artist: Honeyroot country of origin: UK style(s): Ambient pop, lounge, cinematic essential releases: Sound Echo Location (One World Music)

Is it possible to actually capture light in your music?  Dodgy physics aside, that's just what seems to have happened on UK duo Honeyroot's wonderful debut.  Glenn Gregory (vocalist from 80's synth popsters Heaven 17) and Keith Lowndes (ex-ABC) have produced a work where film music, Cafe del Mar, Groove Armada and Air are all easily recognisable reference points. Yet the album transcends the familiarity of its sounds thanks to the duo's extraordinary craft and the music's real depth of feeling.

The pair had actually been in each other's orbit for many years previous to this, producing a number of albums together for other artists. But Sound Echo Location was the first time they've attempted something in an an obviously chillout vein. It started with them kicking back at, you guessed it, Cafe Del Mar and experiencing its whole chillout vibe for the first time. Is it revolutionary? Not really. Is it good? My word yes. Across ten instrumental and vocal tracks there's diversity aplenty with occasional nods to the dancefloor and a sense of joy throughout that's rare even in the Ibiza-soaked world of chillout records. Sound Echo Location is a summer album so cool it gives you goose bumps. A worthy contender for best downtempo pop album of the 2003.

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