Audiopile Review: Silent State Recordings faithfully restore another classic from the expansive and daunting Pete Namlook catalog, this time around landing on his beloved Dreamfish project, a duo alongside UK chill out specialist DJ Mixmaster Morris. The first of two releases from Dreamfish, it’s also one of the few FAX releases to have made an appearance on vinyl (issued on UK label Rising High with alternate (and hideous) cover art), the deeper ambient explorations that Namlook deployed, admittedly, worked quite well on the continuous CD format. The epic album-centrepiece “Hymn”, which clocks in at just under 28 minutes, takes the amount of grooves you can squeeze on to one side of an LP to its absolute limits. But, as with every Silent State pressing so far, the attention to detail is all there and this is pressed to an impeccable standard, so worry not. But mate, how about the choons? Well, if the preceding SSR reissues for Namlook’s alternate guises and collabs as Silence, Air or Fires Of Ork have set you on a starry path, then Dreamfish might just blow your gourd wide open. DJ Mixmaster Morris, the legendary chillout and dub-ambient producer who was in full bloom with his Irresistible Force project when this arrived in ’93, largely brings a lighter touch to Namlook’s, who, when left to his own devices, can veer towards more menacing and foreboding territory. Instead of launching out of the stratosphere and heading star-ward, Dreamfish live up to their name and plunge into cool waters. The lengthy tracks, particularly the two standouts that take up the first disc here—“School Of Fish” and “Hymn”—are a loose intertwining of bubbling psychedelic synth loops from Morris with Namlook’s sweeping ambience bringing the shade, the two trading off posts and delicately braiding their styles into a shimmering, sun-dappled whir of oceanic soundtracking. It’s some of Namlook’s most approachable work— a long-time fan favorite for a reason. Black vinyl edition of 350, sold out at the source. These, as they always do, will sell out fast.

The small Frankfurt-based independent record label Silent State Recordings, run by Nils Wortmann, is dedicated to unearthing some forgotten and/or buried ambient work from Pete Namlook whose master rights the label acquired in 2021.

2025 will see the re-release of the ambient classic “Dreamfish”, a collaboration between British DJ Mixmaster Morris (Morris Gould) and German electronic composer Pete Namlook (Peter Kuhlmann).

Released in 1993 on Namlook’s label, FAX +49-69/450464, the album offers deep, immersive soundscapes spread over four expansive tracks. The duo of Dreamfish also recorded a second installment in 1995, called “Dreamfish 2”. Initially, “Dreamfish” was released in a limited edition, making original copies highly sought after by collectors. The album has since been reissued, including a remastered edition by Avatar Records. “Dreamfish” is available for streaming and purchase on various platforms, including Bandcamp.

With this new vinyl edition in 2025 we’ll get the most definitive version.