Back catalogue: Ambient/Drone

Review: Civilistjavel's most recent album, 2022's Janmatter, was a predictably atmospheric and out-there affair that blended suspenseful ambient moods and melodies with occasional IDM rhythms and plenty of experimental chops. Here two giants of leftfield electronic music and experimental techno give their interpretations of the album, crafting 'remixes' based on stems from a variety of different album tracks. Dave Huismans dons his familiar A MAde Up Sound alias on side A, re-imagining Civilistjavel's work as a hybrid deep techno/dub techno/ambient techno epic - all densely layered ambient textures, deep and distant beats, and waves of effects-laden synth sounds. Ossia takes a different approach on his 'Disconnected Dub', delivering an immersive sound design experience built around creepy, effects-laden ambient chords, unsettling rumbles and echoing bleeps.

Review: Copenhagen label FELT welcomes back Civilistjavel for a fresh four tracker that builds on the success of the Jarnnatter album in 2022. It is another collection of fine electro-acoustic drones in the fashion of greats like Biosphere and has a trip-hop sojourn with Cucina Povera that is particularly interesting. Though leaning on dub techno in the past for inspiration, there is a less rigid take on genre in these tracks as various locations "in the Nordingra area of the Swedish high coast are exorcised and channelled through sound."

Review: Guangzhou, China-based artist and DJ Cola Ran tune sin to her inner reflections and global travel experiences when making music. On her debut EP she taps int the human experience to tell the tale of society's development over the years and blends traditional Asian and African instruments with modern electronics, field recordings and vocals to do so. It's a fulsome ambient, Balearic and downtempo brew with a gorgeous sense of melody and spirituality that offers a soothing escape. 'Riot On The Hush' is a lush tapestry of hand drums and xylophone-like sounds that rise and fall like a sea current, 'Outta Space' is the same vibe but with a futuristic cosmic twist. These are two of many highlights.

Review: Fresh from bringing his brand of intergalactic electronic fusion to Nummer Music, Moonshoe Records regular Cousin (real name Jackson Fester) makes his bow on Naff. The Australian is in prime form throughout, offering up hard-to-pigeonhole blends of IDM, ambient techno and dub that were reportedly inspired by the expanses of bushland close to his home. He first explores the dubby end of IDM on creepy-but-beautiful opener 'Second Message', before joining the dots between energy-packed breakbeat, dub-fuelled techno and extra-percussive electronica on confirmed club cut 'Disting'. 'The River' sees the much-admired Aussie blur the boundaries between UK funky, dub and ambient techno, while 'Padda' is a picturesque and bubbly, eyes-closed excursion. Closing cut 'Ohm Alone', meanwhile, is a gently tropical shuffle through immersive ambient dub techno with nods towards the more experimental end of UK bass.

Review: Adam Craft is back with a second selection of his Renata Tracks. The first EP in this series came back in 2017 on Arsenik Records but here he lands on Phorma. Things kick off with the cinematic ambient of 'Pace' (Variation) which then becomes a deep and dubby techno roller in original form. Things stay well below the surface with 'Into Dust' which is another fresh dub cut that is rippled with frosty chords. 'I Only Said' is a traintrack groove that locks you into its linear rhythm and keeps you there for a lovely old hypnotic trip.

Review: Cologne label Magazine have been releasing some fine leftfield offerings from the likes of Barnt, Drums Off Chaos, Wolfgang Voigt and Naum Gabo over the years. Now they present the debut release from Creme de la Deutz, an enigmatic project from unknown sources dealing in the kind of ambience to stick on while you gaze at the stars. Following exhibitions and performances at noted spots like Salon Des Amateurs, this limited edition pressing is hitting the streets and not likely to stick around for long. If you appreciate rich, synth-driven ambience, this album is for you.

Review: The Shot of T label serves up a versatile new split EP with CV Smiles kicking things off. A long, drawn-out and emotive synth opens up on 'Home-schooled' and comes layered with bubbly pads and serve effects that soothe the mind. Then comes a rap mix that is detailed with louche bars and more 909 production to make it pop. On the flip side, the masterful Porn Sword Tobacco flips the script with a gurgling, pulsing, deep and linear techno roller in the form of 'Techno Story' which is perfect for late-night sessions.

Review: After many years of waiting, CV313 (Stephen Hitchell) brings out blue vinyl editions of some of his cherished dub techno classics. Originally released in 2007 and again in 2009, 'Subtraktive' took the M7 formula and deepened it even further becoming the blueprint for CV313 and the Echospace label for years to come. Comes with the live in Japan version also. This reissue is a warm welcome for those concerned about ever getting a copy.

Review: After the inaugural EP from Berlin-based collective Melantonia by the label's co-founders founders Hanna Maria and Mattia Onori, together with Feral and Plants Army Revolver, they're back with the first episode of a VA series "exploring uncharted sonic realms". The results check in somewhere between techno and ambient, harnessing the best of both. So Andrea Cossu's 'Ossia' pulsates with a Geiger Counter beat reminiscent of early Panasonic/Pansonic, Simone Bauer's 'Halo' is like Plaid doing dub and Camilla Pisani's 'Schenk Mir Deine Trane' uses field recordings and the distant strain of melancholic melody, all three, like everyone here, creating something fresh and previously unheard.

Review: Miss Nixon and Jacqueline Fuijkschot originally got together for some jam sessions in a sweaty attic circa 2015, and wound up with a track called 'Run' which ended up on a 7" for Das Ding's Tear Apart Tapes. Since then, Hivern Discs have picked up on the track and brought it out of limited-run obscurity to give it a full 12" pressing with some expertly selected cover versions. The original is a threadbare slice of melancholic minimal wave, but Cucina Povera thickens the sound into a brooding slice of ethereal dream pop. Celine Gillain's version is poised and raw, in keeping with her own excellent Mind Is Mud LP. Dania completes the picture with a straining, yearning ambient abstraction of the original.

Review: It's always been hard to pigeonhole the modular and analogue-driven work of mysterious Yorkshire-based producer Craven Faults. Seemingly rooted in the electronic hypnotism of mid-70s Krautrock, but also informed by contemporary techno, the cyclical musical movements of American minimalism, and the cutting-edge experiments of the San Francisco Tape Music Centre, the producer's lengthy epics as are magical as they are mesmerising. Further proof of their majesty arrives via Live Works, a double-pack containing performance recordings of a quartet of catalogue cuts, including one - the gently pulsing, pleasingly atmospherics 'Ravelands Brow' - that has never seen the light of day before. Beguiling and brilliant in equal measure.