John Also Bennett

“Scorpio Purple Skies” is a new 9-minute piece by myself, @felicia_atkinson and @christinavantzou . It marks my return to guitar and the first use of my voice on a piece in recent memory. This came together in a haze at @ocfstudio in Hydra, the guitar parts written spontaneously due to encouragement from FA, CV and Vasillis Korres (our incredible engineer), with the vast expanse of the tail end of the piece seemingly flowing directly from the mysterious cosmos itself. This piece is a universe that seems to have the spacetime of The Moment (all moments) embedded within it, it gives me shivers. It’s out now, and the full album, Felicia and Christina’s “Water Poems”, is out tomorrow thanks to the tireless efforts of @rvngintl , of which I also happen to play a small part. A milestone of something, for sure. Photos by @natachef 🦂

This week, we’re reflecting on our 2025 publishing program and today we listen to « Στον Ελαιώνα / Ston Elaióna » (SP162) by John Also Bennett, released in July 2025 on Shelter Press. On his second solo album for the label, John Also Bennett weaves a strikingly singular electroacoustic excursion for bass flute and Yamaha DX7ii, largely recorded in the golden haze of the early morning hours - bending time at the otherworldly juncture of consciousness and place. Translating from Greek as “in the olive grove”,Ston Elaiónaa is permeated with the ambiences of the ancient and present world, guided into form by a playfully rigorous approach to sound. 🎁 We’re giving away 3 copies of the album. To enter, simply tag a friend and/or comment below. 3 winners will each receive a copy of the album in the format of their choice !  (open to any location worldwide - winners will be picked up next week )

Στον Ελαιώνα / Ston Elaióna, my new album, is out everywhere today on @shelter_press . This music attempts to communicate a certain peace, or wonder, or a connection to something else, a deep past, that I have been blessed to experience a handful of times in this life. It also communicates grief, which is another part of life I’ve come to experience strongly over the last years. This the first music I’ve composed since moving to Greece full time, and it was only possible because of the kindness of many people here. Perhaps most importantly and practically, the owner of my apartment in Athens, who chose to rent his family house to someone like me, an experimental musician with a strong connection to Greece, rather than converting the place into a short term rental and making significantly more money, like so many others have done. Because of that single act of principle I was able to move here full time, bring all of my instruments on a boat all the way from a storage unit in downtown Brooklyn, and make a home studio in my favourite place in the world. I am also eternally in debt to my wife and partner @christinavantzou , who brought me to this country in the first place, and who has supported my music at every turn. Thank you to @zintaylor for once again offering your visual language to help build this musical world, and Bartolome and @felicia_atkinson at Shelter Press for supporting my music over the years. Thank you to @jayglassdubs_ for helping me with the Greek language title, and of course for welcoming me to Athens way back when. Mastered and cut by @rashad__becker , the LPs are available in a limited holographic looking arctic pearl edition (grab it from @boomkatonline or directly from Shelter Press), and classic black. For the CD heads we have pressed a small edition, but they are slightly delayed, and will be out in a few weeks time. There is a special bonus track, “Lonely Melody”, which is only available on the physical formats. Thanks for listening. I hope you find yourself in an olive grove with this music on your headphones someday, and if not, maybe the music can help take you there. είμαι μια εικόνα και μια πέτρα / i am an image and a stone

Thank you, Michael Harrison (1958 - 2026) It still feels like I could email or call you and receive an excited and thoughtful reply. What about our plans for the next album? I felt strongly we had more music to make together. But I’m so grateful for what we did in the time we had, for the music we created that will outlast us both, and all the ephemeral moments and sounds that only echoed once. Christina and I both learned so much from you. I hope you have found eternal peace. Love, John

