"Trip Hop didn't die it just moved with the times and Darkstate is currently leading the way."

"This could be ambient jazz's year, and if I finally do that jazzbient mix this tune will be on it."

"It's a fine, open minded take on the Americana condition"

"Starting off in an ambient pop vein, her vocal floats enticingly over bowed strings and machine sounds"

"Farhi wisely sits back, infusing Pandey's finger picked minimalism with some sparse, borderless bass work"

"he's really on a mission to explore the possibilities that have opened up since his slide into electronic music realms."

"to help the track complete the last leg of its journey from its frosty ambient origins to warming downtempo ends."

"Jean's finger picking sets a warm tone for this suitably stripped back folk ode to simplicity and slow days in love"

parting the dystopian mists to reveal a brighter ambient electronic day

"before descending back into the gloom to intertwine with the other instruments to more sedate, quietly experimental ambient ends, and refreshingly sound like nothing else around."

"It's a fine and fanciful slice of lysergic alt-pop"

"If you're in need of some classic sounding chillout to take things easy to then tune in and drop out."

"Wave after wave of succinct guitar and bowing refrains cascade through the speakers, improvisatory string work largely nudged to the side lest it muddy the hypnotic waters"

"bares Selkie's soul for all to see and the fact that is accompanied by production that would stand on its own two instrumental legs really marks her out as a talent"

"Perhaps it's an antidote to the long grey Berlin winter's but "Vulture" radiates warmth and sun kissed lands, real and imagined from the off."

Self taught, Or Kantor is a respected tatoo studio head, multidisciplinary artist and craftsman by day, with a nice line in evocative, ethno-ambiguous, " Surfterranean " music making by night. I do wonder how some people fit it all in. A visit to his tattoo studio by an Anova Records A&R person saw his 2024 debut album Sarda Sarda  signed to the label, and a year later his sophomore is on the shelves of your favourite music store. This time round he's dialled down the surf

Jowee Omicil has been around. sMilLes is the eleventh album no less from this nomadic Canadian-Haitian composer and multi-instrumentalist who can turn his hand to saxophone, clarinet, flute, pocket trumpet, Rhodes, piano, voice and more. The album is an eclectic jazz ride with some choice guests and throws in some tropical vibes as well to keep you on your toes and maybe even get you moving, but the real standout track is "Should I Smile", mainly due to the always impeccable

"If that wasn't enough whispered, Sun Ra reminiscent, voices drift in at the end like ghosts from the world's battlefields to add spectral weight to the message."

"Undeterred, a minimal piano pierces the machine sounds at the halfway mark, tentatively at first - note by gentle note, before being inevitably swept up and along by the impatient electronica"

"leftfield leaning, 80s vibing, soundtrack nodding jazz fusion "

So it was with trepidation that I clicked play on these versions of two Talking Head's classics - "Once In A Lifetime" and "Psycho Killer"

"It's a fine slice of cinematic neoclassical music that unusually stands on its own sonic feet, but I'm sure works wonders during the accompanying film scene"

"encourage you to pay more attention to life's ambient soundtrack as you go about your business"

"Slowly, surely Canty increases the intensity to urge the Fourth World out of the shadows and the electronic augmentation recognises the ritualistic call to action. "