Julien Gasc - Perles, Coraux & Requins [Prohibited Records 077]

Released via Prohibited Records on June 5th, 2k26 is "Perles, Coraux & Requins", the latest full length album cooked up by Julien Gasc, acclaimed solo musician as well as touring member of Stereolab and part of the Aquaserge super group. Catering a menu of ten brand new songs and pieces on this 38 minutes spanning musical outing we see Julien Gasc - with a little help from Tim Gane, Anton Newcombe and others... - exploring a realm that is, if anything, very distinctly French not only by language but also by sound, referencing Indietronica as well as Easy Listening in its uniquely quirky take on Leftfield Pop and dreamy Chanson culture, drawing inspiration from Club Pop, Art Pop and Exotica - think: Pizzicato Five and similar bands from that era - as well as Indie cool and the distinct artsy boredom showcased by bands like Superorganism recently and all their sleazy predecessors in the 90s, blending in minimalist basement bar whiteouts, experimental arthouse films and cold cigarette smoke without sounding deliberately retro, nostalgic or anything along these lines. Instead "Perles, Coraux & Requins" seems like a long lost artefact, an old friend not seen for a while, a reacquaintance, an old barn, garden shack or attic that hasn't been entered for a long time. An album that has always been there but remained unexplored, comforting, warm and beautiful, yet still timeless and positively trapped in its own reclusive reality and therefore not to be seen or to be set in relation to anything in contemporary fast fashion Pop culture. This album is. And this is all one needs to know.

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The Bionics - Sea Otters [Tender Storage]

Coming to us directly from the UK, from the premises of Mr. Daniel Mudford of Balham himself to be even more precise, is "Sea Otters", the October 1st, 2k25 released sophomore album by his The Bionics project. Put out on the physical circuit as a limited to 100 copies CD edition the six rather cryptically named tracks - "b125", "c113", "d108", "e115", "f118a" and "g120+" - to be found on this approx. 54 minutes spanning longplay journey are covering a wide range of electronic exploration and experimentation, starting with the rather funky, yet dubbed out subaquatic IDM x Electronica vibes of "b125" which take a drastic and well surprising turn from busy, buzzing and advanced dancefloor friendly towards certainly uplifting and positive DubTechno x TechHouse within seconds before "c113" embarks on a misty melodic journey backed by a pulse of deep 4/4 drum sequencing further evolving into deep Armchair Techno with metallic textures reminiscent of Monolake ca. 1999 before echoes of oldskool Balearic Rave take over. Furthermore "d108" dives deep into sparse Downtempo rhythms, Ambient textures and Dub-infused fanfares building up to what one could imagine being the final track played on a main floor after an ecstatic rave night out, sending punters home on a cloud of grooves driven forward by what are to become complex, yet comforting Intelligent Techno signatures whereas "e115" provides a little more late night pressure in the form of spatial, stripped down and precisely sculpted UK Intelligent Techno - think: X-Mix-3 here - and therefore might be one of our favorite cuts on this album. With "f118a" we see The Bionics on a chiming and cystalline Ambient Techno x Armchair Techno tip for classic ChillOut floors before "g120+" rounds things off with a state of trance-inducing, ever meandering take on, once again, DubTechno turning towards futuristic, hyperelastic minimalist dancefloor hypnotisms for those who know somewhat around the four minutes mark. A recommended addition to the collection of fans of electronic live jams and free floating ChillOut atmospherics.

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ZÖJ - May The Devil's Ear Be Deaf [Parentheses Records 022]

