Must Have Been Tokyo is band hailing from Lucerne-Switzerland, and the "Insects" ep collects songs written beetween 2003 and 2006. It sounds great and basically in all the 8 tracks the rhythm guitar and percussions curl around minimal postpunk basslines - less is more following Gang Of Four's shaolin. There are compelling hybrids like the track "Aah" which has some fearless eurowave analogue synths embedded into an all-English postpunk tune - possibly my favourite here and surely a killer track when played live. In seeking a way forward with Wave and Postpunk, mhbT have come up with something both bizzarre and danceable. They say "dance music for people who can't dance", but even "dance music for rainy days" would fit nicely. Contact the band through their website or myspace for a copy of the ep.

Emulating the allmighty Marafura Funfunjiru, here we have another European with a Japanese alter-ego (with super moves and powers I guess) - Jigoku Nohara is a 29 years old Belgian guy named Bert Janssens and plays a strange blend of ethnic ambient with ultra minimal rhythms. Think about mixing Vasilisk's peculiar ethnic side with some more recent minimal electronics - say Sahko or Raster Noton - and sometimes it works but as a whole I'd say that it could result a bit boring (68 minutes is too much for an ambient album). I'd like to hear Bert's further progressions. That review was written by Gurudutt-Barati (my Nepalese alter-ego). Namaste!

Bestia Centauri is a musical project that begun in 1999, I had the chance to listen just to his previous "The Antediluvian Earth", which was an interesting sonic exploration dealing with pre-human lifeforms and Lovecraftian/esoteric myths still avoiding many of the cliches of dark ambient. "Teratogenesis" slightly changes the approach and takes a further step away from dark ambient realms. In fact it's an example of electroacustic mastery with a thick gloomy atmosphere. The irrecognizable sound sources now resemble more the most enigmatic Xenakis ("Persepolis") but feel newly fresh in this context. This remarkable work is a co-production of Afe Records and Eibon. PS I strongly recommend to check-out the explanation beyond Bestia Centauri's concept on his website: http://somrec.com/bestiacentauri/

"May Your Heart Be The Map" is the long-awaited new album by Epic 45, one of the best bands in UK postrock/electronica fields. There are skillfully granulated tapestries sounding like warmer versions of those rarefied moments on Tim Hecker's works ("Forgotten Mornings"), while they made me think of the first sonic experiments by Vini Reilly on their more acousitc parts. There's an intense and strongly emotional singing by Antony Hardling and it's surprising how well it fits with the melancholic mood of the album ("You're an annual") - and some recordings of child voices and taped voices adding an intimate feeling. Lyrics like those for "The Baloonist" and titles like "We Grew Up in the Fields of England" are explicit examples of how heartfelt this album is. Probably Epic 45's best record so far, and an instant milestone with which future generations will have to deal with. Highly recommended!! P.S. Just noticed that Ben is playing some solo 'Toy Library' gigs in the next 2 weeks in France and Italy in the next weeks that aren't listed on their websites yet:

7th September 2007
20:00
at Librairie le Monte-en-l'Air
Paris, France
with Inlandsis
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12 September 2007
21:00
at Ceretti Public Library of Verbania
Verbania, Italy
with Mauve

Portal is the musical alter-ego of Scott Sinfield, a project that has crafted a distinctly unique sonic vocabulary ranging from distorted ambient lullabies to trippy rhythmic electronics. "Gone But Not Forgiven" is a collection of rare and alternative versions. "July" (originally released as a double A-sided 7" in 1999) has a hypnotic guitar work over inspired distortions that will leave all the Flying Saucer Attack fanatics drooling with their eyes rolled back. The alternative version of "Sometimes I'm lost" is the typical Portal track with lush electronic tapestries and the contribution of Rachel Huges' mesmerizing vocals. The highlight here is a version of "Bloodline" recorded in 2005 for a Dutch internet radio show called Senzor - there are raw distortions but perfectly arranged structures and it sounds even more touching than the album version (on "Waves & Echoes" - 2005). As you can guess by the album title, this project sadly is no longer active and Scott is now focused working for the superb Make Mine Music label.