FELT 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: The cream of contemporary ambient dub, Civilistjavel! (Tomas Boden), is back on the scene with Brodfoda. Through twelve roman numerical movements titled I through XII, the initially anonymous artist makes a subtle affective turn here. Earlier commanding the interest of the now sadly felled Low Company trunk - one of the best seedlings of which has to be the FELT imprint - Brodfoda sacrifices Boden's earlier emphasis on dubiously emotive but still progressive dub pieces in favour of a deeper mood-disclosure; a more expansive, but still demure, dozen tracks of grained-out audio-sepias and cathartic vocal swells, which creep up on the listener like latent realisations, as though they were always there somewhere in the mix-murk. The vocal contributions, this time from Mayssa Jallad and Laila Sakini, as ever lie among the most welcome contributions to Civilist's output, with 'IX' portraying an especially towering sense of depth, awestruck palpation.

Review: Originally released in 2023, this record quietly turned heads with its singular blend of UK-rooted rhythms and forward-leaning sound design. Now reissued, it finally gets a second life and the wider attention it deserves. The producer, a longtime figure in the scene with more than twenty releases under different monikers, brings a depth and precision that only comes with years behind the boards. 'Fathom' opens with a fast broken beat that feels equal parts urgent and submerged. The textures are mechanical and murky, like a deep techno transmission beamed up from under the floor. 'The Cusp' follows with a completely different angle. This one leans into the IDM side of things. It's spare and skeletal, filled with deep bass swells and a structure that feels more like a shifting sculpture than a club track. On Side-B, 'Markers' blends fast dub mechanics with intricate programming. There's a trace of Autechre here, but filtered through a system more grounded in soundsystem culture. It rolls and unravels in unexpected ways. 'Trooper' closes it out with cinematic flair. Strange melodies stretch through space, evoking science fiction landscapes and distant worlds. It's not just club music. It's sound architecture for curious minds and adventurous ears.

Review: Civilistjavel! returns with a seven-track exploration of melancholic soundscapes, further developing the sonic territory charted in Brodfoda. Tomas Boden's work, released on FELT, continues to weave together beauty and dread, employing a deliberately slow tempo that conjures a sense of isolated, arctic air. This LP builds organically upon the foundations of Brodfoda. 'XIII''s unsettling hum transitions smoothly into the dusky textures of 'XIV'. The dewy ambience of 'XV' precedes the hypnotic, shadowy dub of 'XVI'. 'XVII''s windswept, acid-tinged interlude then segues into the introspective drones of 'XVIII'. The collection concludes with 'XIX', where Thomas Bush's crooning vocals offer a hint of dawn, intertwining with organs, guitars and subtle sound design. A powerful emotional impact through minimalist means, skilled storytelling at its best.

Review: J Trystero's Cantor's Paradis on Fergus Jones' FELT label is a 45-minute drift through ambient dub terrain that leaves you mesmerised. It draws on the spacious design of artists like Huerco S. and Civilistjavel!, and unfolds in a dreamlike haze of blurred melodies, submerged textures and subtle, ever-shifting rhythms. Trystero filters the DNA of '90s dub techno into soft, iridescent tones here to craft soundscapes that feel both ancient and futuristic. Tracks like 'Untitled 6' briefly emerge with dubby definition but the album thrives in ambiguity. It's a deeply immersive record that's hypnotic, calming and subtly emotive so perfect for late-night solitude or introspective mental wandering.

Review: "Tracks play out like beatless symphonies of wayward folk music who's basement transmissions have been intercepted from the ether; a stirring limbo of grotty emotions that inspire and conflict in equal measure. Portals into zones of sampladelic oddities, haunted vocals and scatty euphoria that is collectively driven by an (un)willingness to straddle familiar pastures." Firnis DC certainly paint a pretty vivid picture of their latest album, on which things are stripped back to the basics, allowing each individual element to breathe properly. This space really works, creating the sensation of endlessness in sound, and a depth of ideas that you can fall through, slowly descending into a world of strange post-rave ambience, looking up at fluffy clouds passing overhead the morning after that night before.