Considering the resounding success and great impact of Billy Denk’s recordings since launching into the ambient music genre with a magnificent blast of two EPS (Starbound, Soul Immersion) and an album (Positive Space) at the tail end of 2019, it’s kind of mind-bending to think that in his previous musical life, he was one of the Chicago area’s most celebrated and versatile jazz guitarists for several decades.

After dropping four EPs from 2020-22, the multi-talented artist has released several powerful full-length introspective collections inspired by Japanese writings and music that have deeply influenced his creative mindset. Denk’s 2019 album In Praise of Shadows was inspired by and named after a 16-section essay on Japanese aesthetics by author and novelist Jun’ichiro Tanizaki, first published in 1933 and in English in 1977, that drew on comparisons of light and darkness to contrast Western and Asian cultures.
For his 2023 opus Meditations of the Cosmos, Denk drew from his love of Japanese kankyō ongaku (or “environmental music”) from the 80s – a reaction to the rapid urbanization and economic development of the time and influenced by Erik Satie and Brian Eno.
All at once, soothing, intricate, soulful expansive and rhythmically eclectic, Denk’s second Wayfarer Music Group album Beneath the Peaceful Sky is, to say the least, epic and awe-inspiring as both a singular release and as a creative extension of those grand previous works. Like those, the nine track 2025 collection was inspired by thought and creativity provoking Japanese writings. While visiting a Santa Fe Bookstore on the Fourth of July, 2023, he picked up a copy of Kokoro: Hints and Echoes of Japanese Inner Life, a collection of essays written in the 1890s by Greek author Lafcadio Hearn about his “flight from Western materialism.”
Denk sees this book as an inspiration for the themes connecting the subtle beauty found in Japanese life as described in the 19th Century with concepts of inner solitude. The theme of introspection – and the need to look both within ourselves and outwardly toward the universe – have been of great importance to Denk as a creative impetus these past years.

“In our busy times and focus on materialism,” Denk says, “I wanted to relate sounds of peace, calm and living simply in the songs. This continues the inspiration from Meditations of the Cosmos where the importance of inner and outer peace was the driving theme. With Beneath the Peaceful Sky, the intention was to transform the external experiences of sky and space into emotions of harmonious expression that guide us toward serenity. By channeling these feelings and surroundings into sound, I wanted to create a space where one can find inner peace and self-discovery. Though not unique to space inspired music, the feelings conveyed were heartfelt, exposing a vulnerability in revealing my true self.”
While curious folks that enjoy getting into the minds of musicians and composers to see where these epic musical adventures come from will certainly find all of Denk’s conceptual backstory fascinating, listeners who simply want ambient music to help them chill out or feel emotionally aroused can simply sit back and attune their ears, heart and inner voice (which the more spiritually inclined among us would connect to the divine) to the array of sonic delights. And there are plenty, because even as Denk likes to mention the vastness of the sky and cosmos, Beneath the Peaceful Sky is far more dynamic and rhythmically inclined than typical “space music” projects that offer mostly different shades and intensities of a synth generated wall of sound.
Its spa-friendly title aside, for instance, “Echoes of Calm” is actually a fascinating oasis of sound, blending hypnotic melodic motifs, tension filled, rhythmic riffs and other echoing textures – all at once offering, like life itself, a bit of unpredictable ripples in a sea of poly-sonic tranquility. While “Tranquil Dawn Embrace” is more in line with typical new age/ambient pieces offering a gorgeous, meditative piano melody caressed by a rush of atmosphere with a few colorful chiming synth accents, “The Depths of Existence” is a spirited, movement filled delight, a colorful adventure with bubbly, quirky synth anxiety/excitement followed by slightly gentler patterns as the piece progresses.

For those who seek out these kinds of recordings to chill, relax, heal and accompany deep, life giving breaths, an excellent entry point would be “Stars in Silence,” a majestic, breathtaking look up at the glistening night sky offering a classic kind of synth wall-based dreamscape complete with numerous life affirming points of musical light. The beautiful and lilting, piano and chime filled title track “Beneath the Peaceful Sky” is a special one for Denk because it allowed him to collaborate with Wayfarer Music Group President and fellow artist, bassist Sean O’Bryan Smith, who contributed subtle but truly sublime fretless bass.
Building on the established theme, Denk experiments with different immersive, ear-bending synth sounds over a spacey backdrop on ‘Visions of Night,” then introduces a vibrating, trilling bell sound over an increasingly haunting, ominous and soaring musical skyscape on “Twilight Glow.” Denk wraps the fascinating adventure with two compositions which urge us to sing a “Song of Peace” and challenge us to embrace “The Quiet Stillness.” The multi-movement “Song of Peace,” which begins with a dark, moody synth melody contrasted with angelic echoing chimes before a fusion of these vibes blends with an increasingly more powerful burst of space synth energy. “The Quiet Stillness” carries Denk’s colorful swirling array of electronic ambiences forward as a backdrop to a gorgeous, spacious melody played on his echoing guitar.
“As many may observe as they listen, the themes of calm, tranquility and peace are coupled with my interest in space, both inner and outer,” Denk says. “I also wanted to convey a visual sensibility by describing how often I see or experience these feelings – by looking at the stars under the sky contemplating my – our world!”
One final note. While Beneath the Peaceful Sky is truly the ultimate expression of spiritual-minded introspection and contemplation, Denk makes it possible through his earthbound mastery of electronic instruments.
As he explains, a significant part of his sound design process involves using plug ins by Arturia, known for their emulations of classic analog synthesizers and creative sound shaping tools. “Arturia’s suite of instruments,” he says, “such as the OP-Xa V or the Jup-8 V, allows me to tap into rich, analog style tones that can be customized to fit my musical vision. Beyond the digital domain, I incorporate my guitar into the process, which serves as both a traditional instrument and tool for triggering innovative ideas. I often create real guitar loops, recording phrases, riffs or chord progressions that serve as the foundation for a track. At other times I use my guitar to trigger MIDI patches, bridging the gap between analog performance and digital sound design.”
Comentarios