ambient, electronic, IDM

Infinite Waves

This album came in quite a while ago but I kept on postponing this review because of the release date, which is tomorrow, March 30. However, this is not the first time I am listening to it, on the very contrary. Almost all of the tracks have already become constants in my day-to-day playlist and quite often I simply play the entire thing. Sometimes to be enjoyed quietly as gentle background music, sometimes loud as a sonic trip. It's perfectly suited for both, and that's an excellent property for music to have.

First things first. Soft Armour is Christian Hougaard, a Danish producer. 'Multi Terrain' is his debut full length, after two ep's. The album is a mesmerizing marriage between ambient and IDM, loaded with soundscapes, field recordings, bass lines and dynamic electronic percussion. That being said, don't expect typical techno, drum & bass or dubstep beats. The ones on this album seem to breathe their own air, go their own way and drag you into an immersive audio adventure. Think Autechre, µ-Ziq or Squarepusher, that will get you closer to the sounds on this album.

Now, in the first paragraph, I mentioned that "almost all of the tracks" have reached my day-to-day playlist, which leaves out the intro 'Coast'. To be brutally honest, this is my least favorite track, an experimental ambient-noise tune without most of the other elements I have been writing about. In all, 'Coast' is a fairly decent intro for what later on proves to become a brilliant album. That being said, on to the glorification of this album, because it really deserves that, at least in my opinion.

'Dune' then comes up with the drama and gentle bombast that would occupy most of the other tunes. It reminds me a tiny bit of Bersarin Quartett and other acts in that genre, but I also notice an urge for originality. Where 'Coast' didn't manage to suck me in, 'Dune' did. Slowly, I am getting into this sound, this atmosphere and these immersive rhythms.  'Moor' follows that example, be it a bit darker. Here, Mmoths comes to mind, another one of those projects that manage to stand out in the vast world of electronic music. 

'Desert', the track we are premiering on top of this review, is a gloomy and quite heavy piece of downtempo electronics and ambient, driving on distorted beats and blissful soundscapes. I think this is one of my favorite tracks, but there are plenty more to be found. The dark, weird and highly experimental 'Macadam' for example, or 'Tarmac', one which evokes visions of late night dancefloors, somewhere up in space. 'Aerodrome' is probably the most haunting track here, even nudging towards the obscure dark ambient scene.

Closer 'Urban' does its job in style, coming up with broken techno and eerie soundscapes. If I have to rank these tracks from best to worst, this one will be somewhere on top. However, I don't want to do that, mainly because I like this album as a whole, even though each track seems to have its own character. In all, 'Multi Terrain' is exactly that, a wide electronic playground where everything is possible, to be discovered again and again, by anyone who wants to. My suggestion: get your hands on a copy of this thing. You will not regret it.


Serge

ambient / idm / electronic

Last Drop Records

I just love the perks of being a music reviewer. Not only do I get to listen to new music way before other people do, I also receive unexpected albums which deviate from the stuff I usually write about. Take this little gem for example. I'm not one to search far and wide for this kind of groovy idm induced ambient music, but here it is, being a part of my day-to-day playlist for quite a while now. It's going to remain in there for a long time too.

Ichinen consists of Italian producers Roberto Bosco and Kiny. This full-length follows their 'A Morning Without Glory EP and is a blend of Bosco’s rhythmic elements with Kiny’s experimental sounds. That being said, don't expect techno beats and danceable tunes. This album is moody, gloomy, atmospheric and captivating, a must-have for fans of Autechre, Cordell Klier, Squarepusher and Biosphere.

The album opens with 'First Impact', which immediately sets the tone for the entire album. With clicky beats, atypical percussion and strange soundscapes, this track promises an enjoyable electronic trip and the rest of the track easily keep that promise. It's extremely difficult to pick a favorite, especially because I simply enjoy playing the album as a whole. However, I have to say that title track 'Dual Craters' stands out, reminding me the most of my favorite on the aforementioned list of bands, namely Biosphere.

