Slowfoam: Transcorporeal Portal (Somewhere Press)
Madelyn Byrd's adventurous ambience on this, their first album proper, feels like being lost in the heady haze of a poppy field. The quiet, studied loops lilt with echoing polyrhythms, and the field recordings seemingly infect the circuits of its studio machines. Find yourself a remote field and pop this on your headphones.
SOTE: Ministry of Tall Tales (SVBKVLT)
A singular sound from Tehran. This album uses xenharmonic chimes, which makes as much sense to me as saying this album uses jangulous yoob-pappers. Its polyrhythms make for a wall of sound in which everything sounds like Lorenzo Senni possessed by a demon.
T.Williams: Raves Of Future Past (Purple City Souffle)
The T stands for Tesfa, but it could stand for: Tightly-wound loops, tense reverb, tweaked vocal samples, tough drum 'n' bass workouts, the dirtiest bass you could possibly imagine. It can also stand for teapot, but that's entirely irrelevant here.
Tristan Arp: a pool, a portal (Wisdom Teeth)
A third album from Human Pitch label co-founder Arp. It's very lovely, like a flower arrangement or a china poodle, Its purls of playful melodies chitter-chatter in a most pleasing and wistful way. The vocal bits on Life After Humans will tingle your spinebones.
Tycho: Infinite Health (Ninja Tune)
He's named after an astronaut, y'know. Makes sense. This seventh studio album is spacey and full of awe. Tycho's easy instrumentals may not challenge, but it's all so solid. As reliable as a planetary orbit and as comforting as a, er, space suit. I ran out of space metaphors. (Artwork pictured above.)
Warrington-Runcorn New Town Development Plan: Your Community Hub (Castles in Space)
A nod of respect to Gordon Chapman-Fox for his commitment to his town planning theme. On the agenda here are glimmering cycles of ambience, with huggable melodies designed to slow your day right down. Pleasantly uplifting throughout. All in favour say aye. (Artwork pictured above.)
Will Long, DJ Sprinkles: acid trax (Comatonse Recordings)
At the hands of other producers, a double-album of acid house might be a lot, like popping too much chilli powder onto your cornflakes in the morning. But Long & Sprinkles slow things right down, and their scratchy acid cuts breathe in a delicious reverb fog.
Wrecked Lightship: Antiposition (Peak Oil)
This album earned comparisons to Squarepusher, Roni Size and Aphex Twin, as well as early UK armchair techno. While intimidating at first, its dense electronic spatter focusses more with each play, every fractal revealing more personality. Lightships ahoy.
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