AMBIENT/TRANCE/TECHNO, etc:
AES DANA: Season 5 CD£14.99<"body vlink=0000FF">Order now at CD Services

On the same label as the excellent Solar Fields CD's, this is, like those, a completely brilliant album of luxurious, strong, flowing ambient music in the classic early-mid '90's usage of the term, with plenty of nods to the early pioneers such as Banco De Gaia, Eat Static, Astralasia and more. Across ten tracks from 5 to nearly 9 minutes long, you'll find an ocean of chunky electronic and electro-percussive beats and sequenced rhythms, over which the synth melodies, soundscapes, layers and effects, glide and cruise. Much of the rhythmic content is strident while at the same time possessing a definite ambient feel, as the melodies and harmonics ride the waves, Despite the rhythmic content it all has a very spacey atmosphere, a lot like the early Planet Dog label bands used to possess, and to hear music of this quality and freshness, derived from the ambient giants of the past, is both refreshing and immensely pleasurable. A strong, confident and well arranged/composed/played album that I would unhesitatingly recommend.

ASURA: Lost Eden CD£14.99<"body vlink=0000FF">Order now at CD Services

Ah yes - you can always trust someone to put out an album with power, bite, passion and strength when all around you is slow-moving and languid - and this is the album to make me sit up, take notice and think -"yes - now THIS is good!!" From start to finish, it's got an attack and a cohesion that, even in the non-rhythmic passages, is just right there in your face. Starting with two minutes of space music magic as deep bass, strings, soaring Moroccan-styled tunes ring out and the whole sea of synths rises up and a sampled vocal gives an eerie feel as the river of electronic dreams fades, then it's into the near 6 minute title track that starts with cascading synth rhythms, more bass and string synths, deep and powerful, again rising up to celestial heaven before a huge-sounding, mid-paced chunky electro-percussive rhythm smashes in and the vocals soar on a glorious slice of Deep Forest-esque muscle, only here way more atmospheric, less commercial and a good deal more powerful with throbbing sequencers, miles of synth surrounds and more - superb. 'From The Abyss' slows things down into multi-layered electronic ambient dub heaven as plenty of soundscapes, rhythms and melodies are slowly added to the mix to create a seriously deep feel to it all. 'Raindust' is a song with a great sampled female vocal and some wondrous chunky, huge-sounding slow grooves, plus a string synth line half way through that is to die for, as the whole thing rolls along leaving you in absolute ecstacy - just fantastic. 'Land Of Freedom' goes back to melody, rhythm and atmosphere, only here the melody reigns supreme as this piano-like lead rises on top of the sampled choirs, sequencers, African-sounding electronic drums, string synths and more, the track gathering pace and textures as it goes, the result being both strong yet beautiful. 'Farenheit' at 4 minutes is a rolling slice of powerful ambient-trance with muscular rhythms, spiralling synths, high-flying melodies and enough structured force to have you leaping about the place without hesitation, but still with space and melody firmly in evidence. The final four tracks on the album, bar one, are over 7 minutes long and are simply divine, masterworks of starting slow, building up layer upon layer of synths, strings, bass, chunky beats and more to provide a trilogy of ambient tracks that will just blow you away with their mix of magic, muscle and mesmerising beauty. All in all, an amazingly fine album.

BALLIGOMINGO: Beneath The Surface CD£14.99<"body vlink=0000FF">Order now at CD Services

If you've heard any of the last three albums by Delerium or the equally spectacular Conjure One album, you'll know exactly what to expect out of this - eleven tracks of rich, deep. strong and solid, full-sounding downtempo music and gloriously celestial female vocals, all delivering songs with high-flying feel, powerful passion and an air of magical mystery. The production is expansive, the arrangements equally so, and track after track is a veritable triumph of soaring song-writing, electro-classical exoticism, horizon-stretching music, deep feeling vocals and chilled-out bliss. A gorgeous album but one with solid foundations.

