A Saapato Newsletter
Hello hello! Saapato here. If you are receiving this note it’s probably because at some point over the last few years you signed up for my virtual sound bath newsletter, purchased music from me, and/or requested information on upcoming shows. This newsletter will serve as a way for me to keep in touch with folks in a fashion that avoids the social media hell we’ve all been forced to endure. If this is landing in your inbox and you’re thinking “booooooooo!” fear not - you can simply unsubscribe at the bottom and you’ll not hear from me again.
For the rest of you, thanks for your interest in my art. I’m going to use this first newsletter as a sort of year in review roundup. 2025 has been my favorite yet in terms of musical endeavors and because of that I imagine this first email will be much longer than future ones. Here’s what’s been up in the last 12 months and what you can expect from me in ‘26!
1. I released two albums this year:
Decomposition: Fox on a Highway was released via Constellation Tatsu on 3/25/25 and features collaborations with a bunch of incredible musicians including Laraaji, Patricia Wolf, Nailah Hunter, Green-House, KMRU, and many more. The response to this record was completely overwhelming. It reached a far larger audience than I ever imagined having. I’m grateful to have gotten to work with so many amazing artists on this concept album that I cultivated for the better part of half a decade. Also the album was awarded best ambient of the month on Bandcamp by Ted Davis, which in my mind is one of the top accolades you can receive in the quiet music world. A second run of cassettes was just pressed! You can order one and listen/read more about at the record here:
In Alaska was released via AKP Recordings on 11/14/25. This album documented my 2023 residency with the Alaska State Park Service, where I spent 10 days outside of Juneau capturing field recordings of birds, whales, water, boats, and other sounds of that region. Super cool and limited edition tapes designed by Bailey Elder are still available on bandcamp along with more information about the album. Check it:
2. Tours & Live Show Highlights:
I played 25 shows this year including my first ever gigs in Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Illinois. I played some unique spaces too including a book store, a sauna, a tiny island, a few beautiful churches and some pretty large theaters - fun stuff all around.
I started off the year touring with my now good friend Greg Davis. His music rules and I highly recommend his Full Spectrum 3/7. He played variations of this album on tour and night after night it lulled me into some of the most meditative states I’ve ever entered.
I played Tiki Night again at Tubby’s with Moon Mullins where I got to experiment with some really loopy and insane material. Just the other day I accidentally deleted all the samples I made for this show… so that was a once in a lifetime thing - whoops!
I did a run of summer shows to celebrate the Decomposition album, including one in LA with Green-House, Ki Oni, and marine eyes, a collaborative show with Laraaji in NY, and a Chicago show with Zander Raymond.
I ended the year touring with Don Slepian in celebration of the 45th anniversary of his seminal new age record Sea of Bliss. I’ve been listening to this album since I was 14, so meeting Don and having the chance to tour with him was nothing short of a dream come true. He has a mind like no other and until you see him play live it’s hard to explain what I even mean by that.
The best part about playing ambient shows is how often I get to perform alongside musicians I love. Every show I played is one I would have attended even if I was not on the bill. Can’t say enough about all of the talented heads I shared stages with this year.
3. Other miscellaneous exciting stuff:
* I was invited to participate in Experimental Sound Studio’s Sonic Pavilion Festival in Chicago. For this event, I designed a 24-channel composition for the overhead sound system at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion. My piece, ‘Ponds Appearing Overnight’ aimed to immerse listeners in a system of New York’s vernal pools and woodland ponds across a season and highlight the delicate lives of the amphibians that inhabit them. Crazy to hear my music booming out of 24 speakers in a venue the size of a football field.
* I got a new website that you can check out here. It’s a bit of a treasure hunt. Have fun exploring.
* I joined the board of StretchMetal - an incredible non-profit which provides grants to artists, puts on ambient concerts, and works to build a stronger experimental music community. I’ve made a lot of friends through this org and am excited to be playing a role in their mission. Right now they’re running a fundraiser to help with next year’s programming. There are some really sick prizes for the top donors and every dollar goes toward providing experimental artists with well paying gigs and communities with fresh outsider music. Throw ‘em some cash if you can, they’re a very cool org!
