Memory Shell – Ultimae

Ultimae, with Aes Dana as their centrepiece, have pretty much revolutionised chillout music and created for themselves a solid niche in the marketplace. While labels like LSD and Interchill are firmly shrouded in the dubby, organic side of things, Ultimae live more “Planet Proper-Ambient” – electronic soundscapes that open up the mind, soothe the senses, and dissolve away the tensions of the “real” world more efficiently than a morphine pancake for breakfast. And it works: listening to this on a discman, walking out of work on a Friday evening, down streets clogged with traffic, LOUD so that no external sounds can get in, is something of a transcendental experience. Crystalline icescapes jostle alongside womb-with-a-view sonic cuddles, cinematic dubscapes fold out into sumptuous, tickly-beat niceness, and tiptop production makes all of it fill your room in liquefied 3D. The whole package here displays a rare and loveable attention to detail: we didn’t ask for the 16-page booklet featuring gorgeous imagery by Vince Villuis (the man behind Aes Dana). But we got it: wonderful photography, a little dedication on the tracks, all pointing to love and energy poured into both project and product. Talking about individual tracks is somewhat meaningless – like talking about individual grains of rice at the delectable Kairali restaurant, Burgess Road, Southampton. The whole is much greater than the sum of its parts; and this is an album you’ll want to cane from start to finish, and like most Ultimae releases, you’ll want to do so for a long time to come. Enough talking: just get this. Your body and your brain will thank you for adding to your collection one of the most accomplished, intelligent and downright astounding chillout albums of the year.