Born from the isolation of lockdown and fuelled by a shared passion for spontaneous creation, Ambient
Den is a new Progressive Space Rock project that unites the talents of Australian Prog veterans Ben Craven, Tim Bennetts, and Dean Povey. Their self-titled debut album offers a Cinematic journey through humanity’s interstellar aspirations, blending classic Progressive Rock atmospheres with modern production and heartfelt storytelling.
We had the pleasure of speaking with the band to dive deeper into the creative process, the concept behind the record, and what lies ahead for this exciting collaboration.
Ambient Den was born during the uncertainty of the lockdowns. Can you tell us how those initial jam sessions evolved into a full-fledged collaborative project?
Tim: “After I met Ben in 2017, I recall after a couple of jams we discussed the idea of writing music together.
I think “Provenance” was the first song we wrote from an impro jam. Ideas were flowing quickly after that.“
Ben: “That was a productive evening. Not only did “Provenance” fall out, but a large part of ‘Terraforming’ as well. I had played with Dean previously in my other band, Frankenfido. At some point the three of us got together to play at a corporate gig Dean had committed to. But instead of rehearsing the setlist of covers, most of the time we got distracted and workshopped the music Tim and I had already written. At this point I became convinced the material was worth taking to the next level of a proper album.“
The name “Ambient Den” is a clever anagram of your names — Tim, Ben, and Dean. How did this idea come about, and how does it reflect the chemistry within the band?
Ben: “Pure desperation, I think. Originally, Tim and I had performed under the name ‘ProgAustralis.’ Then for a while I was keen to call the project ‘Bennetts Craven.’ But when we hooked up with Dean it became something different again and we wanted a name to reflect the importance of everyone’s contribution. Well, all the good band names we thought of were already taken by some other band somewhere in history. Finally we put our first names into an anagram generator and got lucky. The name ‘Ambient Den’ stood out in a way that, for instance, ‘Inmate Bend’ or ‘Batmen Dine’ just didn’t.“
Your debut is a concept album exploring humanity’s quest for a new home in the cosmos. What inspired this storyline, and how did you shape the music around it?
Ben: “We had been discussing the idea of space rock, both as a concept and as a description of the music we were making. ‘For All Mankind’ was the first song Dean and I completed lyrically, specifically about the moon landing and what Freud might have thought about it all. Our research led naturally to the famous earthrise image, which became a perfect lyrical fit for another piece of music. But it was the long instrumental track that was the turning point. I was searching for a title and some possible lyrics. The sequencing of the musical ideas seemed to suggest to me the evolution of a new planet, seismic activity, the creation of a new landscape, the beginning of the seasons and eventually life. This all probably sounds completely over the top, but it led to the song title ‘Terraforming’ and completed the concept. So I think it’s
more accurate to say the storyline was shaped around the music!“
Tim: “Ben and Dean played a huge part in the space concept with the lyrical ideas and cover. I personally feel that the music we were creating sounded like the album art and theme, in the same way that Roger Dean’s art ‘sounded’ like Yes’s music.“
The interplay between guitar and keyboards often evokes classic Prog duos like Gilmour & Wright or Banks & Rutherford. Was this synergy immediate or something that developed over time?
Tim: “We had no idea of how things were going to go when we first started. It was definitely immediate for us during our first writing session.“
Ben: “Tim and I recognised an immediate connection as we started playing. I don’t want to overanalyse it. But I think, because we share an appreciation and knowledge of much of the same music, we can recognise those influences in each other’s playing and predict where the other is likely to go. We’re not virtuosos either so we don’t start competing or playing over the top of each other.“
There’s a strong Cinematic quality throughout the album. How did you balance vintage Progressive influences with a modern, immersive sound design?
Ben: “I’ve never really thought about it. In fact I’m delighted that anyone would consider my mixes modern! I suppose one thing I probably do opposite from most engineers is mix for the headphone experience first, and then tweak the mix using speakers. I want the instruments to sit in the soundscape naturally with all that subtle binaural ambience so it feels like you are in the room with them. It’s all a balancing act, but I suspect 90% of listeners are probably using headphones or earbuds these days for the sonic experience anyway.“
The songwriting feels very cohesive, yet distinctly collaborative. How did the three of you approach composing together — did each member bring in complete ideas or were tracks born organically in the room?
Ben: “The project grew from what felt like Tim and I divining musical ideas out of thin air. My background is as a solo artist, always writing alone, so I was delighted to be in a situation where I could bounce off and react to other people in real time. The genesis of each track appeared spontaneously in the room. I think Tim had the odd riff and chord sequence he brought in, but all of my contributions were inspired by the interplay, sometimes straight away, or sometimes days later after the music percolated in my head. All the arranging, refining and overdubs were much more considered and time-consuming. Dean and I also worked on the concept and lyrics afterwards, based on how the evolving music inspired us.“
“For All Mankind” and “Earthrise” both stand out for their emotive melodies and layered arrangements. What role did storytelling and mood play in your creative process?
