K7 Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Tom Middleton and Mark Pritchard created a landmark of ambient music when they released 76:14 back in the 90s. Their Global Communication project was never just about ambient though, and it also coursed through deep house and more besides. In the spirit of progress, Middleton has returned to thinking about the project from a contemporary perspective, stepping forth as GCOM with the epic scope of E2 XO. From stirring orchestral suites to high octane DSP, it's an expansive listening experience that shows Middleton pushing himself into new terrain in the studio. Whether you tie it back to the prior material or not, it's a towering piece of work from an elder statesman of UK electronica.

Review: Austrian duo Tosca aka Richard Dorfmeister and schoolmate Rupert Huber, are synonymous with downtempo and ambient and have been for over two decades. It's exactly 20 years in fact since their third album, Dehli9, dropped 2003 and offered two quite different sounds. The first half of the record is what you might call traditional downtempo, the second a more sparse affair defined mostly by plaintive, evocative piano pieces based on '12 easy to play piano pieces' by Rupert Huber. It's a sombre but alluring listen in which the space between the minimal notes really comes alive.