Aukai & Richard Houghten – Zenith

Find “Zenith” by Aukai & Richard Houghten on plusfm, taken from the album “Exist“.

Label : Apapachoa
© 2025 Apapachoa

Aukai and Richard Houghten join forces on “Zenith”, a contemplative instrumental piece that perfectly embodies their art of cinematic soundscapes. Released on 5 September 2025 on the Apapachoa label, the track opens the Zenith EP, a four‑track, sixteen‑minute journey inward where guitars, acoustic textures and electronic layers gently echo one another. Carried by minimalist, organic writing, “Zenith” is already establishing itself as one of the new highlights in Aukai’s discography, the project of composer Markus Sieber, renowned for his ambient‑acoustic atmospheres praised by the international press.

From the very first bars, “Zenith” creates a suspended mood built on delicately processed guitars, airy reverbs and tiny sonic details that give the feeling of walking a fine line between dream and reality. Richard Houghten’s touch, as a master of guitar textures and sound manipulation, brings an almost tactile dimension to the piece, each note seeming to shimmer like a ray of light at the peak of the day. With no lyrics, the music becomes a universal language, inviting contemplation rather than explanation, like an ideal soundtrack for film, photography or quiet, introspective moments.

Framed within an EP that also includes “Early Crossing” and “Juntos”, “Zenith” extends the fruitful collaboration Aukai and Houghten began on other tracks such as “Chacahua” or “Slow Sun”, confirming the strong sonic bond between the two artists. On streaming platforms, the piece is beginning to find its audience, driven by repeated listens and the loyalty of a community drawn to immersive instrumental music. With “Zenith”, Aukai and Richard Houghten deliver a work that is both intimate and radiant, perfectly suited to accompany sunrise, writing, any creative process, or simply the need to recentre oneself.