Diametric Germany Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Norwegian producer Helge Tommervag is something of a veteran when it comes to atmospheric ambience, having released his debut album way back in 1996. Since then, he's shifted between clandestine IDM, droning electronica and distinctive ambience. Monolog, his latest full-length, explores the possibilities of dubbed-out atmospherics. While most tracks offer little more than deep, discordant sound effects, electrical glitches and a whisper of melody, Tommervag somehow manages to instil the resultant calming experiments with more than a hint of emotion. As a result, it's a surprisingly expressive set, despite the sparsity of elements.

Review: Those with a passion for left-of-centre electronic music - particularly cutting edge drone and ambient - should already known Ian Martin, who has previously released on Bunker and Further Records. Opfer is a new project for the Dutch producer, alongside Belgian artist Sebastien Crusener. The latter provided a wealth of curious field recordings, which Martin then moulded into dark, claustrophobic and unsettling ambient pieces with the addition of his own trademark electronics. The result is a set that's variously bleak, unearthly and strangely beguiling, with little room for sentiment or structure. Monument is, then, an impressive set, but not for the faint hearted.