Cult album from sound collagist and ambient noise maestro Leyland Kirby finally gets a proper vinyl release! You may know Leyland Kirby from one of his other aliases like The Caretaker (who released the sought-after An Empty Bliss Beyond This World from 2011), but for The Death Of Rave, Kirby goes under the V/Wm moniker to deconstruct rave anthems and rebuild them into hazy, ambient flashbacks. It sounds pretty conceptual (it is), but the result is absolutely stunning. The soundscapes recall the feeling of wonder and blurred nostalgia one might experience post-rave come down, an echoing ghost of party days passed. The tracks on the album are taken from the original 20 hour(!), download-only album originally released in 2006. Obviously the whole thing wouldn't fit on a record, but consider these the highlights. Comes in full pic sleeve with artwork from Ivan Seal. Limited pressing, recommended.

• music label: History Always Favours The Winners 2014

reviewed by TKB 06/2014