ROHS! Germany Vinyl & CDs

Review: Berlin-based composer Andrea Burelli's new album Sonic Mystics for Poems (of Life and Death of a Phoenix) is an autobiographical work that draws on the vulnerability of the human existence. It takes the form of 15 pieces written for polyphonic voices, strings, and synthesizers and arrives on super limited, hand-numbered 180 g vinyl. The pieces are all intricately constructed with rich harmonic structures taking inspiration from experimental electronica, classical from both the West and the Middle East, plus folk from across all of Europe. It's a beautiful, confessional and thought-provoking work that makes a devastating impact despite its delicate artistry.

Review: Astonishingly, a decade has now passed since Todd Gauthreaux first donned the Tapes & Topographies guise. Since then, he has released countless inspired and immersive albums, offering up an attractive ambient sound rich in drifting chords, densely layered sound design and contemplative musical motifs. Plumage, his first full-length excursion of 2024, sees him pop up on ROHS! for the first time. He's typically delivered the goods, matching ocean-deep ambient soundscapes with slow burning, melancholic melodies, evocative flashes of field recordings, hazy aural textures and twinkling, occasionally sorrowful, piano solos. It's arguably one of his most accessible and aurally striking sets to date - not bad for someone whose output has been consistently excellent for some time.