Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Polish label FOMO_ debuts with the first in its news Spectral series, and who better to kick off with than the ever innovative ASC. He is a master of musical tension and abstraction and shows that with four tracks that build up the pressure and never let it go. 'Calm Under Pressure' is soothing up top with its smeared, spectral pads, but there's pent-up tension in the low end that keeps you on edge. 'Dark Arches' soundtracks an underground cavern with haunting pads and icy, watery droplets and 'Maelstrom' gets more direct with jostling broken beats, hissing trails and unsettling deep space mystery. 'Torsion' is the most maximal of the lot - an in-your-face collage of loopy, snappy drums and sordid synth sludge.

Review: California-based, British drum & bass musician ASC returns with more homages to late 90s atmospheric drum & bass on his excellent sub-label Spatial. Anyone who has been following his work and the releases that he's put out on his Auxiliary label and sub labels in the past few years should know what to expect. Following on from last month's excellent full-length Next Time You Fall, 'Undercurrents' is four tracks of impeccably produced ambient jungle. The first cut, 'Ocean Breeze', has a simpler rhythm than you would expect from him, which could be a hint at a more liquid future direction. The next three cuts are classic ASC: cut-up, spaced-out breaks interspersed with dreamy vocals.

Review: Mind Over Matter', the latest release from ASC, continues his explorations into atmospheric, breakbeat-driven soundscapes with striking results. Opening track 'Desire' sets the tone with a lush beat structure, punctuated by sharp cymbal strikes. Subtle whale song samples are woven into the mix, accompanied by a warm bassline and tender piano melodies, while swirling strings ebb and flow, creating an almost tidal sense of movement. 'Voidscaping' follows, launching immediately into crisp, striking breakbeats. The throwback pads recall the heyday of Good Looking, but ASC's meticulous sampling and deep reverb work keep the track fresh, merging nostalgia with modern complexity. On the flip, 'Let Go' brings in the sounds of nature, with metallic bongos and a restrained choral vocal riding over playful, energetic hi-hats. The atmosphere builds, layering strings, synths, and ASC's trademark vocal elements, each listen revealing new intricacies. 'Meltdown' wraps things up with a darker, more anxious vibe. Minimal breaks and elusive hi-hats give the track a creeping tension, while ambient pads and a yearning female vocal add a layer of emotional depth. It's a finely balanced track, blending melancholy and intensity in a way that ASC has mastered.

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: Their first ever collaborative LP, drum & bass brilliants ASC and Aural Imbalance share Duality, consummating a long working relationship, which has also seen two 12" EP exquisites from 2023, 'Interstellar Transmissions' and 'The Other Side'. But, as this is their first full-length album together, Duality is less floor-centred and works in a relatively conceptual mode, tracking a strong but measured arc from left-right pad sculptings to designer breaks. The cosmic theme of both artists' music is omnipresent as ever, though there's an extra dash of titular spiritualism; we move from the literal celestiality of 'Sunset On Mars', into a B-side's figurative celestiality with 'Seraphim' and 'Prism Of Light'; a steady vibe-shift into angelic, alary buoyancy.

Review: Emerging from the ether in July 2024, Surfacing is the third collaborative long player from ASC and Sam KDC. Producers known for their ability to create and set moods with comparatively abstract ambient soundscapes, their latest is no exception. A collection of work which opts for an un-rushed approach to creating big feelings and moments from relatively consistent sounds and noises. Not much seems to happen, until you realise how much has been happening. In many ways, it's a maximalist thing - attempting to pick apart tracks like 'Mirage' and 'Shimmer' reveals the density of these sonics. Walls of sound that are acoustically and melodically light enough to float on air, yet actually so thick they swallow the listener hole, with little hope of escape until the final refrains fade.