Parisian-label Object Eater’s Formless is a rest stop in the digital realm. Released in 2022 shortly after the label’s founding by DJ/producer Lorenzi and Strelitzia, Object Eater’s first compilation encapsulates the growing wave of trance-inspired, experimental ambient music. 

Trance is at the core of Formless’ palette: melodies, sounds, cover art (a bird perched on an angel wearing otherworldly Crocs, I think). Japanese producer Yoyou’s “Void Hug” leans heavily into this, its airy vocals and supersaw synths drenched in the familiar euphoria of trance melodies. On the other hand, label co-head Lorenzi’s “Faith For Eternity'' and “Matter of Fact” revel in a darker shade of trance, with skittering impulses and stuttering chords anchored to tense, drawn-out pads. 

And yet Formless stands out not for its nod to trance’s genre tropes, but its sparsity. Several tracks are quite ‘vast’, with more than ample space to breathe. The stretched vocals of EPIPHAGI’s “Inertia” hum in the background, making room for whispers and delayed droplets to chime in. The even gentler “Laisla Teloda” by Lacopinede is a digital garden’s soundtrack. Soft woodwinds, plucked strings, muted piano chords paint an idyllic picture. 

Across the release, it’s hard to ignore the influence of contemporary internet music – this is perhaps most obvious in “Yope,” a bright, squelchy interlude that evokes sv1 or HEKT but at a higher exposure setting. This union of trance, ambient, and internet music makes for a kind of experimentalism that’s difficult to find elsewhere – see Causal Chain for a clubbier interpretation of this style, or Slagwerk for those who might prefer less trance. But for any listeners looking for peaceful refuge, Formless is a place to exhale. 

Recommended listening environments: an afternoon stroll, a drive through mountains, a very early morning coffee. Personally I think I will want to sit on a pier.