The Unveiling is another example of the ability and skill of this musician. The emotion and warmth that this quartet achieves is unparalleled within the canon of techno, contemporary and or halcyon.
The stalwart of UK electronics returns
There hasn’t been much to cheer about in the last fews years. War. Pandemics. Crisis after crisis. Electronic music can help. The resurgence of 1990s techno pioneers over the past half decade is something to cheer. Steve Rutter, of B12, is back with his superb Firescope imprint, Return_backspace are reviving the wonders of Marco Repetto and, of course, there is De:tuned; an imprint that has done, and continues to do, so much for techno.
One musician who has found a new home on the Belgian imprint is Kirk DeGiorgio. The founder of A.R.T. and Op-Art has focussed on his As One moniker with the excellent Communion appearing in 2019. The stalwart of UK electronics returns, this time with a four tracker including two heavy remixers.
“The Unveiling” is the title track and is vintage DeGiorgio. Deep pads and a steady kick are the foundation from which glistening hi-hats and staggered claps descend. A warbling undercurrent flows through the composition, aquatic rinses countered by Detroit-inspired optimism. Ian O’Brien follows with his remix of “The Ladder,” a piece taken from Communion. O’Brien outdoes himself in this ten plus minute odyssey. From the grandeur of the open, the veteran producer adds texture and form with bristling broken rhythms and silken synth-lines as he effortlessly shifts through a spread of influences in one single work. An absolute beaut.
A stargazing searching symphony ::
The flip is a rare treat. Luke Slater dons his dusty 7th Plain pseudonym with the legendary musician appearing on De:tuned for the first time. It is easy to forget that Slater took his first steps as an IDM producer on labels like Jelly Jam and the immense GPR, the latter releasing albums from 7th Plain. Here the percussion is tempered and the focus is on the depth and breadth of the melody, a stargazing searching symphony that is bright and uncluttered. DeGiorgio returns for the finale. The space inspired “Descent Module” opens with twinkling chords and orbiting rhythms, hums and throbs dawning to fragile stings in a closer of the utmost quality.
Kirk DeGiorgio is arguably more productive now than he was in the 1990s, and this is something to be seriously thankful for. The Unveiling is another example of the ability and skill of this musician. The emotion and warmth that this quartet achieves is unparalleled within the canon of techno, contemporary and or halcyon.
The Unveiling is available on De:tuned. [Bandcamp]
