and then... there's MERZBOW

Mesmer - Terrain Vague II [Arbitrary 025]

Released via the Danish Arbitrary imprint on April 24th, 2k26 is "Terrain Vague II", the most recent album outing by Emil Jensen, Victor Dybbroe and Anders Filipsen which form the electro-acoustic trio named Mesmer. With nine tracks structurally based on a set of Field Recordings captured in various locations around the country, reprocessed and accompanied by electro-acoustic improvisation the trio serves a sonic of roughly 31 minutes total playtime, starting from an angle of playful, seemingly modular percussions reminiscent of Felix Raeithel's 2024 album "Dance With Uncertainty" before decaying into brittle arctic winds with "Lodsbad" whereas the subsequent "Vind & Maskiner" brings forth a combination of slow and sluggish Industrial-informed Downbeat x Illbient structures and calm, almost angelic pads and sounds later subdued by a heavy crescendo leading straight into a giant abrasive swarm of metallic "Insekter" attacking from a realm in between interdimensional realms. With "Sejlturen Til Laesø" Mesmer explore tectonic low end movements in conjunction with unidentified surface noise scraping, surprisingly tender piano tones, elegic sustained saxophones and what seem to be rather unprocessed Field Recordings, bird sounds included, whereas "Salt & Kompressor" harks back to friendly, at times tongue-in-cheek and certainly tentative modular micropercussions backed by occasional dry rhythmic quasi drum hits before suddenly turning towards crystalline and festive church organ emulations with "Fløjten" following up with fast and fluttering noise rhythms, dramatic quasi Jazz fanfares and retrofuturist synth hoverings. Furthermore we see "Budolfi" fusing electro-acoustic melancholia, classic Ambient dreamscapes and world shaking waves of subsonic bass emerging from the vast nothingness of space contrasted by the raw, echoing and heartfelt deep alpine forest romanticisms of "Trompet & Propeller" whilst "Under Limfjorden" waves goodbye on a rather sub-aquatic tip with the sound of gurgling underwater movements interrupted by sci-fi pings, digital glitches, small clanging metal pieces and a beautifully lonely little melody wandering through the sonic realm before disappearing on the far side of the sonic horizon. Deep Listening Music at its best. Go check.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Theriot. - The Other. [KS.Theory 011 Promo]

Incoming from Toronto / Canada these days is "The Other.", the latest album outing by Vermont-based Jazz composer and musical master of many trades Kyle Saulnier, this time employing the new moniker Theriot. for his musical ventures brought to life alongside an illustrous set of participating musicians. Scheduled for release on September 18th, 2k26 we see Saulnier, probably best known by many as the leader of the Awakening Orchestra, catering a sonic menu of eight brand new pieces over the course of roughly 50 minutes, bringing on a rather dramatic intro sequence in the opening piece "The Other, Pt.1" which transforms into a chiming fusion of late night Jazz and organo-acoustic Downbeat x NuJazz with a bit of an almost Scandinavian quality before taking a turn toward Blaxploitation-infused funkiness at around minute 5 followed by "The Darkest Hour" which starts from an angle of plucked, almost rural and naturalistic Folk Improv leaning string tones which become the rhythmic lead and foundation for tender melodies and carefully layered brass harmonics telling tales of romantic love and longing throughout a night, and a lifetime. A little further down the line the "Interlude: The Sound Of Silence" adds a moment of inward-looking acoustic bass improvisation and leads the way into the most extended composition on this longplayer, "Fathers And Sons", with its ultra slow, yet emotionally touching late night movements which for us seem to evoke faint memories of the mid to late 90s TripHop minimalisms of Spacer and especially their "Atlas Earth" album on Pussyfoot Records vibewise and therefore might be our favorite cut on here alongside the dark Dope Beat driven "The Other, Pt.2" which might represent the most classic Jazz workout on "The Other." just to name a few. File under: Deep Jazz for nocturnal listening sessions. Good stuff.