Ben: “I think mood and melody were the most important elements on those tracks. They both started out as very simple chord progressions, which meant two things. Firstly, they needed very strong melodies to justify their existence. And secondly, they were a great platform for flexing (and restraining!) my arranging muscles. I feel as though the story was already contained within the flow and sequencing of the instrumental tracks and all we had to do was uncover it.“
Let’s talk more about “Terraforming” — a 16-minute Symphonic journey. How did that piece come together, and what challenges or discoveries did it bring during recording?
Tim: “‘Terraforming’ is my favourite track of the album. That piece came together from many different improvisations. We then took the best bits and polished them. Ben worked a lot of his magic with the arrangements. Writing this song was a really fun process.“
Ben: “I had just completed my previous solo album, ‘Monsters From The Id,’ which contains two twenty-minute epics, so I was pretty fearless about approaching another one. ‘Terraforming’ is almost a prophetic title, in that the track was built from pieces of music which didn’t fit a traditional song structure, yet they combined to bring life to something greater. The arranging process was particularly challenging and involved all sorts of tricks like matching tempos and keys, sneaking in modulations and time signature changes, and reusing melodic motifs. But hopefully that slips past the listener, and the main focus is on the melodies, dynamics and performances. In the end we left it as an instrumental since the music seemed to tell the story all by itself.“
Were there specific artists or albums from the 1970s that directly inspired the direction or tone of Ambient Den?
Tim: “As a band we all can agree that we have been influenced by the likes of Yes, Genesis and Floyd. Some of my big influences are groups like Camel, Steeleye Span, Rush, Mr. Bungle, Sky, Kate Bush, Phillip Glass, Gentle Giant, Van Der Graaf and Marillion. I also love jazz, trad folk and classical music very much. I like that all three of us have different musical inspirations, such as Ben’s love of film scores and TV music.“
Ben: “I was inspired, not so much by specific albums, but by the way those artists were working. For instance, when Genesis became a three-piece, I understand they generally wrote all their music together in the studio, while continuing to release solo albums for all the stuff they wrote at home. Likewise, the three-piece Pink Floyd during the later years, and their jam sessions at Britannia Row or on the houseboat. This may only be a romanticised notion of proceedings, but I loved the idea and wanted to approach Ambient Den in much the same way. Album structure was also very influential. So many great albums from the period had an epic on one side and a group of shorter songs on the other. We definitely ran with that!“
The inclusion of radio edits at the end of the album is quite interesting. Was this a conscious move to make the music more accessible, or more of a nod to potential live or promotional formats?
Ben: “The reasoning behind the single edits is very simple and probably a little disheartening. When I originally started out trying to release music, the advice I always received here in Australia was that there are only five to ten seconds at the beginning of a song before listeners make their minds up. There is very little market here for long conceptual progressive rock pieces. For any hope of breaking into local radio airplay we need to have shorter tracks. So I often find myself imagining a single edit of a piece at the same time as I’m working on the long version. One major advantage of this approach, or downside depending on your musical taste, is that the album versions have the freedom to go on for any length they want to, without any editing for commercial considerations.“
Given the conceptual and cinematic elements of the album, have you considered expanding the project into a visual realm — like animated content or even a short film?
Ben: “No, not until now! What a fascinating idea. It would have to be done well. My fear is that the visuals may not live up to the imagery listeners have already imagined for themselves. But I do feel as though this music would do very well in a film soundtrack. Hit us up!“
Now that the debut is out, do you see Ambient Den continuing as an active band? Are there plans for a follow-up, or even live performances in the future?
Tim: “Absolutely. We are looking forward to playing live shows this year and I’m excited by the idea of writing lots more music with the guys.“
Ben: “This album is titled ‘Ambient Den’ mainly so the follow-up album can be called ‘Ambient Den II.’ We have two pieces of new music already recorded. But as Tim suggests, I think that live shows are a necessary way of getting the word out there and giving our music more exposure. I am also working on a vinyl release and a 5.1 surround mix for digital release, at the request of some vocal fans.“
Finally, what do you hope listeners take away from this album — musically, emotionally, or philosophically — after joining you on this journey through space and sound?
Tim: “If people are emotionally moved after hearing our album, that’s a wonderful thing.“
Ben: “One of the key lyrics is ‘All we need is an Earthrise.’ It’s often said that if we all could experience the image of Earth from space, we might stop being horrible to each other and start caring more about our home and the life within it. Because, despite any fantastic and escapist tales of colonising other planets, this is the only one we have.“
Thank you for taking the time to speak with us. Ambient Den is an album that both challenges and embraces its audience, offering a journey that bridges classic and contemporary prog with sincerity and vision. We look forward to what the next chapter will bring.
Purchase “Ambient Den” on Bandcamp: https://ambientden.bandcamp.com/album/ambient-den
Read our Review of the album here: [Review] Ambient Den – Ambient Den