Graham Dunning emerges with Quern (Jollies Records) from a period of academic research into sound and self-built instrumentation with a collection that feels both tactile and purposeful.
Reviews
DaFou :: Berlin Transit (Cyclical Dreams)
DaFou’s new release on Buenos Aeros’ Cyclical Dreams arrives under the title Berlin Transit, and the Berlin nod is more than cosmetic—it signals a clear pull toward a Schulzian mode of expression. What unfolds across more than 100 minutes is a sustained act of musical articulation, rooted in a tightly wound compression of intention from the outset.
Gridlock :: Trace (Reissue) (Viasonde)
Gridlock’s Trace returns, and this is a classic industrial IDM release. As a reissue, there’s nothing here that’s reinventing the wheel in regards to production, it was released at a time where this type of sound was innovative and thriving.
Bearclaw :: re[Ø]load EP (Clean Error)
re[Ø]load presents a focused study in kinetic fragmentation, balancing technical finesse with a visceral, bodily pull that makes its abstract architecture unexpectedly physical.
The Music Liberation Front Sweden :: Lost Hope Society (Subexotic)
Lost Hope Society doesn’t deal in easy optimism. Instead, it locates hope as a kind of underlying signal—constant, even when masked by noise. Like Midsommar, it uses brightness to reveal shadow, and in doing so, turns discomfort into clarity.
F~M :: Fose (Old Technology) — [concise]
Two of my favorite sonic sculptors converge as F~M, alias of Roel Funcken and Jeroen Bax (aka exm), shaping Fose into four extended chapters that warp and reassemble rhythmic glitch fragments, threaded with fluid collisions of bass pressure, flickering bleeps, and meticulous sound design.
Poladroïd :: Accelerate EP (Roulette Rekordz / Selvamancer)
Accelerate doesn’t chase nostalgia or novelty in isolation—it integrates both. Poladroïd works within electro’s lineage while actively reconfiguring its edges, balancing discipline with invention. The result is a concise but fully realized statement: technically sharp, atmospherically rich, and rhythmically compelling throughout.
2View — memorysound/Fading Bright & Spectrical/Litchfield (Perceptual Tapes)
Taken together, Fading Bright and Litchfield reveal the emotional and conceptual breadth possible within contemporary ambient music when approached with sincerity and imagination. Both artists resist easy categorization or formulaic structures, choosing instead to create deeply immersive worlds shaped by texture, emotion, and atmosphere.
Vera V Almgren :: I Det Vassa Ljuset (Istid)
Mastered and recorded at Elektronmusikstudion (EMS) in Stockholm between 2024 and 2026, I Det Vassa Ljuset is based on close-miking of organic materials such as wood, metal, stone, and glass. These recordings have then been processed and transformed into software instruments that can be played live. Released on her own label Istid Records, I Det Vassa Ljuset is available digitally and on cassette.
iNFO :: Sorry I Didn’t Realize (Touched Music)
The resulting experience of Sorry I Didn’t Realize feels untethered from trends or nostalgia bait, instead standing defiantly above contemporaries as both tribute and evolution — easily deserving placement near summit of any Best of 2026 conversation.
V/A :: ZEROTHREE EP (Black Shapes)
Changing shape for their third outing, ZEROTHREE from Rome’s Black Shapes shifts away from the straight four-to-the-floor techno of the previous release m into something way deeper and more essentially elastic.
Recent Posts
V/A :: soak vol 2 (Soak)
Robert Thurman :: Cicadas: Broods XIX and XIII (Self Released)
RL Huber :: Sea Legs (Self Released)
Tewksbury :: rust/wave (Imaginary North)
DgoHn :: Tessares (Planet Mu)
V/A :: 130.81 (Passed Recordings)
Everyday Dust :: Assemblance X Sessions (Dustopian Frequencies)
V/A :: Part Time Archivists | Part Time Forgers (Necessary Unfold)
