Ambient/Electronica Artist Releases New Three-Song Podcast

Ambient and Electronica artist and podcaster Mark Rushton has recently released a new MP3-based podcast of original music. The podcast contains three pieces of music created in 2002 and 2003 and can be found at podcast.markrushton.com

Rushton has decided to dip into his archive of older material to create this podcast, his 15th at MarkRushton.com and 23rd overall since he started podcasting in late 2004. Rushton's podcasts have been downloaded over 100,000 times by a worldwide audience.

The first track, Adsorption, is a 5 minute long ambient piece from 2002 that rises, falls, and builds with bass and electronica sounds as time progresses. What Works, also created in 2002, is the second track, an energetic, beat-driven slice of electronica. The final track, Black Box, created in 2003, is a piano-based rhythmic and melodic electronica spectacle that moves along at a frentic pace with only a brief break in the middle. The total time of the podcast is 14 minutes and 16 seconds.

Currently, Rushton has almost completed an album created with the help of bass player Jon Harnish. It's expected to be released in late 2006 or early 2007. The overall tone of the album veers towards quiet soundscaping, drone-based pieces, drifting ambience, and industrialized atmospherics with nature-based samples and slight orchestration in places. Rushton calls the album, "Unlike anything I've ever heard. It's basically arranged noises and sounds, but it's the most beautiful, relaxing, yet unnerving album you can imagine." Rushton has already directed a video for the track "Money Agent" off the forthcoming album, and it's currently available for viewing via YouTube.

Rushton uses a variety of sites to promote his music. He sells CDs through CDBaby, CafePress, BuyIowaArt.com, Amazon.com, and through mail-order. Downloads of his albums can be purchased from over 50 different online retailers, such as iTunes, Rhapsody, Connect, eMusic, and Napster. Free MP3s are made available on his web site, markrushton.com. Rushton also utilizes MySpace, Lastfm.com, AcidPlanet.com, Download.com, and Soundclick.com for additional promotion. His music is also used in the background and segues for the short story and literary fiction podcast at Boundoff.com. Rushton also occasionally performs at live events throughout Eastern Iowa.