Justina Repeckaite - Tapestries [Music Information Centre Lithuania 127]

Released via the ever active Lithuanian cultural hub and institution that is the Music Information Centre Lithiuania on May 18th, 2k26 is "Tapestries", an eight compositions and roughly 70 minutes spanning werkschau and a major showcase of the rather outstanding career of composer Justina Repeckaite throughout the twelve years period from 2012 to 2024. Arranged as an album and not in chronological order the 2012 opening piece "Chartres" for string orchestra draws the listener into a sonic landscape of intense siren'esque dronings slowly moving through the instruments mid register continuously re-layering and re-arranging into a rather unsettling foundation for the hard bowing movements to come before the subsequent "Incantare", a composition for flute and tape, weighs in a feel of rather glacial electro-acoustic minimalism paired with sustained, and seemingly slowed down, flute tones which makes the instrument sound like a flugelhorn or mistreated saxophone in parts, especially before it erupts into a series of playful and tentative movements. Following up is "Tapisserie" which employs an entire ensemble in a rather stripped down and reduced fashion, creating an intricate dialogue between shimmering piano, irregularly circling strings and dramatic stab repetitions, "Sturnus Vulgaris Cohibitus" for pianist and transducers once again showcases Repeckaite's feel for timeless, yet futuristic piano minimalism whereas "La Cite Des Dames" fully focuses on the vocal performance of a total of six soprano voices which create an absolutely spine-tingling and outerworldly realm of ever morphing and meandering harmonies accompanied by intense vocal outbursts. Furthermore we see "Velium" on a dark and well unsettling large scale sci-fi score tip as a full on orchestra piece, "Datura" locks in on the sound of a solo trombone, introducing a slightly more humourous, comedic and tongue in cheek approach in its conversation between instrument and human voice before "La Mue", the most recent and in terms of instrumentation most complex work on here - written for: serpent, children's choir, and electronics - brings forth an epic and highly fascinating mixture of experimental electronic x electro-acoustic music and ethereal vocalisms for those who know. Quite a journey, this album is. Go check.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Andreas Davids & Sven Phalanx - Heroes [Infacted Recordings Promo]

Released via Infacted Recordings on June 26th, 2k26 is "Heroes", the latest full length digital album outing cooked up as a collaborational studio effort by Andreas Davids and Sven Phalanx. Rolled out over 12 tracks and a total playtime of approx. 43 minutes the production duo weighs in an interesting take on sci-fi driven Electro Industrial with cuts like "Coming Of (Space) Age" with its heavy Phonk beats, Berlin School-informed pads and atmospheres, innocent melodies and midrange synth movements which would be suitable for any late night Chemical Beats set whilst "Gefahr Aus Dem All" provides raw, tense and spine-tingling Electro x Electroclash fusion vibes also suitable for The Hague underground focused DJs and likeminded folks, "Vger" pays homage to a certain Star Trek episode in a galloping, yet dark and atmospheric Industrial Techno fashion for tool-oriented peak time club sets of now whereas "König Der Monster" provides catchy, uptempo and well melodic dancefloor fodder for Goth and Electroclash raves alike with its simple, repetetive, yet well seductive lo-fi synth lead and "V.I.N.CENT. L.F.396 (Noise-Anthem)" references Disney's first and probably only venture into the realms of dark sci-fi, turning one of the most recognizable quotes from the movie 'Das Schwarze Loch' into an abrasive and brutalist Industrial / TechNoise affair just to name a few. Defo a lovely addition to the collection of dedicated sci-fi nerds and ElectroTechno x EBM fans even though the combination of recognizable film x audio play samples and certain musical elements is a rather limited sonic playing field when it comes to a long-tail perspective

Jordan White - Music For Imaginary Spaces [Aut Records 152]

