Gondwana Vinyl & CDs

Review: Matthew Halsall founded Gondwana Records in 2008. An independent label based in Manchester, it's gone on to release music by Dwight Trible, GoGo Penguin, Nat Birchall and Halsall himself. The label has won acclaim across the world and can claim the likes of Gilles Peterson, Mr Scruff and Bonobo as fans. Next up are the Mercury Prize nominated Portico Quartet with their powerful new album Art In The Age Of Automation: where they're now rebooted as a quartet after a brief spell as the three-piece Portico. They have always been an impossible band to pin down; taking in aspects of jazz, electronica, ambient music and minimalism but the group have undoubtedly crafted their own singular sound. There's the dashing and cinematic bliss of "Objects To Place In A Tomb" and the hypnotic live drum and bass of "A Luminous Beam" amongst other highlights.

Review: Mercury Prize-nominated Portico Quartet are masters of fusing jazz, electronics and downtempo sounds and have been for several years, not least on their 2017 album Art In The Age Of Automation. The same label that put out to then - Mathew Halsall's Gondwana Records - is now reissuing it on limited edition clear vinyl. The album is richly immersive and steeped in ambient beauty and minimalist charm, with plenty of ethereal melodies and cinematic soundscapes that stretch out wide all around you. The detail is densely packed in and the richness of the sound really elevates this album into something quite spectacular.