We all have those specific songs that resonate with us long after we hear it. That list can expand over time, and I thought I would take a moment and reference a few songs and artists who have inspired me greatly over the years.

Music that inspires me: Part I

This will be the first post in hopefully many that I’ll use to point you to specific songs and artists who have inspired work on many of my albums. I hope you enjoy!

Crystal Tree – Christopher Franke

Christopher Franke was a member of Tangerine Dream from 1971 – 1987. His first solo album, Pacific Coast Highway is one of those albums I’ll treasure for the rest of my life.

Crystal Tree is the second to last track on that album, and one I can listen to and meditate on for days. You will find a lot of influence from songs such as this on my album Ambient Highways.

Chariots of Pumpkins – John Carpenter and Alan Howarth

It’s no doubt that aside of Tangerine Dream, the music of John Carpenter and Alan Howarth were huge influencers over the music I create. Chariots of Pumpkins was from the Halloween III: Season of the Witch soundtrack. It’s this sound and feeling I was striving for when I wrote the title track to my album March of the Inanimate.

Going West – Tangerine Dream

I absolutely loved Tangerine Dream in the late 70s and early 80s. Of there many soundtrack albums they produced over the years, there are certainly some gems out there.

Going West is from the soundtrack for Flashpoint. You can hear a heavy influence in the song Seven Hills from my album Skylines.

Heartbreakers – Tangerine Dream

You’re going to see quite a few references to Tangerine Dream in these posts. They have had a major impact on many artists.

Heartbreakers, another soundtrack from Tangerine Dream. I have yet to actually watch the movie, but I love the soundtrack. The title track from the album I would say heavily influenced many of the songs on my album Skylines as well. My song Seattle Walk would probably fit closer in this one.

Carbon Based Lifeforms

I was introduced to Carbon Based Lifeforms in late 2009 I would say, and I was immediately hooked. I can’t say that their music could be tied to anything I have created thus far, but that isn’t to say you won’t hear a relationship to them in future works.

It’s hard for me to pick any specific songs from their catalog, because I just simply can’t choose favorites. Their entire catalog is just pure bliss. So, I’m just going to list a few that stick out at the moment.