Dorian Concept – Joined Ends

It's been a five year wait for a new full-length album by gifted Austrian producer Dorian Concept. He's released some club-oriented, delightfully skewed beats along the way, not least the sublime 2011 EP Her Tears Taste Like Pears. He's performed with the Cinematic Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall, and remixed artists such as Cid Rim, Leatherette, and Nosaj Thing. Joined Ends is a confident step forward from all of this work, incorporating lush analogue synths, fuzzed-out vocal performances, and subtle, nuanced control over melody.

It's hard to fault, or to pick highlights from, although Mint's Daedelus-like, sinuous rhythm and lush organic tones are particularly exquisite, and the sparse, shimmering garage of Draft Concept, redolent of Martyn's artful take on post-dubstep, enchants. Varied, textured, gorgeously produced, and with a light and airy sense of space, it's a beautiful work, communicating a sense of craftmanship from its opening riff to its final beat. [Bram E. Gieben]