SATOSHI TOMIIE Vinyl & CDs

Review: Dub techno truly does sometimes sound like cosmic background radiation, with chromatic chordy pads droning away in the background, while clippy kicks and stabs break away like isotopes in decay. Such is the thought process behind Satoshi Tomile and Nao Gunji's new EP 'Radiant', which is a masterclass in minimal dub techno born from esoteric improvised electronic methods. Circuit-bent madness.

Review: After a surprise sojourn last year as Sato, an alias he used to explore ambient and dub techno territory, Satoshi Tomiie has reverted to his given name for solo album number five - a thin return given he made his 12" debut way back in 1989. The New York-based Japanese great is in fine form from the start, effortlessly sashaying between hypnotic deep tech-house (the eyes-closed, early morning excellence of 'You Are Here'), spaced-out dub-house ('Number 1'), chunky-but-dubby deep house of the kind that his friend Francois K would love ('Magic Hour'), acid-flecked minimalism ('Blast'), vintage-sounding dub techno ('A52', 'Meditation in an Emergency'), locked-in soundscape house (the shuffling and yearning 'Phase Space') and sub-heavy ambient dub ('Fast Track').