Another fresh release in the roster of the Belgian Parentheses Records label is "May The Devil's Ear Be Deaf", the latest album outing by the Australian duo ZÖJ which fuses Persian influences, instruments and Spoken Word poetry with Western experimentalism and contemporary composition. Put out on May 1st, 2k26 the four pieces and 37 minutes spanning album sees the duo comprised of Gelareh Pour and Brian O'Dwyer explore a hovering, ethereal vocal performance floating atop minimalist and spatial backing structures based on sparse rhythmic elements and subdued atmospherics with the opening piece that is "Termites" followed by the, seemingly multiple, meandering and tentative paths of what seem to be live processed flute-like tonalities, emerging string pluckings and skeletal percussion sequences of "Desert Motreb" which build up towards an unexpectedly tense and thundering climax over time. Furthermore "Woe To The Ear" brings on more captivating vocal timelessness, this time backed by nervous, brooding and certainly danger-heralding movements and electronic processings whereas "She Sleeps With Genies" provides closure and inward-looking desert melancholia paired with quasi-mediterranean echoes of Classical x Contemporary Music for mystical and x or spiritual storytelling under a scorching summer sun only to once again end up with an almost ritualistic, fever'ish percussive outburst - and a well surprising bonus bit. File under: Global Avantgarde Fusion.

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Matthias Muche Bonecrusher - Densities (12 Trombones & Percussion) [Hat Hut Records / Ezz-Thetics]

Released in collaboration between Hat Hut Records and Ezz-Thetics is "Densities (12 Trombones & Percussion)", another fresh album conceptually led by German trombone player Matthias Muche who pairs a total of twelve trombonists with the sound of a prepared snare drum executed by Etienne Nillesen over the course of four compositions and roughly 45 minutes with this release. Opening with "Butter - BC" we see the ensemble tackling a sonic construct built from slowly morphing and emerging glacial dronings on the verge of both Dark Ambient and Deep Listening Music evolving into a tense eerie quasi-crescendo of sorts which sees the previously aligned instruments falling out of line in a rather uncanny and off-kilter fashion whereas "Quater - BC" as a follow up provides an ebb and flow of raw, dark and danger heralding movements mostly within the instruments lower registers, creating a brooding and claustrophic listening experience at times garnished by Free and Jazz-informed solo excursions before later fading out in a surprisingly calm and peaceful manner. Furthermore the Matthias Müller composed "Up & Down" provides precisely executed dynamic movements of the exact nature the pieces title describes whilst Johannes Bauer's "Brass Breath Brisk (For Ensemble)" opens up with a rather intense and somewhat nerve-wrecking outburst and further progresses in an exploration of slightly off-kilter or openly disharmonic layerings, siren'esque swirls alongside other unsettling and otherworldly movements only occasionally interrupted by brief moments of ease - or near silence even - before taking a short detour toward Free Jazz / Improv and finally coming full circle in terms of raw unfiltered intensity. One for an Avantgarde-informed audience, this.

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Bassism Trio - Dreams Must Explain Themselves [Aut Records 158]

Released via Aut Records in a most beautiful retro-futurist sci-fi leaning cover artwork on July 8th, 2k26 is "Dreams Must Explain Themselves", the latest album by the Italian Bassism Trio which is comprised of Enrico De Britiis, Alberto Popolla and Ferdinando Farao alongside Naima Farao who joins the group for a guest vocal appearance on the opening title track. The six tracks and 32 minutes spanning longplay outing starts with "Dreams Must Explain Themselves" which is a fiery take on hot seductive Future Dancefloor Jazz with a highly energetic AfroBeat x AfroFunk twist meant to tear up informed dancefloors in venues like Hamburg's Mojo Club or probably fit into the selection of DJs like Gilles Peterson and other forward thinking eclectists despite getting lost in trippy and well psychedelic sequences at times followed by "Kesh Valley Part 1" which turns out to be a free floating, peaceful and certainly Ambient-infused affair before "Hampstead Heath" explores complex, yet stripped down rhythm signatures and raw sax motifs rolled out over highly seductive Jazz grooves for advanced late night lovers unafraid of improvisational outbursts. With "Foggy", stretched out over eight minutes as the albums most extended piece, the group weighs in what probably could be considered to be the most classic and traditional take on long and winding Deep Jazz on here, "Kesh Valley Part 2" continues on the path laid out by part one, yet adds an impactful layer of Spoken Word and the short "Shales" weighs in more muscular uptempo Jazz heat for a closing that comes full circle in terms of power and energy levels. Good stuff.

