In Retrospect by f5point6

See Blue Audio: ambient / electronic / beatless / cinematic / downtempo / eclectic / introspective… Shade rather than light...

'In Retrospect' – f5point6 (SBA #062)

Looking back, going forward… Since the inception of See Blue Audio, f5point6 has become one of the key figures in the label’s trajectory. To be precise, 11 releases since 2020, including a collaborative album with Rhombus Index, ‘Mutual Expression’, and three remixes for the same artist. This is an impressive body of work by any measure, and it’s been fascinating to watch the music develop and unfold over the course of these releases. New directions taken, new worlds explored, new techniques applied, and new expressions of imagination revealed. It’s been a remarkable journey for both artist and listener, so the time feels right to mark this milestone with a compilation. This takes shape with ‘In Retrospect’, the sixty-second release on See Blue Audio.

f5point6 is the musical guise of multidisciplinary artist R.Cleveland Aaron, also known for his work as a professional photographer and visual specialist. Cleveland's brief was simple: select one track to represent each of the first 11 releases with the addition of one new track, ‘La femme au port’, to point towards the future, making 12 tracks in total for the twelfth f5point6 release on See Blue Audio.

From the opening releases under the KaleidoSound name through to the trilogy of ‘A World Within Our World’, ‘Mutual Expression’ and ‘A Random Sequence of Events’ released over the summer of 2024, multiple themes have infused the music. Sci-fi culture and space exploration, the beauty of nature threatened by environmental disaster, the spread of new technology as a forerunner of social isolation, vast beatless landscapes, jazz-tinged rhythms and fractured glitches of sound, all of these and far more make up the sonic world of f5point6. Perhaps most significantly, a clear and distinct cinematic aesthetic is ever-present. This is reflected in the cover images from the lens of R.Cleveland Aaron and over 30 videos to complement the music.

As Cleveland explains, “They say that the way to creative growth is understanding where we came from. ‘In Retrospect’ is an opportunity to test this philosophy. These 12 tracks serve as a bridge between what was and what lies ahead. With each release, knowledge was gained that would inspire a starting point to learn something new.”

This catalogue of work has not gone unnoticed. Regular radio support on key specialist shows on the international ambient/electronic scene, and numerous reviews in the electronic press, notably Igloo Magazine and ‘A World Within Our World’ in Issue 115 of Electronic Sound. The support for f5point6 has grown as the music has developed.

‘In Retrospect’ is well timed, but this compilation should not be seen as a break from the past. It’s more a marker of time; a pause for reflection and reenergising, and recognition of all that has been achieved. The music of f5point6 has always been immersive in intent and execution; dive in and see where the waters take you. Past, present and future are forever in flux… looking back, going forward.

Artwork and photography: R.Cleveland Aaron.

Tracklist

1.	432 Hz (Remastered)
2.	The Second Day (Remastered)
3.	Theory of Change Pt 2 (Remastered)
4.	Hexapod (Remastered)
5.	It's Perfect Here (Remastered)
6.	The Shuttle Leaves at Midnight
7.	Message from a Distant Future
8.	The Others
9.	Fertile Ground
10.	Floam – Rhombus Index + f5point6
11.	Phase Eleven
12.	La femme au port	6:29

Credits

releases February 13, 2026

All tracks written, produced and mixed by R.Cleveland Aaron, except 'Floam' written, produced and mixed by Loui Binns and R.Cleveland Aaron.

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