The word "allay" connotes the act of putting one's fears and worries at rest. Allay, the beloved Dutch chillout and downtempo composer, delivers on the promise of his name, as he offers us both a soothing and spiritually uplifting aural pilgrimage, courtesy of "Journey Of The Velvet Adorned Nomad," his debut album on our imprint. An ambitious undertaking, guided by a quest to seek beyond the mundane world and explore the unknown, the album showcases a dozen new collaborative works with a variety of fellow Silk Music label veterans, as well as a pair of equally captivating solo works.
The journey of the titular 'nomad' is illustrated through 14 distinct compositions, each one helping to guide the narrative. While most of the tracks are instrumental, the album opener, "A Spiritual Calling," features the wistful vocals of Jan Martin; later on, we are graced with two vocal contributions from Narrow Skies, Allay's frequent muse. Much anticipated collaborations with Delectatio, Jani R, Skyknock, The Cynic Project, Skyline Drive, Rod V, ElDera, Andevour, Inuuro, and SineRider are simply breathtaking and offer veteran downtempo fans the rare opportunity to hear these extraordinary veterans lending their compositional gifts to the same conceptual release. By the time the album closes with the achingly beautiful "Journey's End," the listener has experienced myriad introspective moments, each offering the promise of both tranquility and transcendence.