Ambient/Drone charts

Review: Opal Sunn's 'Elastic' lands on Test Pressing Recordings as the first in a trilogy, bringing together Alex Kassian and Hiroaki Oba's knack for genre-blending electronic soundscapes. Known for their captivating live sets, they've crafted an EP that traverses moods and styles. The A-side opens with hypnotic deep trance, layering rich synth textures and rolling grooves. Over on the B-side, things get lush and atmospheric: one track dives into dub influences, saturated with warm basslines and echoing chords, while the final cut drifts into serene, ambient territory. It's an impressive start that shows their mastery of both rhythm and space.

Review: Poet, librarian, Mancunian, father, husband, uncle, brother. Mike Garry is many things to many people, but tonight, Matthew, his voices guides our eyes upwards, inviting us to stargaze to one of Orbital's most emotionally resonant and timeless pieces of rave noise. Belfast Revisited would be one way to describe it, taking some of the classic and unmistakable elements of that anthem and turning it into something new. First and foremost freshness comes with the spoken word addition - a thoroughly positive, passionate and amorous declaration of unending love that could feel jarring depending on whether you always felt 'Belfast' was reflective and slightly melancholy, or not. Gone too are the breaks, replaced now by stadium-sized four-to-the-floor turning what was once the end of the night walking home at dawn into something that sounds way more 11PM at the concert.

Review: Storied German ambient, microsound and electronica musician Alva Noto (Carsten Nicolai) shares the fifth volume of his intentionally indefinite Xerrox series, Xerrox Vol. 5. First begun in 2007, after envisaging a series of albums released in chronic sequence, the Xerrox series expressly aims to prove that the continued copying and replication of recorded sound will produce an indefinite variation, each copy infinitely more interesting than the last. With every edition of Xerrox using the same album cover, the sonic contents of the Xerrox albums similarly mimic each other's movements, through a process of making minuscule changes that go onto produce cascading, domino-effecting results. The palette is expansive and cinematic as ever, though it is striking to know that these suites were achieved solely through the manipulation of recordings made and subsequently timestretched from scratch.

Review: It's the album that redefined ambient music, not least for a generation of parasympathetic ravers. Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works Volume II marked a stylistic shift away from the first edition in the infamous ambient LP 'series', Selected Ambient Works 85-92. Volume II differed substantially; this time, there would be no 'techno' addendum to 'ambient', and all tracks thereupon would lack the usual indulgence of beats, however easy-on-the-ears these had been beforehand. Known for its many numbered tracks - which on the original edition, rather than track names, denoted references to images of natural forms, textures and geologic readymades, all bathed in orange, and from which fans had to infer the written names - this expanded edition stays faithful to this origin. Even so, it adds two unreleased D Jamesian treats - provided you don't count the massive Soundcloud dump of 2015 as a release - 'th1 [evnslower]' and a reversed version of 'Rhubarb' - as well as a the previously vinyl only '#19'.

Review: Christian Fennesz returns with Mosaic, an intricate album that lives up to its name, crafted meticulously layer by layer. Recorded throughout 2023 and completed in 2024, the project marks Fennesz's most reflective work yet. After setting up a new studio, his third in four years, Fennesz followed a disciplined daily routine, building the album from scratch without breaks. This structured approach allowed him to experiment freely, collecting and improvising ideas before developing them into fully composed pieces.The Touch label is natural home for this release. Some of his most important work has found its way to the label over the past 25 years like 2004's Venice and 2001's Endless Summer. Mosaic s has a delicate assembly of sonic fragments, creating a soundscape both complex and organic. The opener, 'Heliconia', introduces shimmering tones that float effortlessly, establishing a meditative atmosphere. Fennesz's unique approach to rhythm shines through on tracks like 'Love and the Framed Insects', which features an unconventional 7/4 time signature. Meanwhile, 'Personare' draws subtle inspiration from 1980s West African pop, a surprising influence that adds depth to the album's palette. One of the album's most intriguing pieces, 'Goniorizon', began with layers of hard rock guitar riffs but eventually evolved into something cinematic, showcasing Fennesz's ability to transform raw elements into magnificent landscapes. While guitar textures remain present, they feel more integrated into the overall fabric of the sound, lending the album a cohesive, filmic quality. Mosaic is both methodical and emotional, blending experimentation with an underlying sense of nostalgia. Another excellent album from one of the best.

