Shinichi Koboyashis music as Bot1500 has such a beautiful signature to it. Using the layers and language of ambient IDM, artfully arranged pads & chords and crisp vectored breaks, hes been creating a beautiful and highly individual sound. The Black Sea, His first album since 2022s Surreal on AD93s sister label Lith Dolina, spaces things out more and focuses inward with a palette of minimalism and increased emotional resonance. Its been a focus for Shinichi across his self-published studio work in the last few years. The albums tracks feel increasingly rooted in the principles and logic of dub. Utilising more space, more silence, and more focus on the simplicity and elegance of the composition folded into radiant arrangements of melody, snare, shade and echo. The sea is both an inner landscape and a geographic image that hangs over the records mood. A dark humid summer night, like that on Japanese coasts. A small boat sails aimlessly. An eerie tone, but with a glimpse of beauty. The water is melancholic, enveloping, and endless. Each track is written at 140bpm save for last track White Flocks at 120, for the image of heading south to close out.

Bright morning. To noon and into afternoon. To dusk and the inky night. A major new exhibition of Mammos music spread across a triple disc, twelve track album. Call it a compendium or summary, a network of sparking neurons and painted landscapes in techno. It folds in all the aspects of his other identities (self-)released over the last few years into an ultimate package ~ Heaven Smile, Ax, CoA-A, E35, Puddlerunner; really any other project Fabiano has assumed an identity under. It all finds its way into the code and format of Lateral in some way or another. Here the ground is given for the listener to hear just how much range and individual language there is in the music hes been making. Fully immersive, inventive and detailed while also elegant and light of touch. Its quite a package from one of the most talented techno producers right now, gesturing towards different genres and novel ideas in beautiful and intuitive fashion. Break the pack down for your preferred disc of the day if you like. Its designed with that modularity in mind. Disc one sparkles with vitality and a buoyancy. The middle disc has more drive and harder bites that you may want to amplify and split out to slot in a DJ bag. Sides five and six move into deeper, dreamier and more emotional techno in twilight. Each one is a little distinct and has its own orbit. But give it your full attention on the turntable platter too. A listen from beginning to end. Theres lovely dynamics and interplays in the narrative, and its a remarkable new body of work to let your time dilate to.