Back catalogue: Ambient/Drone

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: Queeste welcomes FMVEE with a hugely singular collection of sounds. Though this is idiosyncratic music with its very own lexicon, the feelings of which the artists speaks are familiar to us all even if the methods are not: love songs, rueful reflection and heart ache are things we can all relate to. 'EverythingUneverKnewUwanted' is a particularly dense track of abstractions that reveal more beauty with each listen. 'Seed Perfuming' is all broken bass and reflected melody that shimmers and shines in a post-dubstep fashion and 'Sobbing' is avant-pop gem with a soaring vocal from Rosie Ruel amongst heavy as you like hits and bass.

Review: The Newcastle based Signals collective have been delightfully unpredictable in their short existence to date, with releases from artists as varied as Legowelt, John Heckle and Oppenheimer Analysis also demonstrating an ear for quality that ensures the casual observer should always check in on their latest release. That honour falls on two local North East acts in the shape of sometime Claremont 56 artist Four Hands and iconic industrial figures Zoviet France. This clear twelve inch is the most creatively ambitious record from Signals yet, with the original material from Four Hands in essence a remix he did of "Mammoth Mountain", a track from the Manchester based artist Caro Snatch. Reimagined as a luscious ambient music with real attention paid to musicality, "Sea Of Love (Mammoth Mountain mix)" is a beautiful slice of music that can't fail to captivate across the almost eight minutes of its duration. Accompanying this, Zoviet France submitted two remixes, with the first - "November 2011, North Northumberland (Zoviet France dub)" - actually a recording of themselves playing the Four Hands version on a mobile phone while one of them chops wood. Complementing this slightly odd version is a sublime thirteen minute ambient piece that truly refigures the magic of Four Hands' original piece in Zoviet France's own inimitable style.

Review: Berlin-based but American-born producer Fred P is as deep as they come. Private Society has been his latest label concern for a while now and this State of Bliss series kicked off in November last year in fine fashion. Part 2 is another of his smooth signature blends of jazz, ambient and house. 'NY' has shimmering chords and a percussive clatter that eventually clears to reveal a skittish broken beat that is live and lush. 'Awakening Desire' then cuts loose on expansive ambient pads, with worlds vocals smeared across a wide open night sky in suggestive jazz drumming drifts way down low. It's an experimental piece before the funky jazz dancer 'High Fusion' gets you on your toes with a killer bass guitar line.

Review: The first of two EPs leading up to The Future Sound of London's much anticipated 2025 album only serves to build anticipated cause they're as good as you would hope. Side A is a dark ambient odyssey that drifts through ethereal choirs into ritualistic rhythms before landing in a surreal suburban dreamscape. It's immersive, haunting and unpredictably brilliant. Side B begins with a more introspective tone but gradually shifts into unease with baroque minimalism with modular synths, breakbeats and drum machines coming totters with ambient field recordings and meticulously curated samples. It's as intricate as you would expect of this pair and is a masterclass in an atmosphere full of depth and surprise.

Review: A collaborative new single by sampletronic master Kieran Hebden (aka. Four Tet) and guitarist and composer William Tyler, two acclaimed musicians and both longstanding friends. Part of a recent spewing-forth of Hebden-adjacent material to hit the shelves after the artist's oft-reported-upon "agent of chaos" phase, these two tracks, pressed to a furtive 12", provide a neat counterpoint to that assessment. Rather than a pair of riddim bangers, the record flaunts Hebden's signature electronic textures and Tyler's guitar into a hypnotic, nominally dark soundwhirl, reminiscent of the earliest days of Text, but with a unique edge - a sonic corner never quite scoured before by either artist.

Review: Lina Filipovich's Music for an imaginary dancefloor is an exploration of the boundary between club music and the abstract, guided by analogue synthesizers and a vivid imagination. Composed from improvisations between June and December 2022, the LP delves into ethereal realms with nervous energy and atmospheric textures that evoke imagery of surreal landscapes and otherworldly experiences. Unlike her previous works which focused on deconstructing existing sounds, Filipovich collaborates with the machines themselves in this album, allowing their aesthetics to intertwine with her creative vision. The result is a collection of tracks that pulse with intensity, drawing listeners into a dreamlike state where reality blurs with fantasy. The album's sonic landscape is rich with atonal drones and intricate delays, creating a sense of unease and wonderment. It's as if the music is speaking a language of spirits, beckoning listeners to explore the allure of the dark and the unknown. Miles Whittaker of Demdike Stare lends his mastering and additional mixing expertise to enhance the album's sonic depth, further immersing listeners in its hypnotic embrace. Overall, Music for an imaginary dancefloor is a stunning trip that defies traditional categorisation. It invites listeners to step into a realm where the boundaries of reality dissolve, leaving only the pulsating rhythms and haunting melodies to guide them through the darkness. Lina Filipovich's vision is realised with remarkable clarity and depth, making this album a standout release in the realm of experimental electronic music.