When it was announced that two of my favourite artists, Greg Foat and Gigi Masin, were recording a collaborative album, I was so fucking excited at the prospect that I didn’t even think about what to expect. A couple of highly talented musicians, keyboardists, virtuosos, maestros in their respective fields of jazz and ambient, now that the LP is here, would it be a “fusion”, or a musical tug of war? If so, which one would win? 

Most of the 50 minutes of music falls into the former camp. Gigi and Greg dueling on keys. Both electric and acoustic pianos. Creating gentle crescendos and cascades, harp-like glissando, sometimes as part of a quintet, against shuffling and brushed snares. Fretless bass runs. These chilled, super laidback, magical, Matthew Halsall / Gondwana-like meditations are often cinematic, and would make the perfect soundtrack to a summer shower – what the Japanese call a “Fox Wedding”, where the wily enchanted animals briefly “fix” the weather, to ensure that humans are forced inside, so they can celebrate their nuptials in peace. 

In the main, the electronics are restrained, and restricted to unobtrusive undulating bass-lines, undercurrents, and subtle string-like synth swells. Soft, controlled explosions of echo. The standout for me, however, is Lee, a feather-like float of ambient techno / electronica tropes. New age-nuanced notes. Clusters of chords close to whale song. Vibes and reeds swimming in there somewhere. The piece verging on the Vangelis.

Greg Foat & Gigi Masin’s Dolphin is released this week on Strut.