Martin Roth is an industry veteran whose eclectic foundations from which he draws inspiration have helped shape his sound into something only heard once in a generation.
The soft textures and delicate harmonies have garnered him releases on top-tier labels such as Anjunadeep and others, all of who respect his compositional mastery as much as his dance-friendly beats, bass, and groove.
So to celebrate the release of his most recent release, we invited Martin Roth to come on and curate his favorite ambient and downtempo tracks of all time. Each track offers something a little different and helps give a glimpse into the mind of one of the best producers of our time.
Stream Martin Roth’s ‘Sine Waves’ Below
Made in collaboration with neo-classical pianist and producer, Tom Ashbrook, the two-track EP packs a lot into just a couple of tracks.
The lead song, ‘Sine Waves’ of which the EP finds its name delivers a dense and textured experience from start to finish. Chittering percussions keep tempo underneath a low-lying bass as the sine-wave-made harmonies slowly churn and evolve across the stereo space.
‘Alicia’s Noir’ takes a more acoustic direction, mixing the piano aggressively as for it to take precedence in the mix above all other elements. The somber and morose story the keys play tells a disconnecting narrative pockmarked by lighter elements and atmospheres.
Joep Beving – Sleeping Lotus
“This track is the reason I considered going even deeper into just using the piano. I used it as my only instrument for a while and I discovered what was possible with just that. He also has a very interesting philosophical approach and his whole story inspires me as much as his writing. You should check out his famous commentary album-versions where he shares insight into every track.” – Martin Roth
Sébastien Tellier – L’amour et la violence
“Not exactly an ambient track but the perfect fusion of piano and analog synths diving into nostalgia. I’ve always been a fan of this french-electro-vintage-pop sound of the 70ies throughout the millennium which was also accompanying MY early youth … by the amazing Sébastien Tellier.” – Martin Roth
Cigarettes After Sex – Apocalypse
“The heroes of downtempo who were able to put their music into in a festival format playing smooth tracks on the mainstage. The soundtrack of a lifetime. I could’ve taken every song by them so I took the most prominent.” – Martin Roth
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Hania Rani – Eden
“Such a beautiful likable person creating such beautiful music – even Cercle couldn’t resist taking her to its audience. Eden is one of her earlier pieces and still one of my favorites however worth checking out every single one of her.” – Martin Roth
Nils Frahm – Right Right Right
“Obviously, no list of mine would’ve been complete without Nils Frahm. Every piece by him is an inspiration, and when you look for real analog sound, don’t look any further. His recording techniques, gear, and noise are telling stories already. This one is from his latest album and returns a bit to his earlier works using analog synthesizers in a minimalist way filling the gaps with amazing delays and noise.” – Martin Roth
Moby – Hymn
“My first experiences in the ambient world show how important it is that Artists leave their comfort zones to show extreme corners of the music they are known for. I was a huge Moby fan but mostly for his upbeat/uplifting tunes … then Hymn came out and I was obsessed and kinda fascinated that a beatless almost piano-only track by him became easily my Moby-favorite.” – Martin Roth
Sven Väth – L’esperanza
“Sven Väth has always been my hero in terms of club music and the art of charismatic DJing & entertainment but same as with Hymn by Moby, L’esperanza came quite unexpected & slow making me realize how much easier a calm track can make its way through underground but also radio. This was helping me a lot looking more left & right and being more open-minded for other kinds of Electronic music also in terms of production.” – Martin Roth
Barker – Paradise Engineering
“Ambient can be Techno too – or Techno can be Ambient too. I love tracks without beats shouting desperately FOR percussion & drums but there is none coming … you can mix it on top or you can enjoy it as it is. This one is distributing its energy even without drums so massively, that you feel like you showered seconds ago after.” – Martin Roth
Martin Roth – An Analog Guy in a Digital World
“My breakthrough track into this genre 2017 – it came overnight – I played a bit around with Arps and was heavily inspired by Nils Frahm’s ‘Says’ – many say it is very close to it – actually in musical terms it isn’t really but the feel is obviously very similar and I listened to it before a ton which you will notice. I enjoy a lot those crescendo / ‘Bolero’ techniques bringing everything to a climax which worked here pretty well and for some reason, it touched meant people – so I was lucky that day hitting the right notes. Also still for me a huge one which I still enjoy.” – Martin Roth
Ludovico Einaudi – Nuvole Bianche
“A rather obvious one here however I find Ludovico and this piece as all of his music a quite easy entrance into more classical & minimalistic music if you wanna get into it – he has the ability to write sophisticated sounding piano for the regular you & me – after just a few seconds you are already hooked and want to keep listening.“ – Martin Roth