'Lander' is another highlight, an uneasy and somewhat eerie ambient tune with broken melodies and wry percussion. 'Small Martian' follows coherently and makes that eerie atmosphere harsher, heavier and deeper. The other tracks are up to you, but I promise you they'll be worth the effort. In all, this is a brilliant album, one that never gets stale or weary. So I can only recommend this to all you experimental ambient and idm fans out there. This is the soundtrack to your lives...


​Serge

dream pop

jazz / krautrock / post rock

electronic / idm

techno

rock / experimental

stoner / doom

psychedelic doom

black metal / doom / thrash

thrash metal

metalcore

drone / ambient / psychedelic

folk / rock

thrash metal

punk / hardcore

post rock / psychedelic / progressive

electronic / downtempo / psychedelic / dub / idm

Awakening World Remixes is an album produced in a partnership between artists Sixis and Expedizion, featuring guest musicians. A brilliant work of art that engenders a colorful mosaic of panels, meticulously unraveling the genres of electronic, bass music, intelligent dance music, glitch, psychedelic electro, psydub and downtempo, Awakening World Remixes resulted in a surprisingly good, multifaceted and multilayered album, with catchy rhythms, exceedingly defined but purely eccentric harmonies, and multi-centered exploration of a refined art sound, all perfectly aligned in a very dystopian scenario of overwhelming beauty, defining an unusual sonorous expedition of possibilities that will leave you absolutely surprised in the end.

With no fear of getting experimental, and resonating the ingenious art of ever reasoning emotions into the core of the soundscape, all the musicians working on the record seems adjusted as one, in a very coherent panel, where all of them bargain their own individual styles and peculiarities, to make their differences work together as one, where their singularities converge to produce a monumental masterpiece, that make rainbows shine over their lucid infusing sincerity of rain colors, exploding into a nothingness overexposed at the feet of our own impressions. A little too short, though, having only six tracks, and less than forty minutes long, nonetheless Awakening World Remixes is an exceedingly good, awesome, astounding and reverberating piece of work, that overwhelmed my feelings in each and every second of it. Never before so many different styles of electronic music were infused so greatly, so harmonically and so uniformly well together, producing a veil of unbelievable and mesmerizing sonorous beauty. Never being too much intricate, complex or difficult to decipher, Awakening World remixes is a great joint of different forces, united to make a rewarding record, that certainly has the potential to be regarded as a milestone on the genre. 

Although essentially underlying an atmosphere prepared to please the underground, it could achieve some popularity outside it. Perfectly managing the balance between an experimental layer of sonorous hermeticism, but technically diffusing at least the core elements that approaches a more sophisti-pop based sphere of influence, Awakening World Remixes is an album full of colors, contrasts, styles, soundscapes and fragments, all perfectly aligned together to work in such a united, cohesive and convicted feature, that it will be impossible not to please the enthusiasts of the genre. With a wide exploration of sonorous elements, encircling and elevating the patterns of rhythmical and allegorical configurations, this album has what it takes to be considered the finest of the category, having so many remarkable devices, that it is impossible not giving to this record the recognition it deserves. It is so remarkably amazing, that you certainly will never forget what you’ve heard. Awakening World Remixes is a marvelous sonorous experience, highly recommended for every enthusiasts of electronic music with a more experimental avant-garde approach. Setting no limits nor boundaries to their artistic atmosphere, the artists in question here certainly deserve to be in the top of the category, since they really do more than just music, but artistic sonorous dreamscapes, filled with colors, in a cosmological layout of underground delusional infinity.       

​Wagner

electronic / ambient / idm

"Braindance is electronic experimental music mostly, there are included drill n' bass, acid house, future lounge, electro and some other weird electronic music". That's what Urban Dictionary has to say about this genre. Obviously, electronic music evolved over the years, with many new styles, sounds and atmospheres coming in from pretty much everywhere, but I had no idea what Braindance exactly was. 

I know now.