“scorpio purple skies” is the last offering from @felicia_atkinson and @christinavantzou ’s water poems before the album emerges in its oceanic entirety this friday, april 10 ♏️ “saturn, neptune, dry earth...an eternal space…near the water”—open fragments of language softly populate the tender ambience of this closing track. anchored by the hypnotizing guitar work of @johnalsobennett , the piece begins with a ceremonial air—part monastic liturgy, part spaghetti western—before expanding into stretches of soft drones, tolling bells, and hushed voices. “for a while,” vantzou softly proclaims, “we dream together” “scorpio purple skies” arrives with an atmospheric video directed and edited by vantzou. filmed in the mystic, megalithic woods of belgium, under the influence of the stone structures, dancers @stavyeini and @siet_phorae move with the surrounding elements, bending time and space in the process. listen, and look, now 🪬💧 🎛️ composed, performed, and recorded by @felicia_atkinson and @christinavantzou 🎸 guitar and voice by @johnalsobennett 🎚️ edited and mixed by vantzou and bennett 🪡 mastered by @studioschwebung 📸 photo by bennett 📹 video by vantzou

Programmers, music aficionados and listeners in Italy, France, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland etc: I would like to play a concert of minimal bass flute, other flute, and synthesizer music in your city in October 2026. This is exceptional, delicate music, and creates meaningful experiences for those present for its live performance. Ideal scenarios involve a focused space for listening and contemplation of sound. These can be intimate settings but the music is also very well suited to large acoustically interesting spaces. Please reach out to me directly or through @pluralartistmanagement for more information. Audio from a recent live performance in Limassol, Cyprus. Photo is from a church in Paris several years ago.

I’m very happy to announce that the next episode of CALMA, on stegi radio (@stegiradio )welcomes John Also Bennett. (@johnalsobennett Originally from Ohio, US, and now based in Athens, Bennett is a composer and multi-instrumentalist creating immersive sound environments that unfold with patience and precision. He has released albums on labels such as Shelter Press, Kranky, and Seance Centre, as well as on his own imprint, Editions Basilic. His work has been presented across the United States, Europe, and Asia, and extends into film scoring and sound for art installations. Through Editions Basilic, he also publishes and curates the work of other artists, contributing actively to the broader experimental music landscape. For CALMA, he has prepared a two-hour session featuring some of his favorite pieces from the worlds of modern and contemporary ambient and minimalist music. Photo 1 by: @panayotis_papoutsis Saturday 28 February, 17.00 - 19.00 EET On @stegiradio

To sunset walkers - join me and @johnalsobennett for a one-hour meditative walk, exchanging thoughts on film, sound, and artistic process, imagined as an intimate conversation unfolding at sunset on Philopappou Hill in Athens — a place and ritual we both treasure, and that played a part in why our work connected so deeply. At 6 PM CET on @refugeworldwide

Tonight at 18:00 CET on @refugeworldwide , I’m sharing The Mediterranean Garden - a one-hour soundscape I developed following an invitation from COSMOS and @le_guess_who , as part of their monthly radio residency on @refugeworldwide ~Developed as part of my film residency project at @vorresmuseum in Athens and my ongoing research, the show brings together field recordings, the music of @johnalsobennett , and spoken fragments from John and myself. An intertwined meditation on our profound connection with Greece and the Mediterranean - its land and nature, how they inform and shape our lives and work, and our shared artistic process. #vorresmuseum #cosmos #leguesswho #refugeworldwide

Death, Reverb and Decay (Dreaming) @christinavantzou @johnalsobennett @ollycoates

New EP with @christinavantzou and @ollycoates - “Death, Reverb and Decay” - is out everywhere today. This is a piece of music, a lament, for bass flute, string drones, and cello that evolved throughout live performances across 2025. We made a second (Dreaming) version after hearing the piece slowed down and getting buried inside of it. Honestly, I cried most of the times I performed this piece live, it has a way of stopping time. Very happy to finally share this beauty with those who weren’t able to hear it in person - hope you can find some comfort in it during these dark winter solstice days. Thanks Christina and Olly for your trust. Mastered by @studioschwebung ⚱️ Released by @editionsbasilic 🌿 Link in bio. Shown - alternate cover image courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

‘Death, Reverb and Decay’ OUT TODAY 2 new pieces composed, performed and recorded by @johnalsobennett @ollycoates and me A voyage across ancient mournful waters to a place of replenishment and repair Bass flute: @johnalsobennett Cello: @ollycoates Mastered by @studioschwebung Cover: Stone carving 3100 BC, Egypt Ka hieroglyph ~ 2 bent arms = SPIRIT Ankh ~ loop amulet = LIFE Find it on all digital platforms / link in profile 🤍 Death, Reverb and Decay (Dreaming) audio in the post