Markus Guentner is a German electronic composer whose career began with the Regensburg EP on Kompakt in 2000, followed by his debut album In Moll and long-standing contributions to the label’s Pop Ambient series. His extensive discography includes releases on Sending Orbs, Ware, Affin, and A Strangely Isolated Place, alongside music for films, exhibitions, and collaborative art projects. Over the years, Guentner has worked with artists including Rafael Anton Irisarri, Julia Kent, bvdub, Tom Moth, Abul Mogard, Hollie Kenniff, Arovane, and Joachim Spieth. With albums such as Empire, Theia, Gradient Spirits, and Kontrapunkt, he continues to evolve a body of work that demonstrates both consistency and exploration across more than two decades of contemporary ambient music.

This mix moves through expansive ambient textures, blending together luminous drones, melancholic melodies, and subtle rhythmic undercurrents. It unfolds as a deeply atmospheric journey, balancing intimacy with a sense of vast, timeless space.

Could you share with us what mood or feeling guided you while putting this mix together?

Feeling relaxed is very important to me when I am starting to make a mix, or make some music. I need no distractions, so I can focus and dive into it. So in the beginning, there’s no obvious mood or feeling, but more an exploration of music that I want to have in that mix. I’m finding what could fit, or go together, and I’m collecting tracks. But as soon as I decide what the first song is, the fun really begins! It’s a wild ride through moods. When a track is playing, I’ll let it guide me. Most of the time, I have a specific idea of what I want to play next, and if it fits, that’s exciting. Sometimes it’s also very surprising when I try a song that I think will never fit, but I really want in the mix. I love it when I finally find a place where it fits perfectly and makes everything else even more interesting. But sometimes it can be very disappointing when you really want to maintain and continue a specific mood and atmosphere from a song, but you can’t make it work. That’s when you start to think differently, and try things, and play around. It could lead to something you haven’t thought about before. The surprise and excitement can return immediately. So in the end I’m moving through a lot of moods and feelings. But when I listen to the finished mix, I always feel happy and satisfied.

Your sound is very atmospheric and evocative. Are there specific visual arts, literature, or even places that inspire the aesthetic and emotional tone of your work?

I think the most important thing is to walk through the world with open ears and eyes. Really remarkable and impressive things can inspire you, but also small and seemingly insignificant things that you don't realize or notice at first glance.

When producing a long-form ambient or atmospheric piece, how do you handle the risk of the music feeling static or repetitive? What techniques help you introduce movement and progression without breaking the mood?

Oh, that is a good question ... because I never thought about this!!! I’m always moving with the flow of the sounds. The tracks have the length that I feel they need. I don’t want to restrict myself with anything. Not the length, not how long or short sounds are, or how many effects I use, etc. It’s kind of funny, because when you make the music, you’ll hear the sounds for hours and hours as you work with it. If the sounds doesn’t annoy you, then that is the first good step. When you start arranging them, every sound gets the time it needs. Sometimes it could go on forever, sometimes you are very exact and decide “ok, enough of that sound”. I think it’s important to stay a bit playful when making music. Try stuff. Put some small things here and there. Remove some stuff from time to time. It can be very subtle things in the tracks. Sometimes it sounds like nothing “obvious” is happening in the track, but there are things that keep the track going and make it interesting. Even if you don’t hear or recognise it, you can feel like there is something happening.

Well, there are none now. There were some, back in the day, but I got rid of them completely. For me, creativity isn’t something that needs to be taken care of. It’s there, or not. I don’t push myself anymore into a creative process. When I feel like creating something, I will do it. But I don’t want to push myself into that if I don’t feel like I have anything to say through the music. It could be months before I do a singlepiece of music. But when it happens, everything comes out in a short amount of time. Sometimes I need two years to finish an album, or sometimes it’s done in a few weeks.

Can you detail your method for creating evolving textures? Do you rely more on automation, granular synthesis, or layering modulation effects to achieve continuous movement?

The first thing to know is that most of the time I don’t rely on tempo, a beat or steps. When there is a good sound, you can play around with it a lot. When I use a pad that I have created, I think a bit about what could fit and please the sound, or rather: what could fit the mood and the atmosphere! It could be a small piece I’m taking from the sound. It could be an effect, or a melody playing. From there on it’s a natural process. It’s kind of a flow. But, when you asked about layering: yes, that’s definitely a big part in my music. Sometimes it’s even maybe a bit too “overloaded”. But hey, why get rid of something that really needs to be there (even if it’s not the “perfect production”)?! So, sometimes, it’s also a bit about these “mistakes” that makes the sound and music what it is.

Do you think your visual background as a graphic designer affects the way you "see" sound?

It’s kinda funny because it’s more my background as a musician that affects my work as a graphic designer! The approach of making and creating music helped my graphic design work a lot. Okay, the job of a graphic designer is mostly not that creative, but sometimes there are artworks and special stuff, where I can completely go wild. When I make music, I really try to avoid having specific images in my mind. I try to let the music speak for itself. The images should be a personal experience, and how the listener ”sees” the music. Of course, the graphic design work for labels, the art work, needs a different approach. That’s my turn to perceive the music, to question what I feel about it, and how I want people to perceive it.