Released via the Italian Aut Records label on May 16th, 2k26 is "Music For Imaginary Spaces", the new and rather conceptual album affair conceived, composed and in parts programmed by Jordan White and brought to life with the help of a small ensemble of musicians. Informed by White's long lasting study of unusual and intense reverb environments, music written for specific architectural spaces and analysis of ancient vocal cuts from both Byzantine as well as Armenia the eleven pieces on this album follow these ideas and insights over the course of approx. 51 minutes, yet transfer them into a level of imagination and non-existence, opening with the reverberating airflows and sustained, in parts klaxon'esque trombone x horn combinations of "Left Arm Orthodox" which tell sonic tales of loss and great tragedy accompanied by intricately layered guitar arrangements with an almost balearic vibe whereas the subsequent "Stuck In A Giant Tape Machine" explores twangy, slightly dubbed out and ever corresponding lines fusing PopAmbient and Post-PostRock with deeply emotional Jazz outings and "Filters 6: Kaleidoscopic" fully enters the world of eerie, outerworldly UnAmbient scrapings and resonances which are - once again - saved and contrasted by White's restrained, yet masterfully executed guitar tones. With these three tracks paving the way for things to come we see the extended "I've Been In Similar Places" provide panoramic glacial Ambient brass dronings painting pictures of innate longing and melancholia stretched out over more than 12 minutes and therefore is our personal favorite on this longplay outing whilst the short skit that is "Brass Tube Reactions" weighs in a more gnarly, raw and fanfare'esque energy which would probably sit right in an underground sci-fi movie score of sorts whereas "Schattenlibelle" indulges in tender guitar minimalisms of rural quality and the "Soft Thumb Guitar Chorale" rounds things off in a playful, romantic and almost classic, and probably slightly kitschy..., vintage Jazz manner just to name a few. Good stuff Recommended for a reason,.

Jean Derome & Somebody Special - Le Sourire [Ambiances Magnetiques]

Another fresh album released via the Ambiances Magnetiques label on April 17th, 2k26 is "Le Sourire", the new longplay outing by flute player, composer and saxophone player Jean Derome who, once again, performs with and writes for the band x ensemble outfit named Somebody Special on this one. Over the course of eleven pieces and a total runtime of approx. 63 minutes and a set of eleven songs the group pays homage to 1934-born composer and soprano sax player Steve Lacy who passed away in 2004 at age 70, laying down seductive and well fascinating Jazz grooves with pieces like "The Smile", presenting opulent emotional Chansons with a deep twist with tunes like "The Cuckoo" / "Sands" and "Stand" whilst "Jump" and its innate fire absolutely heat up every peak time Jazz dancefloor, the spine-tingling "Love And Politics" and its story-telling weigh in a bit of a theatrical / stage production element peaking in dramatically rushed piano movements whereas especially the intro sequence of "Morning Joy" and its hard mechanical piano tones might probably justify to think about the term Industrial Jazz as a potential genre drawer even though the expressive vocals and hot uptempo grooves rather gravitate toward Dancefloor Jazz-adjacent vibes for a reason. Defo a fascinating ride and a highly recommended album, this.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Allison Cameron & Scott Thomson - Platanus [Ambiances Magnetiques]

Another relatively recent release on the Ambiances Magnetiques label is "Platanus", the new collaborational three track album affair conceived by composer and performer Allison Cameron and trombone player Scott Thomson which has been released on April 17th, 2k26. Over the course of approx. 58 minutes total playtime Cameron employs an array of a so-called crackle synthesizer, keyboards and tapes on all three compositions, with the opening piece "Taproot" introducing playful, tentative and certainly friendly and curious electronic bleepings and plinkerings of what could be described as electroacoustic-adjacent nature later leading into twangy off-kilter melancholia all backed by a trombone performance that is almost vocal, yet tongue-in-cheek, somewhat sad and, on a personal note, reminiscent of experimental stop-motion movies we watched in the late 90s subsequently followed by "Bark", an extended and, again, deeply melancholia driven take on Avantgarde Jazz improvisation with a deep listening twist which evolves towards a rather unexpected, heavenly, yet vibrating and slightly disharmonic end section whereas the concluding - and longest... - piece named "Limbing" pairs detailed micromovents, spatiality and isolationism, rasping, chafing surface noises fused with a deep metallic minimalism which evokes faint memories of records like Aube's "Deglaze" for long-standing fans of experiemntal electro-acoustic sound research paired with more playful and cheeky trombone vocalisms which turns this final cut into our personal favorite on this well recommended longplayer. Go check.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Q_e_M - Quality Electronic Music: A Late June 2k26 Discogs Round Up

