By layering a vast array of morphed synths and samples on top of a skeleton of unassuming beats, Nebulo creates a lonely sort of electronic music, fit for headphone commuters and urban nomads.
When it comes to Castles, the latest release from Hymen Records‘ Nebulo, lo-fi is certainly the word. As a French producer active since 2006, Thomas Pujols’ work has previously been used in sound-art installations and this will be his fifth LP on Hymen Records.
By layering a vast array of morphed synths and samples on top of a skeleton of unassuming beats, Nebulo creates a lonely sort of electronic music, fit for headphone commuters and urban nomads. The almost constant droning distortion; the vast, echoing reverb; the incessant, shifting intricacies; the lack of conventional melody (although there is some piano), all combine to produce an experience characteristic of an uncanny and mild dissociation.
Often claustrophobic, though occasionally opening up acoustic chambers and plateaus, Castles proves Nebulo’s worth as a producer, expertly steering clear of both stagnation and overkill. One of the hardest things for electronic artists is balancing the almost infinite potential of electronic instrumentation with composition and direction. I suspect that Nebulo achieves this by choosing sounds in virtue of their contribution to the whole, rather than their individual identities—feedback rises from out of the tail ends of synths, gaps in the percussion are filled with expanding distortions, pads give birth to echoes and delay. Well worth a listen!
Castles is available on Hymen.
