Synthetic Block

Synthetic Block served as the stage name adopted by ambient artist Jonathan Block. Around 1998 the project first surfaced through contributions to assorted independent compilations, among them tributes to King Crimson, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, and the Canterbury Scene. That same year a self-titled release appeared on Mindspore, followed in 1999 by the proper full-length The Opposite of Staring Into Space on Ironing Board Recordings. Hypnos/Binary issued Sonic Approach in 2003; the album represented the most complete expression to date of Synthetic Block’s progressive ambient textures, recalling the work of Tangerine Dream, Robert Wyatt, and ELP.