100% Silk US Vinyl & CDs

Review: Fresh from delivering a gorgeous and colourful album under his DJ Panthr alias, Hunter P Thompson returns to 100% Silk under his ambient and ambient techno-inspired alias, Akasha System. Dealing in waves of warming electronic colour, 90s ambient nostalgia, mid-80s 'new age' synth sounds, heady grooves and memorable melodies, the Portland-based producer delivers a set that's as sonically vivid as it is loved-up and unashamedly nostalgic. Standout moments are plentiful, with our picks including the delay-laden drums and delightfully drifting synth washes of 'Light Energy', the saucer-eyed Mr YT swell of 'Canopy Song', and the sunrise-ready wonder that is 'Life Cycle'.

Review: DJ Panthr is the "shadow self" (or, as we'd put it, alternative alias) of Hunter P Thompson, better known for his genre-bending ambient house and ambient techno releases as Akasha System. 100% Silk describes 'Jade District' as a 'technoid night ride inspired by the fern-shoruded neon streets' of South Tabor in his home city of Portland. It's an atmospheric and fairly accurate description all told, with Thompson combining his usual dreamy chords and colourful sonics with grooves and musical motifs more often associated with electro, acid, sci-fi techno, 'Artificial Intelligence' style IDM and hypnotic dub techno. What unites it all, aside from the colourful stylishness of the whole thing, is a pervasive sense of loved-up, wide-eyed tactility.