Well, it's been a while since our last Q_e_M - Quality Electronic Music on Discogs round up and additions have taken longer than expected due to unforeseen things that had to be taken care of - and a move, obviously... - but still nitestylez.de head honcho baze.djunkiii has continuously been on duty, thoroughly listening to, scanning and evaluating items from the pile of pre-loved electronic music CD albums and promotional sound carriers we had been taking in a while ago - a pile that will be done with in a rather foreseeable future which leaves us with the remaining chunk of 90s Library x Production Music CD albums which were rescued from the archives of a long time defunct advertisement firm more than a decade ago as the next big addition to the project. And there's more to come in terms of vinyl but that's for another day.

Saleswise it seems like the predicted comeback of the CD format is starting to affect Discogs buyers as well with pre-loved CD's by electronic club music-focused labels like Rekids leaving our shelves - and yes: it was the Nina Kraviz debut album... obviously - as well as Indietronica from labels like Ghostly International, long forgotten and still unplayed Drum'n'Bass CD compilations released on the former Hamburg-based Don Q Records imprint more than two decades ago which is criminally overlooked in the oral history of the German Drum'n'Bass scene and even a Classical Deutsche Grammophon release which landed with us as part of the collection of a friends deceased parents found a new home in France of all places. Which, to us, seems to be very telling as for over a decade CD albums seemed to almost never move on Discogs at all. So we won't declare the death of vinyl but still it is nice to see that our initial thought of taking preloved CD formats in to preserve them from ending up in a landfill finally bears some fruit. We're doing this for the culture, even though storage space is tight.

Added new and unplayed highlights:

1. Mycrotom - Ratoratiyo [Mongkong Music 001]
A full length exploration of misty, blurred Electronica structures infused with ChillOut, EthnoTribal and deep Ambient vibes, echoes of PostDubstep x Post-Bass Music and the occasional trip to advanced late night dancefloors packed with IDM-informed connaisseurs. Limited edition of 200 copies on clear vinyl backed by extensive liner notes written by baze.djunkiii. Hand-numbered edition. Copy 029/200 on sale.

2. Yvat - Oar [Minor]
Unearthed from the original label archives. Limited Mini-CD / 3"CD edition of 100 copies in special foam folder packaging with obi-adjacent paper strip for fans of 90s Electronica, Glitch and especially early Funkstörung.

3. Various Artists - Patronage V [Hauch Records 046]
A widely varied compilation from the Düsseldorf underground covering a musical range from IndieElectro to IDM and beyond, including a deep Cologne-style Schaffel remix affair crafted by baze.djunkiii and Sascha Müller for TG Mauss alongside more goodness. Limited to 200 numbered copies worldwide. Copy 003/200 on sale with this one.

Pre-loved, rare and collectible:

1. Smoked Sausage - Smoked Sausage [self-released demo / 2003]
A little beyond our circle of competence, yet one of those DIY releases not many people do know about at all. Six tracks of Berlin-based Post-Hardcore and Post-Grunge sprinkled with influences of Alternative Rock and things beyond. One of the band members used to be a neighbour of a long lost friend of ours more than 20 years ago. Double copy from our personal archives.

2. BBC Radiophonic Workshop - Time And Space [Cavendish Music 058]
A Library Music x Production Music CD album release from back in 1994 featuring 52 short stings, atmospheres and sound FX produced by Radiophonic Workshop members like Elizabeth Parker, Malcolm Clarke, Peter Howell and Roger Limb. Sought after collectors item and currently the cheapest one available on Discogs. Go grab it.

Find Q_e_M - Quality Electronic Music on Discogs!

