Welcome to Arcadia Forest: A New Beginning

arcadia-forest-your-escape-for-chillout-downtempo-music

We are excited to relaunch Arcadian Forest as Arcadia Forest! This marks the next chapter in our mission to bring you the best in chillout and downtempo music while continuing to support the artists and communities we’ve cherished since 2008.

Why the Change?

Arcadian Forest became a beloved destination for music lovers. This was made possible by the overwhelming support from our visitors and community. Unfortunately, we made the difficult decision to let the original domain, arcadianforest.com, expire. When we tried to reclaim it, the skyrocketing price made it unattainable. Rather than let this setback define us, we decided to evolve—introducing Arcadia Forest as our fresh identity. The name change reflects our resilience and ongoing dedication to exploring tranquil musical landscapes.

Reflecting on Sixteen Incredible Years

Since our beginning in October 2008, we’ve been a platform for discovering, sharing, and celebrating the artistry of chillout and downtempo music. Over the years, we’ve connected countless fans with talented artists, fostering a community rooted in mutual appreciation for creativity and serenity. From uncovering hidden gems to promoting groundbreaking releases, Arcadian Forest became more than a website; it became a shared journey through sound.

We’ve formed meaningful connections with artists and music enthusiasts alike. Our dedication to supporting the music community has always been unwavering, whether through sharing artist-provided links to music or directing listeners to legitimate storefronts to purchase their work.

Overcoming Challenges

While our mission has always been to celebrate and promote music responsibly, the years leading up to the the disappearance of Arcadian Forest presented unique challenges. We received several DMCA notices accusing us of copyright infringement. These claims—all ultimately dismissed—added unnecessary stress to what began as a passion project. Though we have never hosted music files or unauthorized content, the legal complexities became a distraction from our core purpose.

As a result, we decided to stop posting tracklists and links to downloads, even when directly provided by the artists. While frustrating, this decision allowed us to refocus our efforts on what truly matters: sharing the joy of music and supporting the artists who create it.

After further investigation, we believe we’ve identified the source of the complaints and have decided to discontinue promoting their music on our platform.

A Renewed Focus on Music and Community

With Arcadia Forest, we’re excited to return to our roots. The past eight years have brought an influx of incredible new talent, and we can’t wait to spotlight some of the artists who are redefining the chillout and downtempo genres. Our commitment to supporting independent and underrepresented creators remains stronger than ever.

We’ll also continue to provide resources for purchasing music directly from artists and legitimate storefronts. Supporting these creators financially is vital to ensuring they can keep producing the music we love.

Celebrating the Artists

Chillout and downtempo music thrive because of the artists who pour their hearts into creating immersive, soul-soothing soundscapes. These creators often operate outside the mainstream spotlight, driven by a passion for artistic expression. At Arcadia Forest, we’re committed to amplifying their voices and sharing their work with a broader audience. From up-and-coming producers to seasoned veterans, every artist has a story worth telling.

Looking Ahead

The relaunch of Arcadia Forest is more than a fresh start; it’s a celebration of everything we’ve built together over the past 15 years. We’re excited to continue exploring the evolving landscape of chillout and downtempo music, unearthing hidden treasures, and building a community that values creativity and connection.

We’re deeply grateful to everyone who has supported us throughout this journey. Your feedback, encouragement, and shared love for chillout and downtempo music have helped shape this site into what it is today. Whether you’ve been with us since the early days of Arcadian Forest or are just discovering us now as Arcadia Forest, your enthusiasm fuels our passion.

Let’s move forward together into this new chapter. Stay tuned for the latest news, features, and music from the world of chillout and downtempo. Together, we’ll continue to explore the serene and transformative power of sound.

Welcome to Arcadia Forest. The journey continues.

Enigma’s latest Release “The Fall of a Rebel Angel”

Excited to have my copy of “The Fall of a Rebel Angel” – the latest release from one of my favorite musical projects. This is the first major release from Enigma in 8 years so looking forward to listening for a few days before posting any comments or reviews. I have listened to the entire main release and now going through the “story” of the second disc. My initial reaction is great for the actual music. However, I am disappointed that there there is no artwork, lyrics or insert included with the digital deluxe version.

More later.

Make sure to check out some of the supporting artists from the new release, as well as Enigma:

Is the album format relevant anymore?

Just received the following email from Reuben Halsey, creator of the “Into the Light” radio show with regards to album’s and if they should be replaced by shorter EP size releases. At the end of the post, let us know your thoughts.

Dear Listeners,

I’ve been working on a new album for a while now and recently I have begun to question whether or not the album format is relevant and worthwhile anymore. Last year The Prodigy mentioned in an interview with NME that they were planning to stop making full length albums altogether. In their view, making an album is such a long process – it means going away for as long as 5 years to record and produce a large collection of tracks, leaving fans without new music to enjoy during that time.

Times have changed and the world is much more fast paced now. People want things instantly or they get distracted and move onto other interests. Maybe going away for a few years to write an album is an old style of working that no longer applies today and it needs an update. Perhaps it’s better to instead release 4-5 track EPs on a more regular basis and drop the whole album idea completely. That way fans have new music to listen to more often, without the huge waits. It would keep things fresh and more current. I also think it might be better for the artist. Sometimes when we’ve been working on one project for a long time we get tired of it. The end can seem so far away that it’s daunting. With bite sized EPs the end is in sight and we can get excited about the creative process as well as get the music out there and move onto the next project.

I would love to hear from you about this. Does the album experience still matter and is it worth waiting for? Or is it better to have new music coming at you more often? If I told you that finishing my current album might take another year (or more) but that that if I split it up into smaller EPs I could have a release out this summer what would you prefer?

Thanks,
Reuben

It is with great sadness that we are forced to announce a change of format at the Arcadian Forest.

Since Oct of 2008, we have been providing the latest news and releases for many of our favorite chillout and downtempo artists. We have discovered many great artists and have connected you with those artists and made a huge number of new friends through the Arcadian Forest project. We have never stored any music on our servers for download and have only provided links to music that the artists may have provided to us.

However, we have been contacted several times in the past year with accusations that we are “allegedly infringing upon the copyrights of others” with a Digital Millennium Copyright Act(DMCA) request filed against us.

With all previous claims, they were all dismissed.

The Arcadian Forest project was started as a hobby to share information with the world that we discovered through our quest to find new chillout and downtempo music. It is not worth the headache of dealing with ridiculous, unfounded claims to continue our project. Therefore, we will be removing and no longer posting tracklists or links to actual downloads provided by the artists. We will continue to post here on arcadianforest.com and also on our social media network channels of music and artists that we listen to on a regular basis.

We have supported our featured artists by providing links to the various online storefronts to purchase their work and we will continue to promote. There are so many great artists who aren’t heard on the mainstream radio producing great music because of their desire to create. It’s a driving force in who they are… and we appreciate them and the time they invest in their musical endeavors.

To all of our musical friends, keep up the great work and we’ll continue to promote you as long as possible.