Russian teen Øneheart and his 2022 mega hit “snowfall” served as my introduction to the world of melodic ambient music that’s currently getting filed under “liminal”. I wasn’t pulled into the sound’s orbit though until French producer Willix started publishing on Nina last month. His Soundcloud playlist acts as a local guide to the far reaches of this microgenre and surfaces a bluer strain of the sound being professionalized by Sheffield label dreamscape. Willix’s credentials are characteristic of the label’s producer network: early releases originating from "wave" netlabels and a side-hustle making analog phonk to deadlift to. Willix in particular though stands out — maybe it’s the degree of cohesion he’s able to achieve while putting out pillow-soft ambient one week and blaring synthwave eight days later.