Review: With Da Vinci Genius, Sasha unveils a stunning evolution of his artistry that transports listeners far beyond the club. This project, inspired by the timeless genius of Leonardo Da Vinci, reflects a thoughtful exploration of sound that balances classical influences with Sasha's distinctive electronic pulse. Having debuted in Berlin before captivating audiences in Amsterdam, this album embraces orchestral depth while maintaining a modern edge. Collaborators Dennis White, Dave Gardner and Barry Jamieson elevate the experience, crafting an expansive soundscape that's rich and emotive, offering a fresh perspective on Sasha's innovative approach to music.

Review: Golden Ivy's two celebrated albums are finally back, reissued together as a stunning 2xLP gatefold limited to 300 copies. Across six tracks, the music blends the precision of urban, programmed rhythms with the organic flow of violin and flute, creating a soundscape that feels both expansive and intimate. Inspired by Jon Hassell's fourth world concept, the compositions explore the tension between industrial landscapes and wilderness, melding folk influences into a contemporary frame. Highlights include the whimsical charm of 'Long John Silver' and the wistful beauty of 'Gamle Van.' This reissue captures Golden Ivy's mastery of simplicity, repetition, and emotional depth.

Review: Nitechord is an enigmatic ambient-tech duo that makes a striking debut here with Lume having previously released only two remixes. It was a demo tape from 2022 that impressed the Past Inside the Present label with its raw allure and it is that work which appears here nearly unaltered but for mastering from James Bernard. The opener unfolds with atmospheric guitar loops anchored by a steady kick and bass, 'Near' brings a hint of twang to expansive guitar tones and in 'Dim,' layered drones and melodies rise and fall like petals. Add in the suspensory sounds of 'Absent' and 'Carry' which blooms into a full orchestral swell and you have an immersive, introspective suite of sonic bliss.

Review: Mark Barrott's Everything Changes, Nothing Ends is a heartfelt journey through life, loss, and love. Released on Anjunadeep Reflections, the album follows his 2023 record Johatsu and sees Barrott channelling his grief into a meditative, moving collection of tracks. Written during his wife's illness, the album reflects the overwhelming sense of isolation and sorrow he felt following her passing in January 2023. "It became my way of coping," Barrott shares. "Coming back to an empty house after a day at the hospital, music was my only comfort." Across Everything Changes, Nothing Ends, Barrott weaves together orchestral, ambient, and jazz textures. Each track, like an audio diary, captures specific emotional moments from those final weeks. There's a tenderness to the arrangementsipeaks of intensity balanced by gentle, soothing passages. Far from simply wallowing in grief, the album embraces acceptance and gratitude, focusing on the beauty of life and its fleeting nature. The result is a deeply personal, genre-blurring record that showcases Barrott's unwavering creativity over a career spanning nearly four decades.

Review: In line with the timely reappraisal of all things R&S related, the resurgent Apollo have seen the opportunity to bring one of their most celebrated records back for another round. Aphex Twin's ambient recordings mature magnificently with age, sounding ever richer and more emotive as the rest of electronic music continues to play catch up all around. From the gentle breakbeats of "Xtal" to the aquatic techno lure of "Tha", the airy rave of "Pulsewidth" to the heartwrenching composition of "Ageispolis", every track is a perennial example of how far ambient techno could reach even back then. It's just that no-one quite had the arm-span of Richard D. James.

Review: Back in the depths of the global Coronavirus pandemic, Nick Hoppner and Alex Kassian decided to join forces to record an album, one that would set aside their club credentials and instead focus on their collective love of krautrock, ambient and 'guitar-driven music'. The result is The Big Melt, the duo's first missive as H.A.N.K. Beginning with the immersive, enveloping sound world that is 'Cruise' - a slow-build, effects-laden dreamscape that offers nods to classic Tangerine Dream, shoegaze and 1990s ambient electronica - the album bobs along attractively, with exotic rhythms and intoxicated electronics ('A Useful Fever') sitting side by side with shuffling Balearic instrumentals ('Azul's Garden'), kosmiche epics ('Jag Aar Jag'), sitar-laden wonders ('While My Tar Gently Weeps'), and analogue-rich nods to Neu!, Can and Dunkelziffer ('No Harm').

