Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Darren Cunningham, known for his work as Actress, continues to evolve with a striking, abstract mix of sound that blends fragmented beats, ambient textures and the odd burst of warmth. Moving away from his club origins, his latest album embraces a more experimental, collage-like approach, echoing the influence of Georges Braque. The music unfurls in unpredictable ways, weaving atmospheric elements like muffled techno pulses, gamelans and r&b vocal samples into an evolving tapestry of sound. Tracks shift from dark, granular tones reminiscent of Boards of Canada's more ominous moments, to bright, celestial glimpses of light. The juxtaposition of stasis and movement, dread and hope, is central to Cunningham's process, creating a unique sonic landscape of ebb and flow. The occasional playful moments, like the quirky synths of 'Dolphin Spray', add to the album's intriguing unpredictability. Fans of Aphex Twin, Two Lone Swordsmen and Boards of Canada will find familiar sounds here, though Cunningham's distinctive approach makes the experience feel like a scientific exploration of sound itself. With a subtle balance of tension and calm, the album draws listeners into a world of synaptic interplay, where every shift feels deliberate and rewarding.

Review: Hypnotism I is a new album from Foundation that the artist himself says has been a cherished part of his work since shortly after his previous work Mountain Ambient IV. We're told that its creation was a slow, immersive process that unfolded over months, with each layer evolving patiently. By composing intuitively, the album emerged naturally to reflect a glacial depth and subconscious growth. Its four pieces are all richly layered soundscapes with wispy melodies and dusty drones that sink you in deep and free your mind of all woes.

Review: With Heilun, Hyldipi makes a stunning debut on ambient powerhouse Past Inside The Present by presenting seven meditative compositions shaped by his native Iceland's raw, introspective beauty. Crafted entirely with guitar and minimal hardware, each track feels like a gentle conversation with nature, ephemeral and soul-soothing. From the delicate strums of 'Opnun' to the deep serenity of 'Hvild,' the album flows like glacial melt, patient and healing. 'Fadmur' blooms with aching emotion, while 'Kyrrd' closes the journey in subaquatic calm. This is ambient music for deep listening-an improvised, transcendental escape into stillness, where the ego dissolves and all that remains is presence and peace.

Review: Following fast on the scorched heels of his most recent record Kosmische Pitch, Jan Jelinek now releases a fresh one for Faitiche: a recorded issuance of his 2022 performance, The Carpenters. Held at Uferstudio 1 in Berlin on July 20, 2022, two pieces transform an irrecognisable Carpenters' sample (the original song name is asterisked for perhaps obvious reasons) into salivatory stretch-scape. The original source is slowly unveiled near the end of the first half, almost of a moment of awakening from hypnosis. Then in the second half, Jelinek re-blurs the material, as if to descend the trough of a sinusoid wave. The Faitiche edition series houses such captivations exclusively on cassette, whose deprecatory format matches the exclusivity of the performance (though tape deck owners can also request a free digital download code).

Review:  South London's Loefah has long been a pivotal figure in the UK's underground evolution, particularly on the bossier end of the spectrum. The cut figure is a master in the club too and this recording from the iconic Bloc Weekender in 2011 proves that as it now gets pressed up to a brand new cassette from the Never Sleep charity tape series. It showcases UK club futurism by blending hybrid transatlantic sounds with vibrant MC SP. Featuring soon-to-be Swamp81 classics, the set fuses Miami-style bass, hip-hop elements and UK hardcore into the darker, more melody-driven side of 2011 sounds. All proceeds benefit Lives Not Knives who support youth projects in South London.

Review: Returning with his redemption attempt follow up to 2020's We Are Chaos, industrial metal shock-rock provocateur Marilyn Manson seeks to skirt the numerous controversies and accusations accrued in the last few years with his most potent musical statement in decades. Signing with Nuclear Blast and enlisting the likes of Chelsea Wolfe collaborator/producer Tyler Bates to helm the project, his 12th full-length One Assassination Under God: Chapter 1 (indicating that more is sure to follow), offers up some of the heaviest and introspective material of his career to date, with cuts such as 'Nod If You Understand' harking back to the unhinged angst of Antichrist Superstar, whereas 'As Sick As The Secrets Within' breathes with the same mercurial synth-gloom as the strongest moments on Mechanical Animals. A cynical attempt to regain fan adoration, or the sound of a tortured artist finally coming to terms with his own demons and attempting to rediscover former glory and prowess, the interpretation is entirely your own to consider.

