Ed Cooper - Vestibule [Thanatosis 052]

Released by the Swedish Thanatosis label on May 8th, 2k26 is "Vestibule", the latest full length album piece by writer x composer Ed Cooper which enters the physical realm in a super limited edition of 50 blood red CD-r copies only - probably a well intentional colour choice as its two extended pieces "...grown up, you are grown, and feeling stronger, feeling..." as well as "...as far as... unloving still... down on your stomach..." are using their performers heartbeats as rhythmic tempo guideline with Ben Finlay, Jack Adler-McKean and the Octandre Ensemble as executive forces for Cooper's sonic vision. Framed in between three short pieces the two main long-form compositions, each of them exceeding the 20 minutes mark by quite a stretch, are bringing forth minimalist Dark Ambient dronings sitting on the low frequency end of the audible spectrum, with the named heartbeat frequencies hidden deep within the mix as occasional tectonic rumblings accompanied by ghostly echoes of echoes of Ambient textures blown over from afar, crossing cold, barren and hostile plains as well as mind-numbing voids on their journey whilst also transporting structures and sequences as majestic, timeless and overwhelming as the mysterious heptapods in 'Arrival', hidden and engulfed in nebulous atmospheres out of which both melancholia-inducing pads and most powerful, almost klaxon'esque sonic bursts emerge before drifting away into a warm, peaceful and almost comforting Ambient nothingness. Highly recommended for Dark Ambient connaisseurs and dedicated collectors of Deep Listening Music.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Andrew MacKelvie's - Many Worlds: The Promotional CD Edition [Watch That Ends The Night]

Released via Watch That Ends The Night on March 6th, 2k26 is the latest - and self-titled - album by the Andrew MacKelvie-led octed Many Worlds, a venture, project and musical concept heavily influenced by a health-shattering bike accident which altered MacKelvie's life in many ways - and the same goes for his thinking, overthinking perhaps, and his deeper consideration of the many worlds theory in quantum physics which acts as the namesake for this album. Soundwise, the project opens on a densely layered and well psychedelic, almost retrofuturistic and score'esque tip with "Impact / Awake" before driving, hounded and muscular Rock beats provide the foundation for cinematic high speed chase scenes backed by multiple corresponding sax lines and crashing cymbals in "Disentomb The Brain Function" whereas "Time Dilation feat. Aquakultre" starts from a point of rather disharmonic brass layerings and raw drum abstractions only to progress and evolve into folksy emotional ambiance and touching Spoken Word lyricism, making it our favorite and most recommended piece on here, whilst "Realities Blossom" harks back to not only ever branching out multiverses in a quantum world but also indulges deeply in rather, and probably also surprisingly..., traditional Jazz Funk vibes just to provide an approximation of what's to expect from this roughly 37 minutes spanning seven track album which can be described as an intensely fascinating and well-rounded affair to add to the collection of a dedicated Contemporary Avantgarde Jazz collector. If that's you - go check!

Havard Skaset / Stale Liavik Solberg - Truck Rural [Conradsound 336]

Released via the Oslo-based Conradsound label on January 23rd, 2k26 is "Truck Rural", the first ever full on collaborational album by Havard Skaset and Stale Liavik Solberg who are catering a set of seven compositions over the course of roughly 40 minutes, bringing forth a fully acoustic and unprocessed dialogue of acoustic guitar, drums and various percussive elements. Opening with "Eternal Espa" the duo sets the tone for this improvisational album affair with a sharp, twangy and metallic plucked quasi-guitar motif regularly falling to bits whilst being accompanied by wildly scattered percussions before taking a sudden turn towards ruminant, introspective strumming and experimental percussive noises provided by what in part seem to be found everyday objects probably including, even though this might be purely speculative, pots and cutlery whereas pieces like "Intentional Illseng" provide catchy, somewhat even hippie'esque, yet also slightly Blues-infused sequences and tweaked, Psychedelia-adjacent harmonics alongside a whirlwind of drum rolls and fever'ish, hallucinogenic arhythmatics. Furthermore "Lonesome Løten" weighs in an almost rural and minimalist angle on instrumental Americana x Blues abstractions in its first half and therefore might be our favorite cut on this album whereas "Relaxing In Romedal" builds up to a massive multilayered acoustic crescendo which is quite the opposite of relaxing tbh, just to lay out a rough idea on what's to expect from this quite interesting and unusual affair in terms of Improvised Music x Free Improv. Also an album to watch out for if you've got a thing for alliterations grammatically.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Nick Fraser - Areas [Elastic Recordings 026]