Review: Steve Pittis aka. Band Of Pain shares his latest album, Uncle God's Pag Pag Banquet, though he daren't mention what exactly a Pag Pag Banquet is: you'll have to listen and intuit that one for yourself. Treading new ground not only in sound but in collaborative and material form, the new record hears Pittis cycle through a bevy of brooding post-punk and avant-garde arraignments, all while tabbing collabs with Steven Stapleton and Andrew Liles (Nurse With Wound) and Jean-Herve Peron and Jeanne-Marie Varain (Faust), as well as bringing the record to a cheekily compact 2xCD set, backed up by an unplayable (yes, you read that right) 12" record with exclusive etchings thereupon by Stapleton. A macabre assemblage, this is a cannibalistic sonic banquet for sure, a Burroughsian nightmare of a third album.

Review: The debut Ghost Dubs album emerges on The Bug's Pressure label as the artist, also known as Michael Fiedler and Jah Schulz, follows up two prior experimental dub LPs put out via his 'Dub Over Science' series, the title of which tells you all there is to know about his approach to music production. Dub was never an entirely empirical process: though the archetypal dubbing engineer was historically often deemed just that - an "engineer" - this terminology is ironic since intuition, or "vibesmanship", is also essential to the craft. Bringing twelve zygomatic arse-zappers to our left and right canals (and, in the bass region, to our bodies), Ghost Dubs homages the blueprint drafted by the infamous Chain Reaction label, whose pioneering works laid the ground for all low-reg, factoryscape experimental dub records to follow. Best of this bunch are the least rhythmically deadlocked, 'Soul Craft' standing out in its use of freeform shark-caged resonances, and 'True To Life' going steady but confidently on the triplets and alien gurgles.

Review: Way back in 2006, when for various reasons they were suffering with insomnia, the Black Dog began making music when sleep deprived - a process the Sheffield trio say made their material more emotive and vulnerable. At various times since, they've returned to the idea, resulting in this album - a collection of immersive musical movements that frequently blur the boundaries between the enveloping ambience the IDM pioneers have become famous for in recent years, and (synth) string-laden neo-classical compositions. Of course, it's not all picturesque sonic beauty, with the paranoia and slow-thinking darkness sometimes associated with periods of sleep deprivation being translated into trippy, melancholic or sonically intense soundscapes rooted in drone and dark ambient. Throughout, it remains surprisingly emotive and - for the most part - pleasingly meditative.

Review: In a first-time collaboration, psychedelic trance godhead Simon Posford (best known as Hallucinogen and a founding member of Shpongle) teams up with fellow hippie and flutist Raja Ram (Ronald Rothfield) on a welling improvisatory record, Improvisations For Piano And Flute. Though both are highly esteemed artists in their respective micro-corners of the electronic music scene, Posford and Rothfield both depart significantly from their usually danceable ends for a living-room recorded set of ambiences. With a synth placed atop an antique Bluthner piano, Raj and Simon would join in after the other first begun playing, delivering a 44-minute effluence for the spontaneous soul.

Review: Repping Sugar Records and Tanum Sounds, Winsome comes through with three really interesting perspectives. 'Tab' is a unique and highly springy piece of work as it works and wriggles its away around some well sculpted table drum hits and sub plunges. '24gb' takes us down a much dreamier pathway, sitting somewhere between Indian Ropeman and Chicken Lips. Finally 'Who' closes this stunning EP with a faraway drone. Intense.

Review: Mammo returns with a new 12" that deftly blurs the lines between ethereal ambience and dubby techno. Recorded at Staalman Studio, both tracks transport listeners to a cosmic soundscape where lush, spacey textures intermingle with delicate beats and understated basslines. The tracks' expansive sound and soft layering slow the pace, inviting immersion into Mammo's hypnotic soundscapes. Perfect for those late-night moments or introspective sessions, this release is a refined journey into the deeper realms of techno.

Review: Fan Club Orchestra originated in Brussels in the late 90s and evolved through collaborative performances across Belgium and neighbouring countries. Rooted in DIY principles, they thrived during a time when contemporary arts spaces embraced experimentalism without the constraints of funding or audience expectations. Their performances blended informality with spectacle and channelled the experimentalism of New York's 1960s downtown scene. Now regrouped, they offer up VL_Stay on 12th Isle featuring Baudoux, Ann Appermans and Ze?phyr Zijlstra.

