There are some musicians who seem to intentionally stay obscure, only wanting their music to be heard by those who try very hard to find it. Virginia Astley certainly is one of these. Making music from 1983-96, her albums were almost all sold in Japan on very limited vinyl editions. Now it’s almost impossible to find any of her music, and I doubt that she has any objection to people downloading it since almost everything she’s done is out of print or impossible to find without paying crazy prices or getting incredibly lucky in a record store.

I first heard Astley on a mix a friend gave me, and from that one track I was immediately entranced. Astley makes music that feels like a garden on a warm spring day, with beautiful, minimal instrumentation and lush melodies. It awakes a range of emotions, from joy to something so beautiful it’s sad. I only have her debut, From Gardens Where We Feel Secure, but apparently her later stuff is somewhat more synthesized and employs vocal which can be very dark. The debut is instrumental and soothing, and really incredible to listen to. If you can find it online it’s a must download. But for now here a few tracks off that debut… if you have anything else by her PLEASE contact me.