A bobbing, minimal groover from the Berlin corner, dug-in and funked-up over ten minutes; and icily original, top-dog work from Pev, tethered between a kind of arrested Highlife and a Detroit breakout.

Based on recordings by John Abercrombie, Miroslav Vitous, Louis Sclavis, Bennie Maupin, Paul Motian, Arvo Part and co.

‘Developing a sound-world of drifting, otherworldly atmospheres and strange fusion, these Villalobos-Loderbauer collaborations evade easy categorisation, even compared to the former’s genre-twisting solo offerings. The Clouds Know pulls at their backbone, refining a deft and subtle musical noir built on ambient cues, sparks and claps of electricity, brushed drums, black voids and subterranean bass swoops. Erratic, submerged rhythms make way for expansive fields of crisp, uncanny detail; enchanting, humid environments, dense with the chatter of synthesised insects, the gentle rain of drums, whispering cymbals… There’s a twinkle in the eye and moments of deadpan levity, but the overall mood here is sober and introspective.’

‘In the thirteen years since Voices From The Lake I, the duo has performed worldwide, released a handful of EPs, worked on installations, and founded record labels, all while continuing to refine the project’s unique identity. Its core has always been its deep, aqueous approach to sound, a sensibility that returns in full force on II. “The project was never meant to become what it did. At one point, we even paused it. Only to later embrace it in all its forms. II is both a continuation and a reinvention.” True to that spirit, Voices From The Lake have explored extremes in recent years, from high-tempo live sets to seated listening concerts, while remaining anchored in the meditative pulse of ambient techno. II extends this lineage, carrying forward the immersive sound design and boundary-pushing vision that has defined their work from the beginning.’

This landmark album by Donato Dozzy and Neel in full on vinyl for the first time.
‘One of the most pure and absorbing listening experiences in techno… a touchstone in ambient techno, reshaping the global landscape of hypnotic and atmospheric electronic music… A decade on, its quiet intensity, musical storytelling and slowly unfolding tension remain in a class of one. Each sound is meticulously designed and placed, and the spaces left behind are just as important in conveying such a captivating mood and emotion. Rather than traditional kick drums, hi-hats or snares, this is music crafted from layers of real-world sound — dripping water, chirping birds, rustling leaves or a distant breeze — and it’s that which defines the album’s organic allure. From deeply contemplative to cautiously optimistic, pastoral organic scenes to more underwater worlds, Voices From the Lake is a cohesive collection of tracks that add up to one inseparable whole.’

A set of five throbbing, twinkling, oscillating excursions on analogue synth. Cosmic but intriguingly personable. Have a listen!

Ricardo Villalobos, Underground Resistance, Chez Damier and full crew sparking off the Arkestra LP Living Sky and a spoken-word album of Sun Ra’s poetry, My Words Are Music.

DJ Richard, Galcher Lustwerk, Young Male and Morgan Louis (not necessarily in that running order).

Six songs juxtaposing torrents of sliced and processed audio with the warmth of the human voice.
With Norah Jones, Josh Mease, Clare Manchon, Natalie Beridze, Pascal Le Boeuf, and Desmond White. 
‘Answers the question of what a collaboration between Björk and Venetian Snares would sound like, if both were more aware of the drawbacks of both diatonic tedium and ceaseless harmonic wasteland, respectively.’

‘A hard-grooving, vividly evocative EP, deeply rooted in nineties drum & bass, by this Milan-based, Brazilian producer.
‘The original mix of Dynamo rotates its vast spinning coil through a landscape of cavernous basslines and spectral vocals; then Etch fires up a full jungle do-over.
‘Breath - Dance enacts and probes a psycho-physical push-and-pull, alternating caustic breaks with ambient introspection.’

Crafted, varied EP from Kenneth Lay and Jason Carr, out of the Metasplice milieu in Philly. A couple of ant nests, a droner with an mbalax tic, and a monster-crunchy, sun-up soundscape. Boot cyan lean.