Back in stock: Leftfield

Review: Originally confined to CDia relic of a different timeiJorg Burger's early-2000s masterwork finally sees the vinyl treatment it deserves. Lush, transportive, and quietly radical, this is ambient techno at its most fluid, a body of work that drifts between nostalgia and movement, solitude and propulsion. 'Leuchtturm' remains untouched, its soft hand drums and hazy atmospheres still unfolding like a slow sunrise. Elsewhere, 'AG Penthouse' undergoes a transformation, its flute-like trills and glassy keys now fused to a churning rhythm that recalls Tangerine Dream's work on Thief, minus the guitar histrionics. Beat-driven yet deeply immersive, each track rises, crests and recedes in perfect sequence, a travelogue in the vein of Carl Craig's Landcruising or Model 500's Deep Space. What makes this release endure isn't just its shimmering detail but its refusal to conform. In a landscape where ambient techno so often leans on a specific nostalgia, Burger sidesteps the obvious, creating a listening experience that still feels singular, 21 years later.

Review: Upsammy's ever mutating, morphing sound seems to melt before your very ears on this new body of work. A distinct beaty twang, and even drum & bass, comes into the mix as the Dutch maverick takes us on a unique trip. Highlights of her navigations include the deconstructed d&b of 'Relict' and the hypnotising chimes and shimmers of the title track which feels like a trip to a temple in Tibet while cruising the back pocket of an automaton. Powerfully mesmerising; minimal in dynamic, maximum in feels. Don't sleep on this one.

Review: I Saw The Glow is the latest movie-meme to be peddled by film auteurs and distribution powerhouse A24; written and directed by Jane Schoenbrun, this contemporary horror-comedy explores themes of alternate realities and cancelled futures, centring on the chaos that ensues after two friends endure the axing of their favourite TV show. Slated to have become a success from its inception, the film's soundtrack is bedazzling to match, corralling the likes of Caroline Polachek, Sloppy Jane, Phoebe Bridgers, Kristina Esfandiari, Florist and Yeule into a single soundtrack nonetheless made up of original songs. Curated entirely by Schoenbrun, the artists selected reflect a contrarily modern take on the retro-nostalgic moods of the film; in going into the soundtrack's curation, the director herself recalled seeing commercials on MTV for film soundtracks, and wanted to emulate this long-lost approach whilst also reflecting the film's setting between the late 90s and early 00s. Reviving a forgotten formula - a soundtrack album for which artists record original material - this isn't one to be missed.

Review: In the widespread revival of Japanese ambient music, Hiroshi Yoshimura's music has been cast as some of the most cherished and reissued. Albums such as Music For Nine Post Cards and Green have enjoyed high-end editions in recent times, and now comes the turn of 1986 masterpiece Surround. It's been fervently pined for by the new wave of Far East ambient aficionados, and for good reason. This is Yoshimura at his best, delicately placing elegant musical figures atop oceanic pools of synth and leaving ample room for the mind to cast adrift. That might sound like a very generic way of describing an ambient release, but Surround's qualities transcend the formulaic trappings of the genre to become something truly magical.