VA - SOMEWHERE IV (2020)

In a time where dancing with others is forbidden, and most clubs in Europe remain closed, we felt it was time to shift gears. The fourth edition of our compilation series SOMEWHERE is best enjoyed lying down.15 tracks that will chill you out, put you at ease and comfort you in this difficult year.

It will not surprise you there is a strong Dutch presence on SOMEWHERE IV. Machine master Mattheis (best known for his stunning work on Nous’ Klaer) showers us with beautiful arpeggio’s that seem to stem straight from his modular. Fader from Borneo (but actually from Rotterdam) takes a much different approach, with long floating chords that move up and down like the surge near the shore after a violent storm. And then there is the sample wizardry by the experienced producer Love Over Entropy, who tackles analogue sounds and lets them run rounds in ever smaller concentric circles. It’s as hypnotic as it is intriguing.

There is something for everyone on SOMEWHERE IV. As long as you’re cool with absent kickdrums or aggressive hi hats. In fact, there is room for a kick. On the wonderful wonky 'Endure', by Utrecht based knob tweaker Vela Uniform. It’s one of the highlights of the album and it reminds us of the heydays of Warp’s Artificial Intelligence Series. Yes, it’s that good.

Another gem is 'Sometimes' by Machines of Loving Grace, an alter ego of the veteran dj & producer Eric de Man. He takes us to a nearly deserted rain forest, where birds and insects seem to go around in slow motion. De Man made this melancholic highlight more than 13 years ago. It clearly stood the test of time.

Ambient music has been around long before Brian Eno gave the genre it’s name. But over the last few years and thanks to a string of strong releases by artists like Huerco S, Kara Lis Coverdale and Kaitlyin Aurelia Smith, the genre is on the rise again. SOMEWHERE IV is the perfect antidote for stressful times and the sorrow of a closed down nightlife.