Back catalogue: Balearic/Downtempo

Review: Lol Hammond is a former member of Spiral Tribe and early live techno act The Drum Club who now makes music on his own as Wah Wah Planet. Back in 1990 is when he penned this fantastic five track Balearic house EP alongside Russell Crone and with female vocal contributions from Lucy Sian. It very much lay out an early blueprint for UK street soul and the opener on the A-side 'Jewel' explores a romantic theme with hooky pop lyrics. Things get more left of centre on the 'Love FXU' with three trips into a smoother sound world perfect for sun kissed island dancing and with influences ranging from early breakbeat and trip hop to elements of dancehall music.

Review: Now here's a rarity for you. Not even many of the most committed megafans know that Brian Eno, Holger Czukay and J.Peter Schwalm, accompanied by Raoul Walton and Jern Atai, performed a secret live music show, outside the esteemed Kunst-und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, the Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany, situated in the city of Bonn, in August 1998. Forming a part of the opening party of Eno's Future Light-Lounge Proposal multimedia installation, this furtively-recorded album hears an exclusive slice of incidental "high-altitude food music", of course made during Brian Eno's airborne ambient era. Now reissued via Gronland, this five-piece cut of sophisti-ambi-krauttronica makes for a welcome surprise.

Review: Habitat Ensemble is a new musical collective that is led by musician Marius Houschyar and this is their self titled debut album on the delightful Music From Memory. The group has roots in the south of the Czech Republic where, we're told, outsiders and creatives have been meeting at a summer school since the 1990s. It was in the summer of 2022 that this group came together, inspired by the idea of exchanging the down cultural and musical ideas through music. They first started out with a series of multidisciplinary workshops which then blossomed into this full length - a fusion of jazz, ambient, world music and experimentation that is organic and enriching.

Review: The sixth studio album from Half Waif aka. Nandi Rose, See You At The Maypole, hears the musician process loss, motherhood and miscarriage through 17 lissome songs of graceful, chin-up synthetics and indie spoken word. These tracks were originally intended as a departure from her earlier, darker works; the mood is timely autumnal, literally and figuratively turning new yet browned leaves; despite the electronically inflected and modern buzzing feel of 'Heartwood' and 'Ephemeral Being', all tracks were composed in a small cabin overlooking a luscious and rain-rippled pond, as part of a solo retreat in the Catskill Mountains in New York. And yet despite its singular locality, Half Waif commands a stylistic range that is unsettled as it is expansive, weaving between unseelie autotune, bracken textures and rustling melancholia.

Review: Back in the depths of the global Coronavirus pandemic, Nick Hoppner and Alex Kassian decided to join forces to record an album, one that would set aside their club credentials and instead focus on their collective love of krautrock, ambient and 'guitar-driven music'. The result is The Big Melt, the duo's first missive as H.A.N.K. Beginning with the immersive, enveloping sound world that is 'Cruise' - a slow-build, effects-laden dreamscape that offers nods to classic Tangerine Dream, shoegaze and 1990s ambient electronica - the album bobs along attractively, with exotic rhythms and intoxicated electronics ('A Useful Fever') sitting side by side with shuffling Balearic instrumentals ('Azul's Garden'), kosmiche epics ('Jag Aar Jag'), sitar-laden wonders ('While My Tar Gently Weeps'), and analogue-rich nods to Neu!, Can and Dunkelziffer ('No Harm').