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Death-Static - Red Fire In The Open [Sound In Silence 130]

Put on the circuit on May 18th, 2k26 via the Athens-based staple that is Sound In Silence is "Red Fire In The Open", the latest musical outing by Gareth S. Brown's Death-Static project on which the long standing producer rolls out a total of three track over the course of roughly 52 minutes. With the opening "Blackhorse Infirmary" we see Brown embarking on a journey into deep, comforting yet ultraminimalist Ambient x Deep Listening music comprised of tender low end waves and glistening glacial dronings sabotaged by an emerging set of uneasy and somewhat noisy whirlings and spirallings which appear somewhat around the ten minutes mark, further presenting an innocent, chiming and absolutely timeless piano etitude with "The Last Days Of Light" whilst the extended, more than 30 minutes spanning title cut and main piece "Red Fire In The Open" starts out like a motor on stand by blown over from afar paired with stripped down Field Recordings, decontextualized female vocal bits buried deep within the mix, sustained panoramic pads layered atop a distinct spatiality, evoking a feel of deeply entrenched melancholia and inner reclusion, yet providing a silver lining of hope at the horizon represented by peacefully chattering birds and soothing harmonics which, over time, become densely layered and more intense, shifting from a rather comforting angle towards a progressively stranger stance, causing not only an emotional but also a rather physical shift and tensioning through becoming a meandering wall of slowly morphing midrange frequencies before fading away into gaseous nothingness. This is quite a trip and probably one of the most intense albums released on Sound In Silence lately. Recommended.

Stranger Still - We Might Not Tell Everybody This [All-Set! Editions]

Released via Canada's All-Set! Editions label on May 22nd, 2k26 is "We Might Not Tell Everybody This", the debut album for the Pete Johnston-led band project Stranger Still which caters a take on what is described as '...the Folk music of Eastern Canada...' over the course of 11 songs and 48 minutes with its music based on the poetry of Nova Scotia-born writer Alden Nowlan. This being said the quartet presents a rather classic, yet surprisingly dense approach to the genre with close vocal duo harmonies for the most part accompanied by slightly meandering guitar and string bass for a rhythmic foundation, guest appearances on violin, harp and harmonium which overall provide a rather innocent and enchanted, in times slightly rural 70s hippie-infused feel with charming summery songs like "Day's End", the rather minimalist and inward-looking "Dry Spell" with "A Pinch Or Two Of Dust" following in its footsteps in terms of minimalism, despite serving richer and more captivating vocals, the ethereal vocal magic of "It's Good To Be Here" whilst "Walking To The Bus Station" feels like a summer afternoon, atmospherically speaking, just to name a few. The age of aquarius has come. And it is rather peaceful and friendly.

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Mogil - Nordlandinus [Mogil Music 003]

Released via their very own Mogil Music label on June 2nd, 2k26 is "Nordlandinus", the new album outing by the Icelandic five piece band outfit Mogil which has been active on the album circuit since 2008, continuously further evolving their unique blend of influences which, according to the accompanying press sheet, include elements of Folk, Jazz, Classical and even PostRock amongst others. With their new longplay outing the group presents a set of 18 pieces drawing inspiration from the works of Icelands Sölvi Helgason - painter, wanderer and philosopher who passed away aged 75 back in 1895. This being said we see Mogil embarking on their journey with rather ethereal, floating, rural and ancient Folk vibes of yore to be found in "Hugleidingar" before "Alls Stadar Er Flottamadurinn Einmana" introduces a playful and tentative Jazz aspect to the groups deep and slow musical movements and beautifully sustained vocals of "Alls Stadar Er Flottmadurinn Einmana" with the deep instrumental cut "Eg Er Gudleg Vera" fully entering beautifully arranged, yet stripped down and rather laid back Jazz territories, "Reisupassin" introducing an amalgamation of Chanson and theatrical stage performance with a 1920s Berlin feel over atmospheric late night Jazz harmonics whilst "Saklausan" dives deep into grainy, crackling vintage Jazz experimentalism just to name a few. For the lack of a better term this is Jazz-infused Nordic Leftfield Folk with an unscathed naturalistic twist at its best. Most beautiful. And certainly one album that's a candidate for heavy rotation at our very premises.

