Category: Ambient

Open – Dam Swindle

I think I’ve identified a trend of dance-music duos releasing soulful, electronic albums this Summer. Well, I can name two. Dam Swindle have added their names to the list alongside Chaos in the CBD, with the release of their third full-length album, Open.

I’m a big fan of almost everything Dam Swindle put out (see here, and here). And that’s no different for their new album, Open. But that’s not to say that it is more of the same from the Dutch duo. This album is wide-ranging and exploratory, with touches of synth-wave, ambient and soul. Chuck it on and play it front-to-back. You won’t regret it, I promise.

Bonus album: here is that Chaos in the CBD record I mentioned

Please Keep Shimmering – Tom VR

Since I came across this album today I’ve had it on repeat. It was released in 2021 on Seb Wildblood’s All My Thoughts imprint, and the music shares a lot stylistically with his releases. You’d also be forgiven for at times mistaking it for Four Tet or Jacques Greene. Which is all really to say that it is pretty lush.

The world of Please Keep Shimmering is heavily textured, flitting between organic ambient soundscapes and tracks that are more recognisable as house. In the words of RA, it “flutters and glistens”. He also introduces subtle IDM influences in a really cute way that never overpowers the deep groove. The album is a rich, contemplative, work of art. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have. Please keep shimmering.

My Noise is Nothing – Lord of the Isles

This is a really special album. My Noise is Nothing is the second collaboration between poet and spoken word performer Ellen Renton, and producer Lord of the Isles. You can read my thoughts on their first release Whities 029 from 2020 here.

For this release they have re-located their unique alchemy. Lord of the Isles creates a set of beguiling, luscious soundscapes – over these Ellen Renton delivers her thought-provoking, evocative, yearnful verse. The music and her voice intertwine with a harmonic give-and-take that is hard to describe. The result is the kind of album you can play again and again.

If you are lucky, you may be able to grab a ticket to see them perform live. They touch down in London at Kings Place on 21st March.

Manifest Bliss – United Freedom Collective

With the sun out as it is today, there’s a lot to like about this record.

Manifest Bliss is the debut single from United Freedom Collective, a new project from Mathieu Seynaeve, WaiFung Tsang and producer Robbie Redway. They say their music draws on the clinical work of Seynaeve and Tsang while also taking influence from worlds of Zen Taoism, Chinese plant medicines, and worldwide healing traditions. Lofty goals, but it really does come through, in a Bonobo and Maribou State kind of style. Enjoy!

Signals – Marconi Union

Marconi Union will probably forever be known as the guys that produced the album that was found to create a 65% reduction in anxiety, and a 35% reduction in physiological resting rates, aka the most relaxing album ever.

Given that reputation, I was surprised to find that I was not just enjoying, but really getting into their latest release, Signals.

The style is closer to modern jazz than ambient. Driven by rhythm (and not the subs that you would normally expect) it almost feels like the kind of release you would expect on Gondwana. Despite its moody energy, the album is also great for relaxation.

Bonus album: here is Weightless, the album I described up top. I challenge you to put this on and not fall asleep.

Whities 029 – Lord of the Isles

It is so hard to do spoken word over music without it sounding forced. For me, producers who dabble in the genre tend to turn out tunes that disappoint (recent examples include Wayward and Tom Demac). So it is always a bit of surprise when I come across one that I love.

Maybe it is because I am a sucker for an accent, but I can’t get enough of this all-Scottish partnership: producer Lord of the Isles, and poet Ellen Renton.

The highlight is Inheritance, but the EP delivers a beautiful ambient soundscape throughout.