Hi-Res Downloads

44.1kHz/24-bit FLAC, Soundcolours SC0138 (supplied by www.highresaudio.com)

Blank & Jones is not so much a band as a brand: a duo of producers specialising in trance, techno and electronica, based in Köln, Germany and with a dozen or so albums and even more singles to their name since they got together to create Sunrise back in 1997. All of which might suggest what to expect here: banging choons, and a bit of ambient trippiness, right? Erm, no: here the duo teams up with German pianist and composer Marcus Loeber to create an album all about intimately recorded solo piano, playing gentle, melodic pieces. And that’s about it: this is, as the title suggests, a relaxed, slow-paced set of tracks, none of them especially memorable but all suitably chilled out. The piano sounds nicely weighted and detailed, and the whole thing might be just the thing to play at a dinner party (or a laid-back hi-fi show demonstration). AE

Sound Quality: 85%

Hi-Fi News Lab Report

Although only recorded at a CD sample rate of 44.1kHz, the 20kHz bandwidth is more than sufficient to capture the full bandwidth of this solo piano. Peak levels are sensibly below 0dBFs and post-production is free of compression. PM