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
Reviewed by Ben Hogwood
What’s the story?
This is the first collaboration between John Berndt, the Baltimore band leader, and M.C. Schmidt, one half of the celebrated duo Matmos. Both have pooled their considertable expertise in avant garde and experimental music in celebration of the comic books of Jean Giraud (aka Moebius) and “the beautiful miniatures of the SKY Records Cluster/Eno/Conny Plank collaborations”.
The result is an electronic record looking simultaneously backwards and forwards.
What’s the music like?
Packed with incident across an eventful three-quarters of an hour. There is so much going on here that repeated listening is essential to absorb and appreciate the sheer scale of the pair’s inventions.
At times their music sounds like an update of Anton Webern or John Cage, so compressed is its thinking, while the pair cast the net ever wider in search of extra instrumental colour. Humour abounds, with witty thoughts bubbling under the surface as the music ebbs and flows. Especially notable are Our Theme, which behaves like the tuning process of an analogue radio, the descriptive Gecko Lazzaro, featuring trombonist Patrick Crossland and guitarist Owen Gardner, and The Analysis of Joel, a playful and colourful shredding of lines from guitarist Joel Knispel.
3000 is typical of the warmth coursing through the album, its percussion suggesting African influences.
Does it all work?
Yes, in a way that makes you want to return often to Cloud Machines to see what else you can spot. There are so many musical happenings it can be difficult to keep up at first, but as the secrets reveal themselves so too does the pair’s full invention.
Is it recommended?
Yes, without a doubt – fans of the pair’s previous work will lap this up. Be assured, the music is every bit as colourful and as far out as the wonderful cover art!
Listen / Buy
Published post no.2,955 – Wednesday 22 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
Reviewed by Ben Hogwood
What’s the story?
This is the first solo LP from Dan Leavers, a founding member of The Comet Is Coming and half of Soccer96, better known as Danalogue.
That name implies a healthy sense of humour, though there is a serious point behind his debut, too, as the press release informs us. “Conceived as a continuous, journey-based piece, Teleportations is a warm, playful and immersive album that transforms endings, grief and personal upheaval into a vivid science-fictional voyage of escape, healing and renewal.”
It taps into a musical upbringing or enormous variety, while being inspired by a number of Science fiction sources, including “astral travel, theta brainwaves, collective consciousness, the artist Jean Giraud, the writer Ernst Bloch and the film maker Miyazaki”.
What’s the music like?
This is a really enjoyable album, and fulfils Leavers’ wish to make a positive, warm-hearted record. This one has a cosmic tint to it, as well, with a number of the tracks making room for semi-improvised thoughts that are given just the right amount of room to breathe.
Showing off his versatility – though not for the sake of it – Leavers includes a slow, yacht-rock inspired jam (Far Beyond The Sun) and colourful, funky poolside house (Moebius Triptych) in the album’s early moments, allowing room in the latter for more extensive synthesizer noodling. Arrival At Rho Ophiuchi could be the theme to your newest sci-fi binge, while postlude Earth Remembrance Day is a deep blue ocean of sound.
Theta Wave Convergence is especially good, a warm bath of minimal keyboard riffs tripping along on the deeper side of house, the synths bubbling just beneath the surface. In fact the Danalogue house credentials are strong, as the ebullient Onto The Next Dimension also shows.
Does it all work?
It does – and proves equally enjoyable when enjoyed in snippets or in one single span.
Is it recommended?
Enthusiastically. A reminder that electronic music can be a lot of fun, delivering more endorphins than we have a right to expect from a debut album. Music to put a smile on the listener’s face!
Listen / Buy
Published post no.2,946 – Monday 13 July 2026
Arcana.fm 