Shoegaze with violins, brass and woodwinds

The World of Shoegaze - now entering truly thrilling territory. Here we uncover the shoegaze aesthetic through a palette of unexpected instruments. Saxophones, violins, flutes, trumpets, clarinets, and other unconventional voices expand the genre beyond its usual boundaries. These are fearless genre-crossers: at times boldly upfront as soloists with hints of jazz or art rock, at other times exquisitely subtle, forming the atmospheric bedrock of the music. The cover showcases the exceptional violinist Andrea Levesque of New Hampshire–based band Atlantic Canyons. All tracks are current releases from 2024 onwards.

 The cover features the wonderful violinist Andrea Levesque of Atlantic Canyons (New Hampshire).

• Agent blå (Gothenburg, Swe) - acoustic piano
• Telegraphist (Austin, TX) - acoustic piano
• Fallen Letters & reflection (Bangalore, India & Edmonton, Cn) - brass
• lento, distante (Belém, Bra) - brass
• the park (Columbia, MO) - brass
• FRGMNTS (Lund, Swe) - brass sound
• Nuevos Mundos (Madrid, Esp) - brass sound
• The Suncharms (Sheffield, UK) - brass sound
• Rats-Tails (London, UK) - clarinet
• Arabú (Dublin, Ire) - fiddle
• Fine Wind, Clear Morning (Stockholm, Swe) - flute
• Drifters Grove (Fort Wayne, IN) - harmonica
• SIKADE (Oslo, Nor) - harp, violin, cello
• Hang Him to the Scales (New York City) - pipa
• Lacuna (Glasgow, Sco) - sax & fiddle
• Lunar Glow feat. Luminance (Riga, Latvia) - saxophone
• 40th Parallel (Melbourne, Aus) - saxophone
• Big Heck (Sydney, Aus) - saxophone
• buen cariño dan with Seb Rodríguez (Chihuahua , Mex) - saxophone
• fictions (Malaysia) - saxophone
• floating backwards (Olomouc, Cz) - saxophone
• FORGETMENOT. (Thailand) - saxophone
• Hallway (Munich, Ger) - saxophone
• Maruja (Manchester, UK) - saxophone
• Mojarra (North Carolina) - saxophone
• Moonwards (Helsinki, Fin) - saxophone
• No Joy feat. Fire-Toolz (Montreal, Cn) - saxophone
• Slow Crush (Belgium) - saxophone
• The Armed (Detroit, MI) - saxophone
• The Dreamtoday (Boston, MA) - saxophone
• Young Couple (Copenhagen, Den) - saxophone
• Child of Prague (Dublin, Ire) - saxophone & violin
• Loveth Besamore (Rotterdam, Netherlands) - saxophones & more
• foxgloves (Ontario, Cn) - trumpet
• fucales (Bergen, Nor) - trumpet
• Gol Olímpico (Monterrey, Mex) - trumpet
• LAVNDEAR (Indonesia) - trumpet
• Luknja (Ibbenbüren, Ger) - trumpet
• Monoland (Berlin, Ger) - trumpet
• Poloklubben (Gothenburg, Swe) - trumpet
• Space Waves (Long Beach/ LA, CA) - trumpet
• Touzai (Belfast, NI) - trumpet
• Whirr (Modesto, CA) - trumpet
• Helsinki Horizon (Norway) - trumpet, clarinet, cello
• In Loom (Amsterdam) - viola
• Winged Wheel (Detroit, Michigan) - viola
• Atlantic Canyons (New Hampshire) - violin
• Duel Ferns (Brooklyn, NY) - violin
• Logos Lunares (Manaus, Bra) - violin
• O Manhattan: The Project! (Denver, CO) - violin
• p l a n t c e l l (Tokyo, Jp) - violin
• Stellar Ruins feat. Hekar Rivera (Oxnard, CA) - violin
• strayfold (Meanjin, Aus) - violin
• The Unlimited Stars (Austin, TX) - violin
• ミサトさん、ごめんなさい。// I'm Sorry Ms. Misato. (Hongkong) - violins
• Prathloons (Chicago, IL) - violin, piano
• Swervedriver (Oxford, UK) - violin, viola, cello
• Lesley (Gothenburg, Swe) - woodwind

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The World of Shoegaze… where things get exciting: This playlist takes a fresh look at shoegaze by highlighting its lesser-explored instrumental possibilities. Featuring tracks that incorporate saxophones, violins, flutes, trumpets, clarinets, and other unconventional instruments, it showcases artists who are willing to push beyond traditional genre boundaries. At times, these instruments are placed front and centre as striking solo elements, occasionally infused with jazz or art-rock influences. At other moments, they are used more subtly, forming a rich and atmospheric foundation that enhances the shoegaze mood without overpowering it. On the cover: the wonderful violinist Andrea Levesque of Atlantic Canyons (New Hampshire). All tracks included are new releases from 2024 onwards.