Simply put, 2025 was a slammer. Thank you thank you thank you to everyone who played a part in bringing my albums to life, from the labels to the masterers, to the friends who gave creative feedback. Thank you to everyone who came out to shows, bought tapes, and listened to my music. It continues to shock me that there are so many people out there who give my art their time and attention. It means so much to be a part of this small community of people who make and listen to outsider music. Thank you. Now let’s talk about next year…
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* 2026 brings with it the promise of three (count ‘em!) three new Saapato records. One is a collaborative album I made with Paco Cathcart (who makes music as The Cradle) and the other two are sister albums. The first is an extremely breezy, bleepy bloopy environmental ambient album called ‘Seasons Turn Like Pages.’ The other, titled ‘And Pages Burn Like Candles’ has a much swampier sonic palette that was made only with the mastered files from ‘Seasons Turn Like Pages’ and a mess of heavily layered and manipulated field recordings. I’ve been working on these for a long time and am still figuring out how I will release them. More on that soon! I have also started the next ‘Decomposition’ album but I assume that this one won’t be done until at least 2027. So far the collaborator list is looking… very sick. Aaaaand there’s a few other collab records up in the air… one with my friend Chaz Knapp, one with my friend Bobby under our Tanklow moniker, one with my friend Connor under a secret new project name, and a double album of songs with Boon. tbd on when I’ll wrap and release any of these but they are cooking!
* First show of 2026 is already on the calendar. I’ll be playing in Brooklyn on 1/8/26 at Wonderville (a very cool indie arcade bar/space) with Concourse and Hollow Park. It’s a showcase of artists who have all worked with the incredible NY label, Windowsill Records. You can snag tickets here.
* A few US tours are currently in the works for next year. I’m hoping to get down south for the first time. If you live somewhere that I don’t normally play and you’d like to see a show, drop me a line, I love playing in new places. Similarly, if you live in the UK, Europe or Japan and/or have any idea how to book ambient music in any of those places please get in touch! I’m really hoping to jump the pond next year and play abroad.
* Earlier this year I flew out to Hawaii to capture field recordings and begin composing a score for a documentary that’s being made by an extremely cool environmental organization. I can’t say anything else about this for now but I’m excited as hell.
* Last June in collaboration with StretchMetal I threw an ambient show on my pond in upstate NY. It was a daylong hang outside in the sun picnicking and listening to quiet music with friends. It was a great time. It was given the name ‘Great Big Pond’ and I’m happy to report that this series will continue once the winter thaws. We’re hoping to do a show every six weeks or so starting in May. If you live in upstate NY, get in touch and I can get you more info on attending these. If you want to play one, also feel free to get in touch.
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Okay I think that’s all I’ve got. If you made it this far, thanks for reading. I’ve got gratitude leaking out my eyeballs for anyone who gives a shit enough to listen to my music, let alone spend money on it or pay for a ticket to see a show. I am humbled every time I’m met with people who have had positive experiences while spinning my music. Thank you again. Hope everybody has a lovely end to the year and see ya in the next one. Ciao.
- Saapato
P.S. Here are some releases of 2025 I enjoyed in no particular order:
Oklou - Choke Enough
Tranquilizer - OPN
Whatever the Weather - Whatever the Weather II
Chihei Hatekayama - Lucid Dreams
M. Sage - Tender/Wading
Patricia Wolf - Hrafnamynd
Jefre Cantu-Ledesma - Gift Songs
Old Saw - The Wringing Cloth
John Thayer - Wind’s Gate
Emily Sprague - Cloud Time
Bitchin Bajas - Inland See
Andy Boay - You Took That Walk For the Two of Us
Bonnie Prince Billy - The Purple Bird
Panda Bear - Sinister Grift
Fantasy of a Broken Heart - Chaos Practitioner EP
Moon Mullins - Hotel Paradiso
Austyn Wohlers - Hothouse Bloom (this one’s a book!!)