Back catalogue: Classical

Review: After five years apart, Italian composer Eraldo Bernochi and Japanese violinist, electronica producer and current Tangerine Dream member Hoshiko Yamana return with a sequel to their much-loved 2020 album Mujo. Described by the pair's label, Denovali, as "a deeply cinematic experience", Sabi cannily combines the slow-burn, trance-inducing synthesizer sequences of Tangerine Dream, the intergalactic electronic expressiveness of ambient techno, the thematic movements of modern classical, Yamana's emotive violin motifs and the spaced-out ambient iciness often associated with Geir Jensson's Biosphere project. It's a genuinely brilliant album all told, with the pair smartly sashaying between hazy melancholia, string-laden creepiness and picturesque aural colour.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


The fourth ever solo studio album from the acclaimed electronic artist and composer Laurel Halo, Atlas is intended to guide the listener through their own subconscious mind, coming as an intense sequence of soaring ambiences and beatless jazz montages. Finding its footing in instrumental improvisation by Halo herself, plus featuring artists Coby Sey, James Underwood and Lucy Railton - and then blowing any assumptive connotation with jazz out of the park with its subtly effected vocal processing and electronic tinkerings and washes thereafter - fans can be sure that this is not going to be your stock experimental affair.

Review: Danish composer Anders Lauge Meldgaard and string trio Halvcirkel rack up a new milestone in their ongoing musical partnership with this collaborative album, Spirit, on the wonderfully experimental label Ar & Dag. Blending acoustic and electronic elements into an intriguing work of intricate string arrangements and Meldgaard's Ondomo and modular synth textures, the result is an evocative, genre-agnostic work. The likes of 'Song Of The Meadow In Bloom' are full of the joys of Spring with an undercurrent of mischief, while 'For Kun Du Ved Hvor Meget Jeg Nod Dig' is a more suspenseful and eerie sound of unresolved oops and sonic chaos. Their partnership began in 2016 through performances with Frisk Frugt and has since evolved into a deep creative bond and Spirit showcases that artistic synergy with real richness.

Review: Big emotions often come in small, intimate packages. Initially at least. Judith Hamann opens her stunning contemporary classical-ambient meditation with the kind of hush that means music and sound creep over you without making themselves instantly known. Before we know it, the transformation - or, perhaps more accurately, transportation - is complete. Using field recording techniques, Hamman augments the electronic harmonies and refrains with au naturel noises, from the hubbub of distant conversation to an asthmatic's whistle, all of which places the plugged-in and synthesised in a very human place. The result is something that feels timeless, as crystalline and clear as it is water-weathered and sepia-hued. The overall affect is mysterious and adventurous, like walking down a serene empty beach only to realise you can't remember which direction you came from.

Review: Canadian composer Hecker's movement into scoring for film and television has been a natural progression over the past 25 years and now the artist has perfectly aligned his sound with motion pictures and film. Perhaps not fully intentional by Tim but most fans point to him as an artist whose music evoke emotions that equal the power of what a film could create. Known for his transcendent soundscapes that push ambient music into unclassifiable realms, Hecker collects a series of compositions originally created for projects like Infinity Pool, The North Water, Luzifer and La Tour. While some pieces were left unused in the final productions, their standalone presentation here showcases Hecker's ability to evoke vivid atmospheres. The seven-track EP, released via Kranky, includes the hauntingly beautiful 'Sunset Key Melt', where celestial chimes echo amidst layered, dense melodies. It exemplifies Hecker's knack for crafting spacey, droning soundscapes. Meanwhile, 'Morning' begins as a delicate piano piece before unsettling feedback disrupts its serenity, blending traditional composition with experimental textures. Shards reflects a late-career revelation: Hecker's immersive sound design translates seamlessly to visual storytelling. His work on Arctic psycho-chiller The North Water and supernatural horror Luzifer underscores his ability to merge ice-cold atmospheres with emotional depth. This EP is both eerie and ethereal, showing why Hecker's style is so compelling.

Review: Over his 25-year career, this veteran composer has crafted transcendent soundscapes that resonate with cinematic depth, making his music a perfect fit for storytelling on screen. Shards, a seven-track album released via Kranky, compiles selections from scoring projects like Infinity Pool, The North Water, Luzifer and La Tour. Tim Hecker's journey into film and television scoring feels like a natural evolution of his artistic vision. The haunting 'Sunset Key Melt' features celestial tones and layered textures, creating a spacey ambiance that is sure to impress. In contrast, 'Morning' begins as a serene piano melody, disrupted by unsettling feedback that blurs the line between beauty and unease. Each track balances traditional composition with experimental sound design, resulting in a collection that is both eerie and enchanting. This album reveals how seamlessly Hecker's soundscapes translate to visual narratives and the warm, tactile vinyl experience just seems to underline that even further.

Review: Producer and guitarist Yutaka Hirasaka enjoyed a peaceful career pitstop with Breath, one of many to top up the beatsmith and cassette artist's now towering discography, and which now comes released on vinyl for the first time. Hirasaka's approach to music covers ambient, beat-driven landscapes, a format which has led him both to immersive live performance work and commercial ends. The homely aesthetic of Hirasaka's sound is heard once more on the wordless, texturally unperturbed Breath, which clears our airways far better than any shop-bought nostrum ever could, be it via the deconstructed guitar pan-plays of 'Orion' or the marzipan piano maunders of 'Amaretto'.

Review: Ezekiel Honig is a New York City-based artist who founded two vital labels, Anticipate Recordings and Microcosm, and now he is back with a new album on 12K. Unmapping The Distance Keeps Getting Closer is a tender and honest work of art that wears its heart on its sleeve with piano, horns and broken rhythms all characterising the palette. Field recordings are also worked into the arrangements to add a real narrative and to really evoke a sense of place. Add in plenty of textural and tactile motives and you have a journeying album full of melancholy but also a sense of hope.

Review: The Expanded Edition of Alan Howarth's They Live brings new life to the cult classic 1988 film's soundtrack. Howarth is well respected, not least for his collaborations with John Carpenter, and here captures the film's eerie tension and anti-consumerist themes with moody synths, bluesy motifs and minimalist sound design that is always hugely evocative. This expanded edition offers remastered audio and additional cues that heighten the mood and deepen the atmosphere. The music's hypnotic, slow-burning energy perfectly mirrors the paranoia and grit of the movie, so it's a landmark score in sci-fi and horror soundtracks.

Review: From what we understand about this record, Hualun band member MK had a hand in finishing what was clearly already a beautiful collection of instrumentals. Rubey Hu was polishing off the collection as China finally started emerging from what, from the outside at least, looked like a particularly brutal and unashamedly authoritarian response to the Covid-19 pandemic. A set of serene and incredibly relaxing, playful-leaning piano pieces, MK helped apply various effects and textures, which genuinely elevate what's here. Regardless, though, Rubey's musicianship is inescapable throughout. Eight tracks that feel as though heart and soul have been spilled across the ivories, with additional contributions from another Hualun head, Ding Mao. Really special stuff that will make you want to start exploring Chinese alternative music, if you weren't already.