“Form of Defraction” by Aural Imbalance

I’ve been on a bit of a jungle/drum ‘n’ bass kick lately, so lucky for me that Aural Imbalance (aka, the UK’s Simon Huxtable) dropped a new album last month.

Fragile Shapes features the immaculate production and intricately programmed breakbeats that I’ve come to expect from Huxtable over the years. But on album opener “Form of Defraction,” he also layers plenty of chime and shimmer over his fractured beats in the form of delicate, billowing textures that evoke Robin Guthrie’s classic guitar-work, and imbue the song with a sense of tranquility and vastness.

I wasn’t expecting to be transported to be transported to the classic drum n’ bliss era of the late ’90s and early ’00s when I pressed “Play” on Fragile Shapes, but it turned out to be a very welcome journey.

Fragile Shapes is currently available on Auxiliary.