“Live in Zagreb” by Desiderii Marginis

Recorded earlier this year at the Ambientalika listening event in Zagreb, Croatia, Live in Zagreb is a 41-minute dark ambient masterclass from one of the genre’s true and undisputed masters: Johan Levin, aka Desiderii Marginis.

The recording begins and ends with songs from what is arguably Levin’s finest album to date, 2021’s darkly sublime Bathe in Black Light (my review). Between them are four improvised pieces that flow seamlessly into each other and showcase Levin’s skill at creating soundscapes that are at once haunting, ominous, and otherworldly.