Good day, listeners… or should I say, travellers of the tape. Trevor here. You’ve just pressed play on another fragile spool of the Virtual Cassette Library. Episode 275. A twelve-track virtual cassette that flips itself at the halfway mark, whether you’re ready or not. If you make music, or run a label, and fancy a place in the library, send your links or Bandcamp codes to trevlad@gmail.com. I read every one. Promise. Tips and subscriptions keep the reels turning. Every little helps the library stay open after dark. A varied ambient journey mixing cosmic library mystery, long-form meditation, playful ease, and quiet spectral presence. Side A moves from Italian mysteries and returning echoes into modular uncertainty, wind-like drones, playtime charm, and challenging growth. Side B shifts through a quick French exit, Pacific waltzing, river-like storytelling, exclusive ghosts, piano stillness, and ends in an empty town. Overall mood: Contemplative, atmospheric, and gently shifting — balancing deep immersion with lighter, more playful moments. Perfect for focused listening, late evenings, or quiet solitude. I’ll introduce Side A now. Side B will wait for the intermission, as is tradition. The shows remain free for the first week, then slip quietly into the hands of my Mixcloud subscribers, who currently have 1,103 other episodes waiting for them whenever the mood strikes. Subscribers also receive the expanding series Veil Frequencies, recorded floor-by-floor inside the 24 buildings of a place called the Resonant Veil Enclave. They also get the ever-growing advance version of the forthcoming compilation Quiet Figures. Side A On this episode you’ll hear the cosmic pulsations of “I misteri del mondo” (The Mysteries of the World) by Giuliano Sorgini — another gem unearthed by the excellent Four Flies Records. Then legendary Japanese ambient artist Rhucle reinterprets Raúl Cantizano & David Cordero’s “Algo a lo que regresar” (Something to Come Back To) from the remix album Aunque llegue la mañana · Refracted (Even If Morning Comes). Eleven artists appear on the record, including zakè, anthéne, Wil Bolton, Ian Hawgood and more. It’s out on David Cordero’s Noray Records. Next, UK modular synthesist and guitarist Analogue Path with “Uncertain-A” from his name-your-price album Early Days. This is followed by the longest piece on the episode — a 14-minute meditation from Italian electro-acoustic sound sculptor Gino Fioravanti (Aglaia). The heavily echoed “Anemoi” comes from the recent name-your-price release Altitudes on Projekt Records. After that we head to Seattle for the duo Guest Bartender Deborah Toyota and the track “Playtime” from their album Music for Babies, out on Mystery Circles. Closing Side A is Baden-Baden’s free-improvisational drone artist stefan schmidt with the challenging ten-minute “arbrehl” from his latest album tharva gev. But first, to set the vibe: Giuliano Sorgini with “I misteri del mondo”. Now settle in. Turn it up just a little. Let’s see where the tape takes us. One side flip. Just the music. Side B I hope you survived that one. Welcome back, sonic travellers. Six tracks down. Six still waiting. You’ll hear my favourite Ramsgate-based artist, Nick Bonell (Lone Bison), with the waltzing “Be More Pacific” from his latest Castles in Space release Longshore Drifting. Next we change the pace with Salt Lake City singer-songwriter Josaleigh Pollett and “Like a River” from her latest album If I Let It Quiet, available on random-colour double vinyl from Lavender Vinyl and also on Audio Antihero. Then we find ourselves in Lincolnshire — famous for Sir Isaac Newton and for gribbles. The latter genius has just started releasing under his real name, Graham Thorpe, and this is an exclusive first listen: “Ghosts”, from the forthcoming compilation Quiet Figures (digital release 26 September, available for pre-order now on my Trevlad Bandcamp page). Near the end we’re joined by one of the most prolific ambient artists around, David Cordero, together with Slovenia-based Japanese artist Aiko Takahashi, for the beautiful piano piece “Montsec” from the album Night’s End on Home Normal. Finally, as it was in the beginning, we return to Italy with Alessio Bertuzzi (Far Away Nebraska) and some magical ambient noodlings in “Empty as this town” from the album Halfway from nowhere, the latest release on Kordel Records (a sub-label of Jogging House’s Seil Records). But first, Third Kind boss Nicholas Langley and long-time collaborator Stephen Cousins (Fisty Kendal) with the one-minute-thirty-six-second closing piece from their album Now What? titled “French Exit”. Enjoy…
