Opening with the delicate “Middle of Nowhere” the mood is instantly set by Tipper, with his chilly mix of surround sound. This atypical release from an artist who normally remixes the likes of µ-ziq, Leftfield and Afrika Bambaataa takes a full-on U-turn for the quieter side of the aural spectrum. Here he stumbles upon sweeping orchestral passages mutated so slightly, filled with peculiar familiarity. There is a brainy interplay here in what I might only describe as ambi-hop, a mix of quiet, filtered beats just looming beneath the surface. Craig Armstrong comes to mind, but this is the music soundtracks are made of, well paced and the production is super clean and still warm and receptive to even the most sensitive ears. “Rotundus Maximus” has a bold and ominous chorus in the far off background who keep the theater style of Surrounded juiced. In what could appear to be a hymnal pageant, the gongs and stage have been set for the dainty micro-cut follow-up on “The Glass House”. All circuits are going on “Adrift for Days” – this is a pod of peculiar outer space sounds that seem lighter than air settling in a hyper-molecular dock, millions of miles from where you are right now. The cleverly titled “Illabye” is a darker take on how to hush to sleep teeny-tiny clones. Surrounded is a headphonic symphony for late blooming Gen Xers.
