Mark Barrott (aka Future Loop Foundation) makes drowsy ambient lounge music steeped in Englishness.
His use of extracts from old family interviews have either a reassuring charm or cheesy nostalgia depending on your point of view.
These are recollections and reflections that hark back to the past and a simpler age. They are the kind of musings that feature regularly on broadcasts like Radio 4's 'Home Thoughts' with Christmas Cracker philosophy like that of the grandma who, when asked what her ambitions are, replies:
"My only ambition is to be well, because if you're well you're happy and if you're happy ,because you're well, you don't need anything else" (On the Village Radar)
Many of these voices are buried in the mix on the 'Memories' cd and wisely given greater prominence in the remixes.
One false note on the remixes is in the tacky disco makeover of 'Garden Communities' (Hiem Tokyo 3am mix). This emphasises that the chilled mood is a vital aspect of the album - it is designed for a quiet relaxation, not as a party tape.
Musically Mark Barrott namechecks Lemon Jelly and Boards of Canada as the type of bands that capture the kind of emotional atmosphere he is aiming towards.
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The album is a logical progression from his 'Scratch and Sniff' ep from 2004 which featured the voice of Mr Kipling ("exceedingly good cakes") and the evocative lead track 'A Very English Summer' with its perfectly rounded vowel sounds.
For 'The Fading Room', Barrott seamlessly melds together voice samples and synth experiments to make what he hopes will be "the kind of album that you could find for sale in the dusty corner of the junk shop that Bagpuss inhabits".
On this double cd you'll get three versions of the album's centrepiece Sunshine Philosophy as part of 19 tracks overall.
This 80 minutes plus package of chilled grooves weave their blissed out charm best in small doses rather than consumed whole.
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