Review: Past Inside the Present, Healing Sound Propagandist and Fallen Moon Recordings mark an outstanding year with Past/Present 2024, a new three-hour compilation that spans serene ambience, deep drone and experimental sounds. Featuring scene legends like 36, bvdub, ASC and James Bernard alongside talents like Slow Dancing Society and Black Swan and rising artists such as Innesti and Angela Winter, the collection captures a rich blend of modern ambient music and showcases just how strong these imprints are. Opening with a 71-minute live mix by LA's Inquiri, this compilation has been curated by label founder Zach Frizzell aka zake and highlights like T.R. Jordan's 'Swapped' and Black Swan's 'Perhaps We Never Were' making a lasting impression.

Review: Current 93's latest album, Sketches of My Nightmares, is a collection of fractured musical scribblings that evoke a sense of dreamlike wonder and disorientation. The album is a tapestry of skittering sounds, strange tape loops, and other outlandish noises that weave together to create a haunting and evocative atmosphere. One of the highlights of Sketches of My Nightmares is Tibet's haunting vocals. His voice is both ethereal and powerful, conveying a sense of vulnerability and longing. The lyrics, which are often cryptic and enigmatic, add to the album's dreamlike quality. Overall, Sketches of My Nightmares is a masterpiece of avant-garde music. It is a record that is both challenging and rewarding, and one that will leave a lasting impression on the listener.

Review: Kelly Lee Owens' fourth studio album marks a significant shift in Owens' musical journey, embodying themes of freedom and escapism. Dream State emerges from a period of inner transformation following a break-up, and is a testament to collaboration, featuring producer-writer contributions from electronic music luminaries Bicep, Tom Rowlands of The Chemical Brothers and George Daniel of The 1975. The synergy between these artists infuses Dreamstate with a rich, dynamic sound that blends Owens' ethereal vocals with innovative electronic beats and lush production. A range of emotions and sonic landscapes, offering both introspective and liberating experiences.

Review: Dance music legend Sasha makes a grand return to Night Time Stories with his new project, Da Vinci Genius. Building on the success of his 2016 album Scene Delete, this latest work takes another step away from the dancefloor and into the realm of cinematic composition. Premiered in Berlin in 2021 and later showcased in Amsterdam, Da Vinci Genius draws on the legacy of Leonardo Da Vinci, blending classical elements with Sasha's signature electronic sound. Collaborating with key contributors Dennis White, Dave Gardner and Barry Jamieson, Sasha crafts an immersive experience that balances timeless classical music with modern electronic textures.

Review: Andrew PM Hunt returns once again as Dialect with Atlas Of Green, determinedly expanding the artist's idea-oeuvre with a brand new concept album. The album imagines a young musician named Green, working in a "dawning future era where lost signals and enduring impulses are unearthed from the sediments of technology and time." Its description sounds at once illusive yet still rings out as meaningful, recalling the collective post-apocalyptic utopia outlined in Ursula Le Guin's Always Coming Home; both works deal in themes of recovery, of unearthing old technologies from sedimented layers of workable soil. Green's dozen tracks weave through malfunctioning but still usable scrap metals or "vaporware" of sampled sound, its chirrupy latent folkishness, its sound effects-laden lollops, making up the confluent, but still contingent, cochlear canards of lost - but non-linear and thus still salvageable - time.

Review: JS is an alias of James Zeiter and is also the name of his own label. This seventh transmission once again showcases his signature take on minimal, dub and techno. 'JS-07' rolls out with deep, pillow drums and well buried sub bass that slowly sweeps you up and locks you into a state of hypnosis. 'JS-07R' on the flip side is run through with slightly more warmth and light, like beams of sun piercing the surface of an ocean and catching microscopic organisms floating on the sea bed. It's a heady sound full of soul.