Bunai Carus is a duo from Montpellier, France, currently living in Brussels, Belgium. Since 2013, they released a number of ep's on a variety of labels. With this new ep, they hope to make a mark on the electronic music industry and, quite frankly, they should. I'm enjoying the heck out of this album which combines IDM (intelligent dance music) with downtempo and ambient. Furthermore, they managed to give the whole a jazzy atmosphere.

The ep opens with 'Cage's Coma' which could be seen as either an intro or just a very decent ambient track, luring the listener into the strange world of Bunai Carus. Then, 'Storm Cellar' comes up with the weird percussion and soundscapes. They're a bit eerie and the whole has a certain jazz-feel to it. You know, as if Autechre would make record an album for ECM, that kind of stuff. 

Shortly after, 'Skelet-1' completely convinces me with its perfect mix of Aphex Twin, Autechre, Boards Of Canada and Plaid. This is a brilliant track, as far as IDM is concerned, one of my current favorites. 'Pahoehoe' is another delightful ambient track, reminding me a bit of the works of Klaus Schulze and Tangerine Dream. Pahoehoe is a form of lava flow in Hawaii with a smooth or surface. In that aspect, the title perfectly fits the song.

'Glowdrift' is a strange, nervous, mesmerizing and adventurous collection of soundscapes, clicks, beats, hi-hats, classical music samples and other curious sounds, an orgy of electronics, so to speak. Closer 'Tableau' sounds a bit like Olafur Arnalds on LSD. Don't ask me why, but you can bet your ass that I like it. This is a magnificent ep, that's for sure. So it's no wonder it come highly recommend to all fans of weird electronics out there, you know, the 'braindancers'.


​Serge

electronic / experimental

More weirdness on Merchants Of Air today, and more electronic sounds as well. This time we're going to Italy, where we check out the debut of K.Lust, a new project by Anacleto Vitolo (X(i)NEON, AV-K Kletus.K, Infernos, Algebra del Bisogno). If those projects don't ring a bell, don't worry. I'm not familiar with them either to be honest. I guess a man can't know everything. Mainly active in the fields of electronic music, ambient, noise, minimal and drone, Vitolo tries something new with this album, something quite exciting too.

The main ingredients on 'Liven' are soundscapes, beats and energy, initially pushing this album into the techno-scene. But there seems to be a lot more to this album. I have absolutely no idea who or what influenced Vitolo so for me it's difficult to add names to the whole thing. All I can think of are industrial and IDM acts like Imminent, Antigen Shift and perhaps even Blackfilm or Autechre. Perhaps I can add some of those strange EDM acts on alternative festivals like Pukkelpop, but again, I don't know any of their names.

What I do know, is this: when I walk around on a festival and I hear these nervous and dynamic pieces of music coming from one of the tents, I'm going in. Opener 'Liven' is an awesome alternative dance tune. I can see a lot of people shaking to this one. Most of the other tracks can do pretty much the same.  Yet, my personal favorite is the gloomy, almost eerie 'Shove', thriving on broken beats and otherworldly soundscapes. 'Sweep' is another one of my favorites, a dubby IDM track to chill and relax after all the heavy dancing.

​People might still frown upon electronic dance music but albums like this one show that the genre has its place in the world of art and music, and quite rightfully too. Therefore, it has its place on Merchants Of Air as well. Well, everything I like has its place on Merchants Of Air, that's basically our whole philosophy on genre-restrictions. So yes, I like this album and, as soon as possible, I might check out Vitolo's other music too. You should too, like now.


​Serge

electronic / idm / experimental / ambient

Well, this is embarrassing. I could have sworn that I already written this review. I've heard the album dozens of times in the past few weeks. I checked our website. I checked my sent-box. I even checked the folder 'klaar', which means 'ready'. It's where all the albums go when the review is online. Comes to show that you do need a decent planning if you want a job done right, even if it's a voluntary job. 

Anyway, that leaves me with the opportunity to start writing this review. I'm going to start with a simple copy-paste from the biography because it says it best: Composer and multi-instrumentalist Adam Wilkinson applies years spent as a sound engineer to a large and well ordered collection of things that make noise. His compositions feature on nature documentaries, short films and albums of MC’s who think different.

