Third Ear Audio

The long awaited Third Ear Audio album finally drops. A collaboration between Celli “Earthling” Firmi and Nick “Doof” Barber, it successfully marries their influences and styles to create a perfect blend of space, bass and beats, with an added dose of playful mischief thrown in for good luck! The album is very much a dub sandwich, opening with two lounge pieces, full of seductive synths and sultry sounds, designed for sofa surfing smoking sessions. The middle tracks – the “meat” of the album – are a trio of dubwise delights: all deep skanks, heavy basslines and reggae riddims, peppered with quirky samples and produced immaculately. The final four are perhaps more what you would expect from this dastardly duo, as they flirt with, but do not commit to, the trance world, containing sunkissed elements of progressive and psy, as well as touches of breaks, house and minimal techno. Finished several years ago, this album seemingly managed to bankrupt every label it touched until now, with the previous 2 prospective homes going belly up just before release. Thankfully it has finally seen the light of day, as it a perfect summer album.