Leon Vynehall

Review: You have to admire Leon Vynehall's ambition. Although he built his career by delivering atmospheric, otherworldly club music, his first set for Ninja Tune is a sprawling, largely ambient - or at the very least hazy and horizontal - concept album inspired by the story of his parents emigrating to New York. Thus, the ten tracks that make up the album - crafted from a combination of field recordings, sound effects, orchestral instrumentation recorded at Konk's studio in New York and his own sublime electronics - were produced and sequenced to tell a story. It's epic stuff, all told, but crucially also incredibly good. It proves, without any shadow of a doubt, that Vynehall is a producer with talent to match his widescreen vision.

Review: You have to admire Leon Vynehall's ambition. Although he built his career by delivering atmospheric, otherworldly club music, his first set for Ninja Tune is a sprawling, largely ambient - or at the very least hazy and horizontal - concept album inspired by the story of his parents emigrating to New York. Thus, the ten tracks that make up the album - crafted from a combination of field recordings, sound effects, orchestral instrumentation recorded at Konk's studio in New York and his own sublime electronics - were produced and sequenced to tell a story. It's epic stuff, all told, but crucially also incredibly good. It proves, without any shadow of a doubt, that Vynehall is a producer with talent to match his widescreen vision.

Review: On his contribution to the long-running "DJ Kicks" series, Leon Vynehall has decided to take a widescreen approach, offering up a blend that showcases the depth and variety of his music collection rather than his club-rocking skills. The first half of the mix ebbs and flows with the laidback drowsiness of his selections, which flit between post trip-hop beats, ambient, IDM, electronica and crunchy post-punk pop. Midway through he begins to crank things up a notch or two via RAC's UK garage-influenced 1997 cut "Fushigi", the chunky peak-time warmth of Crinan's "Kilimanjaro" and the bass-heavy pump of Ploy's "Pressure", before unleashing some seriously intense experimental dancefloor workouts from the likes of Etch, Aphex Twin and Peach. It makes for a hugely enjoyable and at times breathtakingly brilliant musical journey.

Review: On his contribution to the long-running "DJ Kicks" series, Leon Vynehall has decided to take a widescreen approach, offering up a blend that showcases the depth and variety of his music collection rather than his club-rocking skills. The first half of the mix ebbs and flows with the laidback drowsiness of his selections, which flit between post trip-hop beats, ambient, IDM, electronica and crunchy post-punk pop. Midway through he begins to crank things up a notch or two via RAC's UK garage-influenced 1997 cut "Fushigi", the chunky peak-time warmth of Crinan's "Kilimanjaro" and the bass-heavy pump of Ploy's "Pressure", before unleashing some seriously intense experimental dancefloor workouts from the likes of Etch, Aphex Twin and Peach. It makes for a hugely enjoyable and at times breathtakingly brilliant musical journey.