This collection of off the wall tunes is just what we're looking for - well produced, inspired music that is taken as far as it can go (on a budget of course).

The laid-back, soft sounds used here remind me of some ambient music that was around two years ago. They have really created some pleasant noised here, and without straying into New Age territory, these tracks would serve well as relaxation tracks.

This is unusual to hear in ambient music these days, as in the aftermath of Future Sound Of London, most of it is biased towards harsh realism. Often an aggressive blend, it's obviously designed to freak the listener out rather than chill him (or her!) out.

All of the tunes here have been clinically and seamlessly produced, and each massages the eardrums leaving you wanting more. Anyway, don't just take my word for it, monitor it yourself on the Re:Mix CD!

Robin Green

This CD has a great, eye-catching cover, and I liked the form the letter took, which contained all the relevant information in one short paragraph. The album title 'Cacti and Succulents', is also memorable, but I'm always wary of music described as 'ambient techno dub house weirdness' - are they trying to be all things to all people?

The first track is faultlessly recorded, with a big sound that I didn't think was possible using a Seck desk - obviously Steve Kirby of I-Sense didn't use that thinning mid-EQ! The music has an ambient quality that develops from what sounds like a long spoken sample, broken up to work more rhythmically with the backing. When a slow fours does break in, the instrumentation also picks up, but there is still plenty of space in the backing, contributing to the big sound of the production. The addition of wah guitar mixed at low level into the synth loop works well.

There is a neat crossfade into the second composition, where a swirling, breathy synthesiser sets up an ambient backing before a heavier beat is dubbed in. In some ways, the contrast of hard, digital-sounding bass synth, clicky kick drum, and distorted guitar sample was too grating - I think I would have preferred a heavier rap-style kick in the mix at this point.

Although the production sound on this demo is generally very good, if I was splitting hairs, I'd probably run the whole thing through a valve EQ to warm it up a bit.