Although tagged as dark ambient or even Industrial, I see the work of Christian Fiesel a bit differently. His sound does have the hallmarks of a more rhythmic ambient music, but it also has the feeling of mid-era Tangerine Dream as well. It pulses and throbs in all the right Continue Reading
France
Various Artists – Arborescence: Bouquet Sauvage
This compilation, curated by the composer Aborescence, includes several of the leading lights of ambient music, including Robert Rich, Rudy Adrian, Alio Die as well as newer names (at least to me) like Robert Davies and Roy Mattson. From Arborescence’s Bandcamp site: “Bouquet Sauvage is a curated compilation comprised of Continue Reading
HJ Ayala – Wesserling En Direct
It’s wonderful to welcome back an old friend of the blog, Hector Javier Ayala, a guitarist hailing from Mexico and living in France. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that this is a very song-focused album, featuring a couple of genuinely Mexican guitar tunes and the beautiful jazz classic, Days Continue Reading
Yallahbibi – Desert Tales
Yallahbibi are, I’m guessing, from France but draw heavily on a mix of electronic and Arabic music which has been welded together with deep grooves.
Yoshiko Sai – Mikkou
Our dear friends over at Wewantsounds continue their tear of incredible reissues by reviving an absolute psychedelic funk monster album by Yoshiko Sai. From the Bandcamp site: “Wewantsounds is delighted to continue its Yoshiko Sai reissue program with the release of “Mikkou”, the Japanese singer-songwriter’s 2nd album released in 1976 Continue Reading
Dormance – II
Mahorka Records has added another unique gem to their 2026 collection with the release from the band Dormance. Their sound blends mechanical influences that evoke the early works of Frontline Assembly, early Depeche Mode, and artists from the respected Wax Trax! Records label.
Zao – Kawana
Magma alumni Yochk’o Seffer and François “Faton” Cahen recorded under the name Zao, producing an album that is at once progressive, zeuhl, and heavily influenced by Miles-era jazz fusion. Deep and dark, it also features Didier Lockwood on violin, Gérard Prévost and Bill Gagnon on bass, Jean My Truong and Christian Saint Continue Reading
Toshiyuki Tsuchitori & Ryuichi Sakamoto – Disappointment / Hateruma
The void left by Ryuichi Sakamoto’s passing is far too immense to ever be filled. One can hope for a reissue here and there, for some lost studio and live recordings to resurface, and for some demos and live tracks to pop up. However, this month, we’re graced with a little Continue Reading
Brigitte Fontaine – Brigitte Fontaine Est Folle (Special Edition)
From our dear friends at Wewantsounds: “Wewantsounds is delighted to reissue French pop icon Brigitte Fontaine’s landmark 1968 album Brigitte Fontaine Est Folle, originally released on the cult label Saravah and arranged by Jean-Claude Vannier. approved by the artist, this reissue features the original album, newly remastered from the original Continue Reading
Baeshi Bang 배씨방 – Baeshi Bang
From their Bandcamp site: “Baeshi Bang is a French quintet presenting an original and modern instrumental interpretation of songs by Bae Ho, famous Korean singer from the sixties.” Bae Ho was a stylish South Korean crooner who sang with so much power that he would nearly rip out his vocal Continue Reading