Category Archives: Switched On

Switched On – Various Artists – Pop Ambient 2026 (Kompakt)

Posted on by
Reply

by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Ambient music is often about keeping a constant flow of continuity, so that any changes occurring don’t upset the musical applecart.

Few things are as consistent in this area than Kompakt’s own Pop Ambient series, the compilation pushing on beyond a quarter-century as it looks to showcase the best ambient music to come the way of the Cologne label in the preceding year.

This collection offers 19 tracks, that, in the label’s words, are looking forward. “Joining good friends from the early days and reliable confidants are some new additions to the non-hierarchical charts of contemplative rapture culture.”

They describe their principal additions as “Micå, a Japanese electronic musician whose finely chiselled, graceful musical style has made it onto the new collection with two pieces. Also making his debut is Richard Ojijo, a seasoned sound engineer known, among other things, for his long-standing collaboration with the artist Marcel Odenbach and the Cologne-based label Magazine. Oskø aka Max Hytrek, a multi-talented newcomer to Kompakt and the music scene, debuts with his rapturously ecstatic piece Ar Vag. He’s followed by Sebastian Mullaert, appearing for the second time—this time teamed up with Sebastian Lilja aka Hush Forever. After his surprise return last year after a 20 year hiatus, we are delighted that Tetsuo Sakae aka Pass Into Silence is back again this year with one of his distinctive sound gems. As are Dirk Leyers (Closer Musik) and Mikkel Metal.”

What’s the music like?

Seasoned listeners will know exactly what to expect from this sort of compilation – and they won’t be disappointed with the unhurried selection on offer.

There is rich, restful ambience from the off in the shape of the new Micå addition Echoes Of Blue, while among the many highlights are the comforting waves of string sound on Segensklang’s Schauer der Musen, contrasting nicely with the more flighty Pale Blue Dot by Pass Into Silence.

Ümit Han provides a lovely combination of movement and stillness on Eines Tages, while the vast spaces become apparent in the weather-beaten music of Richard Ojijo and Luis Reich. An intriguing, woozy accordion number from Morgan Wurde brings accordion and brass into sonorous opposition, while Dirk Leyers’ Regolith goes stock still with the addition of some nocturnal voices.

Joachim Spieth goes darker with Onset, while the open spaces of the desert can be sensed once again in Blank Gloss’s Hairpin, Mikkel Metal’s Moss is like a sound wave lapping at a soft shore, while the last word goes to the quasi-orchestral Erlösung (translating as ‘Salvation’) from Segensklang, a study akin to watching a rowing boat, with hefty strokes from the strings above a watery drone.

Does it all work?

It does. Kompakt are past masters at this sort of compilation, and everything works in beautiful harmony and structure.

Is it recommended?

It certainly is. In such changeable times the ability of Pop Ambient to remain unaltered is a cause for celebration, providing musical balm for the soul.

Listen / Buy

Published post no.2,749 – Monday 15 December 2025

Let’s Dance – fabric presents Floorplan (Fabric)

Posted on by
Reply

by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Father and daughter Robert and Lyric Hood – aka Floorplan – arrive on Fabric presents with a good deal of history already clocked up with the label.

Robert remembers it well in the press release. “When you walk into Room 2 you feel like you’re walking into a moment. Once the room pulls you in, a connection is formed between a DJ & the atmosphere in that room.  It’s purely organic.” His contribution to the Fabric mix series – Fabric 39 – was made back in 2008, but now he has a slightly different modus operandi.  “Of the handful of techno clubs that I’ve shared stories about with Lyric, fabric was usually the one I talked about most, especially that sound system, and the crowds were just crazy”, he says.

What’s the music like?

An energy rush. Wasting no time, Floorplan set about their mix with a mission of bringing spiritually infused techno to a higher plain, with suitably euphoric vocals. Their own single You’re A Shining Star is an early highpoint, while the rolling bass underpinning My Desire For You is brilliant.

The highs continue as keyboards lead us skywards, with excellent vocals on Dale Move’s Praise, then Floorplan’s own We Give Thee Honor and Only God.  Shiela’s In The Morning – via a Floorplan mix – works really well, while the closing Higher from Andrea Belli and Dave Roy Bland is a suitable plain on which to finish.

Floorplan keep the mix moving, quickly flitting from one track to the other with the minimum of fuss but with a really satisfying flow to the mix.

