Severnaya - Polar Skies (2018)

Prolific machine manipulator Boris Bunnik already operates under a dizzying array of aliases - Conforce, Versalife and Silent Harbour being the most celebrated - so it seems odd that he'd want to add another pseudonym to the CV. Severnaya, though, is a fresh moniker, seemingly created to allow him to explore the slowly-shifting, atmosphere-rich world of glacial, Biosphere-esque techno. Those with a deep knowledge of 1990s ambient music will point out audible nods to the becalmed, weightless electronics of Pete Namlook and the flat-on-your-back-at-sunrise bliss of Sun Electric's overlooked (but sublime) 30.7.94 Live full-length. There are a few gently rhythmic moments dotted throughout, too, though these tend to be every bit as beautiful and becalmed as the album's many beat-less excursions.