artist: Xerxes country of origin: Norway style(s): Ambient pop, chillout, psy ambient essential releases: The Mirror Formula (2006, Cardamar Music/Xerxes-Music.com)

Xerxes is the ambient pop and downtempo beats project of Norwegian electronic composer Klaus Lunde and his music is ubiquitous to listeners of the Chillout Channel on net radio station Digitally Imported (DI.FM). Although he has only ever released one proper full-length album, The Mirror Formula sets a standard for the genre that is dizzyingly high.

It's beautiful, sweet, dark, moody and warm, an impeccably crafted collection of seven instrumental grooves averaging 10 minutes in length. Xerxes strong melodies and crisp production give these tracks a certain pop appeal, while below the surface is a depth and subtlety that is exceptional. His electronic sound pulses with a human touch that is difficult to describe; you just have to hear it. The tender elegy "Angelina" is meltingly beautiful and displays a breathtaking command of harmony. It starts with a sparse piano figure and slowly blossoms into a somber chord progression with sighing keys and angelic wordless vocals that ripple and shimmer. By contrast, "Prologue" and the cinematic title track are both mysterious, once-chord masterpieces with an exquisite tension that's never quite resolved.

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