Now I know that you've seen the word 'noise' a few times already, but rest assured, this is no Merzbow kind of stuff. I'd put this album on a shelf where it has the good company of acts like Plaid, Autechre, µ-Ziq, Aphex Twin and Boards Of Canada. Yep, an electronic music shelf, where ambient teams up with broken beats and unidentifiable sounds. I have no idea what kind of equipment Quiet Noise utilizes but he surely made some nice tunes with it.

Some almost feel like trip hop songs while others show a seemingly incomprehensive amount of bleeps, blips and beats or simply eerie soundscapes. In 'Teamwork Is Paramount' I can even hear some dubby bass lines, much to my delight actually. Mind you, not everything on this album in danceable. 'Need A Minute' certainly is not, but it did make me decide to add Aphex Twin to the list of references.

The album seems to get weirder near the end but I certainly don't mind. Electronic music has the right to be weird. It's not a prerogative to the analog side of the musical spectrum. Yet, even with all the in-your-face attitude of the beginning of 'The Final Hour', this act managed to slip in some nice melodies. The whole thing even ends beautifully, with a relaxed downtempo tune. But not for me, it doesn't end here, I'm going to listen again...



​Serge

electronic

Infinite Waves

What happens when techno music breaks down?  Can electronic music come close to doom metal?  What would industrial new-age sound like?  Did new beat have a future? These are probably questions you've never asked yourself before but you will now.  After all, this review is meant to make you curious about the album I'm currently writing about.  In fact, that's basically the reason for this webzine as a whole: guide you through an immense world of ever varying music and sound art, hoping you discover your next favorite band.  I'm glad we can help...

Assembler hails from Denmark and does exactly what the project-name predicts: assemble elements from a surprising variety of (mainly electronic) music and blend them into something unique.  It's electronic dance music but it's not house, it's not trance and it's not drum & bass.  It's Assembler and he's damn good with vintage 80's & 90's synths, and probably with some other instruments as well.  It's Kraftwerk meets Autechre and it's Chemical Brothers meets Merzbow.  

'Cryptografics of Desire' is somewhat misguiding, being an industrial ambient track that could function as intro but is way too long to do that.  This track gradually evolves, new sounds come in slowly, including some minimal percussion and a dubby bass line.  Halfway through the track you feel that Assembler is up to something with this album but you can't put a finger on it.  

But then it happens. 'Schizo-Exstatic I/O' begins like an old-school eurodance track but (luckily) turns into something completely different.  Although there's a lot of typical techno and trance elements present, Assembler turns them into a strange, trippy piece of electronic music with quite a silent kickdrum.  The result is somewhat alienating but actually quite brilliant.  'Neo Shanghai Mainframe' digs a bit into the dark ambient and downtempo scene while adding some oriental elements to the mix.  This approach is somewhat repeated in closer 'Screensaver Hypnosis'

This far in reading the review you should have had a glimpse of the strange world Assembler dwells in.  However, we're not done there.  'Hypercontinuum Chip' combines some very basic trip-hop with very experimental use of electronic percussion.  Rearrange the sounds on this track and you could have a classic techno hit.  But who needs hits when you can create other fantastic things, right?  'Virtual Viking Tears' returns the 'broken techno' elements from 'Schizo-Exstatic I/O', resulting in more electronic weirdness.

'Cybercaribbean Info-Meltdown' takes me back to the alternative techno scene of the nineties.  For those who don't know: back then there was techno (which we all hated) and there was an alternative scene (who at least did something original with these grooveboxes).  The Prodigy and Orbital emerged from that scene, 'nough said.  So yes, in a way this could be a very early Orbital track but I'd rather compare it to some old Nova Zembla releases (google it).

So, did it work?  Are you curious about this album now?  If you are, or have ever been, into dance music, I suggest checking out this odd but great piece of work.  There is still hope for the electronic scene, that's for sure.  These musicians have not been, and will never be, beaten by the Guetta's, Aoki's and Tiesto's.  Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to play the album again and dance in solitude a little bit...


