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I first became aware of Kilowatts on his 2007 album Ground Force on Native State, and since then he's become one to watch. Prolific artists are often prolific at the expense of quality, but not this chap -- releases on Thoughtless Music have, in particular, stood tall and satiate you demand for something different, emotive and -- for want of a better word -- tender.

Six Silicates is among his best output, perhaps best described as semi-glitchy chill that couples the atmosphere of "proper" ambient with the engaging qualities of more conventional downtempo and lounge.

It's loosely based around the concept of... well, something. The tracks are based around names of what I guess must be Silicates; Jade, Amethyst, Quartz, and such. I'm not sure how important conceptual context is; what I do know is that this is cerebral, challenging, engrossing music that flirts equally well with recurrent themes as with new ideas. 

The production is fantastic, even on MP3. There is a lot of attention to sonic detail and movement; Zircon, in particular, sounds like the spontaneous interstellar music that Tangerine Dream might have tried to channel if they weren't so busy being weird. 

Six Silicates is wonderful, and perhaps the most wonderful thing about it is that the artist has elected to release it for free. So you really don't need a review.

Get it free from the artist's website here.

Free in MP3, donate to get FLAC.