Audiopile Review: Khotin returns to his own imprint for a mini-album that stands as the perfect summation of his now decade-long project, touching on a bit of everything that have made his albums so crucial for anyone invested in contemporary electronic music. Titled Peace Portal, Khotin gives a not so subtle indicator of his current mindset and intention, doubling down on the lush and beatific aspects of what we can now safely call his ‘signature’ sound. Setting the tone right out the gate with “You Made My Weekend Wonderful”, its gentle release of melted tones, sunrise piano and slow-rising choral bliss feel specifically aimed at easing frazzled nerves, reminding us that, despite how it might seem right now, it ain’t all bad out there. The initial offering of pure ambient bliss slips easily into “HP 1”, which feels like an outtake from New Tab, his trademark bubbling synths and crystalline melodies taking us right back to his early days when his sound was just starting to crystallize into something unique. Elsewhere, the laid-back, balearic shuffle of “Druid Dance” sutures Japanese New Age to horizontally-inclined percussion, while the stuttered beats, heat-warped synths and birdcalls of “Oasis Bioreference” further distills the leisurely IDM that’s been his ongoing focus during his run of records for Ghostly. Far from being an archival dump of tracks that didn’t quite fit on previous albums, Peace Portal acts more like a refined survey of his varying modes, an essential piece of his increasingly crucial output. Edition of 500, ordered direct from the artist.

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Incoming transmission: six shimmering new tracks on the downtempo spectrum from the Khotin Industries Northern HQ. Peace to all listeners.