What is zensounds?
zensounds is an independent blog about ambient and experimental music.
I write about the wide spectrum of (instrumental) ambient music, including adjacent genres like ambient jazz, dub techno, balearic house, atmospheric drum’n’bass, post-rock and trip-hop. The ‘experimental’ part is more of a catch-all term that allows me to essentially write about all music I find interesting.
I’ve recently been focusing much on vaporwave, including subgenres slushwave, signalwave, mallsoft, future funk, vaporbreaks and barber beats.
Who is Stephan Kunze?
I’m a freelance journalist and book author based in Germany.
Since the early 2000s, I’ve been writing about music and culture for magazines, newspapers and on the internet. I’ve been leading editorial teams at media and tech companies, I hosted community radio shows, lectured at universities and worked as a consultant in the music industry.
My non-fiction book Zen Style was published by Arkana/Penguin Random House (in German).
Do I need a paid subscription?
No. You can sign up for free and you will receive all new posts directly into your inbox.
Still, it would be incredibly helpful if you’d consider taking out a paid subscription. Currently I do not hold a ‘day job’, as I’ve done in the past. Any income from paid subs will directly support my livelihood as a freelance journalist – and ensure that I will be able to keep spending as much time and energy on zensounds.
If you subscribe, I will provide a few benefits to you: Full archive access (new posts go behind the paywall after a few weeks), an AMA once every six months, and the opportunity to ask me questions via the chat function.
If you don’t want to support Substack but still want to support me, head over to my Ko-Fi page and donate safely (one-time and recurring donations possible).
Can I pitch music to you?
Yes. Email zensounds [at] posteo [dot] com
Please be aware of a few things though:
I’m not focused on covering new releases right now.
I don’t have the bandwidth to answer to pitches or give feedback to music.
No Spotify/Apple Music links please, I’m not using these services.
Bandcamp codes preferred.
Please refrain from sending follow-up emails.
Thank you!