Album artwork on Instagram!

JARR - Afterimage [Sound In Silence 132]

John Attwood and Ray Robinson are back on the Greek Sound In Silence label, making a return with "Afterimage", the brand new 12 tracks and roughly 61 minutes album cooked up and conceived under their shared artistic moniker that is JARR. Following the idea of a colour palette evolving from a warm yellow to grey as an embodiment of dissolution over the course of twelve tracks, each representing a specific visual colour in this journey, and a total runtime of 61 minutes the duo embarks on this conceptual journey starting from a point of fogged out autumnal misty melancholia as well as distinct emotional longing and innate sadness with the opener "Morning Exposure" followed by the rather minimalist, yet tender and beautifully arranged "Before The House Woke" and its chiming melodic minimalisms and sparsely plucked guitar strings and the glistening mixture of Ambient Shoegaze and yearning Post-PostRock that is "Tender". With these three tracks laying out the foundation for things to come we see pieces like "Everything At Once" weighing in an almost Oval-like sense of decay and drifting off into darker, droning and more threatening UnAmbient territories before surprisingly moving towards more relaxed guitar processings whereas "What Stayed", representing burgundy in the colour spectrum, provides more of a rather psychedelic and drifting Post-PostRock feel deeply embedded in echoes of Krautrock and urban Berlin School melancholia with "Distance, Inward" bringing on quasi-rhythmic tectonic low end rumblings alongside glacial electric dronings with the final - grey - title track that is "Afterimage" returning to an almost folksy and certainly calm and inward looking musical approach just to name a few. A beautiful album for this coming fall and many a month beyond.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Akusmi - Terra Incognita [Tonal Union 020]

Released via the Berlin- / London-based Tonal Union label on July 3rd, 2k26 is "Terra Incognita", the third ever release of the Pascal Bideau-led ensemble operating under the Akusmi moniker ever since 2022. With a total of seven pieces unfolding over the course of roughly 48 minutes the group takes the albums title as a conceptual guidance for sonic exploration out of which emerges a deeply enchanted tonal realm infused by Deep Jazz and unscathed rural naturalistic landscapes from the very first seconds of the chiming and ever floating opener that is "A Waking Dream" which develops into a densely layered and rather spiritual vision followed by the percussive tribal rhythmicity and innate loopings of the subsequent Jazz outing that is "Anima" which probably draws structural inspiration from Minimal Music developed by the likes of Steve Reich whereas "Club Subterranea" weighs in rather deep, comforting and tender late night Jazz tendencies backed by interesting synth bleeps of most likely modular origin providing a foundation for a myriad of interwoven and intertwined harmonic lines, winding, floating and meandering in an almost surreal and surely slightly psychedelic manner. With "Pleine Lune" Akusmi harks back to Minimal Music-infused percussive rhythms, yet floats and akmost drowns these with a triple thick coating of overwhelming lush and rich harmonies working their way up until the piece ends rather abruptly, giving way to the quiet bird song intro of "Drongo's Flute" which later incorporates elements of Future Tribal and deep Spiritual Jazz as well as dissolving non-vocalisms drowning deep within the overall mix before "Rain Dance" brings forth a hypnotic, syncopated and almost trance-inducing groove of almost krautsy and surely time dissolving quality before "Dawning Dusk" rounds things off with a lively rhythmic attitude evoking a slightly South East Asian feel as a foundation for sustained, elegic and sometimes even deeply romantic sax lines and emotionally touching chants for a closing. One for a fanbase of Contemporary Jazz afficionadoes, this.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Calum Builder - Although Changed, I Arise The Same [Thanatosis Produktion 053]

