Memphis born experimental ambient composer and trumpeter Jon Hassell will release his first album in nine years via Ndeya, a label dedicated to his work set up with assistance from Warp Records. His new material follows a recent resurgence in interest in his Fourth World music concept. In 2017 his 1981 Dream Theory In Malaya LP was remastered and reissued by Glitterbeat. The same year Optimo Music curated a new compilation inspired by Hassell’s music and ideas.

His new album's title, Listening To Pictures (Pentimento Volume One), refers to the “reappearance in a painting of earlier images, forms, or strokes that have been changed and used as elements in a final composition”.

“Most of the world is listening to music in terms of forward flow based on where the music is ‘going’ and what comes NEXT,” remarks Hassell. “But there's another angle: Vertical listening is about listening to what's happening NOW – letting your inner ears scan up and down the sonic spectrum, asking what kind of ‘shapes’ you're seeing, then noticing how that picture morphs as the music moves through Time.”

Listening To Pictures is released on 8 June and is now available to pre-order