You Must Hear 7

contemporary instrumental

Last updated: Tue Oct 21 2025 02:28:50 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Description

Contemporary instrumental encompasses modern music that prioritizes melody and atmosphere without vocals, blending classical sensibilities with electronic textures and ambient influences. The sound ranges from minimalist piano compositions to cinematic orchestrations, often evoking introspection and emotional depth through careful layering and space. This tag captures music designed for focused listening, creative work, or contemplation in our digital age.

100 chronological releases

Place	Cover	Date	Artist	Album	Tags	Other places
38		1972	Various Artists	Windham Hill America	america contemporary instrumental new age	america # 11
52		1972	Various Artists	Sanctuary - 20 Years Of Windham Hill	ambient contemporary instrumental new age
81		1974	Various Artists	Narada Lotus Acoustic Sampler 5	contemporary instrumental instrumental
29		1984	Richard Burmer	Mosaic	ambient ambient electronic contemporary instrumental electronic new age proto-vaporwave	ambient electronic # 35
15		1984	Michael Harrison	Windows: 25 Years of Windham Hill Piano	contemporary instrumental
84		1986	Lyle Mays	Lyle Mays	jazz fusion piano	jazz fusion # 15
95		1986	Suzanne Ciani	The Velocity of Love	new age	progressive electronic # 6
99		1986	Ray Lynch	Deep Breakfast	contemporary instrumental	guitarist # 73
31		1986	Peter Kater	In A Dream	contemporary instrumental ethereal meditation new age spiritual
78		1986	Ray Lynch	The Best Of Ray Lynch	ambient contemporary instrumental new age
16		1987	Various Artists	Windham Hill Sampler '94	contemporary instrumental
66		1988	Jon Mark	The Standing Stones of Callanish	ambient contemporary instrumental progressive electronic
50		1990	Mario Chianello	Proxima	ambient contemporary instrumental
45		1992	Doug Smith	Labyrinth	contemporary instrumental fingerstyle guitar folk
74		1993	William Ackerman	A Windham Hill Retrospective	contemporary instrumental
40		1995	John Tesh	Live At Red Rocks	new age
37		1997-01-01	Wayne Gratz	Narada Lotus Acoustic Sampler 5	acoustic contemporary instrumental
91		1998	David Lanz	Songs From An English Garden	ambient contemporary instrumental instrumental new age piano
4		1999	Scott Wilkie	Boundless	contemporary instrumental jazz
64		1999-04	Karen FitzGerald	Heart of the Rain	piano
9		2000	Secret Garden	Dreamcatcher	new age
57		2000	Bella Sonus	Enamoured	new age
13		2000-10-10	Yanni	The Very Best Of Yanni	new age
32		2001	Solaris	Solar NRG	african alternative rock ambient arabic celtic chillout classical contemporary instrumental dark ambient deep ambient downtempo easy listening electronic electronica ethnic experimental pop field recordings fusion glitch guitar rock idm instrumental meditation metal native american new age noise post-rock progressive rock psychedelic folk psychedelic rock psychill rock soundscape spiritual tolkien world world fusion zeuhl	zeuhl # 32 deep ambient # 51 tolkien # 53 guitar rock # 80
54		2001	Kitaro	The Light Of The Spirit	new age	experimental electronic # 41 ethnic fusion # 64
1		2001	Jace Vek	Vision	contemporary instrumental piano
28		2001	Wayne Lytle	Animusic	contemporary instrumental electronic soundtrack
65		2001	Soulstice	Mixed Illusions	downtempo
49		2001-04-03	Kevin Kern	Embracing The Wind	piano solo instrumental	piano solo # 93
17		2003	Various Artists	Narada Collection 4	contemporary instrumental
83		2003	David Lanz	A Cup of Moonlight	contemporary instrumental piano
59		2003-07-15	Keiko Matsui	A Gift of Life	contemporary instrumental smooth jazz
90		2003-08-03	Williamson	A Few Things to Hear Before We All Blow Up	ambient america american american underground contemporary instrumental downtempo idm indietronica usa	america # 82 american underground # 83
27		2003-09-02	David Lanz	Nightfall / Heartsounds (Narada Classics)	contemporary instrumental