Side A 00:00:00 Giuliano Sorgini – I misteri del mondo Cosmic, mysterious Italian library ambient with pulsating wonder and 70s cinematic flair. Atmospheric and intriguing. 00:07:16 Rhucle – Algo a lo que regresar Gentle, returning ambient reinterpretation with soft Japanese warmth and quiet emotional pull. Tender and reflective. 00:09:42 Analogue Path – Uncertain-A Modular, uncertain ambient with guitar textures and early-day exploratory calm. Sparse and thoughtful. 00:13:13 Aglaia – Anemoi Long-form, heavily echoed electro-acoustic meditation named for the winds. Immersive, patient, and deeply contemplative. 00:26:29 Guest Bartender Deborah Toyota – Playtime Playful, soft ambient designed with light-hearted ease and quiet charm. Warm and inviting. 00:29:36 stefan schmidt – arbrehl Challenging free-improvisational drone with dense, tree-like growth and demanding presence. Intense and exploratory. Side B 00:41:45 Hz & Fisty Kendal – French Exit Brief, elegant electronic farewell with subtle wit and clean closure. Short and stylish. 00:43:07 Lone Bison – Be More Pacific Waltzing, coastal ambient with relaxed Pacific sway and Castles-in-Space warmth. Easy and charming. 00:45:58Josaleigh Pollett – Like a River Storytelling indietronica with flowing vocals and quiet emotional current. Intimate and sincere. 00:49:46 Graham Thorpe – Ghosts Exclusive, spectral ambient with soft presence and quiet figures waiting in the background. Haunting and gentle. 00:52:29 David Cordero & Aiko Takahashi – Montsec Beautiful piano-led ambient with collaborative clarity and soft mountain-like stillness. Elegant and peaceful. 00:55:08 Far away Nebraska – Empty as this town Magical ambient noodling with open, empty-town space and quiet Italian atmosphere. Dreamy and spacious.
Also in the works: the next compilation, Quiet Figures, due 26 September. Uncover the narratives whispered by the silent, ever-present figures that shadow us, through compositions that unravel their hidden mysteries. Does that stir anything? Send entries to trevlad@gmail.com Include artist name, track name, and a link to other work. Deadline: 24 September. All the best, Trevor
Good day, listeners… or should I say, travellers of the tape. Trevor here. You’ve just pressed play on another fragile spool of the Virtual Cassette Library. Episode 272. A twelve-track virtual cassette that flips itself at the halfway mark, whether you’re ready or not. If you make music, or run a label, and fancy a place in the library, send your links or Bandcamp codes to trevlad@gmail.com. I read every one. Promise. Tips and subscriptions keep the reels turning. Every little helps the library stay open after dark. A varied, slightly quirky ambient and electronic journey mixing French precision, personal storytelling, and hauntological grit. Side A moves from kinetic speed machines and diary entries into monolithic atmospheres, cherry-sweet narratives, and limbic depths. Side B shifts through soapworks hauntology, glass colours, ticking pianos, translucent synths, and ends on questions of reception and what comes next. Overall mood: Contemplative yet playful, with a mix of intimacy, nostalgia, and quiet curiosity. Perfect for focused listening, late-afternoon drives, or evening immersion. I’ll introduce Side A now. Side B will wait for the intermission, as is tradition. The shows remain free for the first week, then slip quietly into the hands of my Mixcloud subscribers, who currently have 1,098 other episodes waiting for them whenever the mood strikes. Subscribers also receive the expanding series Veil Frequencies, recorded floor-by-floor inside the 24 buildings of a place called the Resonant Veil Enclave. They also get the ever-growing advance version of the forthcoming compilation Quiet Figures. Side A On this episode you’ll hear Paris-based artist Stéphane Laporte, better known as DOMOTIC, and a track from an album I’ve been spinning a lot since its release. The album is Fourrure Sounds Vol. 3 to 6, and the track is “Bolide” (which translates as “Speed Machine”). It’s one of my favourite releases this year, and the 36-track cassette version is available through Astra Solaria Recordings. Staying in France, we have artist and label curator Richard Francés with “12 Décembre 2024” from the album Afterwork III (Février 2024), out on his own Hylé Tapes — where you can still grab one of the five remaining cassettes. Next, another Hylé Tapes artist, this time Tokyo-based Raphael Leray, with “Akurah” from the 2015 release MONOLITH. Then something a little different: Salt Lake City singer-songwriter and indietronica artist Josaleigh Pollett, with her captivating storytelling on “Cherry” from the latest album If I Let It Quiet. We’re back on Hylé Tapes for the title track from the 2024 album Biodiverse by the trio Biodiverse, Anee Molly & Canblaster. Closing Side A is my Glaswegian mate Fragile X with “Limbic” from the 2021 album Hive (previously featured on the Trip FM compilation Blue Shift). But first, to set the vibe, DOMOTIC with “Bolide”. Now settle in. Turn it up just a little. Let’s see where the tape takes us. One side flip. Just the music. Side B Welcome back, sonic travellers. Six tracks down. Six still waiting. You’ll hear another track by Glass Roots from the 2020 album The Idiot — an older Triplicate Records release I’ve been revisiting lately (and all their older material is name-your-price, which is where my broke self tends to hang out). This is “Reds Blue”. Then back to France for Mea Poulpa and the wonderful piano-based (dare I say almost trip-hop) piece “Clock” from the album Beyond Glass, out on Camembert Électrique. Next we head to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and BVSMV (co-founder of Triplicate Records) with the 2017 synthwave track “Translucent” from the album Skies, available via Cardiff’s TimeSlave Recordings among other places. Near the end we’re treated to an exclusive from the forthcoming compilation The Synthesis Co-Op Volume One — an amazing collective of artists, many of whom have appeared on this channel over the years (The Earl of Dean, Pulsliebhaber, HDRF, Swimming Lesson, Visionary Lines and more). The compilation drops 4 September. Go follow tscoop.bandcamp.com to stay in the know. Here is “Are You Receiving Us?” by the always delightful Drew Huddart, aka Scholars of the Peak. And finally we travel to Buenos Aires for Aughflair and the 2017 piece “What Comes Next” from the album Rewritten, also available via the presently defunct Triplicate side-label Mangled Music Co. But first, our friend Paul Broome, better known as Warmfield, with a track from the Woodford Halse compilation Undulating Waters 10. Warmfield has contributed to my first two compilations and also appears on the new Synthesis Co-Op Volume One (which isn’t out yet but is already stunning). This is “Waterton vs Walton Soapworks”. Enjoy…
Side A 00:00:00 DOMOTIC – Bolide Sleek, kinetic electronic with speed-machine energy and polished French precision. Dynamic and driving. 00:07:02 Richard Francés – 12 Décembre 2024 Intimate, diary-like ambient capturing a specific December day with quiet, personal reflection. Soft and contemplative. 00:08:12 Raphael Leray – Akurah Mysterious, monolithic ambient with Tokyo-tinged depth and restrained, atmospheric weight. Dark and focused. 00:12:18 Josaleigh Pollett – Cherry Warm, storytelling indietronica with gentle vocals and bittersweet narrative charm. Intimate and captivating. 00:16:32 Biodiverse, Anee Molly & Canblaster – Biodiverse Lush, layered ambient exploring living systems with rich, collaborative textures. Organic and immersive. 00:24:17 Fragile X – Limbic Emotional, brain-centred ambient with subtle electronic pulses and quiet psychological depth. Reflective and textured. Side B 00:29:45 Warmfield – Waterton vs Walton Soapworks Hauntological, industrial-tinged ambient with soapworks grit and regional British character. Atmospheric and grounded. 00:34:21 Glass Roots – Reds Blue Colour-shifting ambient with transparent, glass-like tones and soft emotional contrast. Delicate and evocative. 00:37:31 Mea Poulpa – Clock Piano-led, almost trip-hop ambient with measured, ticking elegance and quiet tension. Stylish and measured. 00:39:30 BVSMV – Translucent Synthwave-tinged ambient with soft, glowing translucency and 2010s nostalgia. Smooth and luminous. 00:43:30 Scholars of the Peak – Are You Receiving Us? Communicative, exclusive ambient with questioning warmth and gentle signal-seeking. Friendly and intriguing. 00:47:13 Aughflair – What Comes Next Forward-looking ambient with quiet anticipation and open-ended atmosphere. Thoughtful and expansive.
Also in the works: the next compilation, Quiet Figures, due 26 September. Uncover the narratives whispered by the silent, ever-present figures that shadow us, through compositions that unravel their hidden mysteries. Does that stir anything? Send entries to trevlad@gmail.com Include artist name, track name, and a link to other work. Deadline: 24 September. All the best, Trevor