Pure escapist uplift. This kind of optimism never gets old.
A foray into unashamedly sunny downtempo, if that isn’t an oxymoron. With all positive connotations imaginable, Core Shift, the ambient moniker adopted by Mike Kramer of the Netherlands, opens a back door wide and lets in the calming, summer scented breezes of the second wave of ambient, from back in the mid-nineties, when rave made the time ripe for Eno’s big idea to spread to a wider audience in need of a break. The chill room offered repose and recovery and in pitter-pattered ambient on little cat feet—soft, padded beats.
A Gentle Touch connects with this moment while remaining beholden to none, swirling dervishly, the simplicity of its template and deftness of execution inviting your imagination to open up the space it wants, inner, outer, the great outdoors, the leafy backyard. Pure escapist uplift. This kind of optimism never gets old.
A Gentle Touch is available on CS Music
