Celestial Trails – Lunar Beachcomber – EPK Portal / Fluttery Records

Words by Jerry Luke

Celestial Trails, the San Francisco, California-based solo ambient music project of Fluttery Records founder Taner Torun, makes its debut on Lunar Beachcomber.

Celestial Trails paints sonic tapestries layer by layer, seamlessly blending the warmth of organic textures from piano, analog synths, electric and bass guitars with the precision of virtual electronic instruments. Organic recordings are enriched using electroacoustic techniques such as reverb, delay, harmonizing, tape manipulation, and sonic deconstruction. Additionally, tape-manipulated field recordings captured during nature hikes and city walks are seamlessly integrated as another layer.

From seed to final form, Lunar Beachcomber’s recording process unfolded between June 2023 and January 2024. The first recording was in Pittsburgh, PA on a sleepless hot summer night, while the last one took place in San Francisco, CA. All recordings for the album were captured exclusively in these two cities.

Inspired by the boundless beauty of nature, urban landscapes, and the alluring mysteries of the cosmos, Lunar Beachcomber invites you to explore uncharted sonic territories; lush soundscapes, evoke tranquil meadows, bustling cityscapes, and the vastness of outer space.

The opening track, “A Pair of New Wings,” serves as an audio representation of the profound personal connection to nature and life.

“Over the past five years, I’ve embarked on incredible hikes across the United States, from discovering the trails around Finger Lakes in upstate New York to wandering along the Lackawanna River. I’ve witnessed the vibrant colors of Mount Rainier in Autumn and experienced the serene beauty of Mount Tamalpais in California winter. Sharing the same muddy ground with mudskippers in Kauai was just one of many memorable moments. Each journey has been profound, integral to my healing journey, offering me solace, inspiration, and a newfound sense of freedom.”

Through careful processing, electric guitars shed their familiar skins. The washed electric guitars in “Time Collapse on the Threshing Floor” and “The Crudest Luminescence” are seamlessly integrated into the atmospheric ambient soundscape. However, there are more surprises beyond the strings.

“I don’t want to reveal all the mysteries of this album but if you listen carefully you can hear a flock of birds in “Spell Machine Manufacturing”. Those mysteries are well hidden with a series of filters and tape manipulations.”

Despite its abstract nature, the album retains discernible melodies. Infused with elements of science fiction and surrealism, “Lunar Beachcomber” presents a rich and textured ambient experience, yet its roots remain firmly planted on earth.

“We often forget that our planet is smaller than a grain of sand on a beach. Life is a gift, and our time on this planet is limited. We should strive to make this experience easy and pleasant for each other.”

Celestial Trails extends an invitation to traverse sonic landscapes, where earthly whispers intertwine with cosmic hums. As listeners embark on this auditory journey, they are reminded of the fleeting yet intriguing experience within this cosmic beachcomber’s sanctuary.

Celestial Trails, a solo ambient music project based in San Francisco, was launched by Taner Torun, founder of Fluttery Records.

Born in Turkey to a Turkish father and a mother whose family emigrated from Greece, Torun’s musical journey began in Istanbul, where he played electric guitar in various punk and post-punk bands until 2006. His musical taste began to gravitate more towards ambient, post-rock, neoclassical, and experimentalism around that time. He started the modern classical / experimentalist band A Journey Down The Well in 2007, garnering international recognition within the underground music scene.

In 2008, Taner founded Fluttery Records, an independent label with a focus on nurturing innovative talent across ambient, post-rock, and modern classical genres. The label’s international signing approach was unconventional at the time, surprising many within the music community. Committed to providing a platform for passionate instrumentalists, Fluttery Records became a haven for musicians seeking international acclaim and broader audiences.

Taner emigrated to the United States in the summer of 2018, bringing Fluttery Records with him to San Francisco, where he has resided ever since. “I am one of the many openly LGBTQ individuals who had to leave the country because of the hostile political environment,” says Taner. He was among the 24 people who organized and participated in the first-ever gay pride march in 2003, which attracted more than 100,000 people in 2014 before being banned in 2015.

Taner frequently travels and during his nature hikes, he engages in field recording, meditation, and note-taking. In addition to helming Fluttery Records, Taner does mastering and album cover design, both for the label’s roster and other artists.

Although Taner had recorded music over the years, he refrained from releasing any of it. “I was after finding my own spark within ambient music” he reflects. In January 2024, the recording for the debut Celestial Trails album “Lunar Beachcomber” was completed. As the final notes echo into the cosmos, Celestial Trails beckons listeners to a profound ambient music listening experience.

EPK Portal / Fluttery Records

Celestial Trails Unveils Debut Album “Lunar Beachcomber”: An Ambient Exploration of Nature, Urbanity, and the Cosmos

Organic and electronic textures weave together, inviting listeners on a journey through lush soundscapes, bustling cityscapes, and the vastness of space.

ABOUT CELESTIAL TRAILS and TANER TORUN