A Sagittariun – Dream Ritual
I’ve been listening to quite a few downtempo/lo-fi/electronica albums recently so thought i’d get a few together in a Passing by post. The first, a recommendation from my friend Dan, is a must have for any fans of The Orb, FSOL, KLF etc. ‘Dream Ritual’ is an evolving journey through some steadfast euphoric electronica; with ambient, dub, psychedelia, vocal samples and breaks keeping this record both unique and reflective to years gone by. Available via Bandcamp.
Emancipator – Safe In The Steep Cliffs
This album is four years old now, so probably wont come as a surprise to many of you. I’m gearing up to seeing Doug in Portland next month so i’ve been giving his albums a spin and this one is by far the stand-out. His more recent album ‘Dusk to Dawn’ is also worth a spin, but there’s a couple of tracks on here which are another level when compared. Namely, ‘Greenland’, reminding me of Thievery Corporation’s brilliant ‘Shaolin Satellite’ and ‘All Through The Night’ – an instrumental masterpiece that would blow Bonobo out of the water. Available via Bandcamp.
eyesix – eyesix EP
You’ll be quick to draw comparisons with Boards of Canada on this one, and it deserves it to be honest. Dreamy lo-fi from summer 2013 available as a ‘Name Your Price’ on Bandcamp.
Scyye – Timegazing
A much more eclectic mixture than those above from Scyye, but still honing in on that classic Electronica/lo-fi feel. My favourite track is perhaps one of the more ‘ambient’ on the album – ‘Green Garden Gate’ but the bleepy ‘Nion’ is up there – hints of Ulrich Schnauss in parts. While away an hour and you’ll stumble across all kinds of inspirations in this album – this is probably why I enjoyed it so much. Available as a ‘Name Your Price’ on Bandcamp.
Christ. – Distance Lends Enchantment To The View
Seeing as we’re already on the electronica/lo-fi tip, let’s go back to 2009 and to one artist who probably holds the title for ‘Most compared to Boards of Canada’ – Christ. Rumours are that he was part of the early Boards of Canada up until 1995. So if you’ve already got BoC withdrawal since last years new album, try this one out for size. Available via Bandcamp.
