Being a fan of an influential icon like Brian Eno often offers a side benefit: discovery of other artists with whom they collaborate, often opening rich vistas of experience and insight on many levels. For example, from my initial interest in Eno’s music, I discovered the incredible guitarist/composer/icon Robert Fripp (ie. Frippertronics, Soundscapes, etc.), leading me not only to his seminal band King Crimson, but also his productions for/with The Roches, Daryl Hall (and Hall & Oats), David Bowie, David Sylvian and many others.
Eno’s latest two releases share this wonderful stage with an artist whom I was unfamiliar with who clearly possesses a like-minded muse to Eno: Beatie Wolfe. Her bio is impressive including solo exhibitions of design work at London’s Victoria & Albert Museum as well as being appointed a UN role model for innovation. Influential tech publication WIRED reportedly dubbed her one of “22 people changing the world.”
My first exposure to Beatie Wolfe’s work comes via not one, but two new collaborations with Brian Eno—Luminal and Lateral—released through Universal Music’s Verve and Eno’s own Opal Records. Each album crafts its own lush, immersive ambient soundscape, both deeply soothing yet distinct in tone and texture.
Luminal is vocal-centric and loosely musically reminiscent of some earlier Eno pieces as well as those of his brother Roger Eno (an excellent, somewhat more new-age leaning composer performer who has collaborated with Brian periodically over the years). In fact, Ms. Wolfe’s vocal stylings remind me at times of tracks from Roger Eno’s wonderful 1993 release The Familiar (recorded with Kate St John of The Dream Academy and Be Bop Deluxe guitarist Bill Nelson). Blending keyboard oriented soundscapes with guitars and other textures, each listen reveals subtle melodies which hook me. Most recently the haunting “Play On” has become an early favorite and earworm.
The companion release, Lateral, is a one hour immersion of slowly drifting evolving themes titled “Big Empty Country.” Its hard to describe in words other than it is lovely. An excerpt clip follows below.
I received both albums on vinyl and CD incarnations and both sound really nice: round and warm. The LP is actually pressed on “biovinyl” and packaged using eco-friendly materials (likely) at Optimal in Germany.
I encourage you to read more about this new formulation as it is a compelling offering: virtually petroleum-free (99.98%), this benefits our environment in many ways as the records are essentially made with recycled used cooking oil! As with other biovinyl titles I’ve reviewed elsewhere, I am impressed with the quietness and high production values beneath these discs.
Where to buy:
- Lateral – $34.98 at Amazon
- Luminal – $34.98 at Amazon
Color vinyl variants are available at Verve/Universal’s website for $34.98
- Lateral – $34.98 at Verve Records
- Luminal – $34.98 at Verve Records
Mark Smotroff is a deep music enthusiast / collector who has also worked in entertainment oriented marketing communications for decades supporting the likes of DTS, Sega and many others. He reviews vinyl for Analog Planet and has written for Audiophile Review, Sound+Vision, Mix, EQ, etc. You can learn more about him at LinkedIn.
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Magnus Hägermyr
July 7, 2025 at 3:11 pm
Interesting to hear how Brian Eno is doing these days. He obviosly come a long way from his first step in the market, Roxy Music’s debut album – maybe the most eccentric LP reaching top ten in UK ever.
Beate Wolfe is news to my ears. Interesting as their music is it’s a bit too meditative for me.