Scheduled for release on the highly recommended label operating under the name of Thanatosis Produktion on September 25th, 2k26 is "Although I Changed, I Arise The Same" - the most recent twin release cooked up by Calum Builder on his so-called (Re)Constructed Pipe Organ which the artist has assembled from salvaged church organ pipes gathered and saved all over Norther Denmark which is available on CD, digitally and as a limited 10" lathe cut edition which features alternative versions of the tracks in comparison to the aforementioned formats. Over the course of four extended pieces and a total playtime of a little more than 36 minutes Calum Builder serves a deep dive into the tonal qualities of his self-developed instrument starting with the mystical "Where Can I Go?" which pairs a partially glacial, partially almost breathing combination of Dark Ambient and Deep Listening music with what seem to be skitty echoes of enchanted flutes and ethereal vocalisms provided by Zola Mennenöh and Johana Sulkunen before dynamically and powerfully erupting unexpectedly at around ten minutes into its 15 minutes runtime. The subsequent follow up that is "Surely" brings forth a somewhat fluttering, unsettling take on rather rural and naturalistic late night (Un)Ambient and evokes memories of solo camping near the arctic circle, surrounded by unscathed woodlands and scattered wolves under brightly star-sprinkled skies whereas "Is As Light" sees an ethereal and perfectly executed vocal interplay and dialogue unfold atop a foundation of slow moving and sub-heavy Dark Ambient drones. Quite an intriguing release, this, which will - even though probably unintendedly - also resonate with a certain audience with the Goth spectrum for a reason or two.

Album artwork on Instagram!

SineRider - Causeway [Sound In Silence 131]

Coming in from the Athens-based Sound In Silence camp these days is "Causeway", the July 31st, 2k26 released album by Devin Powers a.k.a. SineRider who caters a total of 13 brand new pieces over the course of 51 minutes on his fourth album for the ever active label. Opening with the peaceful and calming synth motifs and Berlin School infused textural innocence of "Adrift" SineRider paves the way for things to come like the subsequent misty and brittle timelessness of "Depo" which, despite an absence of Dope Beats, will surely resonate with all those still in love with the Boards Of Canada alltime classic "Music Has The Right To Children" whereas "Abberations" introduces chiming minimal melodic repetitions backed by occasional subsonic bass pulses and tender piano tones. With "Tiny Movements" we're diving into a world of cascading hovering enchanted Ambient melodies, "Transient" brings forth looped lo-fi Piano Ambient with a beautiful vintage twist whilst venturing into off-harmonic microtonalities towards the very end before "Flote" experiments with varying corresponding echo and delay sequences as a foundation for most naturalistic harmonies seemingly provided by either processed flute or a synthetic flute emulation. With "Photograph Of A River" Powers harks back to cascading Ambient motifs before "Mania" chimes in with the most non-manic tenderness found on this album accompanied by a rather intimate two tone piano repetition with "Substrata" following on a similar, probably more 90s ChillOut-leaning and slo-mo synth spiral driven path whilst the title track "Causeway" brings forth a bit of flutter in conjunction with spatial, almost dubbed out Ambient movements. One to check out for sure. Limited to 200 copies as well.

A True Ambient Cassette Mystery.

Mary In The Junkyard - New Muscles (Official Video)

Mary In The Junkyard's main vocalist probably has got the most fragile, brittle, tender and beautiful voice we've come across since Dillon's debut album. And the bassline's got some serious groove as well. File under: a hit record for young introvert Indie girls.

Isidor Sr. - Seven From Ten / Hurt / Begin [Dhyana Records 086]

It's been more than 20 years since we've reviewed a release on the legendary formerly Augsburg-based label Dhyana Records on these pages but after meeting up with the labels head honcho Bernd Spring a.k.a. Isidor Sr. for the first time ever only recently here we are again. Released on February 2nd, 2k24 as a limited 7" edition of 122 copies, all housed in a beautifully designed 3D cover accompanied by additional 3D glasses, we're drawn in to the sonic world of Isidor Sr. with three pieces meandering between Lo-Fi Shoegaze and distorted DreamPop for introverts, drowning in a sea of ever droning guitar feedbacks and wafting clouds of intense, yet strangely comforting midrange noise. If I'd ever imagine Isidor Sr. performing these pieces live it'd be somewhere from removed from any urban settlement, distant from the audience, set up in a stubble field, shrouded in and obfuscated by autumnal mists with the actual sound being blown over from afar. This is core Dhyana after all these years. If you know, you know.