56		2004	Various Artists	The Impressionists: A Windham Hill Sampler	contemporary instrumental
61		2005	Greg Ellis	Kala Rupa	contemporary instrumental new age tabla	tabla # 85
75		2005	Brian Crain	Spring Symphonies	contemporary instrumental
82		2005-02-14	Brian Kelly	Pools of Light	contemporary instrumental new age
35		2005-03-22	Camiel	Sunset	smooth jazz
96		2005-08-23	Brian Simpson	It's All Good	jazz piano smooth jazz	smooth jazz # 41 jazz piano # 77
60		2005-11-29	Williamson	The Trashcan Electric e.p.	contemporary instrumental downtempo electronica
41		2006	Eric Tingstad	Woodlands	contemporary instrumental
88		2006	George Winston	Autumn (Windham Hill 20th Anniversary Edition)	contemporary instrumental
94		2006-07-24	Globus	Epicon	soundtrack orchestral	orchestral # 85
73		2006-09-13	Max Richter	From "The Art of Mirrors"	ambient composer contemporary classical contemporary instrumental contemporary piano instrumental minimalism neoclassical piano piano ambient piano solo solo piano	composer # 7 solo piano # 59 piano solo # 67
2		2007-11-23	Sylvain Chauveau	Nuage	contemporary classical neoclassical piano	contemporary classical # 20 piano ambient # 22 neoclassical # 26 minimal piano # 58 contemporary piano # 59 minimal ambient # 72 postclassical # 72 experimental-ambient # 73
21		2008	Michael Samson	A Still Motion	beethoven classical classical piano composer contemporary instrumental contemporary piano impressionism instrumental new age piano solo solo piano	beethoven # 25 piano solo # 32 impressionism # 81
86		2008	Stanton Lanier	Unveiled	contemporary instrumental
24		2008-02-22	Various Artists	Adagio: A Windham Hill Collection	contemporary instrumental
12		2008-06-02	Library Tapes	Fragment	neoclassical contemporary classical piano	contemporary piano # 31 postclassical # 35 piano # 38 minimal ambient # 42 piano ambient # 53 experimental-ambient # 53 minimal piano # 72 contemporary classical # 77 neoclassical # 86
34		2008-09-08	Hauschka	Ferndorf	contemporary classical neoclassical ambient piano contemporary piano	piano ambient # 2 contemporary piano # 18 contemporary classical # 26 neoclassical # 52 experimental-ambient # 69 minimal ambient # 79 postclassical # 84
53		2008-11-01	Brian Kelly	Afterplay	contemporary jazz smooth jazz
71		2008-11-24	Library Tapes	a summer beneath the trees	ambient contemporary classical neoclassical	contemporary piano # 78
36		2009	Goldmund	Live At The Triple Door	ambient contemporary classical contemporary instrumental contemporary piano instrumental minimalism neoclassical piano piano ambient piano solo solo piano	solo piano # 18 piano solo # 43
76		2009	Various Artists	Relaxation: A Windham Hill Collection	contemporary instrumental
42		2009-01-13	Rafael Anton Irisarri	hopes and past desires ep	ambient contemporary classical	contemporary piano # 99
51		2009-09-17	Jose Travieso	Música para una Guitarra sin Voz	acoustic composer contemporary classical contemporary instrumental fusion instrumental jazz jazz fusion jazz piano new age piano piano jazz solo piano spanish	solo piano # 30
58		2009-09-17	Jose Travieso	Lluvia de Mayo	acoustic ambient composer contemporary classical contemporary instrumental ethereal instrumental minimalism new age piano piano ambient solo piano spanish	solo piano # 37
69		2009-09-17	Jose Travieso	De Luces y de Sombras	acoustic ambient composer contemporary classical contemporary instrumental ethereal instrumental minimalism new age piano piano ambient solo piano spanish	solo piano # 52
92		2009-09-17	Jose Travieso	A Retrospective: The Early Years - 1994-2003	acoustic composer contemporary classical contemporary instrumental instrumental neoclassical new age piano solo piano spanish	composer # 42 solo piano # 79
7		2009-09-17	Jose Travieso	The Illusionist	acoustic classical classical piano composer contemporary classical contemporary instrumental instrumental minimalism neoclassical new age piano piano ambient solo piano spain spanish
