The Second CircleVarious Artists

• – Claude Young - Aquatic Collage
• – Molinaro - Sabtal
• – Other Lands - Energy (Replenished)
• – Zopelar - Estrela
• – Jordan GCZ - I Said What I Said
• – EDB - Dream Rivers
• – Volcov - The Pavilion
• – Joe Claussell - A Gentle Gesture
• – Lars Bartkuhn - Born Again (Instrumental)
• – Meftah - 7
• – Stephen Lopkin - Pigment (Part 1)
• – Nu Era - Lost Seven

• 1. Claude Young - Aquatic Collage
• 2. Molinaro - Sabtal
• 3. Other Lands - Energy (Replenished)
• 4. Zopelar - Estrela
• 5. Jordan GCZ - I Said What I Said
• 6. EDB - Dream Rivers
• 7. Volcov - The Pavilion
• 8. Joe Claussell - A Gentle Gesture
• 9. Lars Bartkuhn - Born Again (Instrumental)
• 10. Meftah - 7
• 11. Stephen Lopkin - Pigment (Part 1)
• 12. Nu Era - Lost Seven

Since Volcov's Neroli label was named in honour of a fine ambient album by Brian Eno, it made sense to mark the imprint's 20th birthday with a compilation featuring beat-free compositions from its roster of artists. That was The First Circle, and five years on, to nark Neroli's quarter-century, we get The Second Circle. Featuring both label regulars and guests, it's a genuinely terrific collection that drifts between subtly different strains of sofa-ready ambience. Our picks of an extremely strong bunch include the maximalist sonic bliss of Zopelar's 'Estrela', the opaque and sound design heavy 'Collage' by Claude Young, the jaunty ambient synth-jazz of Jordan GCZ ('I Said What I Said'), the immersive wooziness of Volcov's 'The Pavillion', and the loved-up hug that is Lars Bartkuhn's 'Born Again'.