Back catalogue: Modern Classical

Review: Ben Kaczor and Niculin Barandun's debut album, Pointed Frequencies come on the tasteful German outlet Dial Records and explores the healing potential of sound through six immersive tracks. Their collaboration began in 2022 for an audiovisual show at Digital Art Festival Zurich and has developed masterfully since and as Kaczor studied sound therapy, Barandun became intrigued by its possibilities, and it is that which has inspired the album's direction. It incorporates therapeutic elements like binaural beats and solfeggio frequencies into a seamless blend of ambient and experimental music. Through free improvisation, the pair have cooked up some brilliantly contemplative pieces here.

Review: Dubio makes no secret of its intention, from the word go. The opening, titular track give us the lay of the land. A record inspired by the soundtrack to a puzzle game of the same name, there's a cyclical, perpetual kind of motion to everything here. Obviously, we know where the start of each piece is, and the conclusion. But the vibe isn't forward motion, nor backwards. Instead, there's a gradual meandering tempo, a loose, open-ended kind of aesthetic that invokes the old cliche - the journey, not the destination. And with that, you can't help but sense a little mystery here, too. Kettel isn't always known for this type of free spirited exploration, and yet here we are, and how we got here is part of what we're trying to figure out. Musically, that means warm pads and string refrains, twinkling chimes, plodding, almost unsteady percussion and a sense of wonder and perpetuity throughout.

Review: .You have to admire Basil Kirchin's attitude. At the age of 13, he joined his father's Big Band orchestra,, debuting at Tottenham Court Road's Paramount venue, and would spend up to eight hours a day practicing music during the London Blitz. Soon after the war ended, he went off to tour with a number of famous names, including Teddy Foster and Ted Heath, before he rejoined his old man's outfit for another stint. The arrival of rock & roll in the late-1950s catalysed a decision to leave that group again, telling his parent "you're a prisoner of rhythm, and I was fed up playing other people's music." At this point, Kirchin headed for India, spending five months in the Ramakrishna Temple trying to figure out what life was about, and if his world view had any substance beyond "the ramblings of a pot-head." This was before other artists were doing that kind of thing. A true visionary who would go on to play a pivotal role in the British jazz, avant garde, free jazz and experimental scenes, now you know all that is there anyway you're not buying this?

Review: "I would beg listeners both animal and human to allow these beautiful landscapes I've created in collaboration with Mark Nelson to sing and speak and weep for themselves. Please. Forget about words. Just LISTEN," says Kramer of this latest exploration of sounds less familiar. Meanwhile, Nelson quotes the legendary Arthur Russell for his take on things: "If I could convince you these are words of love, the heartache would remain but the pain would be gone". The Chicago-based composer and performer certainly summarises this listening experience. There's pure bliss running through these serene ambient, almost New Age-style tracks, but within that a certain reflective sadness. Crystalline melodies refract and develop, ebb and flow, at times making pure harmonies, in other moments more atmospheric refrains. They make us long for things that were or may be, although there's still space here for taking stock and acknowledging what is.