Studia Spiritual

Given the atmospheric, hallucinatory and pleasingly otherworldly nature of Vasily Stepanov and Vlad Dobrovolski's work as S A D - which so far has resulted in a handful of limited LPs and ultra-limited cassettes - it's little surprise to see the pair pop up on 12th Isle with an album of solo tracks (some credited to alternative aliases) and collaborations. Musically, what's on offer draws much from the kosmiche world of 1970s Krautrock, dub, the intergalactic end of ambient and John Hassell's 'fourth world' music, but also doffs a cap towards music concrete, mystical percussion music and experimental electronica. It's inventive, enjoyable, odd and utterly brilliant. It's well worth checking.