Welcome to ISC HiFi. Explore our growing collection of classics and rarities from around the world. Discover the stories behind the records. Experience the ISC listening space from home through our (( ROOM RECORDING )) audio player below.
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A highly underrated lovers rock classic. Bassist George Oban formed “Motion” to explore his own unique musical ideas after leaving the legendary UK reggae group Aswad. His departure may have seemed strange at the time given the group’s success, but listening to Motion’s self-titled debut, it’s clear that Oban had a distinct musical vision and […]
What do Kate Bush and Khruangbin have in common? They’ve discovered a secret to creating a successful album: recording in a barn on a farm where time stands still. Mostly recorded in the relaxed, magical environment of a 24-track barn studio on her parents’ farm, Hounds of Love reaped the benefits of time (at least […]
It’s not every day that you listen to a record where jazz and ambient genres can meld so cohesively that they form another thing altogether. On Lemon Quartet’s debut Crestless, we are taken into their saxophone laden cinematic dreamscape world, and it’s every bit worth the journey. Filled with warmth and nostalgia, Crestless is as […]
Bit of a hidden gem from one of our favorite new labels Last Resort, G.S. Schray’s “Gabriel” is a warm, ambient trip through the suburban streets of Akron, OH. Dreamy synths, reverb-tinged guitar, vintage drum samples, gentle percussion, the varied sounds and textures combine effortlessly here to paint a beautifully lush landscape that you can’t […]
Though released to little fanfare in 1981, like all bizarre and wonderful records Point of View has gained an underground following over the years, with record collectors spending $200-plus for an original copy. Today you can easily purchase the Be With Records reissue released in 2018. Marti Caine was a known British TV variety entertainer […]
When a former psych project decides to drop the guitars and approach recording a new record with looped clarinet as a basis, you don’t get psych. Instead, Tara Clerkin Trio provides a smoke-filled room of trip-hop, disjointed jazz and dubby, euphoric chamber pop. Heavy syncopated drums and dissonant pounding keys trudge throughout, as if stomping […]
Essential UK street soul recently reissued by Toronto’s Invisible City, “Street Soul” compiles the most beloved tracks by Soul Connection, a late 80’s duo made up of producer/pioneer Toyin Agbetu and indie label head Earl Myers. Agbetu was a prodigious computer programmer turned musician, pioneering the UK street soul sound, which combined soul music with […]
In 1979, Laraaji was hammering away at his zither in Washington Square Park alone, in a lotus position, eyes closed, filling the air with his stream-of-consciousness harmonics only to have Brian Eno walk by. Eno had just started his Ambient series and was in awe of this ethereal free-flowing sound. He dropped his phone number […]
Another Green World is Brian Eno’s transitional record from glam rock to the ambient minimalism that he would later be more recognized for, and essential listening for any music fan. It is a hybrid album that isn’t lost in its footing but an amalgam of his best musical efforts, before and after. The record is […]
Talk Talk’s commercially disastrous, cult classic Spirit of Eden is an absolute must listen for any music fan. Recorded over three years in “an endlessly blacked-out studio, an oil projector in the control room, strobe lighting and five 24-track tape-machines synced together” the resulting album is a deeply moving and spiritual trip with elements of […]
Virginia Astley’s conceptual debut is a collection of tone poems meant to represent the sounds and mood of an innocent summer day. The album is notable for its use of field recordings and natural sounds, which Astley used as the foundation for these gorgeous improvised piano pieces. The playing is beautiful, simple, melodic, and evokes […]
Steve McQueen also known as Two Wheels Good is the brainchild of Prefab Sprout’s frontman/songwriter Paddy McAloon and producer Thomas Dolby. The story goes that after hearing that Dolby was a fan of their music, McAloon sent the producer a “trove of some 40 to 50 demos,” which were then carefully whittled down, directed, and orchestrated to […]
Recorded in just 5 hours on a four-track recorder purchased from illustrious producer Bill Nelson and later overdubbed with drummer and percussionist Bruce Mitchell, Durutti Column’s second and most personal record LC would see Vini Reilly dive deeper inward and expand on the group’s DIY sound. “I recorded from about two in the morning till […]
A Walk Across The Rooftops, the debut album from The Blue Nile, laid the blueprints for what would come to be their signature sophisticated, polished, and highly personal take on Pop Music. Written in their hometown of Glasgow and recorded over the course of 5 months in Edinburgh on a new label deal from hi-fi […]
Cited as being an entry point to genres such as trip hop and ambient, Solid Air is undoubtedly John Martyn’s magnum opus. A true balance of dark and light, the album name and title track serve as a dedication to his friend and label mate Nick Drake whose noticeable depression was of deep concern to […]
