8/10

Since the release of his debut album 'Nostalchic' in 2013, producer Stuart Howard aka Lapalux has always looked to conjure up the most abstract and otherworldly electronic music his mind will allow. His back catalogue to date has been a heady blend of psychedelic drones and hypnotic rhythms, all designed to make his music as warm and atmospheric as possible. And as he returns to deliver his fourth full-length 'Amnioverse', we can hear that he has far from lost his passion for this direction as this new collection unveils yet more of his beautifully blissful sound.

The name 'Amnioverse' is a compound word, combining an amniotic sac with the universe, and portrays the idea that we are always born into the universe and are therefore always intrinsically connected to it. So while this gives us the state of mind from which to approach his latest record, it is still the same wild journey that he has thrown our way. While mainly keeping the release on the euphoric and abstract side, there are plenty of moments that sees the album explode into a bold and electric frenzy of drums and synths, acting as the supernovas throughout which this galaxy seems to see itself.

While fans of his work will now doubt be lapping this up, it is also an incredibly fluid collection that newcomers to his sound will appreciate. Lapalux is very much a focused and driven project and with that, we can always expect more or less the same from him. But the ability to keep it feeling fresh and exciting from start to finish is the hallmark of a truly brilliant musician.