Smallfish (UK)

Pjusk’s first album for 12k was without doubt one of my favourite releases on the label. I’ve been going back to it regularly since it came out and even now it just has a certain indefinable quality that makes it stand out. With that in mind it’s fair to say that I was somewhat excited about hearing this follow up. And you know what? It actually surpasses Sart in many ways. It’s not easy for me to describe something like this without gushing so I’ll keep it to a minimum and let you discover it for yourself. The real key here is the blend of old-school and new-school and the way they work together to create a 100% compelling piece of work. At its heart this is an electronic album that isn’t defined by any one sound, rather it uses ambience, texture, atmospherics and rhythmic elements to create a glorious and beautiful journey. If pushed I’d suggest there’s a certain Biosphere-esque quality to it along with maybe a hint of Locust (two of my favourite ‘90s artists) and that’s where the old-school sound comes in. But the way it’s constructed with an incredibly deep attention to detail and superb production tells you it’s a completely contemporary work. From the opening moments of the first track right through to the end this is an album of pure brilliance and I’d urge you to check it out straight away. This one deserves to be savoured without me telling you every last detail about it – it’s all about the joy of discovery with this one. Pure class and highly recommended.