García sculpts his sounds within the frames of acid, braindance and electro with obvious influences from breaks and IDM. What can be surprising is the length of pieces, few running over the four minute mark. Despite their brevity, these are works bursting with emotion and energy.
Spaced-out machine machinations
Crop circles. They aren’t the worry they once were; we’ve enough other things to lose sleep over I guess. For those who may not know the phenomenon, crop circles were intricate shapes made in fields of grain. The shapes were produced by either cutting or flattening the cereal shoots, such as corn or wheat. The claim was that these intricate forms were the result of extraterrestrial visitors and their whacked-out interplanetary cruisers trying to parallel park.
Wait, why are we talking about crop circles?
To add a little extra tongue-in-cheek, annoy the local farmer and maybe get the press involved, tomfoolery to their latest release, Fourier Transform have included a detailed do-it-yourself guide on how to turn a field into the landing pad of the Phantom Menace.
Still lost?
The artist being released is none other than Spain’s Sergio García, a musician who releases as…Uf0. Fun stuff, eh? Swap that scythe for a synth.
Getting beyond the otherworldly and terra firma(ly), Uf0’s self-titled album offers up nine tracks of spaced-out machine machinations. The elongated acid swirls that introduce “Elsa” break into sheer euphoria, cascading beats and orchestral strings setting the bar extremely high from the get-go. Tempos are lowered in the relaxed movements and complex structures of “God Moving Arp” before the space bleep warmth of “Gomesia Delay.”
Short elegance ::
Short elegance is Uf0’s modus operandi, such as the ephemeral and exquisite “Castor Delay” or the blistering rave bliss of “Analog Clouds.” There is a playful nature to the entire self-titled release, quick melody changes and drum rolls that hark back to the intricate programming found on labels like Skam and Rephlex and can still be enjoyed on Analogical Force. This is plain to hear in the muted keys and surging rhythms of “Enzo,” string patterns taming the entire piece. But, this is not pastiche. The productions carry their own personality and style, fizzing with a drama that is countered by sensitivity. That sensitivity is chucked out the car window in the devil-may-care close. Rinsing rhythms and bending notes of a spiritual high nature drive us to the dawn.
García sculpts his sounds within the frames of acid, braindance and electro with obvious influences from breaks and IDM. What can be surprising is the length of pieces, few running over the four minute mark. Despite their brevity, these are works bursting with emotion and energy. A joyful romp from beginning to end and a record that I’ll be enjoying for years to come; alongside my crop circles, of course.
Uf0 is available on Fourier Transform. [Bandcamp]