Vinyl artwork on Instagram!

Dr. NoiseM - Fields Of Verdun (Official Youtube Audio)

The Nest Duo - A Whisper Of Roots [Aut Records 155]

Released via the Italian staple that is Aut Records as their cat.no. 155 on June 24th, 2k26 is "A Whisper Of Roots", the new album collaboration by long time friends Graziano Gatti Quadri and Massimo Betti who, together, form The Nest Duo as a creative outlet for their musical ventures. With nine pieces rolled out over the course of approximately 46 minutes the two artists explore a sonic world based on cornet, vocals and - rather unusual for the label - electronics whilst taking influences, loops, varying measures and what is described in the accompanying press sheet as cyclical harmonic cells originating from both Lombard Folk and Bergmasque nursery rhymes. With this being said The Nest Duo opens on a rather krautsy and beautifully dreamy harmonic tip with "Intro-Volar Via" which immediately evokes memories of classic Berlin School arrangements followed by the longing cornet motifs floating atop tender, intimate and certainly PostRock- / Indietronica-aware structures in "Restituire Alle Luna Le Maree" which surely will resonate with fans of early duo works of Harald "Sack" Ziegler and Frank Schültge-Blumm with the tunes innate dreaminess and melancholia finding an immediate continuation in "I Feel Sunset", with a little bit of Tex-Mex x Americana fusion added to the mix. The subsequent "Seizampe: Storia Di Un'Amicizia Un Ragazzo E Un Cane" serves an entire story in its title alone backed by stripped down rhythm signatures, slightly distorted guitar works and scorched Desert Jazz elaborations whereas "Nido Vuoto D'Inverno" dives even deeper into tender looped minimalisms paired with slow organic Ambient movements, echo-heavy and New Age-informed guitar solos and, once again, Graziano Gatti Quadri's signature cornet tones before "A Whisper Of Roots" is nothing more than looped interlude which lasts less than a full minute. Furthermore "L'E Stackk Ol Vent" introduces an amalgamation of introvert and ruminant romanticisms and tender, almost frolicking, slowly cascading harmonies followed by "Il Nido Deela Cincia" and its alpine rural Jazz x Folk fusion turning into a slow motion headbanging PostRock anthem of sorts best listened to on a hot summer evening with a refreshing alcoholic beverage of choice at hand whereas the rather figuratively titled "Away With The Robins" waves goodbye on a slightly dubbed out and panoramic IndieFolk x DreamPop tip. An absolutely beautiful album which will be on heavy rotation at our premises over the course of the next weeks for sure.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Tonino Miano Trio - MOSS / electric [Aut Records 159]