CHILDREN OF DUB: Evolution 1995-2001 CD£12.99<"body vlink=0000FF">Order now at CD Services

Interesting way of putting what is essentially a looking back type of album, especially from a band whose music is not what you think - there's hardly a dubby moment in sight here. Mostly we're setting the controls for trance central and it's not the relentless journey you might be anticipating. Despite (or because of depending on your point of view) the solid percussive beats at the heart of many tracks (with a wide variation in rhythmic styles and paces it has to be said), the album positively glows with melody, atmosphere and crisp sequencer lines, so you are as much floating on the dance-floor as gyrating, although the first three tracks will have you leaping about the place yet with music that is so mulit-layered it's untrue, but those rhythms - OH those rhythms. Nearly all the tracks are remixes and clearly benefit from this as I don't remember the originals sounding this satisfying. To add to the flavour, track 6 goes drum 'n' bass, while track seven really is more dub-wise, whereas track eight is a magnificent piece that is like a trance version of Astralasia's 'Alloo' complete with sparkling sequenced rhythms, synth cascades and string synths. Track nine is more ambient while track ten is altogether darker trance with a decidedly ethnic Moroccan heart, more Banco than Astralasia. Track eleven is more dubby but also more urgent, a factor that makes this one superb composition with its layers and effects on top of the chugging polyrhythms. Finally, to take you out on a wave of pleasure and surprise the hell out of you, the last track is pure ambient with plenty of synth layers and just a hint of sparkling synth cascade masquerading as rhythm, a splendidly chilled-out finale

DOPEKICK: Something A Little Different CDR£8.99<"body vlink=0000FF">Order now at CD Services

They're not kidding!!! For a band whose previous work featured a wealth of wickedly crunchy beats and rhythms, this comes almost as a shock - but in reality a pleasant surprise, as they've essentially produced an album of largely rhythm-free, multi-layered, late-night spacey electronic music. There are twelve tracks across 30 minutes of music and throughout there's this sense of darkness but it's not bleak, as layers of electronics, synths and samples, conjure images of eerie nights by the sea, dark towers on treeless plains and late-night musing under a deep dark sky. The synths and electronic are varied, kept deceptively minimal but sound so layered and expansive, the atmosphere dark yet warm, the feel one of foreboding yet safety, and occasionally, when the odd percussive rhythm is introduced, more thunderous and even darker,. There's a lot going on here and you feel like you've listened to a lot more than thirty minutes, by the time you reach the end, with the tracks so hypnotic that you genuinely have something you'll want to play and experience many times over. It has a certain addictive quality to its sound, texture and construction, and yet is different enough to make it so much more than "just another cosmic music album". Highly recommended.

HYPNOTICA: Electro Beach CDR£9.99<"body vlink=0000FF">Order now at CD Services

Yes - I can see what he's getting at here - his website contains the line "hypnotic beats" - and this plus the project name, gives a clear indication where the core of this music lies, and that is in the rhythm department. This CD is over 72 minutes long, with thirteen tracks, and there is no way you can do a track-by-track appraisal - you'd be here all day. Safe to say, it falls squarely in the land of the techno-beats, with hard and fast, even hard and slower, electro-percussive beats and rhythms that are generally way up front in the mix, acting almost as an alternative lead to the actual melodic passages that fly on top. Every track is pretty well built on a lone of foundation rhythms, multi-tracked beats, with al manner of synths-played tunes and effects darting around, soaring on top of or simply flying alongside the core rhythmic heart of the compositions. The guy certainly knows how to arrange the pieces, with track 12 having a really solid, almost industrial feel to it, while something like track 6 possessing a much lighter, airy, summery feel to it, as it starts with soaring synths then eventually adds a bouncy but solid set of electro-percussive beats, sequencer-like synths and conveys an almost melodic acid-trance style to the piece. The ghost of acid-trance is felt and seen in many places along the way, but without ever really taking off in the way that particular style tends to go. Some of the bass rhythms are just sublime - witness the floor-pounding intro to track seven as an example of this - while a few of the more percussive beats do occasionally tend to sound like a Woolworths drum machine, but thankfully rarely. As an example of melodic trance/techno-blissful beats, chilled-out ambience and uptempo tunes, it has a lot going for it, although whether it's going to rise above others in the genre, only time will tell. But for now, I think the melodies carry it well across an audience of meaty beaty techno-tribes and set-in-their-ways synth seekers. The more you play it, the more addictive it becomes - hence the name, I guess. Worth a shot!!!