Serge

experimental / idm / ambient

It's a warm day today, quite perfect for a lazy afternoon with some good music, a refreshing beverage and a good book, or a relaxed game of Sims 4.  The album I'm about to review is actually one of my current 'custom music' albums in that game.  Believe it or not, but listening to albums while playing Sims is an interesting combination and a welcome change from listening while doing the dishes.  It opens new ways to start writing a review.  

A. Karperyd is an active member of the Swedish electronic music underground since the late eighties, playing in bands like Omala, Obconic and Hox.  This album is his first under his own name, although he recorded some music for dance performances.  'Woodwork' contains a number of edited live recordings, a brilliant blend of glitch electronics, trip-hop and ambient.  As if Autechre and Scorn have spent some studio time with Biosphere.

For the main part, Woodwork is a don't-know-what-you're-going-to-get album.  It opens with a repetitive piece of ambient music, driving on a slow breakbeat and an dreamy vocals in 'Natural Nature'.  This track immediately creates a warm, comforting atmosphere which continues throughout the entire album.  'Public Transport' incorporates some noise elements and a rough sound over slow paced beats, enhancing the strange feel of the album.  So does 'Correlation and Dependence', but without the beats.

At this point I'm also reminded of acts like Mmoths, Raime and several others I've seen at the Dutch Incubate festival and I really hope I can catch A. Karperyd performing this material live.  It has to be quite an enchanting concert if you ask me, with 'Rejected and Awarded' as a clear highlight.  This is an amazing track, blending old school trip-hop with early experimental electronics.  The beats in this one are slow but lively, a weird combination but it works damn well.  'Villovagar' digs even more into the trip-hop genre and is another great song for the warm summer nights.

'Winter Tone' incorporates some electro-acoustics in a way many drone and dark ambient artists do these days.  At this point I'm reminded of some of the most experimental works of people like Aidan Baker which suddenly makes me realise how well-varied this album really is.  This song differs a lot from the previous ones by being grittier, noisier and colder.

Title track 'Woodwork' is an immense track, combining bright ambient with the bombastic atmosphere of, well, some black metal bands.  This has clearly nothing to do with black metal by the way but somewhere in this eleven minutes lasting epos, I'm reminded of those stunning intros and keyboards arrangements.  In fact, I should be comparing this song to some of the works my Wolfgang Voight (Gas).

The Autechre reference returns in closer 'Low Light Conditions', which is a perfect closer for this album.  I've been listening to this amazing piece of work for a few times now and there's still sounds appearing or disappearing, creating new connections in this wide and beautiful trip.  I can only recommend getting your hands on a copy of this album if you're an experimental ambient fan like me.  This is arguably one of the highlights of 2015 and one of my personal favorites.


Serge

website

Sometimes I think there aren't many households like this one, at least not in the musical department.  Here, it's not uncommon that a black metal album is preceded by a post-rock album and followed by some trip-hop or punk or reggae or industrial or whatever.  It's like a neverending jukebox where all kinds of new music are inserted and listened to at any given time.  If we set the jukebox to shuffle, we're in for a longlasting rollercoaster of genres, atmospheres and emotions.  Being a music collector is somewhat comparable to going insane, that's for sure.

Enough about me, let's talk about Okapi for a while because it's definitely worth it.  This Italian turntablist and producer has brought us something we just can't resist.  By blending a number of highly danceable 'down-tempo' musical styles he has created one of our soundtracks for this summer.  Hip-hop, dub and a range of electronics are being mixed into a highly enjoyable album that sometimes reminds me of acts like Gonjasufi, The Gaslamp Killer and The Herbaliser.  So you get the idea now, it's time to start some serious head-nodding.

The quality of this album proves that it's not really a surprise that Okapi collaborated with people like Mike Patton and Peter Brotzmann and with bands like Zu, along with his own groups, Metaxu and Dogon.  We're dealing with an experienced producer who knows a little something about musical history and is not afraid to incorporate some these elements.  There's almost crooner-like vocals, ranging back to the twenties in the opening song.  There's a touch of funk, 'island music' and dubstep, all pressed into one song, 'Bad Bee'.

