posted by Ben Hogwood, with text from the press release
Since first meeting in 2009, Shame sees Bibio and Dorian Concept explore a shared language across sound and moving image, through a process rooted in experimentation, improvisation and exchange.
Shame arrives alongside a music video, created by the pair:
Published post no.2,958 – Saturday 25 July 2026
posted by Ben Hogwood, with text from Bandcamp
Paired Works is a double EP by Justine Perry and Paula Koski, developed in parallel within the same time and environment. Evolving through years of shared surroundings and creative exchange, the record emerges as a natural extension of that connection.
Produced separately, the tracks document two distinct inner worlds shaped through proximity. Justine Perry leans into deep, hypnotic forms, while Paula Koski moves through dubby and spacious structures driven by texture.
Across four sides, the record shifts between focused, forward-moving passages and more atmospheric moments, creating a subtle push and pull. Rather than settling into one singular moment on the dancefloor, it stretches across the shifting phases of a long club night. Timeless and elegant in its approach,
Paired Works will be released on 24 July 2026, and marks the debut release on Ostgut Ton for both artists
Published post no.2,949 – Thursday 16 July 2026
by Ben Hogwood, from the press release
British-Indian composer, producer, and pianist Cephas Azariah returns with his highly anticipated sophomore album, conditions for observing light, out 3rd September.
Always drawn to classical composition, Cephas studied Music Theology and the Arts at Middlesex University and began composing film and TV soundtracks immediately upon graduating. His debut LP, Joy Paradox, was released in late 2024, drawing on the full spectrum of his influences. It marked his introduction to the neo-classical, ambient, and electronic space, receiving heavy support from the likes of BBC 6 Music, KEXP, Wonderland, CLASH, and Ólafur Arnalds.
Taking a philosophical approach to society and culture, the new LP finds Azariah contemplating where radiance can be found in an increasingly dark world. Across ten immersive tracks, he explores light in all its forms, from the natural energy of the sun and lightning to the intimate glow of a candle and human-made artificial light.
Written between his home studio and the secluded wilderness of Scotland’s Cairngorms National Park, Azariah (above) spent months recording textures that represent light-related phenomena, weaving them into ambient soundscapes. Cephas presents light on this album as a way of understanding ourselves and illuminating the world around us: “It reveals both the light and dark of our environment, and marks the beginning of a journey towards something brighter.”
This evolution is mirrored in the album’s sonic journey. Early moments like ‘sakura’ and ‘faint (a short story)’ lean into light-hearted piano work reminiscent of the first blossoms of spring, while the latter half of the record scales in sound toward something more euphoric. The title track, inspired by the expansive minimalism of Jon Hopkins, serves as the album’s finale, gradually building from sparse fragments into a wall of lush legato strings and driving percussion.
The project is also a celebration of collaboration, welcoming a cohort of talented artists. Cephas joins forces with London-based producer Kidnap on ‘lightning’, a dark, cinematic production that captures the restless tension of a storm. “I remember being in the studio with Kidnap; we began to write a piece with a more upbeat feel, but once the piano and synths were down, I had the idea of writing two versions, one with a beat, and one that was more low-key and cinematic,” Cephas recalls. “This version is darker and resembles the tension within dark skies and lightning strikes.”
The album also features his second collaboration with British electronic duo josh & sam who are twins. The trio explores the principle of “coherence” – a physics concept where waves fall into sync and reinforce one another, reimagined here as a warm, upbeat track reflecting the gentle shift from spring into summer through rhythmic pianos and synths.
On ‘nova’, Cephas collaborates with Colorado-based ambient composer Be Still the Earth. Mirroring the life cycle of a star, the track moves from a delicate beginning into a rich swell of arpeggios and analogue Juno tones before gradually fading away. “Everything has its time – even the light, even stars, even in space,” he notes.
Seoul-born pianist-composer Yujin Baek joins Cephas to close the project with their delicate offering ‘if time could rewind us’, which first debuted on Anjunachill’s World Piano Day 2026.
At the heart of the LP lies ‘2.22pm wishyouwerestillhere’, a poignant piece of storytelling rooted in a childhood memory. The timestamp marks the exact moment Azariah learned of his grandmother’s passing; using spacious sounds and melancholic guitars, it encourages the listener to ponder the heavy, quiet chapters that define a life.
