Sunny days in Manchester (although already gone!), midnight aurora sightings and a new release from Before I Die. Rare occurrences that are worthy of your time and enjoyment. And like northern sunshine, Jason Boardman’s label (labour) of love, is just that - a shining example of quality over quantity. Only putting out essential music, beautifully packaged and more than the sum of its not inconsiderable parts.

The label has continued to mine a fertile seam of Deutschland dub for Klangkollector’s debut, the aptly named ‘Dub Tapes Vol.1’ and makes for a fitting riposte to the hell of Eurovision. Comprised of Lars Fischer, the sound here is an immersive cocktail of evolving soundscapes and dub textures that envelope and submerge into their inner sanctum, particularly on the dreamlike ‘Garden Pond’ and ‘Lake Lounge’.

That’s not to say there isn’t drama too, ‘Midnight Express’s’ emotive keys provide a real moment in more ways than one. Each track takes the listener somewhere else in terms of its emotional pull and melodic direction. There’s Globulus’, that mixes almost classical piano with a dub sensibility or closer ‘Baund’ that is more electronic, with constant a motorik throb of a groove across all of its 10 plus minutes that never lets up. The whole suite feels fully formed, completely self-contained and rewards repeated experience. So maybe that’s where the similarity ends, when the northern lights have faded and the rain has returned, the Klang will continue.

Dub Tapes Volume 1 is available via Bandcamp, Piccadilly Records and other outlets