Review: El Hardwick's sophomore album, Process of Elimination, explores illness as a pathway to personal and anti-capitalist transformation. Rooted in their experience of chronic illness after years of pushing their body beyond its limits, the album reflects Hardwick's journey toward healing through mysticism and natural remedies. Turning away from the need for a formal diagnosis, Hardwick embraced a process of self-rewilding, rejecting capitalism and gender norms to reconnect with their body and the earth. Musically, Process of Elimination combines lush, dubby soundscapes with cosmic experimentation. Tracks like Dual feature sparse synthesiser tones alongside woodwinds and double bass, creating a spacious environment for Hardwick's spoken-word reflections. Collaborations with musicians such as Alex McKenzie and Laura Misch bring a range of organic textures to the album, enhancing its sense of natural exploration. The album shifts between ambient meditations and more rhythmic moments, with highlights like 'Quantology' and the IDM-tinged 'How Do I Know...?' revealing a balance between introspection and forward momentum. Hardwick's process is further mirrored in their personal journey of coming out as trans non-binary, which they describe as another form of elimination, moving beyond binary definitions. Ultimately, Process of Elimination is a powerful reflection on healing, acceptance and the reclaiming of energy, inspired by thinkers like Silvia Federici and Donna Haraway, and enriched by contributions from London-based artists and friends.

Review: Steve Von Till concludes his ambitious Harvestman Triptych series with a deep exploration into folklore, ancient landscapes, and sonic experimentation on Triptych. Woven from two decades of home recordings, this final installment channels primal energies and lost traditions through a psychedelic, multi-layered soundscape. Von Till's psych-folk core is joined by elements of drone, sludge, and electronic noise, with notable guest contributions from The Bug, Wayne Adams (Petbrick), Douglas Leal (Deafkids), and others. Tracks like 'Herne's Oak' pulse with seismic bass, while 'Clouds Are Relatives' and 'Cumha Uisdean' resonate with haunting melodies. The album's dense layers evoke forgotten times, blending myth and music into a hypnotic reverie. Hablak's glyph-style artwork, continuing from Parts One and Two, complements the sonic journey with its mysterious, ancient symbolism. Triptych serves as a fitting, visionary conclusion to Von Till's projectian immersive, mind-bending journey through a soundscape rooted in the echoes of ancient civilizations. A truly remarkable end to a unique trilogy.

Review: Contrasting with the unrelenting pulse of London and Italy's twin nightlives, Claremont 56 has always remained staunchly focused on chillout music. This week hears a new collaborative EP by lifelong friends Hear and Now, two favourite Claremont releasees and underdog fixtures of the Italian deep house scene. 'Aurora Baleare' is Hear & Now's latest album dedicated to sunkissed delirium, concerning itself only with the bright sonic blues and seaside delights one might experience living on any Mediterranean coastline. Expect vibrant improvised guitar licks melded with hybrid live drums ('Sabbia Magica' and 'Salsedine' being our choice cuts), painting an impressionistic sonic scene akin to a divine, coral-hued cove.

Review: Hear & Now first released on Claremont 56 back in 2018. Almost immediately they became one fo the label's core acts and have been prolific ever since. The Italian pair made a big mark with their debut album Aurora Baleare, built on it with 2020's Alba Sol and now come through with more stylish and grown up blissed out brilliance on Milvus. All eight tracks are subversive mind music that also enrich the soul with their lazy drums, gently breaking synth waves and pillowy chords. The way each track unfolds, and builds is so perfect seductive that you will be pining for a cocktail before you hit the end of the first tune.

Review: On its initial release in 1994, "Sceneries Not Songs" became deep house legend Larry Heard's first solo album under his given name. At the time, it caused quite a stir on the electronic underground, in part because it saw the Chicago veteran showcase the depth and variety of his musical personality whilst retaining the emotive dreaminess and jazzy inflections that had always been a big part of his work. As this much-needed vinyl reissue proves, it remains a stunning album. Highlights include the sparkling synthesizers, slo-mo grooves and twinkling pianos of "Tahiti Dusk", the classic Heard deep house warmth of "Midnight Movement", the head-nodding trip-hop-goes-ambient jazz flex of "Summertime Breeze" and the luscious beauty of bonus cut "Question of Time".

Review: Roberto Lange is back with a new album for 4AD which feels in stark contrast to his previous outing, 2021's Far In. That album was a definite lockdown record, and now Lange is in the mood to reach out and celebrate the sunshine, funnelling his dense and dusky production and playing into some wonderfully varied songs. There's a unique sentimentality to the Helado Negro sound captured in the huge reverb tails which spiral out of songs like 'LFO (Lupe Finds Oliveros)', but there's no immediate fix for the curious charm of his dusty indie rock sound.

