Back catalogue: Modern Classical

Review: This EP is the first collaborative work by Andrea Belfi and Jules Reidy. Berlin-based and hailing from Italy and Australia respectively, the duo blends compositional precision with improvisational freedom. During a residency at Berlin's Callie's-a 19th-century factory turned arts space-they and engineer Marco Anulli crafted four expansive tracks in which Belfi's masterful drumming interlaces with Reidy's shimmering guitars and electronic textures. The opener layers just-intoned guitar figures over delicate brushwork and climaxes with a synthetic surge and tracks like 'Oben' and 'Alto' explore shifting grooves, propulsive rhythms and dynamic soundscapes.

Review: Matti Bye is Between Darkness & White Snow on this deeply absorbing new 12" on Northern Electronics. It comes as four separate pieces that all play out as part of a larger narrative. First up is 'I', a quiet, gloomy landscape on a grey winter's day with the gentle sound of flowing water and muted synth modulations placing you right in the middle of it. 'II' has more presence, a growing sense of melancholy and unease and 'III' allows a little heavenly light into the mix to gently uplift. The final chapter has a feeling of hope with subtle keys radiating from deep inside.

Review: Hardanger is a collaboration between Mariska Baars, Niki Jansen and Rutger Zuydervelt. Named after Jansen's Hardanger fiddle, the album expands on Baars and Zuydervelt's established chemistry after beginning as Jansen's improvisations with Baars adding vocals and guitar, all later shaped by Zuydervelt into two long-form tracks-one an electro-acoustic collage, the other more meditative. Baars blends ambient and folk and is known for collaborating with artists like Peter Broderick, while Jansen is a folk violinist and Zuydervel's prolific output as Machinefabriek is well worth checking as are his film scores and collabs as Piiptsjilling and Fean with Baars.

Review: After a six-year hiatus, acclaimed pianist Zhu Xiao-Mei returns with a personal and truly masterful recording of J.S. Bach's English Suites which completes her journey through Bach's piano works. This release marks a milestone in her extraordinary career and reflects years of preparation and a deep, daily relationship with Bach's music. Zhu Xiao-Mei's interpretation reveals the suites' rich subtleties and timeless essence, all of which are shaped by her dedication to living closely with each piece. Despite pandemic challenges and a meticulous search for the perfect piano, this recording captures her authenticity and the wonderfully contemplative nature of Bach's music.

Review: When a Yeti is killed by a group of Sherpa, a bunch of university scientists travel out to Nepal in the hope of discovering where the creature came from. There, they team up with a rough and ready tracker, and head out from a remote village into the great white wilderness beyond. Avalanches, prehistoric species, and ancient hominids and alien reptiles all follow as the plot thickens and freezes. If you didn't catch The Primevals when it first arrived on screens, we implore you to watch the 2023 animated sci-fi action romp. Stop motion animator David Allen co-wrote and directed it, spending more than 50 years on the development which sadly completed after he died. It's a family friendly epic that looks gorgeous and plays out compellingly, thanks in no small part to the Richard Bland soundtrack. An homage to the great adventure epics that once defined cinema, the score is classic cinematic stuff, a classical overture of bombastic chase sequences, serene harmonies and pin-drop tension.

Review: Contemporary classical seems to be having a bit of a moment in the sun right now as it breaks out of its traditional confines and makes a mark on the wider world. Bartellow, who is one-third of the Tambien project and also goes by the name Beni Brachtel in the classical scene, is back on ESP Institute with a second full-length. Noosphere brings together parts of some of his theatrical scores for WUT, Odipus and Antigone and Der Zauberberg amongst others. It takes in cues from Baroque and Impressionism with plenty of sweeping drama and moments of intense emotionality across four sides of sound.

Review: Musician, writer and sometime member of Kraftwerk Karl Bartos wrote The Cabinet Of Dr Caligari as a tribute to the iconic 1920 silent horror film whose original music score had long been lost. Through electronic compositions, Bartos skilfully captures the eerie atmosphere and psychological depth of the movie, enhancing its haunting narrative with his sonic reinterpretation. The album immerses listeners in a world of suspense and mystery, blending ominous synth melodies with pulsating rhythms and cinematic soundscapes. Bartos' masterful fusion of retro-futuristic aesthetics and contemporary electronic music was made after he dug deep into his own archives to recreate epics he wrote as a young classical musician and offers an all-new perspective on the original soundtrack.

Review: The Disintegration Loops man William Basinski has linked up with acclaimed experimental composer Janek Schaefer for this new collaborative record on Temporary Residence Limited. What they cook up is a suite of very unassuming songs that are all dedicated to the late and great avant-garde composer Harold Budd. The record was eight years in the making and is as timeless as ambient gets with 42 minutes of gently undulating sonic terrain gently and quietly detailed with subtle skill and placid melodies. It is as beautiful as it is absorbing once you really give yourself over to the sounds.

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: James William Blades' score Pare De Sufrir comes via AD 93 and serves as the official soundtrack to A.G. Rojas' film of the same name. Known for directing music videos for artists like Jamie xx and Mitski, Spanish-born, California-raised filmmaker Rojas crafted his first independent film and it's a quiet, 48-minute meditation on grief and healing. Blades' composition captures Rojas' vision without ever having watched the film and he does a fine job of creating an evocative, operatic soundscape of orchestral and choral elements. Drawing from shared personal narratives, Blades layers field recordings, strings and voices that mirror the unspoken, fragile nature of loss and renewal into an intriguing long player.

