Various Artists - Sleeplaboratory5.0 (Whitelabrecs)

I’ve mentioned Whitelabrecs multiple times in the newsletter, so you might be aware that their annual Sleeplaboratory compilation dropped today, which means it’s also time for the series’ obligatory recommendation.

Whitelabrecs is a great ambient label. Run by Harry Towell, himself a respected ambient artist, it’s been releasing ambient, drone, modern classical and electro acoustic music for the last nine years. Following the label on Bandcamp is the way to go as many of the releases, this latest compilation included, never make it to the streaming services. Bandcamp really is the true home of the music underground, not to mention the best way to support independent artists and labels - get involved.

The compilation is something of a showcase for the label, containing sleep themed tracks from some of the label regulars, but also a host of new names who will be releasing with the label, and inevitably deserve a follow.

This year’s selection is, with one exception, a particularly sedate suite. Feeling Flying and Kevin Paczesny kick things off with some soporific, slowly morphing drones augmented by some choice field recordings, before Ozbolk brings the light with some shimmering tonal ambience. Tides continues in that vein but goes one step further by adding an unobtrusive post rock gloss, the track’s excess energy immediately dissipated by the patient electroacoustic work of The Bird’s Companion.

Mark David Hadley adopts a minimal approach, before rhubiqs, who obviously lives near a major road or suffers from insomnia, drops a maximal drone to rouse any dozers for the remaining tracks which showcase Jolanda Moletta’s ethereal vocal work, the cultured bowing of TSMM fave Henrik Meierkord, the sparse piano of Calm Pieces, the tonal hypnosis of Patry Siliuse and the astral projections of label stalwart Knivtid.