Johan Gielen Releases Long-Awaited Sophomore Album ‘Etherflow’ Under Airscape Alias

**Johan Gielen’s Etherflow is the first album under his Airscape moniker in two decades, signifying a rebirth of this alias and a reinvention of his sound.**

Belgian act Airscape has been an essential force within trance. Responsible for a variety of hits and remixes that shaped the landscape of trance, Airscape’s distinctive looped vocals and melodic synths were easily recognizable. For the last 20 years, Johan Gielen has explored solo projects in trance and other genres. But Airscape and the melodies he created were never far away; he just needed a reason to resurrect them. And now he has one, which is how Etherflow came to be.

An homage to his fallen tour manager and longtime friend, Robert Sanders, Etherflow explores the complexity of grief across 14 tracks: it’s raw and emotional, yet uplifting. A tribute to Sanders and to Airscape, the album dives deep into loss, life, melancholy, and healing. Though the passing of his old friend served as a driving force behind the creation of this album, it is not a somber, eulogistic long-form piece. There are bright tracks mixed within, which showcase Gielen’s range as a producer.

The album became a broader meditation of life’s ups and downs—the highs, the lows, but as well, the ‘in-betweens’ we’re often not grateful enough for. It’s about growing up in dance music and oddly the twenty years of perspective between ‘Revelations’ and ’Etherflow’ was an incredible benefit to writing it. Ultimately though, this one’s for Robert—it’s how I expressed my grief, without words.
Johan Gielen

Etherflow opens with the eponymous title track, a resilient, uplifting instrumental that flows into “Invincible,” featuring Sarah Anglionin‘s empowering vocals. Together, the two energetic songs set the album’s overall tone. “Beach Pearl [Robert’s Theme]” is the direct tribute to Sanders and is the emotional centerpiece of the album. This hauntingly beautiful instrumental is truly moving through its melodic use of live instruments. It conveys Gielen’s feeling of loss and optimism while honoring Sanders.

Continuing the theme of moving on and tied to the album’s deeply emotional center is “Healing,” a collaboration with Grid Sedgwick. Featuring poignant vocals and lyrics of finding peace, this tune is about reaching the other side of grief. DJ and producer Daniel Wanrooy joins Gielen on “Ecstactia,” a dancefloor weapon that perfectly fuses the modern with the early days of trance. “Never Look Back” and “All of Me For All of You,” with Katie Sky, explore breakbeat and downtempo, a segue from the uplifting trance for which Gielen is best known.

Gielen channels all the emotions from the loss of his friend and the last twenty years into Etherflow, and creates a beautiful story of grief and coming out the other side. That there is healing and that the pain won’t last forever.

Etherflow is out now on Black Hole Recordings and available to stream on Spotify and your preferred platform. Keep an eye on Johan Gielen’s social for what he’s planning next.