Lambert Vinyl Records
Mystery surrounds this German neo-classical pianist who wears a Sardinian, handmade leather mask -- complete with antlers -- to disguise his identity. His sombre, thoughtful Chopin-esque miniatures released under the Lambert name were initially issued in 2014 on Berlin's independent Staatsakt label, before Universal's Mercury KX imprint added him to a roster of like-minded contemporaries in 2017, which included Ólafur Arnalds and Sebastian Plano. He achieved a soft, dampened sound by introducing felt material to the inside of his piano, his earliest releases showcasing his delicate and hypnotic playing style in a solo context. However, as the decade wore on, Lambert's recordings became increasingly collaborative, leading to a 2020 album -- False -- which featured a different guest artist on each of the 14 tracks.