Does it all work?

It does. Thrills and spills, wrapped up with the minimum of fuss!

Is it recommended?

Very much so. Quickfire music at the house / techno interface, and with a generous helping hand from the spiritual side. The vocals give it a constant high throughout. Highly recommended!

Listen / Buy

Published post no.2,748 – Sunday 14 December 2025

New music – Oliver Coates – Pillion OST (A24 Music)

Posted on by
Reply

by Ben Hogwood, from the press release

Today, Glasgow-based cellist, composer, and producer Oliver Coates releases his original score for Pillion, the acclaimed directorial debut from filmmaker Harry Lighton. The soundtrack’s physical release will coincide with the film’s US distribution in February, 2026 via A24.

Based on Adam Mars-Jones’ 2020 novel Box Hill and starring Harry Melling and Alexander Skarsgård, the British queer romantic comedy-drama film premiered in May at the 78th Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Un Certain Regard’s Best Screenplay prize alongside nominations for the Caméra d’Or and the Queer Palm. Pillion most recently won Best Independent British Film, Best Debut Screenwriter, Best Costume Design and Best Makeup and Hair Design at the BIFAs, as well as Best Adapted Screenplay at the Gotham Awards. The film is currently screening in UK theaters and is releasing February 6, 2026 in the US.

The score is romantic and melancholic, with wide-spaced music-hall melodies and rich harmonies. Piano-driven compositions are accompanied by spacey synth flourishes and haunting vocals from chrysanthemum bear, Nick Roder, and acclaimed Danish artist ML Buch. The rumbling and leather of distorted experimental cello techniques were the starting point – a granular imitation of bike engines.

Recording between Glasgow and Copenhagen, before final mixing by Christopher Elms in London, what results is a romantic electro-classical soundtrack (including a synth rendition of Erik Satie’s Gymnopédie no.1) that feels akin to flying down an open road on a speeding bike.

Speaking on the score, Coates shares: “The score of Pillion came together with the brilliant shaping of director Harry Lighton, as we navigated rumbling time-stretched cello drones through to music-hall romance and bittersweet leaping melodies. There are many different keys, synths, voices and strings which swell and pulse to maximise a radiant sense of comedy mingling with melancholy. There were invaluable musical contributions from ML Buch on vocals, Lena Douglas on pianos, chrysanthemum bear and Nick Roder also on vocals, Tom Lessels and Kathryn Williams on woodwinds.”

Pillion follows Coates’ 2024 solo album Throb, shiver, arrow of time (RVNG Intl), which drew attention from Pitchfork, The Quietus, The Guardian, and more, as well as his celebrated scores for Aftersun (Charlotte Wells), The Stranger (Thomas Wright), and Occupied City (Steve McQueen), among other films.

Coates’ collaborative nature has led him to move fluidly between the roles of composer, performer, musician, and producer. Alongside his solo work, he is active across experimental, classical, and popular music, contributing to acclaimed live and recorded projects with Mica Levi, Arca, Dean Blunt, Jonny Greenwood, Malibu, and Joanne Robertson.

Listen to previews from the soundtrack at Boomkat, with the physical release due in February 2026 via A24 Music.

Published post no.2,746 – Friday 12 December 2025

Switched On – Daniel Brandt – Without Us Reworks / Remixes (Erased Tapes)

Posted on by
Reply

by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Back in March, Daniel Brandt released his third solo album Without Us, described as “a multimedia project that clashes head on with the spiralling chaos of our times”. In our review earlier this year, Arcana noted its “almost irresistible urgency”. Now it returns in remixed form, with Daniel – one third of celebrated German beatmakers Brandt Brauer Frick – taking up the story:

“I invited close collaborators, friends and artists I have been a fan of for a long time to create new versions of the music, including several artists who helped shape the original record. Akusmi, who played many of the guitars and is part of the live band, and Rashad Becker, who mixed the album, both created new versions. Adam Freeland – whom I met in the desert while working on the album, and later worked in his studio in Joshua Tree—also contributed a remix. The live premiere at the Barbican ended in a rave, and some of the remixes, like the ones by Camea, Adam and Hiro reflect that energy. I’m also thrilled to have inspirations such as Tangerine Dream and C. Diab to have contributed with their versions.”

What’s the music like?