KIN ZA ZA: Number One In Shambala CD£14.99<"body vlink=0000FF">Order now at CD Services

One of those albums whose mix of soaring, solo and multi-tracked, celestial and heavenly female vocal allied to synths, guitars, chunky electro-ambient, chilled-out grooves and pseudo-classical strings, strays across several musical spectrums, stopping in at ambient, synth, light-classical, downtempo rhythms and celestial charm, at various points along the way. The songs are all extremely atmospheric, sometimes reminiscent of a cosmic Judie Tzuke, while the backdrops and carefully constructed musical soundscapes enhance the strength of the songs, with layer upon layer of synths, beats and rich instrumental textures. The songs last around the four minute mark on average, but there are so many delights on every track, you seem to get so much more out of it with every play and it will almost certainly endear itself to you right from the start, as well as having many riches to offer from its sumptuous sounds.

MELISMA: Slip CDR£7.99<"body vlink=0000FF">Order now at CD Services

28 minutes of blissful beats and chilled-out grooves as some gorgeously relaxed yet substantial ambience rolls by across 8 superb downtempo tracks. There's a lazy, almost summery feel to the tracks as slow-motion chunky electro-percussive beats and rhythms glide along, surrounded by layers of deep dirty bass, effects, samples, electronics and a sultry female vocal that puts the icing on the cake. Yet there's so much, at the same time, going on in the mix, and the arrangements travel down many different little paths, often within a song, so that at no time does anything stand still or repeat itself. There's a smoky, jazzy feel to some of the tracks while at the same time a sense of musical exploration also, and the way they produce some of the most wickedly blissful bass lines within the ambient dub tracks is a wonder to behold. One track ups the tempo into more drum 'n' bass territory but it's superbly both done and in context, perfectly placed in the album. But overall, this is flowing, hazy, chilled-out jazzy ambience with dub-wise rhythms and it's just a treat on the ears from start to finish.

ORB: Bicycles & Tricycles CD£12.99<"body vlink=0000FF">Order now at CD Services

First new studio album in ages and it's a gem. You have twelve tracks in 63 minutes and right from the dubby depths of the opener, you're hearing a strong set of downtempo chunkiness, with wicked, stomach-rumbling bass, samples to give atmosphere, some superb drum rhythms and this trumpet signiature that lends an air of melancholy to the heady rhythmic brew all around - a great start. 'Aftermath' is a superb piece of twisted dub-rap with a voice that sounds like '80's Ya Kid K intoning this brief rap segment over stuttering drum samples, echoed expansive electric piano chords, more disembowelling bass and strings that stretch from horizon to horizon, more textures than you can shake a stick at - rap for those that don't like it - very hypnotic. 'The Land Of Green Ginger' is another incredibly busy sounding slice of chunky, solid, downtempo ambience with more of the right ingredients and this time more samples, a brief narrated male vocal that sounds more like a sample, and still this addictive river of rhythms that has run so successfully through the tracks as a whole. 'Hell's Kitchen' is just one storming monster of ambient heaven with thunderous rhythms, high-flying strings, echoed synths, flowing organ, deep bass - the works, in fact, and one incredibly powerful track. 'Gee Strings' is more like old-style Orb with a feel decidedly that of 'Perpetual Dawn' and another gem. 'Prime Evil' is a toe-curler of dark ambient downtempo magic, with narrated voice in horror story mode, around which all manner of synth melodies, chunky rhythms, huge throbbing bass and more, all revolve to excellent effect - and at this point you're only half way through. Every single one of what follows is up to the standards of what I've so far described, so cat aside your preconceptions, dip your toe in the water and try and album that really is a return to form.

