Nearly two decades after his last artist album Revelations, trance pioneer Johan Gielen returns with a powerful and emotionally charged new long player under his legendary Airscape moniker. Etherflow is more than a comeback – it is a deeply personal exploration of loss, healing, creativity, and the invisible energy that connects us all. Rich in storytelling and melodic depth, the album marks one of the most significant artistic evolutions in Gielen’s career.
A Purpose-Driven Album Two Decades in the Making
For Johan Gielen, an artist album has to mean something. It cannot simply exist to feed industry cycles or fan expectations. This philosophy defines Etherflow from the very first note. The Belgium-born, Dutch-based icon spent three years crafting an album that reflects lived experience, inner transformation, and an unfiltered honesty seldom heard in modern trance albums.
The spark for this project came from personal tragedy: the unexpected passing of Gielen’s longtime friend and tour manager, Robert Sanders. Processing this grief became a driving force behind the album’s creation. The intimate instrumental “Beach Pearl (Robert’s Theme)” stands as the emotional heart of the record, capturing the quiet moments after heartbreak with breathtaking purity.
Yet Etherflow is not a mournful album. Instead, it celebrates life, growth, and the beauty found in the spaces in between.
Light and Resilience in Musical Form
Across its 14 tracks, Etherflow balances introspection with optimism. “Piano del Sol” radiates warmth and sunlit euphoria, while “Love From Above” channels spiritual elevation through classic Airscape melodic phrasing. The recent single “Ecstática” with Daniel Wanrooy bursts with driving energy, providing one of the album’s most straightforward dancefloor moments.
The uplifting “Marula Sunset” with Pierre Pienaar continues this positive thread, blending vibrant harmonics with emotional trance purity.
A Creative Partnership That Expanded the Airscape Sound
A key figure in shaping the album is Arkayne (Kevin van der Tholen), a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist whom Johan met by chance at a writing camp. Their chemistry became an anchor for the entire project. Arkayne’s organic musicianship – live guitars, sweeping pianos, emotive vocal timber – enriches the album with new textures and emotional nuance.
His feature on “In The Dust Where Love Is Gone” stands out as one of the most intimate and heartfelt moments on the album.
Inspired by Norway’s Elements: A Journey Into the Skies
The album’s closing chapters look upward – not toward heaven, but toward expansive Nordic skies. During a gig trip to Norway, Johan spontaneously entered the studio with Joakim ‘Shakespeakers’ Skeide, creating “Nordic Chant” and “Satellites” within the atmosphere of Norway’s mountains, northern lights, and raw nature.
These tracks blend atmospheric textures with hypnotic progression, capturing a sense of wonder and vastness rarely achieved in contemporary trance.
Etherflow – A Universal Current
The album title represents “the natural, continuous movement of universal energy.” This concept is woven through every element of the record. Etherflow is about memory, human connection, creative resilience, and finding purpose after loss. Despite its emotional origins, the album feels light, uplifting, spiritual – a testament to Gielen’s ability to turn vulnerability into beauty.
Rather than closing a chapter, Etherflow opens up a new current in the Airscape legacy.
Joahn Gielen’s Airscape album, “Etherflow,” will be released on November 21st, 2025.
Listen here: https://blackhole.lnk.to/airscapeetherflow
Tracklist “Etherflow“:
- Airscape – Etherflow (Album Mix)
- Airscape feat. Sarah Anglionin – Invincible
- Airscape – Beach Pearl [Robert’s Theme]
- Airscape – Love From Above
- Airscape – Piano Del Sol
- Airscape with Daniel Wanrooy – Ecstatica
- Airscape with Gid Sedgwick – Healing
- Airscape – Never Look Back
- Airscape feat. Arkayne – In The Dust Where Love Is Gone
- Airscape feat. Shakespeakers – Nordic Chant
- Airscape feat. Shakespeakers – Satellites
- Airscape with Pierre Pienaar – Marula Sunset
- Airscape – Circles
- Airscape with Katie Sky – All Of Me For All Of You