Review: Danish electronic pop act Hess Is More's CaeKE marks a return to pop's borderlands after detours into orchestral and experimental sounds. Minimalist and mellow, the new album eschews sprawling ensembles for a DIY space of piano, drum machines, and vintage synths all of which frame Hess' wandering voice with eccentric poetry. Balancing maturity with childlike curiosity tracks like 'I Love My Life... Again and Again' exhibit a subversive lightheartedness amid mellow existentialism. The album is a reflection on fatherhood and life's changes since the early 00s that finds Hess embracing a new melody-one that harmonises seriousness with carefreeness, introspection with outward expression.

Review: Former Soup Dragons man Hifi Sean (real name Sean Dickson) seems to have found a musical soulmate in David McAlmont. The pair have already impressed via a pair of well-regarded albums and here drop a third collaborative full-length - barely six months after its predecessor, Daylight, appeared in stores. Designed as a kind of flip side to that set - a loosely conceptual musical night drive from dusk 'til dawn - Twilight cannily combines slow, soft-touch grooves, dreamy textures, bubbly electronics, strobe-lit synths and McAlmont's honeyed vocals to great effect. The plentiful highlights include Blessed Madonna collaboration 'The Comedown', the tactile bliss of 'Goodbye Drama Queen', the huggable wooziness of 'High With You' and the heartfelt sweep of 'Star'.

Review: Six months after dropping their second collaborative full-length excursion, Daylight, HiFi Sean and David McAlmont deliver the yang to that set's ying - the loosely conceptual dusk-til-dawn night drive that is Twilight. More synth-heavy and strobe-lit than its predecessor, the album sees the effortlessly soulful McAlmont add his honeyed vocals to backing tracks rich in soft-touch grooves, dreamy textures, bubbly electronics and strobe-lit melodic motifs. This limited, deluxe edition is the one to grab if you can; aside from being pressed to colourful purple vinyl, it also comes bundled with a single-track seven-inch flexi-disc (containing a fine alternate dub mix of 'Driftaway') and an autographed art print.

Review: Although the end is now finally in sight, we are still very much spending time at home, gazing off into the distance and dreaming of better times. Enter this sumptuous soundtrack from Hillside, whose Sunday In June album on the ever classy Claremont 56 is a perfect accompaniment to you lazy afternoons. The gorgeous record is utterly doused in sun, with sparkling keys, go-slow beats and lush strings all oozing cool yet bribing with warmth. It's the sound of perfect afternoon in the garden, or on the beach, with tropical grooves and Balearic bliss flowing freely from front to back.

Review: Thievery Corporation co-founder Eric Hilton is adept at many different produciton styles and he calls on most of them on this new Present Past & Future EP for Montserrat House. First up is a future jazz and jungle fusion with steamy sax motifs drifting up high over the slick drums. The tempo drops to nothing on the lush downtempo sounds of 'Put Em' Down' and 'Something For Byrd' (feat Brian Jackson) is a star-gazing after dark masterclass with wispy synths and soulful vocals. There is squelchy synth funk on 'E Plays It Cool', blissed out trip hop on 'Cold Gemini' and another 90s era acid jazz and breaks fusion to finish with 'Mind Archelogy' (feat Brian Falkowski).

Review: Eric Hilton's reputation in the field of downtempo electronic music is second-to-none. Or few. Taking a logical step into the musical haze here, Out of the Blur is his first album of ambient music, and lands on Emerald Wave, a relatively new imprint focused on sounds suitable for healing sessions and other life affirming, non-narcotic pursuits. "What you leave out in ambient music is as important as what you include," the producer has apparently said of his latest. "I don't have a background making ambient music, this is definitely a different kind of record for me. Ambient music is inherently ambiguous, transporting you to a place that isn't really well defined. But I think it's the absence of answers, that formlessness, that makes this kind of music so emotionally impactful." Let's leave it at that.

