Review: Few producers in the Nigerian capital, if any, sound like Ibukun Sunday. Marrying West African tones with Western ambient sensibilities and form, on Harmony Balance the juxtaposition between the two is perfectly measured. Not just a nice album title, then. Partly based on the ideas of Swami and Hare Krishna founder A.C. Bhaktivedanta, and particularly his work Bhagavad-Gita (English: As It Is), which focuses on the duality of human nature and existence, according to the notes we have this plays out as a tension between arrogance, envy, and the pursuit of power versus self control, humanity and devotion to others. Less conceptually, the album is just really, really nice, a soothing embrace that sounds mournful, hopeful, optimistic, and reflective all at once.
Review: Alan Myson returns once more as Ital Tek, continuing a not-so-well-cited yet important sound. There's never been much of a name for it, maybe thanks to its appearance in the meting-potty post-dubstep era - but Tek's is a sound of minimal aesthetics and glossy-wonky beats. Other artists might include Kuedo, Lorn or MssingNo (but it's not wave, witch house or purple). Genre-mindedness aside, Timeproof is Myson's fifth album for Planet Mu, following 2020's Outland for a long meander through the fluid timey-wimey nature of time, and how it varies depending on its perceiver(s)' mental states. Beaty sublimers like 'Phantom Pain' and 'One Eye Open' make this a staggering time-dilating journey, one whose appeal, true to its name, will surely last for electronic music fans decades into the future.
A Model Of The Universe (The Theory Of Everything - Suite)
Domestic Pressures
The Orgins Of Time
Forces Of Attraction
Cambridge, 1963
Target (Sicario - Suite)
Desert Music
Melancholia
Review: Before he passed in 2018, the late, great Icelandic composer Johann Johannsson made a series of field recordings at Iceland's Ellidaar power plant which were inspired by the writings of Henry Adams. Those pieces inspired this new suite of music from Daniel Bjarnason and the Iceland Symphony Orchestra which also includes some of Johannsson's scores to Sicario and The Theory of Everything. It is a sublime work that joins the dots between all of Johannsson's work with soft drones, brass tones and chiming harpsichord all coming and going to make for emotional and dramatic tension. A fine reminder of one of the greats who sadly left us too soon.
We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you've provided to them or that they've collected from your use of their services.