Toni Wobble - Out In The Street [45 Seven 027]

Released in October of 2025 via Leipzig's long-standing 45 Seven label is Toni Wobble's "Out In The Street" backed with "Irie Cruise" on the flip. Whilst the A-side is presenting a heavily dubbed out peak time take on one of the most famous and popular vocal samples of the 2000s Toni Wobble wreaks havoc amongst Dubcore x DarkJungle and even Breakcore-leaning audiences alike, bringing forth a rapid barrage fire of bass drums and intermingling echoes whilst the flip ventures into deeper, elastic and feathering late night Dub x JungleDub territories with bit of a tongue-in-cheek twist when it comes to the cute little midrange synth bass motif buried deep within the mix. Recommended.

7" vinyl artwork on Instagram!

John McGuire - Double String Trios [Unseen Worlds 063]

Put out on the circuit via the almost two decades strong NYC-based Unseen Worlds label is John McGuire's "Double String Trios", a pretty much self-explanatory album effort of roughly 62 minutes total playtime which features three extended pieces, each composed for - guess what - two string trios. With all three pieces exceeding or coming close to the 20 minutes mark we see the opening composition "Jump Cuts" bring forward a dramatic, most beautiful flow of serial movements with the trios following each other almost in unison through extended repetitions and unexpected turns, providing quite a touching take on Contemporary Modern Classical composition with an almost scenic twist subsequently followed by "Double Bars", a lush and in parts at least Baroque-informed affair, whereas the final "Playground" provides rather playful and complex interactions, repeating motifs, dramatic build ups and sustained longing also well suitable for future scores and vast cinematic landscape shots covering snow covered mountain ranges - or endless cliffs and savannahs. Even if you're not well versed in Contemporary x Modern Classical music this could provide an entry point for an ongoing journey... or a singular source of joy coming from an unexpected angle. Go check.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Mikolaj Trzaska / John Edwards / Mark Sanders - Not So Late / Because It Happens [Gusstaff Records]

A live album on Gusstaff Records. Released on the ever active and ever growing Polish label very recently on June 12th, 2k26 is "Not So Late / Because It Happens", a full on improvisational longplay affair recorded at London's Cafe OTO on August 5th, 2k25. With Mikolaj Trzaska on alto sax and clarinet, John Edwards on double bass and Mark Sanders on drums the trio follows a practice deliberately described as live composition rather than improvisation over the course of nine pieces and a total runtime of roughly 62 minutes, opening with the screaming foreground sax rides and unstoppable maelstrom of hyperdense thundering drum rolls of "Running Lose" which are setting the pace for things to come like the rolling complex drumstorm and certainly funky bass lines of "Written By" which lay the foundation for raw Jazz improvisation continued also in the subsequent "Torn Flag" with its tense atmospheres, the comparatively restrained and nocturnal depth of the "Lowercase Conversation" as well as the rather imminent romantic late night vibe of "Because It Happened" which even persists throughout a short crescendo leading into a more active and playful Jazz variation in the tunes second part just to lay out an outline of what to expect on this longplayer which is defo a recommended affair for collectors of all things Contemporary Avantgarde Jazz and beyond.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Andreas Davids & Sven Phalanx - 802701 [Infacted Recordings Promo]

Released on the digital circuit via Infacted Recordings on June 12th, 2k26 is "802701", the latest digital single cooked up by Andreas Davids & Sven Phalanx - a duo which has been hitting the studio on a regular over the course of the past six or more years. The original version of "802701" serves a sweet, kinda lo-fi infused, yet uplifting synth motif backed with obvious German speaking sci-fi samples as well as rather obvious ElectroTech vibes with MissSuicide on remix duties subsequently delivering a more driving Future Pop x Rave crossover approach whilst the "802701 *ELEVEN-FX Remix" even enters hard-hitting CyberIndustrial meets HyperTrance territories and the final cut that is the "802701 *Eloi-Version" takes us deep into beatless and beautifully stripped down, yet therefore emotional and spine-tingling classic AmbientTrance realms and probably might be our favorite remix interpretation on here.

