The prolific electronic musician Jack Hertz has released a new collection of “Space Music” entitled Astronauts 4 via his netlabel Aural Films. Collecting together thirty years of music creation, the massive 28-track offering is available as a digital download and 2xCD release. Featuring space inclined compositions from Hertz’s early back catalog of LPs like 1985’s Music From Distant Days, 1986’s In the Undertow, or 1989’s A Thin Drone Silence, Astronauts 4 also includes tracks from more recent efforts like 2018’s m00m and Andromeda Strains, as well as 2019’s Back To The Moon.
Jack Hertz reports that his interest in space travel has inspired his imagination since being a child. He explains:
“Looking into the vast unknown, reflecting on the infinite beauty and physics of the Universe, I cannot help but make up my own stories that are ultimately better expressed in sounds than in words.”
With that in mind, the musician reminds us that it is space travel itself which has been responsible for advancing human disciplines like math, physics, science, and technology. When asked how the Universe influences his work as an artist, he turns the question on its ear by stating, “I like to think it is the Universe that is inspired by the work of the artist.”
Combing the kind of cosmic space jams you might hear playing at the Mos Eisley Cantina on Tatooine, tracks like “Galactic Highway,” “505 Light Years to DX21,” or “Klick und Klack,” the compilation also includes heady ambient cuts like “Capella,” “Space Drone 1,” and “Earth.” Additionally, several tracks on the album find Hertz collaborating with fellow cosmonauts like Christian Fiesel, Cousin Silas, and Scott Lawlor.
