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: If you're familiar with imprints like Nous'laer Audio, AD93, Tikita, or Semantica, but haven't yet explored the galaxy of sound coming from Ahrpe Records, now's your chance. Amandra is one of two heads behind said stable, and here the French producer shows everyone what time it is with a space walk through acid warbles and tribalistic rhythms. Neither of which give a particularly accurate description of what's here, but both are defining features of the tracks and EP as a whole. Whether it's the jazz-imbued shuffle of 'Prorokini', the phat wobbling steps of 'Brera Som Som' itself, or the wall of distorted percussion on 'Fanfaron', all four originals are standouts and hard to compare, while the cherry-picked remixes show just how much can be done with what's here, if the right ears are involved.
Review: Senking and DYL reunite after their notable collaboration back on 2020's EP Uniformity Of Nature, this time going long on their first full-length, Diving Saucer Attack. This new work spans a total of six tracks, two of which have been produced individually and so highlight their shared passion for dub-heavy and adventurous electronic music while also bringing out the subtle differences in their styles. The album opens with 'Six Doors Down', a track featuring throbbing bass and haunting synths while subsequent cuts like 'A7r380R' explore intricate soundscapes before culminating in the sombre closing piece, 'Not Just Numbers.'
Review: Andrea Ferlin presents four stunning tracks that dive into deep house depths on this sick new HAZE release. 'OPIA' is first and features modulated stabs, rumbling pads and a sliding bassline that makes it an ideal choice for peak hours. In contrast, 'ORGO' shines in after-hours sets with its intricate percussion polyrhythms and layered sounds. The B-side shifts the mood with 'DORF,' while 'Morning Sunshine' evokes the anticipation of a classic orchestral interlude. This one is full of goodness for all sorts of settings.
Review: This is the first of two EPs leading up to Future Sound of London's much anticipated 2025 album and it is a powerful powering as you would expect of the electric pioneers. Side-A offers a dark ambient atmosphere as it weaves choral mists and ritualistic beats that evoke an eerie, swamp-like world before landing in an unsettling suburban scene. Side-B opens with reflective tones but shifts into a baroque minimalism that merges modular synths, breaks and drum machines. Layered with ambient field recordings and meticulously selected samples, the EP showcases FSOL's unique way of blending atmospheric depth and electronic experimentation into a hauntingly immersive experience.
Review: Scale and Scope is a set of four 7" and one-sided coloured flexidisc records where each one contains "an instantiation of an individual microtonal designer scale" all developed by Stefan Goldmann. These experimental sounds pair wispy fragments of melody, the hiss of static electricity, twisted drones and only just audible details that add a range of moods from psychedelic introspection to cosmic wonder. 'Series Y (Gamma)' sounds like the internal thoughts of R2D2, while 'Series D (Delta)' is a futuristic symphony of melody and harmony.
Review: Cocteau Twins' musical mastermind Robin Guthrie has produced some terrific solo records over the course of his career, frequently delivering material that joins the dots between ambient, ethereal soundscapes, shoegaze and the more immersive end of the soundtrack spectrum. 'Astoria' is the latest volume in the Scottish multi-instrumentalist and producer's ongoing EP series (its predecessor, 'Mountain', dropped in September). It's another typically gorgeous and enveloping affair in which effects-laden guitar motifs, gaseous ambient chords, gentle rhythms, ghostly aural textures and slowly shifting melodies combine to create instrumental sound worlds of rare beauty (if not sonic clarity - Guthrie's use of reverb and delay is liberal, which adds to its atmospheric nature but adds extra layers of attractively wide-eyed haziness).
Review: Kaoru Inoue's latest EP continues the journey of his acclaimed long player Dedicated to the Island, which was recently released for Record Store Day 2024. This six-track sequel features a series of self-reworked tracks from the LP, a first-time vinyl release and previously unreleased material as well as a remix by Argentina's SidiRum, who is a leading tastemaker in the tribal and slower house scenes. True to its title, the EP emphasises enhanced rhythmic elements and delivers a blend of organic, left-field electronic sounds. Inoue's talent for crafting atmospheric, innovative sounds will only improve with this superb 12".
