Back catalogue: Classical

Review: Billow Observatory returns to the fully ambient realms of their 2012 debut with a deeply introspective, percussion-free release that drifts through spectral soundscapes. Created by Jason Kolb and Jonas Munk, the duo's transatlantic collaboration has matured across four full-length albums marked by precision and emotional depth. Here, abandoning traditional structure, the album instead looks to harness the power of chance and randomness with shimmering guitar textures that crackle and dissolve like dust in water. It evokes a world slightly out of sync that is brooding, haunting and beautifully immersive while underlining their place as masters of refined, atmospheric ambient music.

Review: This new record from Black Swan evokes a desolate post-collapse world that is detailed with haunting choirs, mangled tapes and distant industrial sounds. The album unfolds like a requiem by pulling beauty from the ruins of a collapsed society. With an hour-long narrative, it shifts between rippling hums and plaintive quivers of old cassettes, slowly revealing a heart that beats beneath the crimson haze. Tracks like 'Overture' and 'Back to Dust' offer cinematic grandeur and mournful exploration, while 'Pseudotruth' and 'New Gods' introduce eerie uncertainty. In the end, the album serves as a haunting meditation on loss, memory and the fragility of civilisation.

Review: An experimental dark folk group from Wurzburg, Germany, Brannten Schnure's 2017 release gets a well-deserved reissue, retaining its distinctive experimental dark folk essence. The duo, Christian Schoppik and Katie Rich, crafts immersive soundscapes where traditional instruments, eerie vocals, and looped, crackling recordings converge. Tracks like 'Das Jungfrauliche Ohr' and 'Die Milchlinse' set the tone, blending atonal elements with haunting, dreamlike atmospheres. 'Die Geschandete Venus' takes a darker, more melancholic turn, with its slow, creeping build. On the B-side, tracks such as 'Der Kleinere Mit Gefleckten Linien Umgebene Papillonsflugel' offer intricate compositions that evoke a surreal, almost cinematic quality. With influences from Nico and Novy Svet, their music pours out and creates a world that's both unsettling and strangely beautiful.

Review: Newly ordained keyboardist Volodja Brodsky, from Estonia, has described his music as an exploration of the transformative power of minimalism, the art form and compositional approach in which he is trained. Brodsky's second LP lacks the contextual elucidations that accompanied the first record that 2024, but we sense that this may be because the career ball is already rolling, and no further explanations may be needed for now. Raindrops is a precipitous record, as Brodsky wrenches piano and vibraphone motifs from romantic scale meanderings we didn't know possible; widescreen voicings and compound intervals help earmark these standout moments. Elsewhere, the mood is downcast, as on 'Fogbound Streets Of Maardu' or 'Raindrops'; the left hand basso is almost always moody in feel, while the right hand always produces tearful and romantic sound.

Review: Tricatel presents a stunning gatefold vinyl release featuring Bertrand Burgalat’s lavish compositions for this series. Known for his sophisticated and genre-blurring approach to music, crafts a score that balances classic revue traditions with a fresh, contemporary sensibility. Marc Fitoussi, having worked with Burgalat on Les Apparences, recognised his ability to create authentic cabaret-style music reminiscent of legendary venues like Paradis Latin and Alcazar while also capturing the energy of modern nightlife. The result is a soundtrack that fluidly moves between vintage theatrical elegance and contemporary dancefloor charm, mirroring the series' exploration of performance and reinvention. The score's connection to the rich tradition of backstage musicals, from 42nd Street to Chorus Line is fully evident. Much like these classics, Ça, c'est Paris! follows a troupe striving to put on a show against all odds. Burgalat’s compositions encapsulate this spirit, infusing his signature harmonic complexity and inventive tonal shifts to bring Fitoussi’s vision to life. His music not only underscores the drama but also breathes new vitality into the time-honored genre.