Bvdub

Review: Under the BVDub alias, ambient, drone and electronica explorer Brock Van Wey has amassed a vast discography of full-length excursions, though very few of these have been released on wax. The American producer has therefore pushed the boat out for new album Wrath & Empathy, which comprises four lengthy tracks stretched across two green vinyl plates. It's a hugely enjoyable set inspired by what van Wey calls the "magical realism" of Japanese writer Haruki Murakami. We're not well versed enough in Murakami's work to spot the sonic references, but there's much to admire, not least the San Franciscan's uncanny ability to create musical gold with little more than layered and effected instrumentation, slow-release ambient chords, gentle IDM beats, tactile aural textures and melodies that linger long in the memory.

Review: Sound scientist Brock Van Wey decided to mix things up during the making of his latest album, the decidedly bittersweet and weary "Ten Times The World Lied". To begin with, he decided to deliver an album without vocals - the first time he's ever done that - before opting to record a track a month, on the tenth day of each, for ten months. Furthermore, each densely layered track was recorded and mixed live. The results are impressive, with Van Wey offering mostly melancholic - but intensely beautiful - collages of layered ambient chords, effects-laden melodic movements and extreme aural textures that fill every invisible nook and cranny of the sound space.

Review: Having released a quartet of albums in 2013, you'd think ambient adventurer Brock van Wey would fancy a rest. Not a bit of it. Here, he drops another full length, the decidedly Balearic and surprisingly touchy-feely I'll Only Break Your Heart. In 90s ambient fashion, the album's four tracks are decidedly long, allowing van Wey to develop themes without sticking to traditional song structures. For those who enjoy spine-tingling soundscapes and wide-eyed, evocative compositions, this is clearly a good thing. The intricate piano-and-vocal excursion "Feel, Unfeel" - pleasingly sparse and drenched in delay -and the epic ambient dub exploration "Appear, Disappear" are arguably the highlights, but as usual it's all of an impressively high standard.

Review: When it comes to soundscape-inspired ambient music - of which, it should be noted, there is plenty around at present - it can be hard to construct an album that's as interesting and enjoyable as it is soothing. Luckily, BVDub is an old hand at this kind of thing. Since 1999, he's released an astonishing 18 albums. This 19th full-length is one of his best. Gorgeous, bewitching and emotion-rich, with enough intricate detail to keep headphone listeners immersed in his calming world, it simply oozes class. There are odd forays into more beatsy territory - see the piano and hip-hop beats of the dreamy "Through The Lower Room, We Reach Higher" - but he really excels when keeping it beatless. The title track, in particular, is fantastic.