Compelling. The range of musical styles on this collection is wide, showing the versatility of Brandt’s originals, and the scope with which he works when writing an album.

C. Diab begins with a full-bodied cello statement in a rework of Persistence, which breaks out into a kind of motoric drone / krautrock interface. Perhaps not surprisingly, the space around the music is pretty vast on the Tangerine Dream rework of Nothing To Undo. PNK goes through the wringer with Akusmi’s pinpricks of minimalist melody, a thrilling and energetic approach, while Rashad Becker is more maximalist in an eventful take on Without Us. Activity is also the name of the game in Bi Disc’s excellent, up-tempo remix of Steady, and then it’s great to see the name Adam Freeland pop up again on a driven yet ethereal take on Paradise O.D. The same track gets some oblique, funky turns from Hiro Ama, after we’ve heard from Camea (a super-deep account techno account of Resistance) and Brandt himself, with the clattering beats and piercing tones of Lucid.

Does it all work?

It does. The vision of Brandt’s original is retained, but the responses here cover a wide emotional response, and a satisfying cross-section of electronically driven genres.

Is it recommended?

It is indeed. Without Us is worth listening to as a double album – Brandt’s powerful original and this set of enjoyable and boundary-pushing remixes. Excellent stuff once again.

Listen / Buy

Published post no.2,740 – Tuesday 9 December 2025

New music – Isobel Waller-Bridge – Objects (Mercury KX)

Posted on by
Reply

by Ben Hogwood, from the press release

Objects is the new solo album from Isobel Waller-Bridge, out today on Mercury KX. An act of radical stillness, written over four years in the rare quiet moments her career allowed, the album draws from the philosophies of Pauline Oliveros and the experimental radicalism of Stockhausen. Mining sounds from her surroundings and filtering them through minimalism and musique concrète, Waller-Bridge finds music within everyday materials — a ball, a shoe, a cushion, a pane of glass — each becoming a conduit for tenderness and attention. Calling upon trusted collaborator Jonny Woodley, in addition to renowned mastering engineer Heba Kadry (Björk, Ryuichi Sakamoto, John Cale) and mixing engineer James Ginzberg (Lyra Pramuk, Laurel Halo, Anja Lauvdal), Waller-Bridge assembled a team of fellow Deep Listening enthusiasts to bring ‘Objects’ to life.

Stillness is a form of presence that transcends motion – and stillness was something Waller-Bridge did not have. Leading the vanguard of a new wave of composers writing beyond the margins, her scores have become highly sought after because they extend beyond atmosphere and into the realm of psychological portraiture. The unspoken tensions and desires beneath the skin of her subjects colour her worlds: the neurotic gravity behind Munich: The Edge of War, the electronic curdle of Sweetpea, the swooning pastiche of Emma, the hellbent screech of self-destruction on Fleabag, and the BAFTA-winning and Oscar-nominated The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse.

Now, with ‘Objects’, Waller-Bridge has turned that gaze inward. Where her 2022 album ‘VIII’ articulated a tormented mind’s undoing, ‘Objects’ is an act of radical stillness. It confers beauty on things the pace of our lives has taught us to ignore, inviting us to listen not as an objective experience, but as a personal and mysterious response to the world.

“These pieces are simple, strange, and lovingly handmade – oddities that feel to me like small miracles,” Waller-Bridge shares. “They reflect how I move through the world: with curiosity, with slowness, and with an openness to the unexpected music in everything. This album isn’t about performance, it’s about presence.”

An acclaimed collaborator in her own right, Waller-Bridge’s recent commissions include 2024’s original work for the American Ballet Theatre for their new production of ‘Crime and Punishment’ alongside ‘Temperatures’ for the Philharmonia Orchestra, which premiered at the Royal Festival Hall in November 2021. She has also collaborated with fashion houses Alexander McQueen and Simone Rocha, scored installations at Frieze London and Venice Biennale, and partnered with Francesca Hayward, principal ballerina at the Royal Opera House, for her dance film ‘Siren.’

Waller-Bridge reflects, “Whether it’s a film, a ballet, or a record, each project feels like a new language of self-expression, this album taught me that exploration is endless — and for me, there’s a deep peace in that thought.”

Objects is out via Mercury KX. CD and vinyl releases are set to release January 23, 2026. You can listen below:

Published post no.2,739 – Friday 5 December 2025