Back catalogue: Coldwave/Synth

Review: Belgian label nacht and The Pilotwings (Louis & Guillaume) present a compilation of works created in the STELPLAATS venue in Leuven, early 2022. In November 2021, right before the second Covid lockdown. Guillaume and Louis were invited by the nacht crew in Leuven to play their first dj-set together since the start of the pandemic. At the time, the nacht crew had just received the first physical release on their brand new imprint, and the team was eager to get the record out into the world. For the second release, however, everything was possible. Before the show, somewhere between the obligatory nasal swab and the third drink, the idea of an unusual collaboration sprouted. Leuven Works compiles five tracks that flowed out of the sessions in STELPLAATS and is a testament to the week that Louis and Guillaume had under the STELPLAATS roof. During their stay, the blood brothers got looked after with love by the nacht team, who provided homemade pizzas and a well-stocked fridge full of Duvels, allowing The Pilotwings to truly root into the Leuven soil and enrich the local landscape with their colourful presence.

Review: The collection titled 'exQuisxx' is a creation of POiSON GiRL FRiEND's own music, and is comprised of pieces from three different works: 'Shyness,' 'Mr. Polyglot Remix,' and 'Love Me,' all released by Nippon Columbia between 1993 and 1994. The title 'exQuisxx'is a coined term that merges the French word "exquis", signifying something delightful and lovely, with 'xx' denoting a kiss. That in mind, we hear a reissued incarnation of the artist's best works here, which have resurfaced after a newfound popularity sparked by her recent acknowledgement by British singer-songwriter Arlo Parks. Ambient trip-hop; French pop; wavering glitch and electro experiments. Not one to be missed at all.

Review: Georgian pioneer George Dzodzuashvili has been away for eight years but now makes a triumphant if not overdue return as Post Industrial Boys. The record on Casa Voyager finds him tapping into his most personal work yet as he opens up a whole new musical universe that is packed with memories of yesteryear. Even though you didn't experience them, they feel so real here as they are bought to life by Dzodzuashvili with his slow motion dub grooves and wispy melodies. The spoken word snippets and whispered poems all conjure up rich feelings that warm you to your core and help you forget the grown up world around you.

Review: Mat Handley's shimmeringly beautiful Cotswold Stone was first released in 2019, and this reissue from Castles In Space reminds us of this: this is an album driven by warm analogue sounds, effortlessly conveying a feeling of being somewhere beautiful, out in the country. The project presents a meditation on the passing of time and the persistence of memory, and is in part a reflective work of familial dedication and reverence. The narrative is one that takes the listener on a journey through the rolling hillsides of England. The record is given extra dimensions and texture through the deployment of woodwind instruments at various points, which add a real sense of pastoral energy to the work. Picking out highlights is always a tricky task when a record is so conceptually strong and consistently rewarding. 'In The Marsh' beautifully juxtaposes reverbed and spectral piano with bright synth arpeggios and distant woodblock percussion, whilst its glorious counterpoint, 'On The Heath', is as inquisitive and enigmatic as the first hare of spring. 'The Green Leaves Of Shilden Hall' are verdant and lush, propelled by some lovely flute and clarinet accompaniment adding an ivy-covered gentility to proceedings. 'In The Grove' with its spectral saxophone evokes images of solemn hillside sunsets and spiritual reflections on past lives.

Review: Analogue synth spooks rejoice, Pye Corner Audio is back with further explorations of the sweet spot between nostalgic fuzz and circuit-borne futurism. Ghost Box is a spiritual home for Martin Jenkins' flagship project, and he continues to edge out the scope of the Pye Corner sound without derailing the fundamental atmosphere. On The Endless Echo, warm, pulsing melodics set to eerie keys abound, and there's a fine balance between gorgeous ambient atmospheric pieces and sinewy, danceable rhythms, but Jenkins manages to sound fresh and inspired even while reliably holding true to the overall project aesthetic.