Roly Porter

Roly Porter (a collaborator with Bristol's Emptyset and former member of dubstep duo Vex'd) brings us sophomore album Life Cycle of a Massive Star, and what a treat it is. It's cinematic, intense, visceral and chock-full of sub-bass. Apropos of the ambitious subject matter, Porter succeeds in conveying a palpable sense of immense scale, leaving the listener feeling bitingly insignificant, in the way that only celestial wonder can do. Comprised of five pieces of slow, atmospheric soundscapes, with elements of bass and modern classical, it evokes the sounds of planets being pulled apart — even on average quality home speakers, the intro to "Birth" is terrifying. The end result is the best sci-fi soundtrack for a film that doesn't yet exist. The stuttering intensity of opening track "Cloud" reveals strong echoes of Tim Hecker, "Gravity" is reminiscent of Deaf Center at their darkest and the aforementioned "Birth" sounds like a hybrid of Arvo Pärt and Clint Mansell. Several moments on the album wouldn't be out of place on the recent Gravity soundtrack, composed by fellow Brit Steven Price. Someone should make a movie just to able to use this as the soundtrack.