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: 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: This six-track release from the Musci archives offers up sounds that blend traditional instruments with synthesisers and electronics. It comes with remixes by Cut Hands and Nokuit and highlights the work of Roberto Musci, an Italian ethnomusicologist who has been active since the mid-80s. Musci's music gained renewed interest following the 2016 Tower of Silence compilation and got praise from legends like the late Ryuichi Sakamoto. It's dense, challenging, and unlike much else you will hear this year.
Review: Nitechord is an anonymous "ambient-tech duo" that impresses with this fine debut, Lume, which is a meditative exploration of the calmness and mystery of the night as distilled through mid-tempo rhythms and atmospheric whispers. These sounds were first submitted as a raw, uncredited cassette demo in 2002 and have hardly been changed from that state but for the mastering. Tracks like 'Reflect' and 'Near' blend shimmering guitar loops, sub-bass and subtle twangs over dancefloor beats. 'Dim' breathes with layered drones, while 'Absent' offers mournful serenity and last but not least, 'Carry' blossoms into orchestral harmony. A sublime soundscape.
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: 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.
Orbital, David Holmes, DJ Helen - "Tonight In Belfast" (feat Mike Garry) (11:58)
Orbital - "Belfast" (David Holmes remix) (12:03)
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: Phonogramme Recordings compere five sweet but breathy jam-house bits from producer Taelue, overseeing the highly anticipated new EP that is 'Dark Worlds'. From the opening, downcast kicks and singing wine glasses of 'Wistful' - full of wist - to the nominal sequel 'Wistful (An Abacus Story)', a much trickier, more swung version of the prior track, to which only more considered listens reveal a relation, we find ourselves already in for a moody yet relaxing treat. The B-side ekes a jam-packed marrow from the A-sides otherwise fleshy bone, erring more on lo-fi; 'Deviancy' and 'Scythe' echo Delroy Edwards with their twin skittish, muted movements, whilst the B3 reprise of 'Wistful' homes in on the lone backing for the establishing number.
Review: Commissioned by Meow Wolf for their Omega Mart immersive art experience in Las Vegas, Amon Tobin delivers the kind of horizon-expanding epic you would hope for from one of the world's most respected living electronic music visionaries. Running at 20 minutes, give or take 40 seconds, this collection of movements worthy of an odyssey may have been designed for a specific context, but they don't have to be trapped there forever. While nothing will compare to diving headfirst into Meow Wolf's critically acclaimed installation piece, a kind of sci-fi takedown of advanced capitalism and blind consumerism in a morally bankrupt world, separating sounds from space still makes a big impact. Noises from the future, soundscapes from the depths of a truly astounding mind, this is nothing if not captivating.
Review: .In celebration of Tomaga's tenth anniversary, the 'Sleepy Jazz for Tired Cats' EP shows Tomaga's avant-garde sonic world in a refined, remastered format by Marta Salogni. Valentina Magaletti and Tom Relleen crafted Tomaga as a creative lab and this EP brims with the duo's raw, genre-defying ethos. The title track, 'Sleepy Jazz for Tired Cats', explores a droning, minimalist aesthetic with metallic instrumentation, inspired by the raw spontaneity of Congolese street music. Its slow, hypnotic rhythms evoke dark, psychedelic atmospheres, immersing listeners in its abstract yet entrancing flow. 'Sunday Ticket' captures an ancient, almost ritualistic essence with experimental collages that echo aboriginal sounds. Lastly, 'Platform Shoe' melds tribal and nu-jazz influences, forging a distinctly "spaced-out" sound that defies easy categorisation. Tomaga's relentless exploration and impact will have you on a journey that is both introspective and otherworldly.
