Tags: Ambient Techno

Review: Originally pressed in 1997 on Manchester's Pleasure Records, this reissue of James Zeiter's 'Spacer IV' EP marks a detour from his dub-techno calling card into richer house-rooted terrain. A pivotal figure with deep ties to trance, ambient and the deeper ends of techno, Zeiter's work here sheds the fog of his more monolithic material, turning instead to emotional clarity and rhythmic warmth. 'Sirocco' is the opener and the standoutia halcyon blend of dubbed-out breaks and airy pads that drift and glimmer above a slow-motion acid line. 'Mono' edges further into house, with its loopy Detroit swing and sunset-kissed bassline nodding gently to Italian dream house. On the flip, 'Jetson' steps back into more familiar, trance-inflected territory: spacious, hypnotic and driven by crisp, propulsive drums. 'Dust' closes the set with writhing acid lines and spaced-out FX, balancing tension and lift with Zeiter's signature restraint. All four cuts, originally sequenced with just an Akai S950, ESQ-1 and a Novation Bass Station, still sound uniquely vitalimelodic but unshowy, club-focused but never rigid. Slush's remaster preserves the nuance while the full-fat 2x12" format gives these deep cuts the dynamic range they deserve. A stunning archival rescue from a true underground operator.

Review: Belfast's Space Dimension Controller returns with six glistening slow-burners that nod to Warp's early 90s Artificial Intelligence era, while gently messing with the co-ordinates. There's a subtlety in the programming: 'Infinite Image' drifts with a low-lit acid bassline and glassy synth layers, while 'Variation Five' hints at the woozy futurism of B12 or Spacetime Continuum. 'The Mirror Dome' and 'Chemical Glass' are deeper stillibuilt less for peak-time than post-club recalibration, hovering somewhere between ambient techno and dream-sequence electro. Even the percussive flickers of 'Reflect Itself' feel fluid, while closer 'Island Eye' stretches out like mist. Not nostalgic, not entirely newijust rich, soft-focus electronics executed with typical finesse.

Review: Dutch label Amazing! has been hard at work on a pretty sizeable project that now finally sees the light of day. Music For The Radical Xenomaniac: Hedonistic Highlights From The Lowlands 1990-1999 is a three-part series with each one offering up four sides of lush post-rave electronics that dips into influences from techno, electro, progressive, dance, pop and downtempo. Plenty of these artists are new names to us but the music is quality - from the lush deep house of The Connection Machine's opener 'Echoes From Tau Ceti' to the slick and emotive tech of 2000 & One's closing cut 'Crystal.'