In 2018 Aviary Bridge Records started an ongoing collaborative project between labels with their “Lost Temples” series. After the success of “Solstice”, the first of the series and their collaboration with Dust Collectors, Aviary Bridge Records returns once again with the second instalment: The Lost Temple of “Equinox”. This time, they have joined forces with Urbanundergrounds.

The Cartographer’s Lotus’s central theme is exploration in the most fundamental sense of the word. Taking thorough inspiration from a wide amalgam of sources such as science fiction, Islamic mysticism, and biodiversity, this album takes the listener on journeys far outside the boundaries of imagination both within and beyond the mind. Each track uses elements of human curiosity, ecstatic adventure, and formative introspection to create new landscapes, timelines, identities, and worlds. Although the tracks are unique from one another, they share a common sense of outer-ness and the humility and new insight which is concomitant with being a stranger in a strange land.

“Cotch” is an EP which conjures images of warmth, coffee and secret underground jazz bars while simultaneously disarming the listener with it’s trippy atmospheres. A gorgeous palette of natural and luscious sounds frame the project, allowing each track to be both cohesive yet distinct. 

As the title suggests, “Hopes & Dreams” encapsulates Solrakmi’s hopes for a better world, whilst simultaneously capturing reminiscence for the “good old days”. With his roots in Boombap and classic 90’s Hip Hop shining through, Solrakmi’s album “Hopes & Dreams” alights our nostalgia whilst also remaining relevant to present day issues.

Sro once again takes us by the hand to lead us on another psychedelic ride into the ether. This time around, the destination, “ill Recollection”, is a gentle, dreamy headspace at the bottom of the ocean, where Rhodes glide between your ears and percussion smoothly fades in and out of your consciousness.

“Short Stories” is a collection of five tracks that have a special meaning to the Human Centerpiece in some way. Indeed, as the title suggests, there are personable characteristics to these tracks, of which have been constructed in ways that express the complexity of the feelings behind the stories brought to us by the Texan producer. The result is an EP laden with songs that are each conceptual in their own right.