a period of review (original recordings: 1975 - 1983) visits k. leimers vast archive and unearths unheard work from a self-taught visionary whose use of generative composition ferried his music to infinite resonance. with its hypnotic arcadian terraces and nearly narcotic glacial beauty, a period of review has a rightful place in the canon of pioneering ambient music. double album includes 16 page booklet with extensive liner notes and ephemera, printed inner sleeves and a high quality mp3 download.

that summer i developed somewhat of an obsession with tonto’s expanding head band after having seen them perform at the big chill festival that year. the music blew my mind. later upon my return to civilisation and the ensuing research which then began in earnest i became as much blown away by the enormous t.o.n.t.o. (the original new timbral orchestra) modular synthesizer that had created the music as i was by the music itself. built in the early 70s, it s still the largest synthesizer around today. with the live show still resonating in my head i tracked down everything tonto had ever recorded. one of these tracks was an obscure outtake from the time t.o.n.t.o.’s creators, malcolm cecil and robert margouleff, were producing and engineering for stevie wonder in the ‘70s(https://youtu.be/wuaszff7yq0). the track, bittersweet, only ever appeared on a highly limited self-released cd put together to coincide with their appearance at the big chill. consequently i featured it on a few mixes i did over the years and invariably i’d be asked “what’s that track?” by those with an ear for something unique. and invariably these same people, many of them djs, would turn away disgruntled when i informed them it was cd only. although i didn t know it at the time, the seed was definitely sown for this vinyl compilation that you now hold in your hands.

dj-kicks has tapped up life and death label founder dj tennis for the next instalment in its long running and landmark series, which is due for release on 14th july. the italian is the first artist to ever be granted not one but two discs across which to showcases his style, and he doesnt disappoint. the mix comes as a double cd and triple vinyl release and features four exclusive tracks. these include a brand new original from dj tennis featuring fink and called certain angels, plus new tennis versions of tunes by pole and frank brettschneider, and finally an unreleased track, paratrooper, from acclaimed tel aviv duo red axes. in programming these two diverse, eclectic and yet coherent rides, dj tennis shows off his singular knack for nailing an aesthetic that is subversive yet seductive in equal measure.