Review: Marking its first decade of activity, Blume returns with the first ever vinyl reissue of the seminal New Music for Electronic and Recorded Media, from 1977, the third and final instalment in a suite of releases that includes James Tenney's Postal Pieces and Ben Vida's Vocal Trio. Distinctly a standout compilation in the feminist avant-garde hall of fame, New Music For Electronic & Recorded Media compiles individual pieces from the likes of Johanna M. Beyer, Annea Lockwood, Pauline Oliveros, Laurie Spiegel, Megan Roberts, Ruth Anderson, and Laurie Anderson. Centring on the Ptolemaic turn towards female inclusivity, amidst the Copernican metastases of aleatory and generative music in the 1970s, the various sonic effluvia here range from buzzing pulse wave gallops through abstracted Northeastern American fields (Spiegel's 'Appalachian Grove I') through to primal minimalist abreactions (Megan Roberts' 'I Could Sit Here All Day') and pitch-whacked, satirical, musical-saw-backed anti-performances (Anderson's 'New York Social Life').

Review: The Necks return with their latest album Bleed, a single, expansive 42-minute composition that delves into the delicate beauty of decay and space. As one of Australia's most daring and long-standing minimalist-jazz groups, the trioiChris Abrahams on piano, Tony Buck on drums, and Lloyd Swanton on bassicrafts yet another unique piece in their vast body of work. Formed in 1987, The Necks have become known for their extended, improvisational compositions that patiently unravel, building subtle intensity through repeated musical motifs. Bleed is no exception, but the atmosphere they create here feels both familiar and fresh. The album masterfully balances stillness and tension, exploring themes of desolation and transformation with understated elegance. Released to mark the group's 35th anniversary in 2022, Bleed showcases their remarkable ability to evolve while staying true to their distinctive sound. The slow, meditative pace allows each note and texture to breathe, inviting listeners to get lost in its spacious, evolving soundscape. With this release, The Necks continue to push the boundaries of minimalist jazz.

Review: Past Inside the Present label head and ambient powerhouse zake aka Zach Frizzell has collaborated with several of his renowned peers over the years, not least From Overseas aka Kevin Sery and James Bernard. Their collaborative album Flint showcases them all their peak with an immersive blend of their own sounds making for a rich soundscape full of subtle depth and warmth. Beginning with 'Conifer,' the record evokes autumn's crisp air with understated drones and field recordings while the title track layers electronics, bass and guitar into a lush, Fripp & Eno-inspired sound. Together with other widescreen standouts like 'Fir' and 'Thistle' they create a beautifully cohesive and reflective ambient trip.

Review: Murray Clark, Chris Deverell, and Robert Ellerby have been responsible for some genuinely inspiring electronic music over the years, their instrumental approach to downtempo and avant garde synth stuff originating in and among the fertile bounty of new ideas that was the early-1990s. On Hear My Mind, the trio - AKA Opik - take us deep into their DAT archives to see what's hiding in the darkness. Two tracks, both equally stunning, 'Hear My Mind' opens the pair with a slow burning, jazz-influenced atmosphere builder, reversed-out harmony floating over stepping bass loop and distant ethereal vocals. 'Kaulsoum' goes for something even more late night and subtly euphoric, growing and developing into a bold and beautiful slice of rave-hued ambient.

Review: If you don't know the backstory then Fred Again and Brian Eno being on the same record might seem rather unlikely. One is an ambient innovator and long-time musical wizard who has worked with the like of David Bowie on his most seminal albums, and the other is a dance music powerhouse who has turned out plenty of pop hits under his own name and worked on even bigger ones with stars like Ed Sheehan. But as a youth, Fred was mentored by Eno, so there you go. Together they fuse their respective sounds perfectly - Fred's diary-like vocal musings over Eno's painterly synth sequences, the whole thing an immersive and escapist masterclass.

Review: Actress released a mix for Resident Advisor in June and to everyone's surprise, it was filled entirely with new, unreleased music. When asked if this was a new album, Darren S. Cunningham, aka Actress, responded simply, "It's a collage - Braque." Call it what you likeia mix, a mixtape, a collage, or even an albumiit's unmistakably another bold statement from Actress. Cunningham's approach defies labels and formats, creating music that exists in its own space, evolving without concern for conventional definitions or boundaries. It's just pure, unfiltered Actress, doing what he does best.

Review: Widely regarded as Boards of Canada's finest hour, Music Has The Right To Children finds itself the subject of a well-deserved 2LP gatefold reissue from Warp Records. One of the most defining records of what was known for better or worse as IDM still sounds as timeless as it did in 1998, as the library tones of "Wildlife Analysis", thick downtempo rhythms of "Roygbiv" and out of focus melodies of "Olson" prove. Essential!

