In a month typically slowed by national holidays as Spring (usually) starts to think about Summer, and in recent years as Record Store Day puts pressing schedules on hold, we have been eased through April with more than a little help from our friends.

Andras Fox and Eleventeen Eston camped out with the wild life at Fremantle Harbour, playing along with nature, the results surfacing (and quickly disappearing) on Basso`s Growing Bin. Manu at Archeo Recordings sent us the mediative improvisations of Markus Stockhausen & Jasper Van't Hof. Another impossible to find sought-after about to be given a new lease of life. Jason & Moon at Aficionado have not only the essential Steve Cobby / Penelope Antena split 12, each side invoking classics by Steve Reich and Erykah Badu, respectively, but also a fine instrumental E.P. from Quinn Luke / Bing Ji Ling that builds on the sound of Horsebeach`s “June” and Horsebeach side project Half Silk`s “Delicious Crime”. Phil Mison released this year`s big Balearic “crossover” in the form of Cantoma`s “Just Landed” and also unveiled his new Copenhagen-based Ambala project on Music For Dreams. Mark Barrott and International Feel have the superlative “Cascades / Tago Mago” 12 coming (next week I think), and Music From Memory rescued Workdub from Electro-Acoustic obscurity. New Antipodean acquaintance, Leo James (of Canyons) let us listen to more of his machine music and while I`ve never had the pleasure of meeting Max Richter in person his nostalgic masterpiece “Songs From Before” is lined up for reissue.

I`ve also included my one concession to Record Store Day 2016. The vinyl pressing of Ibrahim Ferrer`s sublime debut album.

Track-list:

• Max Richter - Song - Deutsche Grammophon
• Max Richter & Robert Wyatt - Flowers For Yulia - Deutsche Grammophon
• Wilson Tanner - Pilot - Growing Bin
• Markus Stockhausen & Jasper Van't Hof - Aqua Sansa - Archeo Recordings
• Leo James - Salvation (Part 1) - Body Language
• Senor M - Carbo - Balearic Blah Blah
• Penelope Antena - Tradewinds - Aficionado
• Ibrahim Ferrer - Silencio - World Circuit
• Cantoma - Abando - Highwood
• Ambala - Bambari - Music For Dreams
• Mark Barrott - Tago Mago - International Feel
• Workdub - Caravan Revisited - Music From Memory
• Bing Ji Ling - Primavera - Aficionado