Xenophonic starts deceptively, the melancholy of its opening salvo that gives way to well-placed beats and a very human rhythm don’t prepare me for what lies ahead.
Cadences are confident and final
Hot off the heels of my audition of Karsten Pflum’s latest offering (Camera Obscura, Touched Music) I’m given the opportunity to explore a collaborator of his. Being previously-unaware of an excellent artist is for me double amounts of fun, as not only am I occasionally-handed something I enjoy very much but it also gives me the opportunity to trawl (or stalk, however you see it) through their back catalog too. Serge Geyzel is the collaborator in question and his upcoming release on Touched Revolutions deserves all of the attention that I’ve been giving it, as does it deserve yours too.
Xenophonic starts deceptively, the melancholy of its opening salvo that gives way to well-placed beats and a very human rhythm don’t prepare me for what lies ahead. Indeed the changes that happen from track-to-track are adhered to one another by the constant and well thought out beats, and I could easily listen to the whole album as a continuous mix (Serge—are you out there and listening?!).
From the instant I hit play I asked the universe two things: “Where can I get more of this?”, shortly followed by “When can I get this on vinyl?” Not a question I always find necessary to ask of all releases, but particularly fitting here as much of this is absolutely banging and begging for a dance floor. For the moment I have no answer to the first query, however there’s a lucid and fluid feeling presented that has me reaching for liquid drum and bass, early 2000s Goldie, Fabio, basically anything I can think of where every track is a journey.
I have since had my second wish answered by the arrival of a stunning picture disc with a musical theme, true to form and exactly what I’ve come to expect of the Touched Revolutions series. As always these will be pretty limited but it’s totally worth it with a very rich and deep sounding pressing.
Each new composition takes the crown of new favorite ::
From multiple listening’s I can tell that not only does Serge love AABA (No not your Swedish favorites but rather the 32-bar introduction form) but makes incredible good use of it too. For a technique that was once lauded as overused and detrimental to ‘intelligent’ composition it certainly finds its place, with the namesake third track “Xenophonic” fooling me from the outset. It’s this track that convinces me the release is anything but a simple affair. It takes the speed up a notch and you start to really feel things—what transpires to become the closing phrase is soon given center-stage and from that point on it’s hard to let go of, despite much happening around it. “I Wonder” follows swiftly, another beautiful set of chords and progressions—a pleasing play on the central theme and instrument of the song peppered with subtle breakdowns giving me space to breathe.
Each new composition takes the crown of new favorite, they’re all just battling each other for the title but for me “There’s Always Yesterday” manages to edge ever so slightly ahead. It’s slower than the rest but my word nostalgia got the better of me here.
Cadences are confident and final—what you hear is what you get and there’s no mucking around. Much like Plaid’s “Sincetta” (you… have heard Double Figure, right?) it’s a Moonlight Sonata for modern times displaying a degree of drama that leaves me pensive.
The final tracks have great width, their absence after playback is duly noted. Luckily, for us mere mortals there is no such perceptible thing as silence and it’s not much effort at all for me to hit ‘Repeat’ so that I may enjoy the last forty-four minutes of my life. Top stuff that I highly recommend.
Xenophonic is available on Touched Revolutions February 25, 2022. [Bandcamp]
