Relax and Unwind with Ken Elkinson Communting for Work CDs
Ken Elkinson is best known for his piano solo albums. On Music for Commuting (August Son) he moves into a new direction, creating relaxing, ambient electronica and synthesizer music that will lay you out for the commute.
Music for Commuting offers those traveling to and from their destinations a variety of music to keep them in a somewhat altered and relaxed state until they arrive.
When he started this project, Elkinson decided he wanted to do something quite different than composing just solo piano music. He went into creative overdrive and came up with 168 song ideas. He ended up with 90 full tracks. Out of the 90 he put together 60 original tracks and grouped them into six CDs.
Music for Commuting is available in a boxed set, complete with an insert that also offers you 30 little known facts about Elkinson. Or, for those who prefer to just download the tunes and listen, the full collection can be purchased digitally.
Monday Through Friday
Each day of the week resonates to a theme, and each day progresses in attitude and beat as the days moves on through the five day work week.
Elkinson describes Monday as being on the dark side and a bit droning—although we saw glimmers of light! Tuesday also has hints of the dark side, but begins to brighten up at various points. You have to love Elkinson’s up front nature: the title “Far Rockaway,” which is the first title on Tuesday, includes a sample of some faint sounds of seagulls in the background. Elkinson very clearly shares he got permission to include the seagull sample on the track.
Wednesday consists of upbeat anthems to get you over the mid-week hump. On this CD, “Changes in the Sea” is quite mesmerizing. By the time you get to Thursday, you will be immersed in 1980s synth music, which will then take you to Friday where things really get quite surreal and futuristic.
Of course, you don’t have to listen to the CDs in the Monday-through-Friday order, but if your week progresses much like many commuters you may feel the progression is synonymous to your state of mind.
What’s Beyond?
The 6th CD, Beyond, moves into an other worldly kind of space. Elkinson states,
The music is more inspired by Pink Floyd and a lot of the 80s pop music I grew up with.
Elkinson humorously states he is a believer in the motto “size is everything,” so he decided for his first non piano release to do a colossal 6 CD set. If you love ambient tunes and music to de-stress by, Music for Commuting will take you to far way places and definitely bring your heart rate down to a peaceful state.
You might also want to use the CDs therapeutically. Try listening before bed to help you unwind and fall to sleep. Or put you ear buds in while reading a book or soaking in the tub. If you are looking for relaxing music, this is it!
Also, be on the lookout for his Outtakes CD (in case you are wondering what happened to the other 30 tracks).
To learn more visit Amazon > Music for Commuting 6 CD set by Ken Elkinson