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Jozef Van Wissem - This Is My Blood [Incunabulum Records 043]

Released via Incunabulum Records on May 1st, 2k26 is "This Is My Blood", the latest album conceived and written by Brooklyn-based, yet Dutch born composer and lute-player Jozef Van Wissem which functions as a quasi-soundtrack for Joaquim Pujol's experimental film 'Maquina' covering a psychedelic trip in the desert of Colorado. Over the course of seven tracks and a total runtime of 40 minutes Jozef Van Wissem lays out a dark'ish, solemn and inward looking sonic landscape starting with the minimalist melancholia and beautifully touching Leftfield Folk epos that is "What The Eternal Beginning Is" followed by the harsher, twangy and more metallic instrumental Leftfield Folk approach of "Praise Shall Sound From Shore To Shore, Until The Sun Shall Rise And Set No More" which, despite being fully instrumental, conveys the imagined intensity of an imaginary sermon whereas "Concerning Our Saviors Silence" brings forth a timeless and rather dreamy take on Post-PostRock x PopAmbient minimalism hovering beyond space and time. Furthermore we see "How You Must Enter Into Suffering" following the path laid out, entering a slightly more psychedelic and dubbed out Desert Blues feel for horseback rides across wide open planes under a scorching sun with the subsequent "Remission", the only vocal piece on this album, weighing in an epic, somewhat medieval feel with its dramatic harmonies, large scale string arrangements and subdued chorales whilst "All You Do All You Bare" functions as a direct harmonic and atmospheric continuation of its predecessor before "What The Eternal End Is" brings closure in a warm and well caressing manner, presenting Contemporary Folk for hot Sunday afternoons in basically unscathed rural nature. Highly recommended.

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Giovanni Nardiello - Perspectives [Aut Records 155]

Released on the Italian Aut Records imprint on June 12th, 2k26 is "Perspectives", the latest full length album conceived by drummer x composer Giovanni Nardello who is joined by Joseph Nowell on piano, Stefano Zambo on double bass as well as Noemi Fiorucci for a set of guest appearances on vocal duty to bring this album to life and Nardiello's musical vision to full fruition. Opening with "Through" as an opening cut for a nine tracks and 51 minutes spanning journey the trio serves a deep, complex, warm and certainly nocturnal take on touching and well captivating Future Jazz with a rather majestic, yet subdued twist followed by the dramatic intro and intertwined uptempo groove arrangements of "Didn't See It Coming" with its haunted piano lines and the beautifully arranged harmonic ebb-and-flow of "Retrospect" which presents a rather calming vibe, evoking memories of unscathed nature and camera movements following the waters of a small river downstream from the source, documenting both rural naturalism and urban landscapes along the way. With "Praise The Sun", the first vocal cut on this album, we're taken into an ever evolving dream world characterized by ethereal non-vocalisms and influences of early Minimal Music - think: Steve Reich - whilst "Haluskein" harks back to dense piano harmonies, elegic strings and Jazz-informed song abstractions followed by a "Deadly Dispute", a display of dense crimescene grooves sprinkled by epic piano breakdowns of an almost Rave / Trance / Detroit-informed nature even though the groups approach doesn't touch on electronic music at any point in this piece, yet it would probably resonate with fans of Carl Craig and the likes of for a reason or two. Landing at the "Shore Of The Unborn" the small ensemble discovers what seems to be the most classic x dreamy x traditional Piano Jazz approach on this album whilst the 11+ minutes spanning extended "A.O.E." follows up on a similarly oriented path whilst putting Nardiello's precise and ever evolving drums and percussions on a primary display before the concluding "Crimson" finds closure in a tender, inward-looking piano excercise and, once again, beautiful vocals laid out by Noemi Fiorucci. Lovely.

