Back catalogue: Ambient/Drone

Review: Dreamloops marks the highly anticipated vinyl debut of 36's album, a masterwork from Dennis Huddleston (known as 36. This deluxe four-LP set spans two-and-a-half hours, featuring eight tracks, each a standalone 18-minute composition. Huddleston's signature style dreamlike, introspective midnight music, blends hypnotic loops with evolving melodies that are both captivating and deeply emotional. Originally released in 2019 as a cassette series, Dreamloops was revisited by Huddleston in 2023 to bring newfound clarity and cohesion. The tracks, while rooted in repetition, are far from static, continuously unfolding with subtle shifts in texture and emotion. Huddleston's music is enriched by intentional imperfections like tape hiss and wow & flutter, which add a layer of nostalgic warmth and depth. Dreamloops is a profound listening experience. Huddleston's ability to blend ambient warmth with haunting melodies is strong reasons his albums are so respected. He rewards deep and attentive listening. This collection, praised for its emotive and atmospheric power, continues 36's rising status in modern ambient music.

Review: In Peter Strickland's Flux Gourmet, a dysfunctional group of performance artists undertake a month-long residency at an institute devoted to culinary disciplines. Food is interrogated for its sonic potential as the group mic-up, amplify, distort and transform what they cook in front of an audience. The noise produced by the characters in the film is driven by food blenders, overflowing cauldrons of gurgling soup and sizzling frying pans (courtesy of The Sonic Catering Band), yet the music that soundtracks the culinary capers is engorged with aching melodies and wordless, airy vocals. Contributors include Cavern of Anti-Matter, Jeremy Barnes and Heather Trost of A Hawk and a Hacksaw and Trost's band, Roj (formerly of Broadcast), and Nurse With Wound. Flux Gourmet is presented in a lush 2xLP package with an ornate, colorful design and Strickland's detailed liner notes.