PSYCHETROPIC: Heat CD£14.99<"body vlink=0000FF">Order now at CD Services

The new project from Todd Fletcher sees him straying decidedly into early Fax-label style Namlook, with ten tracks and 53 minutes of music that could well have been excerpts from any number of Namlook's solo works. There's that mix of ambient rhythms, spacey passages, synth clouds passing over, sequenced rhythms over an arrangement of textures, layers and melodies that provide the main musical foreground, a mix that is here presented as a more "accessible" brew, in that the soundscapes and rhythms are remarkably engaging, but the lack of really long tracks means that you only get glimpses into the worlds being created, good worlds - don't get me wrong- but somehow leaving you wanting more for all the wrong reasons. That said, if you like the idea of soothing, beaty (not too beaty) melodic ambience as the Fax maestro started it, in easily digestible chunks, then you could do worse than try this out.

V/A: Em:t 0003 CD£14.99<"body vlink=0000FF">Order now at CD Services

No - your eyes are not deceiving you - it really is a new album on the, now-legendary, Em:t label, that just disappeared all of a sudden all those years ago, right at the height of its success. Now, back once more with the same styled packaging, this a fresh collection of all-exclusive tracks from the likes of Radium 88, Beatsystem, Brannan Lane, International Peoples Gang, Andy Hughes, Mia and more. The surprising thing for me is its consistency, with nothing less than a riveting track throughout. Sure, there are things that still have a certain "eclecticism" about them, but it wouldn't be "Em:t" if it didn't. From celestial, flowing space/cosmic synths through melodic ambient dub with a highly celestial flavour and weaving moog-like synths to more uptempo tracks, there is a feel of warmth and passion, a flow, that is the heart and soul of all the music created on here. The 8 minute Beatsystem track is a fine example of this, throwing in a good many synths, strings, chunky beats and samples, sometimes the mix so serene, sometimes a little more "edgy" but always hypnotic as it all unfolds - superb stuff and something that sums this up. The next couple of tracks stay in a more spacey and spacious, full-sounding vein of ambient discovery, while the 5 minute Chushen & Cugin track is an altogether beatier affair, with twinkling synth melodies, phased electronic drifts and wickedly chunky but laid-back electro-percussive rhythms. With plenty more to go at of equal quality, this is a 100% return to form, one that will delight existing fans and be a great place to start for those who've never dipped their toes into the warm waters before now.

V/A: Four A.D. CD£14.99<"body vlink=0000FF">Order now at CD Services

Wow - has it really been seven years since the last one - and probably about ten since the first one. By which I mean the series, that started in the UK with the "Planet Dog" compilations, featuring the leading lights in the world of ambient dub, with all-exclusive tracks. You get the likes of Alien Eye/Optic Eye main-man Jake Stephenson book-ending the album in two new disguises, while our old friends GOL reappear half way. With other tracks from the likes of Solaroid, Razoof, Asura, Soma Sonic & more, this is a vari-paced ride through worlds of ambient dub that is full of insistent, strong, toe-tapping chunky rhythms, reggae-fied bass-lines with strength, depth and resonance, and all around a myriad melodies of echoed beats and rhythms, spiralling strings and synths, samples, plus a feel running from start to finish that hooks you in to its dubby electronic delights. A perfect and enjoyable addition to the series.

ZERO ONE: Psy-Fi CD£14.99<"body vlink=0000FF">Order now at CD Services

Essentially it's one of those cross-genre mixes of ambient and synth that captures you from your head through your heart and down to your feet. The rhythms and, to a degree, the feel of it is definitely ambient dub, but above that there are layers of melodies allied to those beautifully celestial, deep, rich-sounding cosmic strings that are heard in the distance. Using all manner of lazy rhythms from strong electro-percussive beats through hazy backdrops to chunky sequencers, it's all performed with a kind of languid quality to it, so that while it travels, it stays at a speed that allows you to enjoy the scenery at the same time. It's also highly melodic - nothing here to challenge you - as track after track of sunny, expansive ambient-flavoured synth, slowly evolves and reveals its multi-layered facets.