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: 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: Black Truffle is celebrating the tenth anniversary of Oren Ambarchi's Quixotism with a special reissue, originally released on Editions Mego in 2014. This remastered edition, with enhancements by Joe Talia, brings back Ambarchi's ambitious workia summation of his past explorations and a precursor to future innovations. Quixotism presents a single, LP-length composition divided into five parts, anchored by Thomas Brinkmann's pulsating electronic rhythms. The album starts with delicate orchestral and piano textures, gradually evolving into a vibrant polyrhythmic shuffle featuring tabla player U-zhaan. Ambarchi's guitar traverses a wide array of acoustic spaces, from crisp, clipped tones to deep, reverberant expanses. The piece's slow, dream-like transitions and the intricate interplay of its elements reflect both a culmination of Ambarchi's previous work and a hint of his future directions. A fresh opportunity to rediscover the charm of Quixotism.
Review: Black Truffle's tenth-anniversary reissue of Oren Ambarchi's Quixotism brings renewed attention to this monumental 2014 release. Originally recorded with collaborators across Europe, Japan, Australia, and the U.S., Quixotism unfolds as a single, long-form piece split into five sections. Anchored by Thomas Brinkmann's steady, double-time electronic percussion, the piece gradually evolves from orchestral depth and subtle piano motifs (courtesy of John Tilbury) to a striking polyrhythmic shuffle, culminating in the final passages with U-zhaan's masterful tabla. Throughout its journey, Ambarchi weaves guitar textures that shift from clipped, sparse tones to lush, reverberated layers, creating an expansive yet cohesive sonic landscape. The interplay of acoustic and electronic elementsiranging from the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra's grandeur to Crys Cole's intimate contact-mic texturesiguides the listener through an otherworldly audio experience. Influenced by Cologne techno, Eliane Radigue's long-form compositions, and the fluidity of improvisation, Quixotism shifts in subtle, dreamlike transitions. Remastered by Joe Talia, this edition offers a clearer perspective on the album's intricate sound design, reaffirming its relevance while pointing forward to Ambarchi's future works like Hubris and Hence.
Review: After two albums on A Strangely Isolated Place as Comit, James Clements returns under his ASC alias and does so with yet another brilliantly fresh and introspective approach. Original Soundtrack shifts focus to the piano and so invites you to construct your own interpretations within an imaginary cinematic framework. Known for his mastery across genres from autonomic and jungle to ambient, techno and IDM, Clements narrows his focus here with great results. Crafting eight evocative pieces centred on the piano is not something he has done before but it results in another deeply personal and immersive work that adds a new dimension to ASC's artistry.
Review: French artist Felicia Atkinson invites us to a new type of mind space, one in which silence ushers in clarity and allows us to focus on the grand design of existence. Like gazing up at the night sky and realising its vastness and beauty, Space As An Instrument is as mysterious as it is compelling and enlightening. Less conceptually, it's also musically accomplished, with the artist described recording sessions as "meetings" between her and piano, instrument and player communing in these elegant, hypnotic tracks. According to Atkinson, her music sits "on the verge of understanding and not unerstanding," which speaks volumes about how deep the rabbit holes go. In many ways, here listening is an exercise in trust - she has faith in us to have faith in her, and it's this mutual respect that ultimately acts as a guiding light to the soundscapes that emerge.
Review: Allan Gilbert Balon's debut full-length album, The Magnesia Suite, released by Recital, is a mesmerising and enigmatic work that fuses avant-garde jazz, experimental sound collage and intimate vocal experiments. A Guadeloupe-born composer and visual artist, Balon brings a deeply personal and cryptic narrative to this album, weaving together disparate sonic elements into a beguiling and surreal journey. Opening with 'Stella Maris', the album immediately wrongfoots the listener, blending organ drones and twisted chorals that evoke a subversive take on sacred music. Tracks like 'Lustras' introduce grotty tape recordings, shortwave transmissions, and Balon's slow-motion piano playing, creating a bizarre yet haunting sense of prayer. This patchwork approach, full of field recordings and mysterious sounds, captures a feeling of coastal tranquility and exploratory reverence. The standout track, 'Pleuro Delez Waltz', which initially caught Recital's attention, blends Balon's idiosyncratic piano style with disorienting wails and unconventional percussion. The album concludes with 'Ogadia', where ragtime-influenced piano meets distant saxophone, resolving the outsider-jazz soundscape. The Magnesia Suite is an album of surprising juxtapositions and textures.
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: 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.
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