Amrita - Amrita [self-released album]

Put out on the Canadian music circuit as a self-titled and self- a.k.a. fully indepently released nine track CD album on May 15th, 2k26 is the full-length longplay debut by Amrita, the core duo comprised of Anita Katakkar and Kayla Milmine who are fusing their instruments of choice, tabla and soprano sax, with selected guest appearances to create a roughly 53 minutes journey beyond the known world of Improv and World Fusion. Aiming for an amalgamation of Jazz / Improv and Hindustani music in particular Amrita open up with "Take Flight" and its combination of Jazz-informed, yet somewhat oriental and in the opening sequence ever spiralling, later somewhat Bop-oriented sax lines paired with a sparse, yet rolling rhythmic foundation which gives way to the sweet and seductive late night groove of "Clinton Street 7", a tune which comes with a rather unexpected vocal introduction, whereas the "English Breakfast" starts from a point of deeply spiritual late night Jazz-adjacent music only to see the tabla speed up significantly, introducing rhythmic fire and spiritualism over the course of the tunes playtime. With these three pieces laying out the foundation for things to come the shortest cut "Heavy Bird" turns out to be rather agile and elegant instead of heavy whereas the double feature of "Elephant Promenade I / II" weighs in a festive, solemn, yet joyful and reverent quasi-traditionalism before "Metamorphosis" provides another thrilling vocal intro sequence followed by deeply hypnotic tribal rhythms and somewhat enchanted, probably folkloristic sonic storytelling for a closing just to name a few. A deep, deeply spiritual and extremely pleasant listening experience exploring a sonic territory which seems, in its specific combination of heritage and tradition, still relatively uncharted at this point in time. We're already ready for a follow up though.

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Ensemble Infini - Volume ∞ [Cellar Music]

Coming straight out of Montreal / Canada is "Volume ∞", the first full length album release by Ensemble Infini, a multi-layered and multi-generational group effort built and arranged around Free Jazz / Improv pionieer Guy "Yug" Thouin who, rather spontaneously, was put at the center of this new venture back in 2k22 - a point at which he had just turned 82 years old and still was active as ever as a musician. With a double vinyl edition to be released on August 7th, 2k26 and the CD version being available since early May via Cellar Music Ensemble Infini serves a fourteen track menu over the course of 72 minutes, starting from a rather classic vantage point in Jazz but already drifting off into uneasy, intense, at times thundering and dissonant territories with the heavy 8+ minutes cut that is "Jhaptala / Milford Spirit" whereas "Tabla Plus" introduces a somehow TexMex- x Americana- x Post-Mariachi-infused take on slow moving experimental Jazz melancholia for scorching hot summer nights, "Rock Memory" starts with deeply haunting piano tones whilst "Industrial Jazz" weighs in another take on highly intense and nerve-wrecking FreeJazz x Improv for a musically well-versed audience. Furthermore we see "Cartoon" going down a rather harmonic route for less than three minutes, following an ever repeating, yet slightly varied and somehow tragic, almost score'esque main motif performed by a layered array of intermingling, overlapping instruments backed by what seem to be fluttering modular electronics, "Halloween A Quebec" seems to be a rather tempered, yet tentative and playful exploration of late night FreeJazz working its way up to a raw and thundering climax whilst the second to last "Dream Story" rounds things off in a rather lively and ever accelerating big band mode, relatively soon entering breakneck speed and organized chaos just to name a few. One for the rather advanced and musically versed Jazz x FreeJazz aficionado, this is.

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Matthias Muche - Trombone Alone [Col Legno]