Title track 'Pruffoli' shows a dark dub atmosphere like Scorn could have made, mixed with some roots reggae.  This mix is extremely warm tempered an surely brings a smile on my face.  In 'Monastic Bingo' there's even a hint of drum & bass.  This song also reminds me of Funki Porcini and even a bit of bands like Tortoise or Kreidler, at least in terms of the overall 'chill' feel.  Of course ambient never is far away and it's always supported by smooth rhythms and percussion.

So here we have it, another review with a lot of big names thrown in to give you an idea of what this album sounds like.  However, aside from all these influences, I feel that this is a very personal and quite unique album, created with a lot of pleasure and enthousiasm.  To be honest, the whole review was written before I even reached 'Sheep News' and that only happens when an album truly inspires the reviewer.  This reviewer is quietly going to enjoy the rest of this splendid release a few more times now...


Serge

website

The first time this album visited my CD player, I couldn't play it right away because of a phonecall.  During that phonecall, I watched the stunning artwork inside the digipac (it was a lot more interesting than the voice on the other side).  It shows pictures of instruments played by humanoid machines, somewhere in the line of Björk's 'All Is Full Of Love' video, but I like these pictures more than that video.  These are beautiful examples of man meets machine in an eternal musical performance, a true futuristic jazz club.

That is actually exactly what Sknail represents.  Snail Charmers is a highly surprising album, bringing us a refreshing blend of jazz and glitch/IDM.  So if you ever wondered what it would sound like when John Coltrane would meet Autechre, this Swiss project is your answer.  Backed-up by musicians like Nya (vocals), Yannick Barman (trumpet), Philippe Ehinger (bass clarinet), Guy-Francois Leuenberger (piano), Alain Dessauges & Patrice Moret (double bass), Sknail (production, electronics, programming) created a highly technical piece of magic.

While the band and the producers create an intimate jazz club atmosphere, vocalist Nya raps, somewhere in the vein of some dub reggae artists like Linton Kwesi Johnson.  This gives the album an extra edge and makes songs like 'Slow Poison' and title track 'Snail Charmers' true pearls.  'Anthem' takes things a bit slower, nugding towards the sheer gloomy beauty of dark jazz.  There's a lot of room for elaborate solo's, freely floating on deep double bass and weird background electronics.

And there lies the true genius of this album.  This is not an IDM album with some jazz poured into.  No, this is high quality jazz music, supported by electronics.  Sknail respects the artists and the genre in such a way that he gives them the freedom to exercise their skills to the fullest.  In fact, I like this more than I like most jazz.  Most jazz drummers make me nervous.  This doesn't, this is warm, enjoyable music, even in its experimental character.

'Lacrima' is my favourite track on the album, mainly because of the earlier mentioned dark jazz feel and also because of the minimal but rhytmic glitch-electronics it drives on.  Somehow, Sknail manages to avoid musical chaos and barely avoids crossing the edge between music and noise.  Still, the album has something weird, not suitable for people who like their music easy to digest.  It takes some experience to be able to enjoy this but it's definitely worth checking out.

In all, Snail Charmers is a brilliant jazz album, foreseeing a bright future for this unique genre.  It's a perfect marriage between jazz and electronics, that's for sure.  It's clearly not easy-listening music but Sknail deserves a lot of credit and attention for this daring mix.  


Serge

Noble

Hyperion is the world's tallest living tree, at least as far as we know of.  This sequoia redwood lives in Nortern California and is over 115 meters tall.  The exact location has never been revealed in order to keep the surrounding ecosystem undisturbed by human interference.  The name given to this 700-800 year old tree comes from Greek mythology.  Hyperion was on of the twelve Titan children of Gaia and Uranus.  He was the father of Helios (Sun), Selene (Moon) and Eos (Dawn).