Review: After a small 2022 self-release, experimental guitarist Guy Blakeslee's therapeutic and musico-psychonautic journey is re-released here by Leaving Records in their "all genre" series. The album serves as a balm, offering a refreshing sense of space, calm and possibility like a breath of fresh air on a stifling day. It also chronicles a musician's quest for meaning and healing in the aftermath of personal and collective upheaval that captures an emotional journey with transformative resonance. Extravision is a deeply reflective work that invites listeners to explore its meditative landscapes and experience its profound sense of hope and renewal.

Review: Blue Chemise's debut LP, Influence On Dusk, re-emerges after its original 2017 release of only 105 copies as this vital reissue. BAADM makes the sought-after album widely available with remastered sound by Christophe Albertijn and updated artwork that stays true to the artist's vision. Influence On Dusk is a unique cycle of fourteen electroacoustic compositions that are mysterious, sometimes haunting, and always filled with a gentle melancholy. This reissue marks Australian artist Mark Gomes' second release on BAADM following the more romantic Flower Studies in 2021 and is one that captures his evocative, introspective style in a new light.

Review: Munich-based classical guitarist and composer Jonathan Bockelmann made his mark in 2023 with his debut album Childish Mind. His journey into composition began with arrangements of pieces by Japanese maestro Ryuichi Sakamoto. These arrangements, which have previously been released digitally in three editions, are now available on vinyl for the first time. The record, presented in premium packaging with an embossed art print, showcases Sakamoto's diverse repertoire. It includes both lesser-known works like Suite for Krug and iconic masterpieces such as Bibo No Aozora. This release beautifully celebrates the timeless artistry of Sakamoto as reimagined through Bockelmann's exquisite guitar interpretations.

Review: When it comes to classical and orchestral worlds things often look painfully whitewashed and very male dominated, at least in so far as conduction goes. Talk about understatements. Enter Jongnic Bontemps, one name on a growing list of incredible talent changing that stereotype up for the better. Schooled in church and jam music, formally educated in classical, to date he has been responsible for no less than 50 significant projects spanning video games, cinema, TV series, shorts and documentary films. His contribution to Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is emblematic of his dexterity, a collection that shifts between bombastic and high tech, machines supporting brass and string crescendos, then quiet, patient, and at times tense work, marking him out as a true musical storyteller extraordinaire.

Review: Den Helder is the northernmost city in Holland, is surrounded by water and borders the North Sea. With a military history dating back to the 16th century, it is also the most bombed city in the Netherlands and was nearly destroyed during World War II. The Third of May was written and recorded in 2020 over six days in an old pumping station located in the dunes of Huisduinen near Den Helder. The story behind the album is set in this historic city, weaving its tumultuous past into a vivid, imagined narrative inspired by the area's rich and tragic history. It's as much of an emotional rollercoaster as you would expect given the concept.

Review: Celebrated English composer Gavin Bryars has his 80th birthday marked by the release of the magnificent In LA, an all-new album on the Alga Marghen label. The album is the result of a collaboration between Bryars and Italian visual artist Massimo Bartolini. It is music played pipe organ bars, suspended from the ceiling at the Luigi Pecci Centre for Contemporary Art in Prato, Italy. It is an experimental concept that results in absorbing ambient works that very much capture the energy, essence and architecture of the spaces. It's a live, living, real time adventure full of evocative imagery and sombre moods.

Review: Roger and brother Brian Eno have already assured their legacy as pioneers of experimental ambient music. Mixing Colours was their first album on Deutsche Grammophon and this reissue reminds us why the par are so well known for revolutionising music-Brian through innovative pop treatments and Roger with ambient synth/piano works. This collaboration reflects their shared genius and guides you through rich soundscapes blending mood and place into immersive auditory experiences. Crafted over several years, this poetic collection highlights the brothers' mastery and is a deep dive into ambient sound.

Review: Meg Mulhearn and Belly Full of Stars come together for this split release on which the former takes care of the first four tunes and the latter the other five. For her part, Mulhearn harnesses the power of fire and ice, sunshine and torrential rain in tracks that are occasionally gentle and sometimes harsh. The textures are fuzzy and grainy but synths and strings bring light and hope. Kim Rueger's Belly Full of Stars alias finds her going deep into subterranean worlds of cavernous sound detailed with the finest of wispy melodies on' Ebon Flow' while 'Perihelia' has a more organic and summery feel desire being so pressurised and tense. These are enchanting sounds for sure.

Review: eve is the debut collaboration between Past Inside the Present label head zake and Benoît Pioulard captures the serene magic of a quiet December night. Spanning four side-length tracks, the album grew from a decade of sound fragments all layered up "like family album photos." zake shaped the sonic base while Pioulard added textures with guitar, voice, dulcimer, melodica and synths. The title track evokes a wintry stillness with low swells and turntable crackles, while 'Frost' drifts on reverent vocals and shimmering drones. 'Pine' conveys forest mystery and 'Slept' closes with haunting loops and a delicate resolution like snowfall on an open field.