Knowing the right question to ask is the debut release from Counter Silence, otherwise known as Southend based composer/producer Col Ventura. It is an impressively assured collection of ambient pieces, both exquisitely dreamlike and achingly melancholy, painstakingly constructed from intricately layered minimalist piano, subtly developing drones, and beautifully judged reverberation. The most obvious points of comparison for Knowing the right question to ask probably lie with the early work of Harold Budd, together with the string of 1970s albums with which Brian Eno pretty much single-handedly defined the ambient genre. On a more contemporary note, the album at times possesses a vibe that recalls the solo work of The Necks Chris Abrahams. Col also cites Miles Davis' classic In A Silent Way as an aesthetic touchstone, and one can sense him reaching towards that feeling of cocooned immersion which Davis achieved so perfectly with his electric jazz landmark. Knowing the right question to ask kicks off with an early highlight in the shape of A distance left to travel , with its slow motion bell-like tones eerily reminiscent of a music box winding down to stillness. Piano appears to be more conventionally utilised on In the brightness, we would linger , but the notes seem almost to have been dragged backwards out of a silence into which they had previously disappeared. The tempo is upped by Side 1 closer The balance of possibilities , with its chiming jauntiness suggestive of a malfunctioning automaton playing the marimbas. Side 2 opens with Wonderlust departing most clearly from the album s core focus on keyboard work, with its gentle ebbing and flowing drones offset by an accumulation of distant gong and wind chimes. The album reaches an apotheosis of radiant sonic stasis with the blinking starfield of All secrets dance in time , before the final piece, We, who stand still , insinuates the tiniest hint of unease into proceedings, with its queasy slithering quality suggesting the nightmare that clings to the underside of the dream.