Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Uboa's Impossible Light marks a significant shift from the ambitious darkness of previous work. Xandra Metcalfe's latest release merges otherworldly sounds with raw human emotion, creating a captivating blend of intense darkness and poignant beauty. Throughout Impossible Light, Uboa explores a heightened sense of urgency and directness, particularly in addressing themes of trans experiences and societal marginalisation. Tracks like 'Endocrine Disruptor' contrast serene melodies with explosive beats, while 'The Puzzle' immerses listeners in heavy synths and impactful percussion. 'Gordian Worm' transitions from harsh noise to a more structured electro-industrial sound and 'Pattern Screamers' delivers a powerful vocal performance amid distorted, mechanical noise. The seamless flow between 'Jawline' and 'Weaponised Dysphoria', alongside the emotional depth of 'Sleep Hygiene', underscores Uboa's skillful talent at balancing it all.

Review: Modern glassy ambient forefronters Motion Ward present their latest masterpiece from two standout centre-stagers on their roster, Ulla Strauss and Ultrafog. Having not collaborated on a full-length record before, the one is billed simply as 'two individuals from faraway (journeying) the world together'. "(They) were given many tiny gifts from the surroundings. Then the music came out as a matter of course, as if a thing was being put in its right place." Sonically, this translates to a pristine, sampledelic blissout, verging on the nascent road-trippy electronic-shoegaze motifs that Motion Ward have found themselves exploring as of late; and echoing the kind of alien ambient guitar-dubs that could recall Fennesz or Bibio, lest they weren't also mixed up with the kind of contemporary vocal chopups and glassy, aerated refractions that continue to carve out this extended crew's current noble standing. Our highlights; 'Lame Mart', 'Kind Zo'.

Review: From pastoral 90s dance crossovers to left field analogue house mavericks and onto their current position as gifted, jazz-minded groove navigators, Ultramarine have never stood still over their long and winding career. At this point in time they slip into each new project with an ease and confidence which pours out of the music. On this new entry for Blackford Hill, they've chosen an unlikely muse in the Blackwater Estuary which runs into the sea just North of London. Quite whether you hear the undulating, tidal ebb and flow of large water masses in the music is subjective, but the mellifluous fusion of electronic and organic instrumentation is pure treasure for the ears, oozing warmth and full of charming surprises without ever sounding overwrought. By rights, Ultramarine should be considered a British cultural treasure and this album only confirms that fact.