THE ANCIENT MOONS Vinilo y CD

Review: On this second album from his Ancient Moons project, Damian Lazarus has decided to switch focus. Whereas the outfit's debut album, Message From The Other World, combined global music influences with Lazarus's usual tech-house rhythms and a touch of psychedelia, Heart of Sky is much more heavily influenced by the Crosstown Rebels' chief's rarely discussed soul boy roots. Of course, the beats and basslines still largely stick to the powder house script, it's just that this time they come accompanied by starry-eyed soul vocals, 1960s dream pop influences, bold piano flourishes, gospel choruses and, on rare occasions, smoky trip-hop aesthetics. As a result, it's undoubtedly a much more "human" album, and one with far more crossover potential than its predecessor.

Review: Crosstown Rebels boss Damian Lazarus seems to be mellowing with age - or at least getting more artistically adventurous. This follow-up to his 2009 debut, Smoke The Monster Out, was co-produced by Simian Mobile Disco's James Ford in LA. London and Mexico, with the assistance of an impressive cast of musicians from around the world. While rooted in the kind of tactile house and techno most associated with the evergreen hipster, Message From The Other Side is impressively psychedelic, otherworldly and stargazing in outlook. The album's woozy, horizontal appeal is therefore enhanced by Lazarus and Ford's use of Indian instrumentation, African percussion and impeccable keys-work from American jazz pianist Eric Lewis.