artist: Thought Guild country of origin: USA style(s): Spacemusic, Berlin-school ambient, psychedelia essential releases: Context (2002, Harmonic Resonance)

Electronic music now well and truly has a history, from the tape experiments of John Cage in 1950's to the latest downbeat mutations of techno, funk, dub and lounge music. On their debut album the duo Thought Guild are, in a sense, re-creating history by using vintage analogue and digital synthesisers to capture a particularly rich period in European electronic music. Spacemusic fans will recognize one half of Thought Guild as American composer Gregory Kyryluk who records solo as Alpha Wave Movement. Context evokes the sequencer-driven ambient trance of Tangerine Dream's early to mid-80's albums, as well as peak period Ashra and Klaus Schulze, the filmic world of Vangelis and the beautiful environmental ambience of early Steve Roach. It's retro enough to please fans of the more ambient strains of classic Krautrock and contemporary enough to seduce ambient techno-heads.

The more you absorb Context the more consistent it sounds quality-wise, although there's no denying a couple of tracks have that something a bit more special. "Distant Star" is a perfect evocation of the Vangelis' score for Blade Runner and actually ranks alongside that's soundtrack's best moments. The gently rhythmic "Semiotic Sequence" layers its melody lines to create harmonies so rich and spacey you just have to close your eyes and let it take you away, an exquisite piece of spacemusic.

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