Review: WRWTFWW Records is back with a third collaboration with Japanese electronic, ambient and synth-pop group Interior. This time they reissue a forgotten 1989 solo gem by band member Daisuke Hinata that very much deserves more spotlight. Tarzanland captures the essence of late-'80s California with sun-soaked kanky? ongaku, minimalistic proto-chillwave and breezy synth melodies all washing over you in delightful fashion. Its lush soundscapes evoke the likes of Steve Winwood and Steely Dan as it is infused with nostalgia and serene electronic sounds. They make for a blissful journey through simple pleasures, where ocean waves and warm breezes empty your mind of all but the nicest of thoughts.

Review: Hiroshi II Hiroshi was a one-off project from Hiroshi Fujiwara and Hiroshi Kawanbe which came out on File Records in 1993. It's a flawless gem of island boogie smoothed out to a gentle lull, buffeted along by breezy guitar licks and mellow Rhodes, quite happily reclining on a melodious phrase or two for as long as necessary to ensure ultimate relaxation. 'H2O' in particular is a float-adrift masterpiece, while 'Beauty & Beast + Bagel (Dub)' teases a little intrigue in amidst the placid waters without kicking up a fuss. Now it's being repressed on appropriately clear blue vinyl, bringing a perfect nugget of chill-out charm within reach for all your lounging, poolside or hammock-based needs.

Review: HNNY's long-awaited album Light Shines Through marks a serene return to electronic soundscapes, offering a delicate and introspective journey through ten tracks. After nearly a decade, the Swedish produceriknown for his minimalist, atmospheric productionsidelivers a record filled with soothing, vibrant compositions perfect for moments of quiet reflection. Moving away from the soulful samples of his debut, Light Shines Through focuses on ambient serenity. Tracks like 'Melody Electronics' and 'The Smallest Things' showcase a subtle blend of muted percussion, shimmering synths, and ethereal vocals, creating a tranquil listening experience. Even the more energetic moments, like 'All For You', maintain a chilled-out quality, with light rhythms and swirling melodies inviting calm. The album is concise but fully captivating, weaving tiny sonic worlds within its restrained runtime. HNNY's intricate yet understated approach makes it a perfect companion for study sessions or peaceful mornings. From the hypnotic repetition of the title track to the soft journey of 'Morning Trip', Light Shines Through is an endearing exploration of electronic simplicity and introspection.

Review: Given the hype surrounding HNNY over the last few years - fuelled, primarily, by a string of celebrated singles on Puss, Local Talk, Let's Play House and YUMMY - it's somewhat surprising that Sunday marks his first foray into the album market. Wisely, the Swedish artist embraced the opportunity for eclecticism that the format provides, filling his debut full-length with a mix of tracks variously designed for sofa-bound listening and dancing in clubs. There's a jazz-flecked beauty to the crackly downtempo grooves offered up by the title track, while the dreamy, guitar-laced head-nodder "Sylvia" recalls the best of his Balearic-influenced work. It's these luscious moments, such as the twinkling ambience of closer "My Baby", that really resonate.

Review: Electronic music production deity James Holden returns with a circling back to his dance music roots, following a brief detour into jazz with his last album 'The Animal Spirits'. Building on an increasingly otherworldly set of inspiration - which he's gradually entertained as his career has marched on - this new LP 'Imagine' playfully dissects the possibilities of dance music from the perspective of an alternate reality. Buzzing leads, detuned leads, and international flavours evoke a modern take on sounds espoused first by the likes of Amorphous Androgynous or Charanjit Singh.

