New outfit formed by Matthew Benn of Hookworms and Christopher Duffin of Deadwall. Its six tracks of improvised ambient beauty are both meditative and peaceful, it is astral jazz with an experimental kosmische undercurrent; modular synths meet saxophones; Cluster meets Terry Riley; Laurie Spiegel meets Pharoah Sanders!. A warm, immersive record that rewards repeat listens. XAM was originally Matthew's solo project. He recorded a number of tracks at home between Hookworms albums in 2014 which were released last year as the 'Tone Systems' EP on Deep Distance. Christopher says he approaches each song as a "mini-soundtrack to an imaginary film" and reveals that, while he was practising at home, he played along to clips of 'There Will Be Blood', 'Mulholland Drive' and 'Synecdoche, New York' to get the requisite atmosphere. "I appreciate that improvised music isn't for everyone, but it's something I love doing," Matthew concludes. "And, more often than not, Chris and I create something beautiful together."
