Reviewed by Hannah Rose Sadler

The hugely prolific Ottawa-born musical magician Huang (about whom you can read on the Cross Rhythms website) has released another astonishing and unique album. After listening to it all I wanted to do was play it over and over again. Hard to pigeonhole, it can best be described as dupstep-flavoured ambient instrumentals, though even that doesn't fully do it justice. The album has a great vibe and is perfect to be played on a beach or even at a club. It nimbly avoids the clichés of dubstep (quiet at the beginning and then going into huge harsh heavy beats) and shows Huang's inventive and at times experimental approach with different sounds. Collectively the whole album is a stunning soundscape. The opener "Kaleidoscope" although very repetitive creates ambience while there are other numbers, "Labyrinth Of Ghosts", "Globe Amaranth" and "Grey", which create moods of peaceful reflection. Then there is the rather eerie "Globe Amaranth" giving a very chilled out vibe and sounds perfect for a Mediterranean beach bar. "Fireworx" has to be the standout track mixing the noises of fireworks, laughter and shouting from Huang's friends and a synth and bass refrain which nags away at the listener. Chinese Canadian Huang has made hundreds of recordings but this amazing album is surely amongst his very best.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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