Take Purelink’s 2023 album ‘Signs’. Across its six tracks, the Brooklyn-via-Chicago “jam band” weave granular synthesis, hazy effects and layers of tripped-out ambience through faint percussive fragments of dub techno and microhouse. In doing so, they craft a sound that is minimal and hypnotic, reminiscent at points of early practitioners like Deepchord and Monolake, and the early ’00s Clicks & Cuts compilations, but exists in a lane of its own. The trio of Ben Paulson (Kindtree), Tommy Paslaski (Concave Reflection), and Akeem Asani (Millia) bonded over a shared interest in the likes of Basic Channel and Visible Cloaks, and gradually developed their own approach to ambient and dub sonics. As Purelink, they released music on labels such as UwU dust bath and the influential Lillerne Tapes before landing on Peak Oil for their breakthrough LP. For many initially stumbling upon their output, Purelink may have sounded like nothing else out there, but dig deeper, and a trove of like-minded artists and labels from around the world reveals itself.
While nexus points can be found anywhere between Los Angeles, Montreal and Melbourne, Berlin remains an epicentre for this blissed-out approach to nightlife. kwia, a soft-lit listening bar in Kreuzberg, has become a particularly important space for locals such as Oli XL, CCL and gank — as well as visiting DJs such as Ciel, AYA and Nick León – to play nuanced sets with a softer focus. The bar’s low-to-the-ground seating, psychedelic wall art, and adventurous natural wine program creates an inviting, cosy environment, set to a backdrop of featherweight mixing. Where so many of Berlin’s clubs can seem harsh and imposing, kwia has encouraged a youthful queer community to spring up around it, welcomed by a soundtrack of exploratory ambient music and gentle, shapeshifting beats. In Lisbon, meanwhile, infinity rug offers something similar, with promoters marum and lou drago describing their event as a “sonic seance” where attendees can experience “field recordings, ambient, experiment and deep-mind music”.