Review: Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised the latest from Glasgow post-rock pioneers Mogwai adds a new ferocity. It was, after all, forged at a time of personal loss and family trauma for several members. The opener, 'God Gets You Back', weaves hypnotic vintage synths with Autotuned vocals, building into a thrilling crescendo that sets the tone for the album's expansive soundscapes. 'Hi Chaos' begins with a folk-like delicacy, evolving into a storm of ebowed drones, thunderous drums and towering riffs, offset by swirling sci-fi synths. The interplay between restraint and eruption continues on 'Pale Vegan Hip Pain', where cavernous guitar notes bloom into intricate melodies, offering a moody respite before the intensity of tracks like 'If You Find This World Bad You Should See Some Of The Others', which brims with ominous tones and a symphony of layered guitar noise. Tracks like 'Hammer Room' bubble with intricate synth lines woven into soaring melodies, while '18 Volcanos' evokes shoegaze grandeur with its vibrant oscillations. Each piece thrives on emotional resonance, eschewing words for pure instrumental storytelling - very much the Mogwai way, in other words, just sharper and more vicious than ever.

Review: Constellation Tatsu welcomes US artist Brendan Principato aka Saapato for what is a hugely conceptual new album based around decomposition. It was sparked when Saapato saw a dead fox lying by the side of the road on his way home from a job in a local warehouse. He used that as a jumping-off point to interrogate "transformation, interconnectedness, and renewal" and the five stages of decomposition, namely fresh, bloat, active decay, advanced decay and dry/remains. Several collaborators help him on his way as he sketches out various instrumental textures which variously have occasional shards of light, lingering melancholy and a subtle sense of hope.

Review: Portland's Paul Dickow, the man behind the Strategy alias, is back with a new album that has been created with a 1989 model sampling keyboard. Exploring its limitations, he plays the sampler by hand and abandons sequencers for a more organic approach which apes a guitarist's connection to their instrument. The record delves into glacial, pensive soundscapes where experimental, ambient and dance music elements all come together with deliberate intention. Though Dickow crafts a sound rooted in ambient techno futurism it is one open to serendipitous, experimental outcomes which makes it a gently unpredictable listen and otherworldly charmer.

Review: Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign join forces on Vultures 1, delivering a polished, cohesive project that showcases their combined talents. The album feels unusually complete for West's recent output, with crisp mixes and dynamic arrangements that highlight Ty's signature silk-and-grit vocals alongside Kanye's evolving artistry. From the airy melodies of opener 'Stars' to the Donna Summer-sampling 'Good (Don't Die)', the album strikes a compelling balance between nostalgia and innovation. Tracks like 'Burn' and 'Paid' stand out with hypnotic beats and intricate rhythms, while the Brazilian funk-inspired 'Paperwork' adds a playful, global flair. Ty's smooth hooks complement Kanye's performances, which, while technically precise, focus more on fitting the production's mood than dominating it. The production shines throughout, blending industrial textures with moments of emotional resonance. Songs like 'Carnival', featuring Playboi Carti and Rich the Kid, bristle with energy, while the lush layering on 'Do It' and 'Fuk Sumn' enhances their infectious grooves. Despite occasional lyrical flatness, the album's sonic brilliance and pacing make it a captivating listen.

Review: This is a reimagined edition of Zach Frizzell aka zake's 2023 album B and expands on its monochrome, drone-driven soundscapes. It complements a series of chiaroscuro art prints and evokes a grayscale melancholy rich in texture and depth as the music conjures images of a weathered dock at dawn with fog and dense landscapes closing in on the horizon. New pieces like 'Betrayal' and reworked tracks like 'Burnt' reveal zake's signature restrained, simmering power and overall the vibes here range from the haunting 'Blight' to the reflective 'Barren'' which emphasise zake's open-ended, evolving approach to ambient music.