Auxiliary レコード& CD

Review: Ambient stalwart ASC continues his cosmic explorations with the brand new LP 'Colours Of Absence', the follow up to this year's 'Original Soundtrack'. Both LPs were written during 2020's lockdowns, a time of much strife and creativity for artists. For ASC, it was a time of downshifting - the producer focused on incorporating as many acoustic instruments as possible into his music, reflecting a kind of musical rewilding. Filled with dropletty pads, plinky string-strikes, and many an ambient wash in between, we're sure this one'll calm your soul well enough.

Review: James Clements continues his explorations into the depths of the grey zone as ASC with The Farthest Reaches double pack on Auxiliary. Samurai Music's Presha has excitedly called these four tracks "a definitive musical statement from one of the most important electronic musicians of our era," and who are we to argue with him? Making full usage of the format and available space, this is ASC in exploratory mode across a quartet of deep ten minute plus productions that have it all; sound design, atmosphere, groove, bass weight. To simply call these epic is selling The Farthest Reaches short!

Review: It has been a little less than 12 months since Sam KDC bestowed his 'Omen Rising' album on fans, a record that saw the British producer refocus attention on beats - or at least rhythms. Now he's back for another full-length voyage, with ASC in tow; another UK head (although now based in the US) who, interestingly, first cut his teeth in the driving dnb scene of the late-1990s. The results of their combined efforts are as deep as they are textured, with work such as 'Awakened Senses' offering the kind of noises you'd expect to hear after descending into the abyss. Moody, atmospheric sounds glide past our ears, occasionally catching the proverbial glint of a new note before slowly receding into the unknown. 'Interoception', meanwhile, shimmers its way to the mind's eye via icy, twinkling keys.