Rain is an ongoing project of the Webbed Hand netlabel. The goal is to present albums of one track ranging from 50 to 70 minutes of music designed to aid sleep and relaxation. Most but not all involve water sounds. At time of this post there are 16 separate albums by eight different artists. All are available as free downloads.

As stated above, these albums’ main purpose is to encourage states of mind most amenable for relaxation and sleeping. Instead of the usual linear development of most music, the music is developed through repetiton and loops. The result is ambient background noise to be played at very low volume. When used for meditation and sleep inducement, they can be very effective. However they are also very intriquing musical works on their own.

I have listed all 16 albums below but I will mention a handful that really got my attention. Saluki Regicide recorded the first of the series (Rain 1). A low drone sets the stage and sounds of cricket, birds, and a general eeriness wanders in and out. Their other two offerings (Rain 2 & 3) are just as good. All of Mystified’s contributions are interesting but number 3 is quite different by using single piano strokes in a super minimalist way a la LaMonte Young. Djinnestan Rain 1 is my favorite if only because I use it regularly for meditation with excellent results. Its use of whale sounds and water drips is especially soothing. Rolling Calf Sinfonette’s second album uses a creative combination of harp, cymbals, rain storms, and cat purrs. Ghostheory’s industrial sounds are a bit of a contradiction. When played softly it is soothing but when played loudly it can be somewhat stimulating.

All of the albums offer a imaginative journey to the realm of ambient music. I would suggest that you sample a few and pick the ones that resonates well with your personality. Whether used for sleep, meditation, or relaxful listening, this series is surely one of the more adventurous projects offered by a netlabel.

The bitrates of the music files are either 128kbps or 160kbps MP3 dependng on the album.

Akashic Crow’s Nest - Rain 1
Djinnestan - Rain 1
Djinnestan - Rain 2
Ghostheory - Rain
K.M. Krebs - Rain
Mystified - Rain 1
Mystified - Rain 2
Mystified - Rain 3
Rolling Calf Sinfonette - Rain 1
Rolling Calf Sinfonette - Rain 2
Rolling Calf Sinfonette - Rain 3
Saluki Regicide - Rain 1
Saluki Regicide - Rain 2
Saluki Tegicide - Rain 3
Spoonphase - Rain 1
Tree Helicopter - Rain 1