Back catalogue: Ambient/Drone

Review: Jessica Ackerley (Honolulu, Hawaii) and Patrick Shiroishi (Los Angeles, California) are both members of the newly announced super-family-group SSWAN (along with trumpeter Chris Williams, drummer Jason Nazary, and bassist Luke Stewart). Both have prolific outputs and work diligently to push the boundaries of their respective instruments and previous musical ideas.

'Across Water' sees Ackerley and Shiroishi contributing their own unique takes on the ambient sound. Jessica contributes 'I Am Here' and 'The Crevices Between My Heart', each following the collection's theme of water while the guitar and synth work on the second composition gives way to visuals of deep-sea life that can only sustain itself away from the hustle and bustle of crowdedness. Similarly, Patrick is no stranger to straddling the fine lines between subtle and overt emotionality. 'Because You Went There' and 'Leaving It All Behind' are his offerings, seemingly looking up to the sky rather than down ay the ocean, infused by the sweet and smoggy California air.

Review: Benoît Pioulard, Hotel Neon and Viul were given the original version of this CD sampler to sell while on a tour of the US's West Coast in Autumn 2022. Past Inside The Present has now secured the rights to issue it themselves on a new CD. The tracks are exclusive contributions from each of the artists and have never been available anywhere before with 'Rasping Descend' by Pioulard, 'The Quiet Road' from Hotel Neon and 'January 18' by Viul. The rest of the tunes that feature on it have all been on vinyl, digital or cassette tape before now so this is the first time they are all together on one CD.

Review: Polar Moon (aka Jonny Radtke) is back with a new album Where Have All The Wolves Gone on Past Inside The Present, a true world to get lost in and that leaves an indelible emotional impression. It's a delightful mix of overlapping piano lines and organic rhythms that range from curious to dread-fulled and are never less than intriguing. Radtke finds real art in crescendo and release throughout this record which ebbs and flows with real intensity. Standout track 'Sky People' has a mellow piano line peppered with pizzicato strings that give the effect of a twinkling star way off in the distance. Sublime.

Review: Daljit Kundi and Ludvig Cimbrelius have Indian and Swedish backgrounds but actually came together in the UK music scene and specifically ambient jungle. They set off to explore that world totters and did so with aplomb across several great albums and EPs. This new album was actually nearly done many years ago but was shelved owing to struggles with record labels. When Past Inside The Present heard it though they encouraged the album to be finished and so here it is. It's an emotional work which "attempts to represent a psychic darkness that is as deeply restful as it is ripe with creative potential." It's absorbing, beautiful ambient from a pair of real dons.