”Emotions are vast and varied when you consider the light and shade of society – the good and the bad. The album as a whole sounds darker, and while there are many soft moments, the project leans into the cinematic drama of light,” Cephas says.
Cephas Azariah’s brand new album, conditions for observing light, is available to pre-order now via the Anjunastore.
Published post no.2,947 – Tuesday 14 July 2026
by Ben Hogwood, from the press release
Today, Canadian musician Michael Brook, Grammy-nominated film composer (Heat, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Into the Wild) and inventor of the ‘infinite guitar’, releases the first vinyl reissue of his 1992 4AD record Cobalt Blue and the vinyl debut of Live at the Aquarium.
These underrated gems from the 4AD catalogue have been newly remastered by Rashad Becker and are presented on Crystal Clear 2×LP and 2CD with artwork by Alison Fielding based on the original v23 designs.
Cobalt Blue is a timeless and quietly stunning collection of instrumental pieces and shimmering dreamscapes, featuring contributions from ambient music pioneer Brian Eno, composer & multi-instrumentalist Roger Eno, and Grammy-winning producer Daniel Lanois. Recorded later that year, Live at the Aquarium captures Brook’s rare solo performance in London, highlighting the hypnotic sustain and atmosphere that define his work.
Michael Brook’s Cobalt Blue & Live at the Aquarium is available from today, 10 July, digitally, on Crystal Clear 2xLP and 2xCD. To order, and for more information, head HERE.
Published post no.2,943 – Friday 10 July 2026
by Ben Hogwood, using the press release
Kyoto-born, Berlin-based composer and producer Midori Hirano announces The Juniper Tree, her new album recasting the score for the debut film by Nietzchka Keene, out October 2 via Viernulvier Records and Thrill Jockey. Originally commissioned by Kunstencentrum Viernulvier for its acclaimed Videodroom series, in which contemporary experimentalists reimagine the musical accompaniment of classic arthouse cinema, the score now receives its first standalone release.
A feminist retelling of the Brothers Grimm story and Björk’s first on-screen role, The Juniper Tree premiered to critical acclaim at the 1991 Sundance Film Festival. Shot in haunting black-and-white on location in Iceland, it follows two sisters who flee after their mother is executed for witchcraft, standing as a powerful allegory of misogyny and its consequences. “The film shows many raw aspects of human nature, such as madness, silence, loss, love, seduction, friendship, deception, self-preservation and innocence, but they are all expressed in a fantastically fragile way. The exciting challenge for me is to incorporate that fragility in the music while keeping its strength,” shares Hirano.
Coinciding with the announcement, Hirano shares two tracks: Take Me With You and Spell On You, which reveal two respective sides of the score—piano and synthesizer compositions, both imbued with the same sense of restraint as the film. On the former, Hirano explains: “This is a piece played in the scene where Margit (a medieval witch played by Björk) is searching for her mother on the shore. A simple ambient synth tone repeats at regular intervals, slowly changing in timbre, reflecting Margit’s quiet calls for her mother.” On Spell On You she adds: “A simple piano piece, evoking a sense of both eeriness and sacredness. This appears multiple times throughout the film whenever Margit’s sister Katla casts a spell.”
While composing the music for The Juniper Tree, Hirano drew on her own memories of touring Iceland, which included a stop at a waterfall featured in the film and rendered in sound on “Mother’s Path.” Folktales, like the origins of The Juniper Tree, are often attempts to contend with humans’ place in the natural world, and both the film and Hirano’s soundtrack draw their sense of breathless wonder in part from the sensation of being engulfed by one’s environment. Hirano captures the relationship between the transcendental awe that is felt as supernatural and the private feelings of being immersed in that experience, creating a musical dialogue between the self and what lies beyond.
In the final sentences of her liner notes, Anna Bogutskaya says, “what we call Margit’s witchcraft is maybe just her willingness to listen.” Just as Keene seems to break down barriers between binary poles, Hirano uses both electronic and acoustic means to communicate the film’s emotive cues. Through sound, we understand what lies beyond sight, beyond convention, and with this new soundtrack we hear the story anew.
Listen to “Take Me With You” and “Spell On You” above and stay tuned for more from Midori Hirano ahead of the full release of The Juniper Tree on 2 October via Viernulvier and Thrill Jockey.
Published post no.2,935 – Thursday 2 July 2026
