Overall this is another well-rounded release from Inkipak who appears to be going from strength to strength recently.
Another well-rounded release
I’m not going to sugarcoat things for you—things aren’t incredibly pretty out there at the moment. It’s a daily barrage of media unpleasantness and I’m not saying that we should ignore it, rather that it’s just healthy to be able to take a step back from it once in a while. And I consider myself a lucky person, that I can take a step back and do the things I enjoy. One of those things is discovering new noise, and the type of noise that’s been handed to me this week is pretty much just what the doctor ordered.
dot by Inkipak hits the proverbial shelves and Touched Music once again adds another quality artist to the roster. Off the back of a couple of strong releases on Mighty Force and Pingdiscs respectively, Jon Mace has put together a selection of top-notch tunes, the variety of which mirror the very much ever-changing weather of the springtime (at least in my locale).
Instantly allowing me to unwind, the Morcheeba-esque opening “Solar” is sublime. It knows when to slow down, it knows when to pick up the pace and it knows when to delicately make way for the next piece. Both “Five” and “Subspace” are bold synthesis-led statements with a modern electro-twist, nice little journey tracks that easily transport you into the middle of the album. And it is (for me at least) the middle of the album that shines high.
The transformation from electro to breaks is well-handled, with the next four pieces all leaning towards the faster pace, but the fact that the transition isn’t handled between tracks (rather within one) makes this changeover so interesting. As a result “Dunes” ends up being the mystery tour of the album but in no way sticks out at all. Other elements polish the central section off such as the levantine harmonies of “Replicant,” the solid pulse-bass of “Kosch” and finally the comforting squelch of acid lines in “Sweetcorn” wrapping things up for the finale.
Given all of that, I really like the combination of “Open Door” and “Dormant;” displaying a more-relaxed vibe they have me tapping away with no effort at all. The simplicity of the former earns it a place in my mixing queue and they both have the ability to help order so many parts of the daily chaos.
Overall this is another well-rounded release from Inkipak who appears to be going from strength to strength recently—and I’m looking forward to seeing the continuing trend!
dot is available on Touched Music. [Bandcamp]