Various Artists - Second Drop [Bassmaessage 002]

Going back to November of 2k23 with this review of "Second Drop", the obviously second vinyl outing released by the Leipzig-based Bassmaessage label almost eight years after its initial launch in 2k15. Opening the so-called B-Bass Side with Nuphlo & Bukka's "Drip" the duo weighs in proper tense urban crime scene vibes for all Juke x Footwork enthusiasts appreciating a Halftime twist as well as what seems to be heavily processed vocal microsnippets before DJ Badshape's "Drift" takes his 160 approach to tender, playful, atmospheric, trancey and uplifting extremes, backing his frolicking and floating uplifting harmonies with cut up amen and PostJungle goodness whereas "Rise Up" by Sun People presents heavy junglistic Breakbeats and earth x dancefloor shaking sinewave basslines for a bit of a retro vibe for those who lived through the transformative period of 1995/1996. On the flip we see Dub Across Borders and their "Bass Tree Dream" presenting a dreamy and well atmospheric Ambient Halftime Dub affair with gnarly bass lines hidden deep within the mix, bringing on subaquatic low end vibes for positively tripped out ChillOut floors followed by Paranoid One's "Glimp" and its almost classic take on Deep Dubstep evoking faint memories of Scuba ca. 2006 before "Minerva" by B-Hed takes the dedicated listener directly to sparse and expertly arranged Ambient Dub heavens for a closing. Timeless bass for those who know. Recommended.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Dub Across Borders - Come Rain [45 Seven 026]

Another lovely little 7" vinyl gem released via the ever active Leipzig-based 45 Seven label is Dub Across Borders' "Come Rain" backed with "Ye Sih Dub" on the flip. Hand-stamped and pressed on beautifully luscious marbled vinyl and put out on the circuit in September of 2k25 the title track offers a floating excursion into fast lane DubHouse x Steppers x StepperDub and serves a rather interesting stop-and-go effect in its mid-tune breakdown before progressing into a more dancefloor-focused and driving second part whereas "Ye Sih Dub" chooses intense militant mid-tempo (Neo)Dub violence from the get and evokes fond memories of 90s UK (Neo)Dub projects for us - think: Kitachi and like-minded contemporaries at the time. Lovely.

Coloured vinyl on Instagram!

Magda Mayas - Chant [Unsounds Records 092]

Released on May 15th, 2k26 via the Dutch Unsounds Records imprint is "Chant", the latest album outing by long time active piano player x explorer Magda Mayas who brings forward three extended pieces on this 59 minutes spanning longplayer. Opening with "Embodied", a live recording of Mayas' performance at SoundOut Festival in Canberra, Australia, we're drawn into a world of prepared piano and undefined objects which is as tender and comforting as a mothers womb, radiating calm and timelessness with its minimalist, widely spread out piano repetitions accompanied by mostly metallic quasi rhythms and percussions which add an additional layer of ritualistic, at times even trance-inducing nature even at times in which their tonalities seem to counteract the slow flow of the piano which, at least for a while, seemingly gives way to the process of falling apart and being overwhelmed by the ever increasing intensity of non-piano movements. "Halcyon" sees Mayas installing a guitar amplifier inside her prepared piano accompanied by an additional guitar pickup on the instruments strings, resulting in an interesting build up of corresponding feedbacks which evoke the illusion of a stripped down, yet expertly executed and well Psychedelia-infused guitar performance with an exceedingly screaming twist rather than reflect the actual sound of the piano before the title piece "Chant" combines the sound of two different chords performed on a total of 16 - !!! - upright pianos into one rather majestic composition living off of the different states of maintenance and, in parts intended, degradation the individual instruments located at Piano Mill are in which gives each and every chord expression a slightly different and varying aural texture and therefore creates the impression of something larger, deeper and more atmospheric than the single chords combined on a single instrument would allow for. Defo an album for multiple listening sessions throughout dark and long winter nights.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Mativetsky, Amiri & Page - Metamorphose [Fifth House Music]

