The second release on Jon Rust’s LEVELS label comes from Estonians AJUKAJA & ANDREVSKI. Ajukaja aka Raul Saaramets is an influential figure in Estonia, as a broadcaster, DJ, promoter and producer. His links with some of the UK’s most influential DJs (John Peel, Gilles Peterson) helped keep a steady flow of fresh sounds during the era of Soviet dominance in the 1980’s. Alongside Rhythm Doctor, Raul also co-runs the country’s longest running underground night “Mutant Disco” and as program director at the country’s Raadio 2, he has continued to expose the country to a broad spectrum of underground sounds. United here with his long time friend and DIY electronics enthusiast Andrevski, these tracks are the outcome of numerous jams sessions at their Sleeping Beauty studio in Tallinn, Estonia. Using instruments hand built and modified by Andrevski, the pair have conjured a sound that draws together their formative industrial and ambient leanings with their passion for deep house. The music is beautiful and dark by turns, reflecting their homeland’s scarce daylight hours: Signature analogue drum patterns set the pace as bird call synths pitch and roll to a backdrop of lush 4am atmospherics. By contrast “Expensive Shit” escalates tension, building around menacing peak-time piano riff and unravelling oscillations. Meanwhile the B2 cut captures the duo in meditative mode: recorded live during a late night session, Jam1 is a dark, gloopy, sonorous journey into an imaginary ‘core. Ajukaja’s previous release “Benga Benga” on his own Porridge Bullet label, earlier this year was quickly snapped up by DJs. This should similarly fly…