WILLIAM BASINSKI

As ever with William Basinski, Cascade is deeply melancholic and subdued, music to embrace in the deep of a sleepless night. But it also unfurls to reveal layers of brightness that went undetected on 92982, as the increased pace of the loops blurs and breaks apart the piece's monotonous (in the best sense of the word) repetition to reveal the deep humanity at the work's core. The album is perfectly-titled: this is music that swirls over the listener like a waterfall, albeit the gentlest, most intoxicating waterfall one can imagine. The QuietusWilliam Basinksi is an American artist, avant-gardist, minimalist, ambient pioneer and supplier of tremendously beautiful music, best known for his masterpiece Disintegration Loops. Basinski’s music always sounds like a neverending loop, but at one point he has to record it. This is also the case with his newest work Cascade/The Deluge (Temporary Residence), which brings the listener in an illusion of a trip with no ending. Basinski’s ambient music is not specifically dark or melancholic, but builds up a Hichtcockian tension that inspires.

AMATORSKI

Sounding very Icelandic in their lo-fi, whimsical, frosty elegance, the fuller guitars here complement the vintage keys and electronica moments, as they drift, wander and reflect in experimentally beautiful ways. This sounds exactly like the cover art - mysterious, slightly ominous and an indescribeable journey into resplendent realms.New Noise MagazineBelgian band Amatorski is one of a kind. The members of this band keep their eyes and ears open for new musical influences and remodel their sound time and time again. Amatorski took of as an interesting pop band and immediately scored a hit single with Come Home, but evolved to a more trip hop-oriented, minimalist sound. We are very curious to hear what their next record will sound like and hopefully they will reveal a tip of the veil.

JOHN BENCE

Bence's work involves the use of a rhythmic and painstakingly original cut-and-paste method. After scoring and recording the full piece, he re-records, manipulates and re­-scores again... and again. This cyclical technique creates a choral hybrid of electronic production and classical composition – a delightful palate-cleanser in a world of heavy-tech and pulsing base.
Dazed Digital

Bristolian John Bence is a classically trained musician with a limitless fantasy that slowly makes his way whitin electronic music. Just a fragment of his harmonious and yet noisy ambient was enough to convince Nicolas Jaar to give him a spot on his label Other People. Now live for the first time in Belgium, but we bet you will hear plenty more of John Bence.

ANSATZ DER MASCHINE

Ansatz der Maschine is the musical child of Kortrijk-based violinist, beatmaker and composer Mathijs Bertel. It’s been 4 years since their album Heat came out, and now they return with Tattooed Body Blues. Mathijs chose an artisanal approach: the accent is still on live electronics, but there is room left for instruments like guitar and lapsteel. A 6-piece band with vocals by Little Dots-singer Sophie Ammann will immerse the audience in a poetic and fairytale-like atmosphere.

RAFAEL ANTON IRISARRI

A Fragile Geography speaks to both our interiority and exteriority and how they are intertwined. Grounded in palpable emotion and exquisite sonic workmanship, every note, sound, and texture looks simultaneously inwards and outwards, offering to us the opportunity for deep introspection in the context of the exogenic forces that affect and shape our lives. The album stands on its own merits as one of this year’s finest ambient releases as well as a testament to the resilience, persistence, and creative powers of the artist.
Headphone Commute

A Fragile Geography (Room 40) is the title of the latest album of American drone meister Rafael Anton Irisarri. It took him 2 years to make this album, the period that he swapped Seattle for New York, and it reflects on the contemporary American society full of political, cultural and social roughness. Slowly building, filled with melancholy, packed with sublime textures that breathe out vulnurability: A Fragile Geography is an excercise in maximum minimalism.

CHRISTINA VANTZOU

Sometimes, words are not enough. Listening to Christina Vantzou’s latest album is a quite breathtaking experience, but to explain quite why is virtually impossible. These pieces encourage immersion and introspection. What you bring to this album will almost certainly colour what you get out of it. As such, this set of songs will inevitably register a strong emotional response with all those that her them.
MusicOmh

Greek-American Brussels-based filmmaker, visual artist and composer Christina Vantzou dedicated her career to music. She puts down her neo-classical realms in a filmic dreamworld. Her third album N°3 (Kranky) is not easily digestable, but a unearthy and mystical journey guided by a local ensemble.