18		2009-09-17	Jose Travieso	Tres Piezas para Oídos Distintos	acoustic ambient composer contemporary classical contemporary instrumental ethereal instrumental minimalism new age piano piano ambient solo piano spanish
20		2010-08-25	Hauschka	Volker Bertelmann: Foreign Landscapes	ambient contemporary classical contemporary instrumental contemporary piano instrumental neoclassical piano
80		2010-09	Clem Leek	Holly Lane	ambient contemporary classical minimalism piano contemporary piano neoclassical piano ambient	composer # 13 contemporary classical # 15 contemporary piano # 17 solo piano # 65 minimalism # 68 piano solo # 72 minimal ambient # 75 piano ambient # 83
55		2010-10-25	Library Tapes	Like green grass against a blue sky	contemporary classical neoclassical ambient contemporary piano piano	piano solo # 3 contemporary piano # 79
72		2011-03-01	Marc Enfroy	Dreams of the Forest	classical crossover contemporary classical contemporary instrumental instrumental new age piano spiritual	classical crossover # 27
30		2011-10-07	Nils Frahm	Felt	contemporary classical neoclassical piano	contemporary piano # 34 postclassical # 47 piano ambient # 50 minimal ambient # 61 contemporary classical # 73 experimental-ambient # 74 minimal piano # 77 neoclassical # 80
26		2011-10	Clem Leek	Lifenotes	ambient contemporary classical neoclassical piano contemporary piano	contemporary piano # 11 minimalism # 24 minimal ambient # 32 neoclassical # 47 contemporary classical # 52 piano ambient # 71 experimental-ambient # 78
70		2011-12-29	Endless Melancholy	Memories	neoclassical piano ambient instrumental minimalism orchestral piano ambient ukrainian contemporary classical contemporary instrumental electronic ethereal post-rock contemporary piano ukraine	piano ambient # 5 ukraine # 30
14		2012-03-12	Greg Haines	Digressions	ambient contemporary classical neoclassical piano contemporary piano	contemporary classical # 2 contemporary piano # 16 minimal piano # 32 neoclassical # 33 experimental-ambient # 37 minimal ambient # 46 piano ambient # 56
8		2012-05-17	Endless Melancholy	Wide As The Golden Ocean	alternative ambient chillout composer contemporary classical contemporary instrumental contemporary piano electroacoustic electronic ethereal instrumental minimalism neoclassical new age orchestral piano piano ambient post-rock postclassical solo piano soundscape soundtrack ukraine ukrainian
68		2012-05	Olan Mill	Paths	ambient contemporary classical contemporary piano neoclassical piano	contemporary piano # 86
89		2012-07-03	Endless Melancholy	Before, After		piano ambient # 40 ukrainian # 46 ukraine # 66 contemporary piano # 83
47		2012-09-20	Nils Frahm	Screws	contemporary classical neoclassical piano	contemporary piano # 8 minimalism # 8 experimental-ambient # 23 minimal ambient # 24 minimal piano # 30 postclassical # 37 piano ambient # 66 piano # 69 contemporary classical # 85 neoclassical # 90
93		2012-12-02	Endless Melancholy	November	ambient contemporary classical contemporary instrumental electronic ethereal instrumental minimalism neoclassical orchestral piano piano ambient post-rock ukrainian contemporary piano ukraine	piano ambient # 35 ukrainian # 47 ukraine # 61 contemporary piano # 95
77		2013-07-02	Endless Melancholy	Epilogue	neoclassical ambient contemporary classical instrumental minimalism piano piano ambient post-rock ukrainian contemporary instrumental electronic ethereal orchestral contemporary piano ukraine	ukrainian # 1 piano ambient # 7 ukraine # 42
62		2013-11-14	Endless Melancholy	Autumn Outtakes	ambient contemporary classical contemporary instrumental electronic ethereal instrumental minimalism neoclassical orchestral piano piano ambient post-rock ukrainian contemporary piano ukraine
