Tags: Ambient Techno

Review: Kosmogonik offers up a top debut album here packed with fresh ambient, techno, house and electronic deepness. Polyverse has nine exploratory cuts that take you on a real trip through the cosmos, right from the suspensory opening chords of the prelude. After that come the lean and elegant Detroit techno lines of 'Oscillating Grids' and the far-sighted cosmic bliss of 'Orion'. 'New Ground Galactica' is about as delightful and wondrous as electro gets and lovers of breakbeats will find plenty to get excited about on 'Astronomicon' with its smeared chords and colour alien details. A gorgeous album of well-crafted electronic escapism.

Review: Sansibar aka Sunny Seppa is fast becoming a large name in underground techno and house. Now, he has opened up his new label called Sin Sistema with the first release titled 'We Rise'. The title track is a pure crusher! This fast-paced corker features a wicked acid line and a beautiful lingering melody that creates an almost acid trance stormer. Things change up quickly with the slow acid wiggle of 'Elastic' that has us comparing it to legendary slow acid tracks like from Jammin Unit. For the second side, 'Sonic Minds' might just be the floor filler of the lot while '2K' is the dancefloor workout monster for the house heads. If 'We Rise' is any indication, Sin Sistema will be a label to buy on the spot.

Review: Darren Nye has been devoted to deep machine-dreaming techno since the 90s, but he's hit a particularly productive run in the last four years. We've been gifted scores of albums on Childhood Intelligence, Exalt Records and now Elusive Intelligence, with Voyage Of Light representing the latest transmission from an artist brimming with inspiration. Nye takes his cues from the likes of B12, Kirk Degiorgio and Stasis, crafting a classically-crafted strain of techno which suits headphones as much as dancefloors. Across nine tracks Nye weaves a spectrum of sci-fi tales with the textbook tools - warm, expressive synth lines and crisp, intricate drum machine patterns. If you dig that sound, you're going to love this album.

Review: This stunning selection of ambient house cuts from the new one-off outlet My Dear brings together both the Goliaths and Davids of a heartfelt local music scene. Named after the party series held in the Gewolbe club in Cologne, the V/A celebrates its best exclusives heard both within the club and elsewhere on the transnational dancefloor. The likes of Rising Sun, DJ Koze and Robag Whrume are interspersed with closer-to-the-ground names like Proskauer Slide, Pom Pom and Wassermann and all tracks are specially selected for their dreamy, soft quality. Perfect for heartbreaks (and makes) on a clandestine floor.

Review: Bristol's cultured Innate label is back with a first outing of the year and it returns to their various artists format with a mix of talents all making their mark. UK veteran Tom Churchill opens up with 'Unknown Unknowns (Edit)', which brings plenty of fuzzy and lo-fi aesthetic to jacked up drums and spaced-out pads. Rai Scott then shows her class with 'Suasion' that sinks down deep into immersive drums and is subtly lit up with simmering strings. Innate co-founders Owain K and Gilbert then hook-up under their brand new alias Curved Space and showcase their love of electro with 'Reverie,' a dreamy cut that glows with nice celestial melodies and will have dance floors in a zoned-out state. Last of all it's Lisbon mainstay Jorge Caiado who debuts with the chord-laced 'Floating Without Lifting,' a sophisticated and serene jazz-techno cut that takes you to the stars.