Acclaimed marimba player/composer/improviser Payton MacDonald explores the frontiers of the sonic arts in a variety of settings, from Carnegie Hall to remote wilderness locations. On Transients Vol. 1, 2, & 3, forthcoming next month, MacDonald presents a series of duo recordings with estimable percussionists Susie Ibarra (Pauline Oliveros, John Zorn, Ikue Mori), Nava Dunkelman (Angélica Negrón, Du Yun, Fred Frith), and Billy Martin (Medeski Martin & Wood, Bill Frisell, Lounge Lizards). MacDonald sets the stage with a flourish, unveiling not one, not two, but three electrifying previews – ‘Rituals’ (ft. Susie Ibarra), ‘Spinnings’ (ft. Billy Martin), and ‘Snippy’ (ft. Nava Dunkelman) – a dramatic trio that hints at just how bold this album is going to be. Hypnotic and then some. These tracks burrow deep and linger in your head for ages…

Space Ghost returns with Back From Reality, his first solo album since 2022. Blending ambient, downtempo and house, the LP explores themes of escapism, introspection and the search for moments of calm in an increasingly overwhelming world. Out October 9th, via Space Ghost’s own Peace World Records. The title track drifts through late‑night ambience, carving out a downtempo zone to get lost in. It’s a mood shaped by Space Ghost’s favourite ritual: driving around Oakland after writing new songs to see if their emotions truly hold up. We think it absolutely does.

Oraculu, the hybrid-jazz project of Sardinian producer and DJ Two Thou, returns with a full-length project. With its ever-shifting line-up, the new record features Theon Cross (tuba), Taymour Khajah (tenor sax), D’Monk (piano), and Sonny Daze (vocals, percussion), with Two Thou handling (drum machine & synths). ‘Watch The Change’ finds the quintet occupying the space between improvisational jazz, house, electronic music, and spiritual electronics. The tracks move from slow, meditative passages toward hypnotic grooves and full-bodied, dancefloor-oriented catharsis. Get involved below – the album lands on September 5th. 

Whodamanny has been crafting vivid club experiments through his Periodica offshoot, Biloba, and, with Onda Biloba, he pushes those ideas into a full‑length burst of world‑dance exotica and balearic paradise pop. Recorded in his Biloba studio, the album glows with sun‑drenched grooves, drifting from downtempo haze to deviant disco, from loved‑up chants to Hi‑NRG heat. Samba touches, funk flashes, equatorial house rhythms, fantasy flutes and dub‑soaked balladry all collide, creating a humid, body‑moving dreamscape lit by sax, drums and piano.

Pronoia feels like the right doorway into this album, that sense that the cosmos is quietly nudging you toward something special, because from the first note, this album behaves like it’s been waiting for you. Trumpeter/electronic artist Noah Simpson and guitarist/FX explorer Mike Gamble “craft a fluid dialogue of textured improvisation and detailed production, where small gestures move through shimmering electronic environments.” Standouts from this top-draw album include ‘The Sun Is Out‘, ‘Pair Of Socials‘, ‘Flukiness‘, ‘Fall Connection‘ and ‘The People Are Ok‘. Lovely chilled music to keep you company when you just want to relax.