New releases last two weeks: Ambient/Drone

Review: Deep techno lovers Hypnus have been showcasing the work of Paul Roeleveld aka Rambadu for some time. Only back in 2021 was he a newcomer with a sound that belied that status and now a few years on he has kept impressing. 'Yatra' is slow and deep, menacing and full of paranoia as snaking synths slithering along a desolate landscape. 'Nadi' has a dubby undercurrent and percolating grooves that gurgle and spit like molten lava, and 'Reis' is utterly stripped back to deep space pulses and a subtle, barely-there rhythm that is full of suspense. 'Setu' shuts down with more unsettling and otherworldly deepness and alien sound designs.

Review: Brian Williams' Lustmord project has existed in different forms for over 40 years, though it's only in the last couple of decades - when it has become a vehicle for his solo work - that new musical missives have become a regular occurrence. On Much Unseen Is Also Here, the former industrial musician turned soundtrack composer once again showcases his mastery of pitch-black sonics, creepy soundscapes and horror-inspired dark ambient workouts. As you'd expect, the sound design is incredible - listen on good quality headphones for the ultimate listening experience - while Williams' penchant for throwing in suspenseful chords, billowing aural textures and unsettling vocalisations adds further layers of paganistic mystery.

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Review: On his return to China in 2019 after a period away, Brock van Wey noticed a "strange, sound emitting item" on the table. It was a handmade 'steel tongue drum', a unique percussion instrument associated with spirituality and meditation in Asian culture. A few days later, van Wey recorded an extended jam of himself playing it, and later overdubbed electronic sounds, melodies, chords and textures. The result is The Depth of Rain, the long-serving ambient and drone artist's second Bvdub album of 2024. Where some of van Wey's ambient sets can tend towards the intense and claustrophobic, The Depth of Rain is a genuinely melodious, evocative and spring-like affair that ebbs and flows wonderfully throughout, providing entertainment and sonic bliss in equal measure.