Christian Alsemgeest
Before ambient, there was rock. Before the synth pads and reverb trails, there were power chords, stage lights and years of singing in bands across the Netherlands. Christian Alsemgeest picked up a classical guitar at eight, joined his first hard rock band at fifteen, and spent years recording albums and playing shows. Then his son was born, and the road stopped making sense. What came next was unexpected: guitar loops streamed live on TikTok, strangers asking him to release the music, and a first demo sent to Ambient Cat that changed everything. Inspired by the emotional depth of artists like Niclas Lundqvist and Domy Castellano, he built a new world from a small city studio armed with Ableton, Omnisphere and Valhalla Supermassive. No alias, no side projects, just one name and one focus. We spoke with him about the path from rock stages to ambient textures, his straightforward view of the independent scene, and a 2026 schedule that shows no signs of slowing down.
Who are you ?
I am a 46 year-old musician from the Netherlands.
How did you get into music? What is your musical background?
As most of you know my main instrument is guitar. I started with classical guitar lessons when I was eight years old and by the time I was 15 I played in my first hard rock band. I played and sang in several bands we recorded albums and did a lot of shows.
How did your ambient project begin ?
I took a break from Music, after my son was born. I couldn’t see myself being away from home so much anymore. So initially I started doing some guitar loops live on TikTok people commented they would love to see this released officially and that’s what got the ball rolling. I sent my first demo to ambient cat and got signed by them.
Where does the name/pseudonym of your music project come from?
In my case, it’s my own name. a lot of guys work with several monikers , but since I also have a regular day job and therefore limited time, I prefer to do one thing and give that my full focus
How did you get into ambient music? What did you like about this style of music?
Well, originally I am from the rock scene. So I used to listen to a lot of bands like Queen, The Beatles Pink Floyd that kind of stuff. But during my guitar looping days I stumbled across some guys from Valley view records on Spotify like Niclas Lundqvist, Domy Castellano and Henrik Laugesen. This really got me into ambient music. I just love the emotions that you can get from this kind of music. It can really crawl on your skin.
Does ambient music accompany you in your everyday life? What role does it play?
Absolutely especially the last year it kind of became a second job to me like a hobby that’s spinning out of control but in a good way
What tools do you use to compose music?
Well, I work in Ableton live and Omnisphere is my go to for the synth sounds. I use Neural Plini for my guitar sound and I’m a huge fan of the Valhalla supermassive vst. Since I live in a city and have a small studio I work with a very simple setup Ableton, a Focusrite for my guitar and the amp simulation and synthesisers all come from different VST’s
I hear a lot of people complaining, but honestly, I don’t think it’s too bad. I think Spotify can nowadays be very helpful to starting Artists. But you have to be focused and learn what works right. It’s hard work at times, but it definitely pays off. Be consistent and keep the releases high quality
What’s new with you, and what are your upcoming projects?
I’m already planning releases for the next year. I have some lovely collabs coming up. And in September I will also have a release on Echoes in the valley which is something I’m incredibly proud of.