Not Enough (Contrails)

22:22    Plïnkï Plønkï - Pangur Din (Pangur Din) 

27:05    Danny Scott Lane - Four (how to empty a cup)

30:12    Jogging House - Fountains (Lure)

34:18    Jens Pauly - Form (Vihne)

37:55    Jonsi & Alex - hundslappadrifa (Lost and Found)

42:55    Loneward - Savour (Home)

48:42    Louigi Verona - Coming of Dawn (Nocturnal Creatures)

54:02    Halftribe - Bumpy Roads (Backwater Revisited) 

56:18    Saltbreaker - Leaf pt 2 (Healing Sounds - A Compilation for Hurricane Recovery)

59:47    Hipnotic Earth - The Gentling (Suspended In Silence)

63:25    Ann Annie - wander into (wander into)

68:52    M. Grig - Capistrano (Mount Carmel)

71:08    Sean Curtis Patrick - Simon & Anna (The Best Driving Music in the World Ever)

73:50    Jazzdefector and Slow Clinic - Green Echo (Green Echo)

81:12    Kryshe - Meditation (Hauch)

84:27    Marty Hicks - Hiolorium (Olreilion)

90:07    Sjors Mans - Oventura (Noord)

95:18    end