Ambient experimentalist Michael Hix — best known as the founder of the Nashville Ambient Ensemble — steps into new territory with Wonderful Aspiration of the Source, his debut solo release under the same name. Out September 19th on Centripetal Force, the album strips away expectations and genre lines to deliver something raw, spacious, and deeply personal. The album will be available on limited edtion pink vinyl, CD, and, of course, digitally.
Built entirely around electric guitar and shaped by Hix’s Buddhist meditation practice, Wonderful Aspiration of the Source unfolds like a quiet conversation with the self. Hix explores new territory using a B-Bender Telecaster and live looping — no synths, no pedal steel — creating textures that echo ambient legends like Eno and Budd, with subtle nods to Hedges, Metheny, and even the soulful clarity of Gilmour.
The first single, “Cadence,” arrives July 22nd, with album preorders happening at the same time.
“This album came from a place of needing to simplify,” Hix explains. “Music stopped being a standalone pursuit and became part of my mindfulness. These songs are more from the heart.”
Recorded live at The Golden Tone Zone in Nashville with Trevor Nikrant (Styrofoam Winos) behind the board, the album’s tones float between melancholy and warmth, offering a unique sonic voice that feels both grounded and transcendental. Fans of marine eyes, Chuck Johnson, and Nashville’s growing ambient underground will find themselves at home — even if the album doesn’t fit neatly into any single category.
Preorders for Wonderful Aspiration of the Source go live July 22nd via Centripetal Force.