Released via the Austrian Col Legno label on April 24th, 2k26 is "Trombone Alone", the latest album outing by Cologne-based trombonist Matthias Muche who presents a set of five compositions over the course of roughly 49 minutes, focusing on the trombone as a solo instrument enhanced and extended by both acoustic - a.k.a. physical - and electro-acoustic means and alterations. With "Solo BELLER" Muche takes the listener into a fully electro-acoustic realm in which arrays of quasi rhythmic clicks and cuts are accompanied by the brittle and slightly decaying Spoken Word performance of Anthony Moore which reminds us of a sound aesthetic once introduced to the world by long distance landline phone calls or tapped telephone lines until a rather extreme and intensely disturbing ultra high frequency signal erupts out of nowhere whereas "Solo GLEITER" introduces a series of spiralling up and down swirls alongside most beautiful, rural, solemn and melancholic passages evoking memories of majestic alpine mountain ranges whilst a kind of dubbed out dialogue between the instrument and itself unfolds before "Solo QUATER" weighs in a rather minimalist sequence of both raw and heavily processed trombone signals, an alternation between longing desire and its dark, twisted and obfocuscated, digitally mutated mirror image further evolving into a rather inward looking solo meditation. Furthermore we see "Solo BUTTER" catering a series of maritime and well sustained klaxon'esque trombone transmissions seperated by extended periods of silence whereas the subsequent final piece that is "Solo GLOCKEN" sees the instrument drowning in a Field Recording of church bells ringing heavily, presumably recorded at the occasion of some kind of ceremony or service, with the trombone slowly emerging from the very back of the mix in a (Dark)Jazz informed and certainly nocturnal manner. A rather interesting approach to an instrument not necessarily associated with musical experimentalism. Go check.

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Nolan Hildebrand - Noise Trip Explosion [Redshift Records]

Another fresh album release on the ever active Canadian Redshift Records label is Nolan Hildebrand's "Noise Trip Explosion", a five compositions and roughly 55 minutes spanning exploration of what the accompanying press info describes as '...electroacoustic chamber pieces that harness the physicality of live instruments while revelling in the brazen coarseness afforded by various digital and analogue electronics.'. This being said for an overall abstraction of the five pieces cooked up by the Toronto-based producer between 2k22 and 2k25 we see the opening tune "Generative Graphic Score #1" combining saxophones and mixer feedback to create a screaming, yet highly detailed and surprisingly rhythmic, yet violent and eardrum piercing stream of abrasive digital sounds in which the instrument invlvd only remains an echo of a memory with the subsequently following piece "Knurl Cracked Green" introducing violin, electric guitar and piano to Nolan's live electronics - an amalgamation which brings forth distorted, yet vaguely recognizable riffing, disfigured solos and brutalist feedbacks alongside metallic eruptions and astoundingly playful and alien sounding retrofuturist plinkerings in the tunes rather minimalist sequences. Furthermore "Raw Data Speed Demons" fuses violin and live electronics to an intense, yet always tentative and playful, almost tongue-in-cheek effect, "Portals II (Everywhere And Everything Right Now)" combines mixer feedback, sax, electric guitar and drums which results in a dense conglomerate of high frequency sweeps, a maelstrom of digital Noize, dark atmospheric minimalisms and unintelligible voices buried deep within the, admittedly, oftentimes quite nerve wrecking mix whereas the final "Dada Bender" focuses on a set of percussion instruments which, digitally processed, fall together in an intense and highly dramatic fashion, providing not only the most complex composition on "Noise Trip Explosion" but also one that would make a well interesting and probably excellent addition to the score of a totally independent experimental underground movie project of sorts and therefore might be our personal favorite on this one. The world needs more albums like this. Highly recommended.

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Mark Cain - Threads [Parentheses Records 023 / Tone List 044]

Released as a collaborational affair between the Belgian label Parentheses Records and Tone List is "Threads", the latest album outing conceived by Australian composer, performer, musician and sonic experimentalist Mark Cain. Put out on the circuit on May 1st, 2k26 the album caters a total of 15 solo improvisations for soprano saxophone rolled out over the course of roughly 37 minutes, exploring the sonic and tonal abilities of the instrument at the fringes of its range with pieces like the fluttering, nervous, ever spiralling and somewhat spiritually primordial "Threads 1" paving the way for things to come like the enchanted and giddy "Threads 2" or the sustained, longing and in parts almost droning "Threads 4" whereas pieces like "Threads 6" are on a rather playful and tentative tip whilst "Tongues" uses and abuses the soprano sax in a rather surprising and percussice manner, weighing in a bit of cliche Asia feel for fans of old kung-fu flicks, and "Threads 10" brings forth another great take on longing Jazz melancholia working its way up to an ecstatic climax just to provide a rough outline of what to expect from this rather fascinating album. This is Jazz Improv beyond Jazz. Go check.