Review: Layer is the new label from Berlin techno favourite Berghain for the music released by its residents. Ben Klock is one of the most celebrated of those and here he links up with Fadi Mohem for an album that eschews his famous techno sounds in favour of a new blend of IDM, ambient and experimental sounds. 'Layer One' comes on double vinyl and opens with 'Ultimate (feat Coby Set)' which is an atmospheric opener with icy synths and sparse landscapes, then 'Escape Valley' explores kinetic rhythms and glitchy synths, 'The Vanishing' is another exploration of a distant corner of the cosmos and 'The Machine' brings more cinematic and evocative electronic designs.

Review: The Expanded Edition of Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works Volume II is here; this is a reissue of an album that still serves as one of the ideasthetic backbones to most music fans' idea of 'ambient music' at large. A lesser-known fact is that when James recorded the record, he had concurrently undergone a period of lucid dreaming, and in this vivid lucid state, had heard many sounds akin to those heard on this record, which he had subsequently attempted to recreate. The sound of dreaming is usually an ineffable thing, but not to Aphex Twin, who had perhaps been one of the first to articulate dreams' bleary, smeary, selective and dream-distorted sonic quality. Many different interpreters have harped on this record, some hearing a 'cold islationism' in it, others a purer bliss; what is most evident is this one helped popularise ambient music in a formal, less connotative way, and continues to do so even today. This expanded versions features two unreleased tracks - that is, if you don't include the famous Soundcloud dump of nine years ago, plus 'Blue Calyx' now features on all formats instead of vinyl only.

Review: zake's untouchable ambient imprint Past Inside the Present revisits James Bernard's classic 1994 album Atmospherics and has remastered it and paired it with some fresh reinterpretations by bvdub, a longtime friend and collaborator. Since the original release, music and technology have evolved significantly but the timeless craft and rich textures of Bernard's work remain evident. Atmospherics achieved cult status during the ambient music boom after being crafted solely with a keyboard, sequencer, 12-bit sampler, drum machine, and bass guitar, all created in real-time and without edits. Bvdub's reinterpretations honour the originals while adding new dimensions and infusing them with a melancholic air that enhances its emotional depth.

Review: The 1990s was arguably the first 'golden age' of ambient - a time when the inherently atmospheric and laidback style not only exploded in popularity, but also became the post-club soundtrack of choice for a whole generation. This personal survey of the 90s ambient scene from journalist and author Jon Savage does a good job in gathering together a representative selection of genuine gems and overlooked classics, drifting between the bubbly, deep space brilliance of Richard H Kirk's Sandoz project ('Limbo'), bleeping ambient house ('Calm' by 2 Cabbages on a Drip), early progressive house (React 2 Rhythm), electronic psychedelia (the tabla rhythms and swirly noises of Rapoon), ambient blues (Underworld), IDM (U-ziq), and glacial, slow-motion bliss (Biosphere).

Review: William Gibson's Neuromancer celebrates its 40th anniversary and revisiting this seminal work reveals the depth of its world-building and the haunting cultural echoes that resonate with our modern experience. Gibson's vision of a future, envisioned in an era when the internet was just emerging, intertwines optimism with a palpable sense of anxiety. In 1994, to mark the book's tenth anniversary, New York duo Black Rain was invited to create a soundtrack for the audiobook, narrated by Gibson himself. Initially released on a series of cassettes, this project offered a rare insight into Gibson's interpretation of the novel's characters and settings. Following a phase of expansion, core members Stuart Argabright and Shinichi Shimokawa shifted their focus to a more streamlined duo format, leading to innovative studio practices and a unique sonic language. While the audiobook achieved notable success, the soundtrack faded into obscurity, with only a few tracks appearing in compilations. Now, drawing from the original master tapes, this edition encapsulates the atmospheric essence of Neuromancer, crafting an immersive auditory experience that echoes the novel's surreal landscape.