Review: Honour's debut album, Alaafia, is a journey through the depths of the African diaspora, connecting Lagos, London, and New York. This album blends the darker tones of blues, hip-hop, free jazz, ambient and gospel with elements of Christian mythology and Yoruba folklore. As cinematic as it is painterly, Alaafia is a meditation on life, death and love, drawing inspiration from casual conversations, field recordings, literature, and personal archives. The result is an impressionistic vision that blurs boundaries between everywhere and nowhere, history and the present, the individual and the universal. Dedicated to Honour's late grandmother, the title track Alaafia began after their last embrace, infused with her spirit. This tape-saturated composition transitions from Lagos to London's smoky cityscape, reflecting the artist's grief and PTSD. The dream-like quality is marked by stretched guitar drones and stuttering loops, with their grandmother's shared faith surfacing through the music. 'When Angels Speak of Love' borrows its title from Sun Ra and bell hooks, shaping praise music into disorienting spirals with syrupy DJ Screw-inspired breaks and melancholic guitar splinters. This track engages in a conceptual dialogue with the spirits of both late thinkers, incorporating them into Honour's pantheon of ancestral guides. 'Giz Aard ($uckets),' the album's ninth track, features regimented drums anchoring a sombre melody that swirls with heartache, hovering between death and eternal joy.

Review: Wah Wah welcome the return of multi-talented Norwegian producer Espen Horne, following a 24 year hiatus. Sometimes, such resurfacings must happen - even after such long periods of time - if only to reaffirm the round-robin integrity of the label. The Anatomy Of Serene Eloquence is thus the logical, LP-form follow-up to 1999's acid jazz single/EP 'Magnetica', which, though released only to furtive acclaim, launched the label's reputation as a pusher of delights. This new one, however, makes for a remarkably different turn in sound, coming as a full-length of ambient, tremolo-ing and glistening jazz-funk verging on hip-hop (though certainly cut from the same cloth as 'Magnetica'). Vocalists and instrumentalists such as Olav Wollo, Faye Houston and Aich are kept firmly in tow, squeezing the icing onto an already spongy, delicious sonic gateau.

Review: Originally released in 1998, Mixmaster Morris & Jonah Sharp's Quiet Logic surprisingly flew under the radar when it came out.- perhaps because of the huge amount of electronic music being released at the time. The pair have some of the most important albums and tracks in their respected genres and are arguably two of the most important figures in the electronic music chill out scene from the 90s, and when you add the input of Haruomi Hosono from Yellow Magic Orchestra on two tracks, it becomes an even more essential listen. Chill out heads unite!

Review: Apodelia is Hotspring's second solo release on Mood Hut; the record is partly a further exploration of song forms, studio techniques and instrumentation explored on 2020's Obit For Sunshade. This latest addition to the artistic moniker of Scott Gailey Spring explores lifting into revealing; scouring fidelities, playing with emotion, and improvising by night. A timestretched, textural nocturne is painted in sound, echoing a more contemporary incarnation of mid-'10s Mister Lies; the glassy piano refractions of 'Glanzstrasse 6', the ripply audio-pools and autotunings of 'Organ With Fire' and the beat-cracklings of 'Day Moment' are all highlights.

Review: Kicking off his new R&R imprint, LA-born and Berlin-based producer Huerta brings us TV Slang - an LP which exists somewhere between rhythmic and ambient house. For the title track, woozy voice samples drift in and out of focus, existing in a space just outside of reality. 'Stutter Dub' emerges as one of the more dance-geared tracks, yet it's still decorated with the hazy sound design of the release's ambient numbers; its buffed-out environment softening the edges of Huerta's percussion. On the B-side, 'Traces' features dreamily reverberating piano chords embellished with glittering breaks. This is a highly multi-faceted release which promises to take listeners and dancers alike into a beautifully realised soundworld.

Review: Hypnotone's iconic self titled mini album reissued and released just in time for this Summer Solstice. Originally released by Creation Records in 1991 - long out of print and now reissued - this one comes now meticulously remastered and pressed onto pristine white vinyl, aesthetically bolstering its pure, ascendant sound to match. The Hypnotone moniker was formed out of the bemused miasma that came after the wake of the infamous Hacienda nightclub in Manchester; made up of another related but no less legendary Tony (Martin, not Wilson) and yet another Martin (Mittler) (don't get confused, now), their eponymous debut came after an inspirational spell of digital sampler experiments and intentional Balearic hitmaking.