Put out on the circuit via the Italian staple that is Aut Records on July 22nd, 2k26 is "MOSS / electric", the latest musical outing by the group named Tonino Miano Trio which is comprised of named Tonino Miano, Ricardo Grosso and Andrea Melani. Employing a sonic arsenal of piano, double bass and drums as well as synthesizers and modular systems the triumvirate of artists caters a menu of nine tracks rolled out over roughly 51 minutes total playtime opening with the rather meditative and ritualistic combination of somewhat chiming metallic percussions and seductive drum grooves to be found in the opening cut "Intro / Light Under The Tongue" which in parts and sequences evokes memories of a classic Minimal Music approach before introducing deep melancholia and elegic string harmonies alongside late night Jazz pianos whilst the subsequent "Moon Droplets On My Sleeve" apparently leaves electronics out of the equation and focuses on tentative piano runs backed by rather intricately arranged background grooves and tender bass backings whereas "Mycelium" certainly is on a playful, tongue-in-cheek and slightly anarchic tip, featuring quite a bunch of warped and warbled off kilter sounds which sound like a processed trumpet or mutilated horn without those instruments being credited on the album as a part of the sonic array. With "After Current" the Torrino Miano Trio dives deep into tender nocturnal Jazz minimalisms and sparse, almost skeletal structures with only a few modular interferences before introducing a lively swing approach, the title track "Moss Electric" weighs in lively and curious modular plinkerings leading into a playful and certainly joyous exploration of Free Improov-leaning Jazz vibes with the following "Filament Drift" catering a fluttering and slightly psychedelic tension that is unprecedented on this album, especially as we see the trio flirting with muscular DarkJazz and chaotic experimentalisms here. Furthermore "Chlorophilia" is as peaceful, intimate and enchanted as its title suggest, "Eight Minutes To The Sun" takes on lightspeed travel in an astoundingly stripped down and intimate way, basicly relying on chiming pianos and a background sax occasionally emerging from deep inside the mix with a further evolution towards even more tender late night grooves whilst the aptly named "Outro" waves goodbye and comes full circle with a focus on complex and captivating drum x percussion workouts once again. Go check.

A baze.djunkiii Assessment Of The 'Le Fuck Techno Import Mix' Cassette Tape Reissue

Zoepf / Gottschalk / Debacker - All You Can Hear [Acheulian Handaxe]

Released via Acheulian Handaxe on May 1st, 2k26 and sent to us directly by Joachim Zoepf only recently is "All You Can Hear", the first full-on album collaboration under this name created by Joachim Zoepf, Gunda Gottschalk and Marlies Debacker. Over the course of exactly 50 minutes and a total of nine pieces named "Annäherung 1-9" in a subsequent order the trio fuses the tonalities of their respective instruments - bass clarinet, violin and piano - with an attitude of radical equality and disciplined anarchy as its approach is described in the albums liner notes. With the intricately detailed, yet - at least in its early phase of evolution - still somewhat intimate opening piece "Annäherung 1" which later culminates in a dramatic climax of organized chaos the three musicians lay out the foundation for things to come, a steady meandering influenced and infused by elements of Contemporary Classical and Avantgarde, Free Jazz and Free Improv, an awareness of Minimal Music without following the genres path, a willingness to explore extremes in terms of dynamic changes as well as slightly humorous and tongue-in-cheek sequences in pieces like "Annäherung 2". Furthermore we find "Annäherung 3" in pursuit of abstraction and rather percussive scraping minimalism with "Annäherung 4" taking things into tense nocturnal territories, "Annäherung 6" exploring a buzzing and busy avantgarde tale in parts reminiscent of the somehow organized chaos of scattering, scurrying microscopic critters whereas "Annäherung 7" is introducing echoes of melancholia and tranquility in the remaining fragments of Classical composition this particular piece evokes memories of whilst the final cut that is "Annäherung 9" is taking Contemporary Classical to a rather cheeky and playful level despite a few dynamically intense, yet somewhat dissonant moments. One for a Avantgarde-informed audience, this.

The Bionics - Astro Mambo! [self-released album]