Today we review an album that pays tribute to this amazing tree.  Serph is an experimental composer from Japan who usually focuses on a joyful, euphoric sound. Hyperion Suites is different, according to the biography.  Personally I haven't heard from this artist before, probable because I rarely listen to this kind of music.  Not because I don't like it but mainly because there's so much different music to be found and this is quite different from what I reviewed before.

Serph seems to move somewhere between Olafur Arnalds, Boards Of Canada and Kid606.  Compositions with a classical music feel are supported by electronic percussion and hip hop beats.  Other elements from trance, hardcore (techno) and breakcore are being used to enhance the experimental atmosphere.  The whole sounds danceable but I wouldn't know how to dance to it.  Opener 'Hymn' is a beautiful piece of modern classical music enriched with electronics but what happens next is a lot weirder.

This Japanse artist seems to be influenced by jazz, something that can clearly be heard on a track like 'Happy Turner'.  The trumpet gives the music a hint of pleasure but also a sense of isolation and loneliness.  The songs evolves into a mutated house tune which is pretty weird.  'Weird' is a decent word to discribe the music.  These are not higly energetic dancefloor fillers but music you have to get used to, a bit like jazz indeed.

In fourteen songs Serph takes us on a strange trip to this enormous redwood tree.  We can almost feel its endurance and its solitude shining through.  In a song like 'Wireless', the solitude is enhanced by a far away piano and some repetitive analog beats.  Even when the melody sounds joyful, the bizarre percussion brings the exact opposite.  Often reminding me of acts like Autechre, this beats and breaks give the music an alienating effect.

In all, Hyperion Suites is an excellent IDM album with some great songs of which 'Alcyone' is one of my favourites.  With elements of jazz, hip hop and electronic dance music, Serph has created a highly versatile album.  Once again, this is something unlike most of the things we review but that's the best thing about this job.  This is a nice discovery that will meet my media player a lot of times in the near future.


Serge

Planet Mu

It was a warm spring day when I received this album in my mailbox.  It was the official release day of 'The Crystal Cowboys' and it was something different from what we usually review on Merchans Of Air.  We don't get a lot of electronic dance music around here, but I do like the genre.  In fact, I got a huge playlist with drum & bass, techno, IDM and other EDM styles, including several Planet Mu releases.  So, I loaded the album in my media player and set the volume on 'relaxing summer day'.  

Aah, perfection.

Drew Lustman is a producer from New York, also known as FaltyDL. This new album, under a new moniker, somewhat differs from his usual work.  In some way you can say this album is a bit lighter, more relax.  There are influences from drum & bass, hip-hop, garage house and nineties techno but the whole breathes a lounge-like atmosphere, warm and easeful.  Often I'm reminded of acts like Funki Porchini or Amon Tobin.  The music has similar qualities than those acts, mainly being both danceable and placid.

Crystal Cowboy opens with a highly energetic drum & bass track, named 'Watch A Man Die'.  The beats and percussion remind me of early Prodigy but less heavy and less obtrusive.  'Time Machine' gets a bit heavier as it follows a similar structure and drums.  On 'Wolves' we hear analog beats and trance elements combine into a raw version of Kiasmos.  'Onyx', featuring Le1f on vocals, is a solid hip hop song like The Herbaliser makes them.  'The Hatchet', one of my favourite tracks, drives on an almost industrial beat.

To some extent, it's as if Lustman wanted to make an overview of electronic dance music throughout the past few decennia.  'Angel Flesh' is a lounge/trip hop song with dreamy female vocals and a downtempo beat. The previously mentioned 'Time Machine' uses typical nineties sounds and 'Green Technique' is a weird breakbeat tune with a sense of experimentation. So is 'Blueberry Fields', which nudges towards old school hip hop.

All these influences make The Crystal Cowboy extremely varied, although the songs clearly have a distinct, inborn sound.  This music is perfectly suited for the dancefloor and for the living room, or better yet, for the sunlit garden on a warm spring day.  The quality of the music is quite what you can expect from a label like Planet Mu or Ninja Tunes and fits perfectly among the well-known acts in these stables.  So yes, this is just a very good EDM album and an excellent addition to any collection.