Zakè | Spieth | Guentner: Arcadia

Zakè, Joachim Spieth, and Markus Guentner are amongst the most underappreciated voices in the world of ambient techno composition. Through their respective ever-growing bodies of the work, the three have continuously found new pockets of space within the experimental sound world to flourish.

Having all released music under Spieth’s Affin label over the years – most recently Guentner leading the line with Black Dahlia, while Spieth himself has also been busy in 2025, collaborating with Warmth and Andrew Thomas (zakè, moving slightly further afield, with the Indianapolis artist most recently working alongside Pallette for their long-form ambient voyage, Somewhere), it’s no surprise that the three join forces for their debut collaboration, Arcadia.

On Arcadia, the trio deliver something that feels like an entry point for those unfamiliar with their respective works. Harnessing mood and subtlety inspired by early Kompakt (Guentner and Spieth’s music having featured on the label throughout the years), this collaboration unearths each artist’s greatest strengths. Six compositions that guide you to a place of peace, solidifying the notion of profound catharsis, as zakè, Spieth and Guentner find new depths in this sparkling sound world.

Opening with the temporal majesty of Elysium, with beautiful washes of sound, it’s the kind of techno that radiates like an aurora borealis inside a church. The sound, not designed to cover such vast space, but so well produced, it reaches every corner. So too Horizon and Serenity, but here the trio teleport you to more earthy milieus, conjuring up a cascading waterfall-like sound that shimmers off the moonlight; the cleansing drones and textures offering new possibilities.

There are some more cerebral moments, too. On Luster, Spieth’s subtle synths steadily navigate beneath the mix, as zakè and Guentner’s undulating drones swallow the storm clouds. And from here, one finds themselves in the ether with the aptly titled closing track, Utopia. With cadence and poise, it’s a composition that glides, littering the orbits with fairy dust. It’s here where the trio forge the path to inner-peace, intersecting ideas that embody the best elements from their respective solo endeavours.

Arcadia is deep listening both at its core and at its peak. A sound bath that evolves in slow motion, with zakè, Spieth and Guentner reaching the most secluded parts of the ambient techno sound world, slamming down the flag and making the territory their own.

Arcadia is out now via Affin. Purchase from Bandcamp.