ugne&maria is the duo project of Ugne Vyliaudaite and Marija Rasa Kudabaite, both based in Brussels. Their music is made from a mosaic of samples and carefully triggered field recordings, in dialogue with Vyliaudaite's violin. Intricate and calming but far from ambient, in that where ambient music recedes ugne&maria's music sounds always close to the skin. The compositions are subtle and precise, setting up a logic and then gently manipulating it or letting it hover for several minutes. Elements move seamlessly from background to foreground and then return. Snatches of text or recognisable samples serve as textures rather than as location markers or figures to which one could reliably ascribe meaning. (Henry Andersen)