THE AMBIENTIST Schallplatten & CDs

Review: It's a common misconception that ambient can't be loud or make itself known. This couldn't be further from the truth, with some of the canon's most special moments coming when the beats drop and the overall atmosphere is a strange kind of expanded intensity - a sense of build without blatant intent or obvious destination.

The relatively short, but impeccably sweet Reality Used To Be A Friend Of Mine back catalogue is very much proof of this. One of a string of re-releases from the stable, here The Ambientist presents six tracks that veer from the opiate beats of '1', to the proto-jungle-tech of the deeply atmospheric '6', calling at loose Balearic rhythms, beautiful drones and crystalline acid house. Whatever you take from all that, don't forget to take it with you.

Review: Back in 2017, mystery producer The Ambientist offered up two thrillingly retro-futurist EPs that effortlessly joined the dots between ambient, IDM, proto-jungle, ambient techno and dream house. Here, he or she offers up a selection of reworks of tracks from those now sought-after EPs. A-side "10 (Calming Rain For Deep Sleep Edit)" is wonderful: a slow-burn, deep ambient techno number rich in ghostly chords and hushed spoken word samples that reminded us of Biosphere's early work. Over on the flip, label stalwart Rising Sun re-imagines "4 (A Sign Of True Friendship Mix)" as a soul-flecked slab of gently pulsing breakbeat house that's deeper than a Scottish loch and twice as picturesque. "Bonus", a two-minute shuffle through hazy, breakbeat-fired deep house grooves, is also solid.