Tags: Ambient Techno

Review: Widescreen bass portamenti and steady-state textures predominate on this new Cleyra release through Timedance. Reflecting the Bristol artist's preference for heavyset bass and hydrop(h)onic textures, we were first turned on to their sound like heliotropic plants to red supergiants, whence in 2022 the 'Soft Bloom' EP offered our ears an ironic floral hardness. Since then, the artist has been hard at work on another five tracker of irreplicable sound, with 'Tumble Turn' and 'There's Nothing Happening Between Us' offering the best of the EP's tresillos and stereo-ecstatic percussions, which seem to paradoxically texturally vary themselves both much and not so much. How did they do it, we wonder?

Review: South African Portable is one of those cultured artists who doesn't release a lot, but when he does, it is more than worth hearing. And this is a bumper new drop from him on Circus Company in the form of Augmented Dreams, a new double album that takes its title from the use of everyday technological advancements "to achieve what were once only dreams or visions of past generations." He goes deep into minimal, techno and ambient to fuse totters the synthetic and the organic, the real, the imagined and the unreal on a richly rewarding album that makes for a complete listening

Review: Wave Arising is former Spiral Tribe man Sebastian Vaughan with vocalist Kynsie and they are a duo that likes to eplxore body, mind and soul "through intuitive listening of senses and inner energies by means of music , workshops and gatherings." This is their debut album and is an otherworldly mix of deep grooves and occult sonic landscapes. It has been made from various improvisations and avoids there use of sampling and as an album, this is one that feels very much alive. There are cinematic dub techno workouts, cascading synths and alien sound designs, menacing low ends and moments of majestic melodic beauty such as on 'Ronde Cinetique'. A brilliant debut.

Review: Ludvig Cimbrelius, a multi-alias artist donning other guises Alveol, Eternell, and Rust, reserves the Purl name for his more ambient, dubby techno creations. After a goosebump-inducing debut on the British Columbia-based Silent Season label in 2010 with Deep Ground, Stillpoint marked his first release with them in five years, following a series of records on Dewtone and Post Global. Now again reissued on vinyl ten years later, Stillpoint inflects balmy dub soundscapes and dewey techno sweats, evoking tearful rain shadows and humid canopies. Like a hidden biome where ethereal animals graze and gambol, the ambient sound-world evoked through 'Inre Sken' and 'Melora' is truly something else. Please be aware that this re-press concurs with a tenth anniversary crowdfunded campaign, which, by buying the record through us, you are helping support.

Review: Swedish producer Purl's Stillpoint was originally released in 2015 via Silent Season, a label known for its handcrafted, small-batch editions. Quickly selling out, it has since resonated with listeners like surface ripples on water, redounding to fans calling on a new vinyl pressing. In conjunction with another PURL crowdfunding campaign, we're now firmly re-poised to take in this wash of ambient rerubs again, relishing them like monsoons on baked skin. From Moshimoss' strange dub inflections to Ecovillage's 'Land Of Dreams' revisit, every track here on this CD edition is a depth-swill of ambiance.

Review: Landing a debut release on such a highly regarded label is no small feat and this artist makes it count with an EP that feels confident and quietly emotional. Rooted in minimal and tech house, the record explores ambient and dub textures with a subtle and experienced hand. Side-A begins with 'Verloren', a downtempo journey built around a soft house rhythm, rich pads and a tender piano motif that gives it a gentle emotional core. Isolee's remix takes the track to the dancefloor, introducing a dubby pulse and more pronounced groove while preserving the original's lush atmosphere. Side-b leans into deeper territory. 'Schwingung' opens with a serene ambient touch, evoking a peaceful sunset or the tail end of a long night. 'Zum Gluck' builds with a broken beat and a resonant low end, balancing rhythmic complexity with warmth while the closing track 'Traum' is a perfect send off. This dreamy and melodic piece blends ambient techno and emotional depth in equal measure. A fantastic debut that delivers more than just club functionality, revealing an artist with a clear sonic identity and a strong grasp of subtle narrative flow.