Since the release of »Damaged« in 2024, Michael Fiedler aka Ghost Dubs has been surfing intensifying waves of adulation, and found himself being praised regularly by such diverse underground legends as Justin Broadrick (Godflesh/Jesu), Regis, Stefan Betke (Pole), Steve Von Till (Neurosis), etc.

And now, with the release of »Oblique« on Kevin Martin’s Pressure imprint, his recognisable mastery of sculpting sound waves results in a spellbinding set of alien soundscapes. Larger in scale, richer in tone, and certainly more cinematic, its cloudy abstractions and shadowy pulsations are no less hypnotic – in fact, probably even more so than its highly acclaimed predecessor.

Lower, deeper, and definitely moodier, Fiedler has upped his game by reaching further down into his own sonic void, and conclusively proving more ambient definitely doesn’t mean more boring. The appropriately titled second album is a sublime collection of submerged rhythms and craftily blurred melodies. Straight from the get-go, lead single/album opener »Low Times« makes it glaringly apparent the German producer has pushed himself still further in terms of premium craftsmanship, in his relentless quest to extend heavy subterranean grooves and addictive narco loops. With atmospheric pressure pushed to the max, the entry track resembles a dream date for prime dirt house-era Andy Stott and Berlin dub-tech pioneers Basic Channel, and sets up the album’s heavy-lidded style and corroded sound entirely fittingly.

From there on in, the album descends into a series of absolutely enchanting mood scenes, as the furtive balletic gyrations of »After All« demonstrate Michael’s enviable production prowess. This is followed by the haunting ambience of »Soft Collapse«, which buries the heartbeat throb of the kick so far down into its core that the tension is increased dramatically in doing so. And such immaculate sound design amplifies Fiedler’s knack for crafting so much from so few component parts. He has seemingly become a maestro of minimalism.

But maybe what is most impressive about »Oblique« is that Ghost Dubs makes experimental music that is sensual, funky, and literally stunning in its concussive impact, instead of being dry or alienating. Never sadistic nor aloof, this radiantly warm selection makes experimental music sound like it can still be vital, fresh, and irresistible for all-comers, not just for dark souls lost in dark rooms. It’s a music of contorted reflections, mesmeric echoes, and absorbingly tantalising audio mirages.

Naturally, the album is crushing when played loud, but it’s actually even more potent when played quiet, as the enticing atmospherics on a track like »Blackout Dust« clearly demonstrate. Worming its way into your mind subtly and skilfully, it sounds like David Lynch re-scoring a forgotten scene from »Lost Highway« over a »Maxinquaye«-period Tricky instrumental. The noirish setting hints at the unknown and settles for immaculately composed eeriness. A triumph of celluloid vision and obsessive production practice.

The spirit of reggae is certainly more distanced on »Oblique« than it was on »Damaged«, but the ghost of Jamaican reggae still indelibly permeates its foggy soundscapes, albeit in a more covert fashion, as a track like »Bombed Suburbs« clearly indicates. Resembling Augustus Pablo’s finest output seriously chopped and screwed, its magnetic lock-groove charm takes dub down as slow as it is possible to go whilst still actually maintaining any sense of drugged momentum.

Superficially minimal, but actually maximal in its minute detail, a song like »Long Way To Go« demonstrates effortlessly just how much this gifted producer loves the combo of rhythm and ambient noise, and it exemplifies the overall zonal tone of the elusive album. So, by the time you reach the vaporous mist of album finale »Almost a Structure«, which sounds like KMRU jamming with Echospace, both sonically and thematically, the realisation hits home that »Oblique« succeeds by navigating its own ultimate evaporation. Any obvious rhythm is craftily filtered out to just leave a blurred and blunted residue, full of mystery and question marks. Much like the rest of this incredibly immersive record, it is a triumph of inferred narrative. So, it should come as no surprise that Ghost Dubs, as composer Michael Fiedler, recently scored the acclaimed film »Sound of Falling«, which won a Cannes award in 2025 and made the shortlist for an Oscar in 2026.

Listening to this album is like witnessing a master craftsman at work. But it’s an artist intent on artistic growth in full forward motion. »Oblique« is a future ambient classic that gets more compelling with every listen, and illuminates Ghost Dubs revelling in the record’s own unrecognisability and delighting in plotting every elliptical detour.

Dense in the best possible sense, heavyweight without being punishing, »Oblique« is the sound of dub techno if it burnt its own rigid rule book and was remixed by the spirit of DJ Screw, or was actually genuinely dubbed outwards instead of remaining linear. It succeeds gloriously by being evasive and mysterious, offering essential soul food for the imagination to thrive in its vast spaciousness. Essential deep listening, it offers the bewitching sound of future shock. It is the sound of Ghost Dubs shedding his influences and making it 101% clear he has found his own sound.