Review: At this point in his career, it seems that classically trained pianist come electronica visionary Jon Hopkins can do no wrong. Whether we're thinking of his unmistakable all-time great LP Immunity, or his more recent inward-bound journeys into a trippy serial panacea, Music For Psychedelic Therapy, the musician, in Domino's own words, is an established auteur, capable of casting a whole range of dark sonorous arts perhaps only the most storied audio wizards can cast. His latest record, Ritual, is the latest utterance to escape the Hopkins grimoire; staying true to the adage that a real magician simply does not reveal their secrets, Hopkins is deliberately cryptic about the meaning of Ritual, except for the fact that his music-making process is itself a ritual. Humbly, he insists "I have no idea what I'm doing when I'm composing". Well, from the various sublime, epiphanic, master-warlock's evocations heard across this record, it sure doesn't sound like it!

Review: Susumu Yokota's venerated 1994 classic Acid Mt. Fuji is reissued in expanded, deluxe fashion, as part of the 30th anniversary celebrations of the label that originally released it. Japan's Musicmine - specifically its electronic subsidiary Sublime - released the album on June 29, 1994, simultaneously with Ken Ishii's Reference To Difference, as their inaugural joint offering. Tantamount to a fusion of ambient acid/rave - then still nascent in Japan - with new age music, Susumo Yokota was likely the best man for the job at the time. With his first album, The Frankfurt-Tokyo Connection, he'd not yet established his electro-pastoralist style, yet it was Acid Mt. Fuji that divined the latter-day emotes of Sakura, a new age so adroitly fused with electronica yet emulable by few. Though the later years of Yokota's life have been couched in a good deal of privacy and mystery, Acid Mt. Fuji certainly betrays a fittingly shrewd and introspective character on the part of the artist, one that served him well. Its long, drawn-out nature soundscapes - tempered by the piquant sounds of modern synths like the TB-303, which animistically, pseudohallucinogenically blend with the animal sounds themselves - recall something like an alpine augur's waking dream.

Review: Hidden Sequence have appeared on legendary dub techno label Mosaic in fine form of late and now they land on the Lempuyang imprint with four more serene fusions. Their Theories of Time EP opens up with the swaggering dub rhythms and bottomless depths of 'Distortion', a cut as heady as they come. 'Travelling,' as the title suggests, has a deeper rolling groove and more movement to it as it snakes through underwater dub caverns. Flip it over for more widescreen and serene explorations of the ocean floor with 'Shift' and mysterious leads of 'Delay' which is a fourth and final frictionless dub dream.

Review: Polish producer, multi-faced musician and multi-instrumental maestro Albert Karch knows his way around the sound engineer's desk. So much his finesse is unmistakeable, with a number of standout records already behind him. For example, the 2019 stunner, Celestially Light, created in collaboration with Japanese folk singer and songwriter Ichiko Aoba, Here, he delivers another exceptional joint project, teaming up with Irish ambient icon Gareth Quinn Redmond, himself no stranger to the WRWTFWW label, for a sublime outing of precise strings and pianos. A slow, meandering journey into melodic immersion which captivates and lulls, it moves between moments of sparse quiet, electronic experimentation, and more complex and full sounding arrangements in a way that holds the attention until the very last. A thing of patient beauty that deserves to be in your shopping basket.

Review: This debut from the mysterious duo Atiq and dreadmaul is an immersive concept album which explores the ancient themes of transformation and initiation by blending mysticism and archaic rituals with modern electronic beats. Each track transports listeners into a haunting soundscape rich in organic elements like bone flutes, throat singing and shamanic invocations, all woven into intricate electronic arrangements. The album strikes a perfect balance between the ancient and contemporary with a feeling of ritual and cermet in the long form and immersive rhythms that are as unforgettable as they are hypotonic.

Review: Wolfgang Voigt's seminal project Gas returns with a definitive reissue of its eponymous debut album, originally released in 1996 on Mille Plateaux and now presented anew by Kompakt on a lavish 3x12 vinyl set. This release marks a long-awaited return to the pure essence of Gas, as initially envisioned by Voigt. Before this full-length debut, hints of Gas's distinctive sound surfaced through early EPs and compilation tracks, showcasing Voigt's knack for ambient electronic landscapes. Gas unfolds across six expansive, untitled tracks that drift seamlessly, each a mesmerising journey of ethereal loops and rhythmic undercurrents. Voices from distant classical motifs echo faintly, adding to the album's enigmatic allure. While later albums like Zauberberg and Konigsforst would refine and deepen the Gas aesthetic, this debut stands out for its airy, evocative mood and its more fluid, exploratory nature. It captures Gas at a moment of artistic genesis, where Voigt's sonic vision begins to crystallise amidst dreamlike textures and subtle rhythmic structures. Gas, in its reissued form, not only revisits a pivotal moment in electronic music history but also serves as a testament to Voigt's enduring influence and avant-garde spirit, setting the stage for its legendary successors.