63		2014-04-02	Endless Melancholy	Rêverie | Broken	ambient chillout contemporary classical contemporary instrumental electroacoustic electronic ethereal instrumental minimalism neoclassical orchestral piano piano ambient post-rock soundtrack ukrainian	electroacoustic # 20
22		2014-06-22	Endless Melancholy	Wherever	ambient instrumental neoclassical piano chillout contemporary classical contemporary instrumental electroacoustic electronic ethereal minimalism orchestral piano ambient post-rock soundtrack ukrainian
48		2014-07-02	Jeff Woodall	Seventh Heaven	ambient british chillout contemporary instrumental deep ambient downbeat downtempo easy listening electro electronic electronica idm lounge new age soundtrack	downbeat # 39 deep ambient # 66
85		2014-08-22	Sylvain Chauveau	Down to the Bone	ambient	contemporary piano # 88
87		2014-10-21	Endless Melancholy	Fragile	alternative ambient chillout composer contemporary classical contemporary instrumental contemporary piano electroacoustic electronic ethereal instrumental minimalism neoclassical new age orchestral piano piano ambient post-rock postclassical solo piano soundscape soundtrack ukraine ukrainian	piano ambient # 23 ukrainian # 23 composer # 32 electroacoustic # 58 ukraine # 67 postclassical # 71 soundscape # 72 solo piano # 74 contemporary piano # 81
25		2015-01-21	Endless Melancholy	Ambermixes	alternative ambient chillout composer contemporary classical contemporary instrumental contemporary piano deep ambient drone drone ambient electroacoustic electronic ethereal instrumental minimalism neoclassical new age orchestral piano piano ambient post-rock postclassical solo piano soundscape soundtrack ukraine ukrainian	deep ambient # 42
10		2015-10-17	Marilyn Roxie	Rarities and Demos	american contemporary instrumental
11		2015-10-17	Marilyn Roxie	Ermine EP	american contemporary classical contemporary instrumental
100		2016-09-16	Jóhann Jóhannsson	Orphée	classical crossover contemporary classical contemporary instrumental	contemporary classical # 67 classical crossover # 99
19		2023	Various Artists	Windham Hill Chill 2	contemporary instrumental
23		2023	Various Artists	Wisdom Of The Wood	contemporary instrumental
33		2023	Various Artists	Windham Hill Chill	contemporary instrumental
46		2023	Various Artists	20 Years Of Narada Piano	contemporary instrumental piano
97		2023	Various Artists	Romance/Passion: Narada Classics	contemporary instrumental
43		2024	Solaris	Floatspace Continuum	african alternative rock ambient arabic celtic chillout classical contemporary instrumental dark ambient downtempo dub easy listening electro electronic electronica ethnic experimental pop field recordings fusion glitch guitar rock idm instrumental meditation native american new age noise post-rock progressive rock psychedelic folk psychedelic rock psychill rock soundscape spiritual tolkien world world fusion zeuhl	experimental pop # 4 zeuhl # 46 tolkien # 67 guitar rock # 84
67			Renato Ventura	Puzzle	world world fusion contemporary instrumental europe	world fusion # 16
79			Michael Mucklow	The View From Here	acoustic acoustic guitar contemporary instrumental new age	acoustic guitar # 40
98			Bremer/McCoy	Utopia	avant-garde jazz contemporary instrumental ethereal instrumental rock jazz new age post-rock	instrumental rock # 63 avant-garde jazz # 83
3			Renato Ventura	Joy - Single.	africa composer contemporary instrumental europe instrumental italian italy world world fusion
5			Renato Ventura	Nomads - Single	celtic electronica italy world world fusion contemporary instrumental instrumental
6			Alexander Alvarado	IT'S OK TO TALK TO HIM	ambient contemporary instrumental easy listening instrumental new age
39			Renato Ventura	Unreleased	world world fusion contemporary instrumental electronic italian italy
44			Michael Mucklow	Clearly	acoustic acoustic guitar contemporary instrumental

Related genres

• instrumental
• new age
• ambient
• piano
• contemporary classical
• minimalism
• ethereal
• composer
• neoclassical
• electronic