One of the more heartening musical revivals of recent years has been the resurgence of ambient house. As a teen growing up in early 90s London, it felt impossibly glamorous yet equally distant, the preserve of illicit chillout rooms or Mediterranean sunsets I was too young to experience. Being a fan of legendary Italian label DFC (Dance Floor Corporation) Records sometimes felt like a lonely hobby in the West London suburbs I grew up in but there was a magical eternal quality about ambient house that seemed to defy fads and trends. Immersed in the sounds of Sueño Latino, Don Pablo’s Animals, The Orb, Jam & Spoon, The Countach and many of the other productions they inspired, I noticed how uplifting and dreamy the music was, heavily reliant on warm pads and insistent pianos, as well as the odd loon bird or heavy breathing – soundscapes as much influenced by the European symphonic tradition as the transatlantic reach of Detroit and Chicago House.

By the time I did hit the fiestas, its moment had seemingly passed, destined to become a permanent fixture on BBC2 travelogues and mix CDs. Yet across Europe, a small but committed scene has sprung up in recent years, with everyone from scene stalwarts like Phil Mison and Coyote to newer players like Young Marco, Feel Fly and Residentes Balearicos incorporating it into their DJ sets or productions. Some would argue it never really went away, an eternal memento of an idyllic retro-Ibiza fantasy people of a certain vintage have embedded for life.

My ears pricked up immediately, therefore, when Leeds-based DJ and producer Joe Morris announced he had a new album out. He has been releasing music of excellent quality via his Shades of Sound label for a few years now. He as much as anyone has brought a new, richly melodic and highly atmospheric slant to the dream house aesthetic, which can be heard in abundance on his new album Some Kind of Paradise. I was immediately won over by the track When Love Takes Over with its Step On-esque piano, something I could imagine Andrew Weatherall conjuring together during his brief balearic flirtation, whilst album tour de force Cosmic Love (appearing as two versions) is the sort of tripomatic Ibizan odyssey that will have you hugging Pikes’s sweat-drenched walls. The title track similarly harks back to an undefined - if much-missed - moment in the island’s history when DJs let the music do the talking. Elsewhere, tracks such as Gaia and Soul Sense offer a more horizontal, vaguely cinematic listening experience, wafting gently in your consciousness.

I was struck by Joe’s reasoning for making an actual album in an era of instant playlists. Perhaps part of us still craves the value and emotional connection of a defined body of work with a distinctive identity that blends well together. Throughout, he evokes the original spirit of the early 90s, albeit with modern touches that give it a fresh feel. Music that looks to the future whilst rooted in the past.

Some Kind of Paradise is out now digitally and on vinyl via Shades of Sound Recordings.