Journeymann Trax is Canadian producer Bobby Draino, who last month released a 7-track mini-album called Smoke Tape on Canadian label 1080p. About the release, 1080p writes "These tracks chronicle a summer of dank late-night voyages into the lush realms of British Columbian consciousness, full of hazy epiphanies, vibed out percussion, hypnogogic synths, emergent harp flourishes, softly acid-tinged arpeggios and a misty backdrop of forestial atmospherics." Check out the track "Black Forest" below, and download the album via Bandcamp.

Two heavyweight voices of modern jazz, saxophonist Joshua Redman and the progressive piano trio The Bad Plus, join forces on the new album The Bad Plus Joshua Redman, which is available now from Nonesuch Records for those in North America (June 8 elsewhere). Seven of the nine tracks on the album are new compositions by members of the quartet, while two of the songs, "Dirty Blonde" (below) and "Silence is the Question," are new takes on classic The Bad Plus compositions from their earlier albums Give and These Are The Vistas, respectively. The new album can be purchased from digital retailers, such as iTunes, or in CD, MP3, and FLAC formats directly from Nonesuch.

English producer Stuart Howard, aka Lapalux, released his sophomore LP Lustmore in April on Brainfeeder Records. About the record, Brainfeeder writes: Lustmore is loosely based on the experience of hypnogogia, a transitional state of consciousness between wakefulness and sleep. Listeners familiar with his 2011 debut, Nostalchic, will know that Stuart Howard’s woozy, infectious rhythms, enveloping textures and unfamiliarly familiar melodies conjure that territory perfectly.

Check out the track "Puzzle" (below), which features fellow British artist Andreya Triana, who has previously collaborated with Bonobo and Flying Lotus. Lustmore is available in physical and digital formats from Ninja Tune, as well as wherever digital music is sold.

NPR's "First Listen" has the new Squarepusher album Damogen Furies, which officially comes out April 21 on Warp Records, available to stream. Tempting though it is, I'm letting my first listen of the full album be via vinyl when my pre-ordered copy arrives (pre-order here).

Monomite is a producer from France who recently released an EP called Space Time Body and Soul on Paris label Beat X Changers. Check out the lead track "Innocence" below, an uptempo hybrid of frenetic broken beats and 70s era Herbie Hancock-esque fusion. Space Time Body and Soul is available in digital and vinyl formats from Bandcamp.

Bodysnatchers, the Santa Barbara, CA production duo of Richie Rivera and Steven Romeo, recently released a killer three-track EP called Diskonect. What the release lacks in length it more than makes up for in expertly crafted vibe: retro and simultaneously modern. Stream the title track "Diskonect" below, and download the EP from Bandcamp for a price you decide.

Souls of Mischief/Hieroglyphics member Opio has teamed up with L.A. beat pioneer Free the Robots for an upcoming collaborative EP called The Subconscious Mind. Check out the abstract, psyched-out video the pair dropped for the lead single "Let the Bass Go" below, and be sure to grab the EP when it comes out on March 3.

It was 2011 when Guillermo Scott Herren last released new music under his Prefuse 73 moniker with the brilliant LP The Only She Chapters. This year, Herren will be making up for lost time with three releases on record label Temporary Residence. Two EPs called Forsyth Gardens and Every Color of Darkness will be released on April 28 and July 14, respectively, and will be centerpieced by the LP Rivington Não Rio, coming May 12. Check out the track "Infrared" (featuring Sam Dew) off Rivington Não Rio on Soundcloud (below). You can read more about Forsyth Gardens and Rivington Não Rio and pre-order them on CD and vinyl from Temporary Residence.

Nosaj Thing has a new album in the works called Fated, from which the track "Medic" (below) was previewed recently on BBC Radio 1. The followup to Home, Nosaj Thing's excellent 2013 release, Fated will be out April 22 on Innovative Leisure records.

Kieran Hebden, best known by the pseudonym Four Tet, has occasionally used the alias Percussions over the past handful of years, most notably with the release of a pair of 12" split singles last year on his own label Text Records. This week, Hebden put out a proper (more or less) Percussions album 2011 Until 2014, which includes the tracks from the aforementioned 12" releases (available digitally for the first time) along with a bunch of previously unreleased tracks made between 2011-2014. Stream it below or purchase the album from Bandcamp.

Even though the blog may not have been updated for the past month and a half, the music hasn't stopped. The goal has never been to post any and every new piece of music that pops into into the world, but to share an inspiring discovery or moment when it strikes. One such moment is now, here at the dawn of a new year, as Astral Cat looks back at the incredible music of 2014. As always, there are no rankings or commentary involved, and, while diversifying the selections wasn't a concern, a variety of genres are represented nonetheless. Also enjoy the Spotify playlist at the bottom of the page containing a sampling of most of the albums listed here. Happy 2015!

The lovely and engaging "Silk" is off Australian producer Thrupence's new mixtape Lessons, available now digitally on Bandcamp, or on vinyl from Future Classic. The track's easygoing melodicism is a welcoming summer vibe on this chilly fall day. Listen below, and grab Lessons from Bandcamp here.

D/P/I, which, according to his (I'm assuming-it could be a her) Bandcamp URL is a stylized abbreviation of DJ Purple Image, recently released a full-length called MN.ROY. The release comes on notable LA producer Matthewdavid's label Leaving Records, which has now put out over 50 releases by artists that include Jonwayne, Ras G, and Odd Nosdam. Check out a sample of the album with "012" below, which is one of the more unique tracks I've heard lately. If you like what you hear, head this way to purchase the album digitally or in limited edition CD format.

Lapalux is English producer Stuart Howard, whose highly textured, maximalist work has been released by Pictures Music in the UK and Brainfeeder here in the States. Howard has followed up his 2013 debut full-length Nostalchic with the syrupy thick single "Movement I, II, & III" (below). Stream it below, or hit up iTunes for the download.

Here's what I know about Weith, and it's from Bandcamp:

On this self-titled EP, the Swiss producer combines atmospheric ambient influences with instrumental electronic hip-hop in the vein of Boards of Canada or QPE.

I also know that the track "Imminence of Change" (below) is really cool, and that the Weith EP is available on Bandcamp as a name-your-price download or on CD in superb looking handmade packaging.