Ludwig A.F. - Halo

Beloved German producer Ludwig A.F. lands on Ghostly's Spectral Sound imprint for Halo, a five-track EP overflowing with playful, melodic dance and ambient music. Across coveted releases for Unknown To The Unknown and his own label Exo Recordings International, including the 2018 breakthrough EP Velocity, Ludwig has displayed "a penchant for dreamy '90s moods," writes Resident Advisor. While Ludwig eschews genre conventions, RA clocks traces of jungle, IDM, breakbeat, techno, early trance, and progressive house in his far-reaching sonic repertoire. For Halo, the first in a wave of forthcoming LAF releases, Ludwig evolves the signature sound — mystical pads, pizzicato strings, and catchy rhythms — keeping the energy high and bass-heavy, paying particular attention to breakbeat dynamics. A futuristic, parallel-universe take on the classic UK style, he explains: "It's present in the way the drums work, how the drums are programmed, and how they swing in my abstracted way."

Within Ludwig's handcrafted utopia, melodies dart between hyper-drum lines with a sense of sweetness and melodrama. The pulsing "Pippa" crosses starry synth sequences with hi-hats and cracks, dispatching a vocal cut skyward at just the right moments to blissful effect. The title track begins more subdued and spacey before locking into peak-time pace. "Ginko" locates a twitchy synth line that "Octav" messes with further, reaching Halo's propulsive apex. The closing track, "Whispered," is a pure comedown, an ambient-leaning outro of distant plucks and hums confirming his world-building range.