Welcome to the latest psychedelic ambient mix in the psyamb series. There has been a lot of great music released over the Christmas and New Year period with a number of excellent looking releases due next month too from the likes of Kuba ( Random Precision ), Seamoon ( Expressions Of The Moment ), Astropilot ( Fruits Of The Imagination 2 ), Shulman ( Alive ),  Special Places ( Various Artists ), Greenosophy ( Various Artists, Ultimae ) and James Murray ( Floods ).

Today we kick of with the track "Etheral Dream" from Uth ( Alex Lytvyn ). Some of you may remember Alex's work on DJ Zen's Fire compilation a few years back. This track comes from Turtlitava compilation which is now available as a free download from the Ektoplazm website where it is getting great feedback.

Next is one of 2011's best artists, Lauge and Baba Gnohm. After a few compilation tracks and an EP release, LABG really delivered the goods with their debut release "Langbortistan". This tune, "H2O", is a hypnonoic slice of melodic grandeur. If you dig this tune why not follow the guys on Facebook as they are always more then happy to communicate with listeners and appreciate a kind word or two. 

After LABG is a tune from Russia's Super Special from their debut album "Crystal Forest", released on Trimurti Records around the middle on 2011. This album didn't get the widest of distribution or feedback which is a shame really because although it may not be as polished as a Shpongle album it certainly is a lot of fun with a kind of 60's psych feel mixed with trance melodies and percussion.

Following on from Super Special is Dubtrak with his tune "Dark River Tribe". This tune is a real treat and reminds me of some old school psychedelic ambient music with its evolving structures that slowly build layers of dreamy sounds shifting in and out of each other - kind of like early Saafi Brothers in a way.　

Reverb is a not a dirty word. Reverb is an effect often used in ambient and dub music production to simulate those components of sound which are produced from reflections off walls or objects in the surrounding environment. When done well it can transport the listener into an other world of the producers making and evoke feelings of warmth, isolation or comfort. When it is done as well as it is on "Winter Garden" , a collaboration between Harold Budd,Eraldo Bernocchi and Robin Guthrie it takes you way beyond the other world and into a deep introspective look at your relationship with sound, space and atmosphere.

American Harold Budd has gained popularity over the years with his minimalistic piano work and collaborations with Brian Eno. Although he has hinted at retiring now and then over the past decade or more he is still producing beautiful soundscapes well into to his 70's and will appear as a featured composer at this year's Other Minds festival in March. On this release he teams up renowned Italian musician and producer Eraldo Bernocchi and Scottish producer/guitarist Robin Guthrie, founder of Cocteau Twins and Violet Indiana.

L to R : Robin Guthrie, Harold Budd, Eraldo Bernocchi.

This is epic moody and melodic music that, much like like the title itself hints at, is at once barren and desolate while remaining eerily beautiful. On first listen one might get the impression that each song song sounds too familiar and alike. However with a careful ear you begin to spot the winter fruits hidden in the garden and you are soon wrapped up in its inescapable artistry.

Previous collaboration between Budd and Guthrie have been a little hit and miss for me. Heavy handed muscular guitar drones by Guthrie sometimes outshone Budd's piano work. However on this occasion there are no such problems. Both Guthrie's guitar and Budd's distant, brooding piano work sit comfortably next to each other and are enhanced further by Bernochii's pulsing bass and electronic production.

One can't help but feel this recording requires the best setting for the optimal listening experience. I found most enjoyment from this album while listening with a good pair of headphones while lying down with the lights switched off and nothing to distract me. I discovered an icy melancholy that was beautiful and weightless, a boat made of clouds drifting out to sea. This is required listening for any fans of minimal ambient music and will no doubt find cross over appeal with fans of soundscapes and film scores.

The CD is available online now through Bernocchi's RareNoiseRecords label.