Released via the Canadian Fifth House Music label on March 20th, 2k26 is "Metamorphose", a new collaborational album release which sees acclaimed tabla player x percussionist Shawn Mativetsky teaming up with Iranian-born singer and santur player Amir Amiri and harpist Sarah Page, also featured on electronics and vocal duties here, to create a five pieces and roughly 44 minutes spanning musical journey which fuses the individual experiences and heritage of the artists invlvd, all falling together in an ever floating, harmonious and somewhat even folksy stream of sound in the opening piece that is "Yavaran" with its cascading melodies, rolling rhythms and ethereal vocal passages hidden deep within the mix whereas the title track "Metamorphose", despite being a rather densely arranged affair, oozes a certain kind of mediterranean melancholia and even presents a rather dramatic breakdown leading to an even more inward looking and reflective, yet still playful second phase ending in a certainly New Age-adjacent manner. With the "Quarter Tone Suite" the triumvirate of artists brings forth an even deeper path of stripped down, shimmering melancholia seemingly infused with a rather Eurasian twist and a tentative exploration of themes over more than 11 minutes followed by the captivating tribal'esque grovves and shimmering melodies of "Maktrismos" before "Pathos" rounds things off with ethereal, timeless and mythical movements hovering somewhere in a universal darkness unphased by time, space or quantum physics, an insular sonic space of peacefulness emitting a steady, all embracing, dim and comforting glow for those in need of exactly this. World Music x World Fusion beyond its usually narrow niche and an album we'd stylistically also would've expected to be played in ChillOut x Ambient areas of mid 90s Goa / PsyTrance parties due to its rather mystical and spriritual nature if it had been released in those days.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Tuleje - Nagle Prezejasnienia [Gusstaff Records]

Tuleje is back on Gusstaff Records. The trio consisting of Gosia Zagajeswka, Ksawery Wojcinskyand Wojtek Kurek are releasing their third longplayer for the ever active Polish label on June 12, 2k26 - a.k.a. today -, once again approaching the topic of original Folk Music from Eastern Greater Poland and re-imagining their material from their very own and personal point of view with "Plot" introducing a new, raw and in some way even PostPunk-leaning angle to Tuleje's sound, "Grzbiet" entering dramatic, slightly vintage territories yet allowing for enough melody and catchiness for it becoming a dedicated and spine-tingling underground hit of sorts which also goes for "Noc" and its well funky, almost Pink Floyd-adjacent vibe whereas "Drzwi" weighs in quite a hefty, muscular and highly seductive Rock meets Swing groove and the final cut "Mio" presents a rather unsettling, nocturnal and even slightly DarkJazz-oriented finale which should find its way into a future feature film score for a reason or two. Quite a diverse and interesting album, this.

Morton Feldman - Palais De Mari: Performed By John Tilbury [True Blanking 006]

Released via the True Blanking label on May 1st, 2k26 is "Palais De Mari", a live recording of John Tilbury's performance of named Morton Feldman piece which took place more than a decade ago at the occasion of the Tectonics Festival in Reykjavik, Iceland on March 3rd, 2k12. Over the course of a little more than 26 minutes Tilbury dives deep into the final Feldman composition for solo piano which harks back to 1986, carefully exploring the pieces stripped down, ever so slightly varying movements and gestures, presenting a spatial and atmospheric, yet at the same time extremely focused amalgamation of Contemporary x Modern Classical composition and a rather accessible take on what might be referred to as Minimal Music, timelessly floating, with each single note struck representing a chiming single star in the absolute vastness of the known sonic universe. A masterclass in everlasting beauty. Nothing more, nothing less.

Album artwork on Instagram!

LXC - Cyanz / How Bleep Is Your Dub [45Seven 020]

Released back in early 2k20 via the ever active Leipzig-based 45 Seven imprint as a well marvellous cyan 7" vinyl edition is LXC's quasi double A-side "Cyanz / How Bleep Is Your Dub". With the well fitting A-side title the long time active producer presents a deep and trippy amalgamation of bleepy, junglistic and somewhat even Acid-infused Halftime and Footwork Jungle for advanced Bass Music dancefloors whilst the flip, interestingly named "How Bleep Is Your Dub", features Emperor Echo on melodica-duties and enters timelessly floating (Neo)Dub territories backed by percussive structures as minimalist and subdued as possible whilst literally drowning punters in an ocean of all embracing, extremely organic low end movements. One for the bass headz.

7" artwork on Instagram!

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!