artist: Grey Area country of origin: Australia style(s): Experimental, psy ambient, techno, dub essential releases: Penumba (2002, Plusquam Records) And Then The Clouds (2005, Waveform)

Grey Area (aka Alex Salter and friends) are fine purveyors of gently trippy downtempo electronica, known to some in the Australian outdoor doof/party scene for their soothing sets performed on the chill stages. Grey Area's early albums including the excellent Penumbra are unknown outside the psy underground but in 2005 U.S. label Waveform gave them some well-deserved global exposure with And Then The Clouds, a best-off collection with a couple of new pieces thrown in.

Salter makes some strikingly fresh and original music, often reaching beyond the familiar template of lush, dubby, upfront melodic grooves that usually define the psy-tinged chill genre with which the band is associated. "Slowly" is a brilliantly eerie lo-fi soundtrack blending live bass guitar with electronic tones that seem to swoop and fly by at random. "Sadness Dub" and "Penumbra" boast muted, sensual melodies that tease and tickle your consciousness, while "Modular Drift" is a rather sweet piece of techno jazz. Both albums boast lots of smart touches and gentle quirks with barely a cliché in sight.

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