CANVAS Vinyl & CDs

Review: The latest project from experimental label C.A.N.V.A.S. is an intriguing proposition. The compilation's nine tracks were all created after the artists involved were asked to respond to "specific thematic instructions" in order to create "a contextually coherent but artistically varied collective work". Quite what those instructions were hasn't been revealed, though the results are largely excellent. It's mostly towards the experimental end of the ambient spectrum, with occasional forays into hypnotic tropical drum music (see Ausschuss' brilliant "Frontier Control"), drowsy ambient folk (the manipulated clarinet sounds and fragile vocals of Ashley Paul's "Sleep Walker"), slipped cold wave (Olan Monk) and spaced-out free-jazz ("Fading In Panoramic").