Downtempo Recommendations April 2013

Review: South Londoner Daniel Woolhouse finally emerges from the haze of several years stuck in the "up and coming" cogs of the internet's hype machine with Life After Defo, a long awaited debut Deptford Goth album. Surfacing via the ever experimental Merok label, this eleven track set is the perfect representation of the Deptford Goth sound, which in his own words sits "somewhere between real and synthetic". If you could imagine a slightly withdrawn bizarre James Blake shorn of the chance to model for Mr Porter or collaborate with Eno and seeking solace in his synths and some cracked software then you're in the right frame of mind to appreciate Life After Defo, a haunting collection of "average white" electronic soul imbued with a palpable sense of intimacy.

Review: One of the delights of being a music fan is coming across unlikely, little-known recordings that thrill, confuse and inspire in equal measure. This collaboration between German musician/producer FS Blumm and neo-classical pianist Nils Frahm is one of those recordings. Seemingly patched together from a number of jam sessions, it's largely made up of overlapping blasts of Reichian style piano and fluent acoustic guitar. Yet there are also odd, scratchy effects, found sound, effects aplenty and even the odd dash of white noise. It's hard to describe, and certainly arty, but it largely sounds great. It's certainly a hugely enjoyable listen.

Review: It's a cliche to suggest that Scandinavian electronic music is always "icy" or "glacial", but there's certainly usually something particularly distant and cool about it. That's certainly something that can be said about this album from Icelandic/Faroese four-piece Bloodgroup. While there's some warmth to be found - particularly on the Portishead-esque "Nothing Is Written In The Stars" and woozy indie-pop of "Fall" - the album's most attractive quality is its atmospheric nature. Built around intoxicating vocals, fluid electronics and crunchy analogue noise, Tracing Echoes is an enjoyable trip through leftfield pop's darker recesses.