Koss - Ancient Rain

The problem with ambient is that it’s hard to find the time to listen to it. Music is now available on any platform, is truly portable and is almost always free to listen to. So it has to be immediate, because the ‘forward’ button is a click away. This makes it hard to sell albums like Ancient Rain, but Koss' latest deserves a contemplative listen. You already know what you’re getting with track names like Dream and Odyssey, and musically these compositions sound as restrained and effortless as their titles. But there’s a thoughtful deepness and an undeniable soul to many of the offerings – producer Kuniyuki has previously recorded for the Spiritual Life and 2000 Black labels – which sets this apart from most other forays into ‘chillout’. The beatless soundscapes might be a bit too experimental to affect, while cuts like Ocean Waves or Jumoku better represent this deceptively intricate and worthwhile project. [Chris Buckle]