Put out on the circuit as a self-released CD album edition of 100 copies on March 11th, 2k26 is "Astro Mambo!", the latest musical outing by Daniel Mudford's off shoot project named The Bionics. Rolled out over seven tracks and a total run time of 45 minutes the album starts with the aptly named "Launch Pad" which then is conceptually followed by a series of five cuts named after pioneering female astronauts and space explorers from various nations which in itself provides a framework for the music to be found on this release. With "Launch Pad" the avid listener is taken on a brief trip into Balearic-infused Dub Rave realms before whilst "Sally Ride" fully indulges in tender, yet driving and spatial DubTechno vibes for late night dancefloors or sparkling sunset sets and "Valentina Tereshkova" brings forth a deeper, more floating, frolicking and surely AmbientTrance-adjacent vibe mixed with elements of Armchair- and Intelligent Techno as well as slightly experimental electroid breakdown sequences sporting a more futuristic feel for those who know. Furthermore we see "Helen Sharman" on a more twisted and spaced out, yet also more complex and captivating 4/4-driven dancefloor tip with a rather undeniable UK flavour, meandering forward through a plethora of ever changing arrangements like an extended electronic live jam, "Chiaki Mukai" weighs in a sonic contrast and brings forward what seem to be plucked, yet processed strings backed by a beautiful amalgamation of ChillOut x Deep Listening Music swing only to progress further towards mesmerizing Armchair Techno whereas "Mae Jemison"'s off-kilter backwards loop intro leads into more slow caressing Ambient DubTechno with a well rounded soft harmonic edge and weighs in echoes of bleeping Acid before the concluding cut that is "Bone Planet" waves goodbye on beatless, scenic, yet short and rather electronic landscape-y tip for a closing. Go get yourself a copy. Highly recommended.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Ludvig Cimbrelius - Moonshadows [Sound In Silence 139]

Making a return to the Greek Sound In Silence label via his new album "Moonshadows" is Swedish producer Ludvig Cimbrelius. With his new longplay piece released on May 18th, 2k26 Cimbrelius is serving a sonic menu spanning a total of 14 tracks over the course of roughly 63 minutes, exclusively consisting of pieces written and composed between 2020 and 2023 whilst working on his longplayer named "Love Letters From The Sky" which was originally released in September of 2k22. Once again diving deep into the intricacies of Piano Ambient bordering on both (Neo)Classical and Ambiance x Easy x Comfort Listening we see the album transporting an unscathed beauty and simultaneously an innate melancholia of sorts, starting with the title track "Moonshadows" and the subsequent "The Beauty I Can't Describe" progressing into the tender caressing timelessness of "Längtan Efter Att Leva (Fran Floden Till Havet)", the chiming innocence of "The Day Your Eyes Learn To See", the cascadings mists of "Hearing Your Voice In The Wind" or the super romantic "The Beauty I Try To Describe" as well as the cascading "The Day You Let Yourself Live" which might be our personal favorite on this well comforting longplayer just to name a few. Go check if you're into beautifully organic Ambient music and x or Contemporary or (Neo)Classical.

Album artwork on Instagram!

Flavio Zanuttini - Requiem For Democracy [Aut Records 154]

This is a concept album. Put out on the circuit via the Italian Aut Records imprint as their cat.no. 154 on June 3rd, 2k26 "Requiem For Democracy", conceived by composer and trumpet player Flavio Zanuttini and brought to life with the help of Miljan Minic, Andera Liani, Marco D'Orlando and Giustina Selvelli functions, at least according to the accompanying press sheet, as a rite of passage for contemporary democracy, pointing towards things to come subsequently in terms of a new system of whatever shape and form this might take. This being said, the conceptual mass and service is rolled out over a total playtime of roughly 28 minutes and seven compositions including rather ecclesiastical titles like "Kyrie Eleison", "Dies Irae", "Lacrimosa" and "Lux Aeterna", exploring a path of deep mourning and introversion from the get go, adds a grain of explorative, tentative and playful Jazz explorations to its atmospheric theme, touches on adjacent genres like DarkJazz in the echo- and delay-heavy "Tuba Mirum" and weighing in a deeply comforting take on sustained harmonies alongside experimental electronic rhythm signatures created by modular synthesizers in pieces like "Hostias". Imagine this as a soundtrack x score for grainy vintage experimental black and white movie of yore and you'll have a perfect audiovisual representation of this albums sonic contents. One to check out for the avid collector of all things Deep Jazz and beyond.

Album artwork for Instagram!

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.

Album artwork on Instagram!

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.

Album artwork on Instagram!

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.

Album artwork on Instagram!

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.

Album artwork on Instagram!

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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