ambient, electronic, IDM
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, ยต-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
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, ยต-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