200 Copies. A bridge between generations of ambient exploration, this split release unites two artists connected through mood, texture, and introspection: Enno Velthuys, the late Dutch composer and visual artist whose melancholic ambient works defined a quiet corner of the 1980s cassette underground, and Paul Riedl, best known as the creative force behind visionary metal band Blood Incantation, who here reveals a parallel world of deep ambient sound. Together, these recordings form a contemplative journey across aesthetics—a meeting of two artists who, though separated by time, share a commitment to sound as emotional architecture. Velthuys's contributions are drawn from the EXART vaults and carefully selected by Hessel Veldman to serve as an appetizer for an upcoming LP of more unreleased material on Stroom Records. Between 1983 and 1987, Velthuys released four cassettes that crafted a deeply personal sound—minimal, dreamlike and steeped in solitude—that would later come to be recognized as a cornerstone of European ambient music. The pieces presented here continue that fragile lineage: meditative, intimate and quietly transcendent. His work moves slowly, like fog across water, guided by intuition rather than structure, emotion rather than ego.

In contrast yet in harmony, Riedl's side of the album offers archival recordings that extend his lifelong fascination with cosmic sound and inner space. While known for his work in Blood Incantation and related projects exploring the outer reaches of metal, Riedl has long been devoted to ambient and experimental composition—a practice running parallel to his more public persona. His selections for this release, curated to complement Velthuys's music, trace a dialogue between decades and sensibilities, blending analog warmth and deep atmospherics with a sense of timeless drift. Where Velthuys whispers, Riedl hums; where one dissolves, the other expands. The pairing is unexpected yet intuitive. Both artists approach ambient not as background music but as a portal—into memory, solitude, vastness. Both favor restraint over spectacle, allowing silence and space to shape the listener's experience. And both understand that the most affecting music often arrives without announcement, unfolding in slow motion like a thought becoming a feeling.

The CD comes in a 6-panel wallet and is limited to 200 copies. An LP edition is slated for release soon, extending the conversation further. This is ambient music that asks for attention without demanding it—music for late nights, long journeys, and the spaces in between.