The 5th Loop Festival Berlin took place in 2025 July 11 and 12. I had the honor of performing there on July 12. Many loop musicians were present at this event, and each brought her/his own specialty. The music often went beyond traditional looping and ranged to very experimental sounds.
It was a diverse group of excellent musicians and experienced loopers.
Apart from being able to play there, these two days gave me a lot of inspiration from each and every musician.
“Ambient” and ‘looping’ are terms that are often used in music, sound design, and media production. I have repeatedly explained the term “ambient” in my recent albums.
Ambient texture: sound as space
Ambient music focuses more on sound, mood, and atmosphere than on rhythm or melody.
The music does not demand attention—it blends into the environment
It allows your brain to wander or focus, depending on your state of mind
It can run endlessly
What is looping?
Looping: The foundation of timelessness
Loops are short audio segments that repeat endlessly. In ambient music, these loops are usually:
subtle and develop slowly
complex or organic
consisting of textures such as field recordings, soft pads, or quiet melodies
A simple loop may seem repetitive on its own, but when processed with reverb, delay, filters, and layering, it becomes fluid and hypnotic—less like a repetition and more like a cycle in nature (waves, wind, breath).
For this album, however, it's important to explain what ambient + looping mean together
Many ambient pieces are based entirely on loops – such as long-lasting pads, soft textures, or ambient recordings – that repeat and evolve over time. Looping helps ambient compositions remain fluid and continuous, without a clear beginning or end, which enhances the immersive experience.
The music on this album was inspired by the fantastic looping artists of the 5th Looping Festival 2025. Thank you all!
credits
released July 20, 2025
All tracks played and recorded live without overdubs by Volker Lankow in his Ambient World Studio Berlin Kreuzberg.
Coverdesign by Volker Lankow..
Thanks to Soma Labs, Ableton,The Crowhill Company, Fracture Sounds, Native Instruments, Spitfire Audio, Output, Spectrasonics, 10 Phantom Rooms, Slate & Ash, Eventide, Best Service and Roli for their highly valuable tools
Thanks to Leander Reininghaus for hosting me on the festival and all Artists from the 5th International Looping Festival for their inspiration-
Volker Lankow is a musician who lives in Berlin, who started in late 70s as percussionist,
over the years
Volker dedicated his work entirely to Ambient and Drone Music, using mainly electronics and loops and ocasionally percussions, to develop his own vison of experimental sounds and drones....more
Where is this place? This temple? This ancient choir? These memories, faces, beings? What is this magic? This spell? The cast is strong, hypnotic, and then it ends as mysteriously as it began... Volker Lankow
Auf der Suche nach Musik, die mich in dieser bizarren Außenwelt wieder ins Lot bringen könnte, Stieß ich auf Roberts Album Long Tail... es hat den Nerv genau getroffen,. einfach wunderbar Ullip
The mallet percussionist and improviser's solo debut is flush with nostalgic melodies and stirring dissonances—a rich, experimental universe well worth exploring. Bandcamp Album of the Day Jan 15, 2021