Released via Elastic Recordings as their cat.no. 026 on April 10th, 2k26 is "Areas", the latest full length album effort conceived by Toronto's long-time active Jazz drummer Nick Fraser. Once again teaming up with Tony Malaby on saxophone duties as well as Kris Davis on piano to embark on a trio journey spanning a total of seven brand new compositions and a total runtime of approximately 40 minutes "Areas" showcases not only Fraser approach to and distinct vision of FreeJazz and Avantgarde Jazz but also the quality of his music as sonic source material, with the album sporting three interludes of electro-acoustic nature derived by piano player x composer John Kameel Farah from duo perfomances by Fraser / Malaby as a rather unusual, yet creative and outstanding addition to the trios work at the core of this release. With "Mimic" the musical triumvirate focuses on a stripped down nocturnal take on Dark Jazz before introducing deeply emotional, yet in parts raw and unhinged sax lines backed by subdued and well hypnotic groove abstractions building up to an intense, densely arranged climax whilst the 11+ minutes spanning main piece "Area" drifts through spiralling emotions, rather classically-oriented Jazz infusions and screaming high pressure sequences before winding down in a calm, tender and borderline playful manner. Furthermore "There Are Other Ways" presents hard hitting muscular snare drum attacks creating a syncopated swing as a base for hammered piano chords and intense free sax expressions and "Sketch 57" is way more of a sketch, not only for its - once again - extended run time but most importantly for its cosy and almost romantic interpretation of what we'd call late night Jazz for lovers which, although working its way towards expressive heights, never forsakes its main motivation and feel. Defo one for the well informed Jazz afficionado, this.

Demegy & LUI - Raumwerk EP [Alpha Cutauri X]

Released via the Alphacut Records subsidiary Alpha Cutauri on April 20th, 2k21 is the "Raumwerk EP", a collaborational four track vinyl EP cooked up by Demegy & LUI. With their A1 cut "Klaustrophon" the duo caters a unique take on a rarely heard amalgamation of a distinct Electronica x IDM sound aesthetic and fragmented echoes of skeletal Drum'n'Bass x Club Autonomic minimalisms whilst the subsequent "Stolpergeist" weighs in expertly shaped and sculpted, less abstract and indeed recognizable Minimal Drum'n'Bass structures accompanied by gooey, swampy and elastic alien synth movements and almost droning low end movements on the fringe of the audible spectrum. On the b-side we see "Flächenromantik" on a most beautiful, almost crystalline and surely Ambient-infused tip before sparse and tribalistic Drum'n'Bass rhythms take things to a deeper, well atmospheric late night level whereas "Synthoskop" rounds things off in a playful, almost optimistic manner with its deep drum triplets, shimmering arrangements and scintillating harmonies and therefore provides a perfect, albeit well abstract, closing after long bass driven night out.

Vinyl artwork on Instagram!

Roman Rofalski - Awaiting PM / Fractal [Oscillation 013]

Put out on the circuit via the Oscillations label as a quasi two-in-one album release on March 6th, 2k26 is "Awaiting PM / Fractal", a double venture cooked up by Berlin-based piano player / producer Roman Rofalski. Split into two distinct pieces "Fractal" and "Awaiting PM", each of them comprised of a total of seven indidvidual tracks, the album opens with "Fractal" - an exploration of prepared piano via the means of digital processing and heavy synthesis spanning an arc from shimmering single tones and harmonic bursts hovering atop thundering, earth shaking and surely vantablack Industrial Electronica structures in "Perpetuum" to the more mechanical percussions and vast spatial eerieness of "Bass Resonance", the droning Ambient atmospheres and cascading, in parts even synth-like and percussive prepared piano expressions of "Fractal Waves" whereas "Bumper" presents a tense, almost claustrophobic closing for the first half of the album comprised of uneasy digital scrapings, an ever intensifying, vibrating and flickering digital noise crescendo and tense hammered clusters of prepared piano backed by dark sci-fi industrial rhythm signatures - a tune, as great as it is, not recommended for those struggling with anxiety or paranoia. Furthermore we see "Awaiting PM", recorded and composed in the wake of becoming a first time father to a son, pairing a Yamaha grand piano with the classic approach of an Akai MPC 2000 on a more playful IDM x Electronica meets piano note in the slightly off-kilter, yet uplifting "Friday Love" which evokes memories of what could be described as (Outer) Space Jazz for a reason whilst "Monday" sees touching, emotional single piano chord processings floating over subdued, nervous rhythm signatures followed by the tense, dense yet also otherworldly beautiful layers of "Tuesday" which seem to exist in a sonic singularity outside the usually perceived realm of space and time whereas "Wednesday Stone" explores chiming Contempory Classical composition in conjunction with digital noise textures and "Nervous Thursday" embraces anxious, eerie and spine-tingling tonalities, earth shaking low end rumbles and an innate feel of tension leading into a nerve-wrecking finale to fully live up to its name. Good stuff. Go check.

Album artwork on Instagram!