Review: Ilian Tape kicks on with another entry into its ITX Series, this time with a lovely hand-stamped long player from MPU101. It is a deep dive into escapist ambient worlds with plenty of grainy tape hiss and cosmic static, celestial melodies and provocative moments of introspection. Analogue machinery is really brought to the fore on fuzzy sounds like 'CreamyPORTAL-Xa' with patient and pastoral synth smears, while 'APEX CA 91352' has brighter and more mellifluous melodies rising up through the mix. There is plenty of pensive beauty in these cuts, not least the gorgeous 'Junelake Smokes'. Another gem from Ilian Tape.

Review: Music From Memory share the CD edition (there's also a vinyl release) of their latest in a series of compilations, which focuses on the tide of new ambient and minimalist electronica which came about at the turn of the millennium, Virtual Dreams. Whilst the first volume focused on the techno and electronica musics emergent in Europe in 1993-99, Virtual Dreams Vol. 2 homes in on Japan during the same period, tracking the regional, geosonic differences between each global cultural centre. Tracing a fibrous thread, that began to weave itself of its own accord, out from the early 90s acid house FOMO experienced in Japan's early days, through to its restful response with the dawn of "listening techno" proffered by the likes of Sublime Records, Syzygy Records and Frogman Records, many of the tracks featured therein cull their choices from not only these leading lights but also the odd and not-so-odd rarity, helping usher in a truer representation of the era.

Review: A stunning introduction to the band Maya Ongaku. Their new LP here, Approach To Anima, mixes psych and experimental tropes to convey the unmistakable local atmosphere of their small island community - Enoshima, located not far from Tokyo. With the music straddling soothing and stimulating ideas, the band toy with different instruments and textures, from guitars, woodwinds, niche percussion, one-shot vocal samples and dubious noises. Doing so evidently feeds into the idea that their home is an 'imagined view outside one's field of vision' (this is the phrase to which their name translates). Clearly, Maya Ongaku imagine Enoshima as a stolen-away fairytale grotto in which all kinds of musical ecstasies may occur, at random whimsy. We gratefully confront our own animas as we listen intently.

Review: The release of dc15 in 2002 by Mike Schommer stands as a defining moment in the annals of dub techno, a genre that has shaped and influenced countless artists since its inception. Now on vinyl for the first time is some of the most exciting news in the genre in some time. Recorded in the Crown Motel on Woodward/McNichols in Detroit, this album is more than just a collection of tracks; it is a sonic snapshot of a specific time and place, a testament to the transient and often overlooked corners of Detroit that inspired its creation. Schommer, co-founder of the influential DeepChord label alongside Rod Modell, was instrumental in pushing the boundaries of electronic music in the late 1990s. DeepChord quickly became synonymous with the second wave of the Basic Channel sound, achieving cult status among electronic music enthusiasts worldwide. The label's unique approach to dub technoimelding the gritty, urban soundscapes of Detroit with the echoing, reverberant textures of dubiset a new standard for the genre, one that many have tried to emulate but few have truly captured.

dc15 exemplifies this approach. The album was crafted in a motel room, with Schommer allowing the environment to seep into the music. The result is a deeply introspective and atmospheric experience, with each track carrying the weight of its surroundings. The ambient sounds of the motel, the distant hum of traffic, and the subtle movements of transient life all find their way into the fabric of the music, creating a body of work that is both haunting and immersive. The recording process itself was as much about capturing the mood of the environment as it was about producing music, a holistic approach that has become a hallmark of Schommer's work.

The album's packaging was as unique as its contents. Released as a limited edition CDr, dc15 was made available exclusively through the DeepChord website on February 15, 2002, as a preorder for a short time. Limited to just 50 copies, the original release came in a simple white cardboard sleeve with a clear sticker containing black-and-white artwork affixed to the center. Each CDr was individually numbered, with a digital print on the clear plastic part of the disc. This meticulous attention to detail in both the music and its presentation further solidified the album's status as a coveted collector's item, a true gem in the dub techno world.