Whilst she’s undoubtedly progressed you can still hear that in her production—a slight sense of raw talent let loose on the machines—not unlike the early Detroit techno brigade.
In an interview with UK based site The Quietus, Sara Abdel-Hamid (Ikonika) explains that on handing her finished album to Hyperdub boss Kode 9 he requested she get back in the studio—”You’ve lost that rawness, that human element behind it.” Ouch—tough words if you’ve just spent ages honing your production techniques.
Compared to 2010’s Contact, Love, Want, Have (Hyperdub)—Aerotropolis is definitely more polished, more glossy. “You don’t want to make a nostalgic album in 2013 [that sounds] too crisp, too perfect and too expensive and digital…” (Kode 9—and a sure sign of the times, unless you are Daft Punk).
So where to go for a producer so associated with that whole ‘post dubstep’ thing? Abdel-Hamid’s instinctive use of melody is still very present. There’s a fair ’80s tinge to it all and little hint of previous chip tune hyper speed arpeggiation. Instead we find big lead synth lines—almost preset like—that wiggle their way around tracks like “Mr Cake” and “Eternal Mode” conjuring up images of demented Japanese computer games and ’80s US action adventure TV shows. It’s the kind of sound Com Truise and Lone have been harnessing for a while—and one Ikonika can certainly pull off.
The emphasis is definitely on the side of retro-futuristic fun with a slightly moody underside. There’s a rare outing with vocals from Jessy Lanza on “Beach Mode” where both singer and producer deliver a solid pastiche of ’80s electronic pop. For some the relentless glistening synths of “Manchego” and “Let a Smile be (Y)our Umbrella” might err on the side of cheese but there’s an oddly innocent and uplifting aspect to it all. Where “Lights are Forever” employs the kind of classic synth preset Orbital abused in the mid 90s alongside a similar sense of sly fun, “Cryo” feels darker and sleeker—a 4/4 thud propelling us through Abdel-Hamid’s retro future.
Abdel-Hamid has previously said, in a 2010 Pitchfork interview: “I don’t really know how to play keys. I just smack them until something nice comes out.” Whilst she’s undoubtedly progressed you can still hear that in her production—a slight sense of raw talent let loose on the machines—not unlike the early Detroit techno brigade.
Aerotropolis might disappoint the rough and ready electronics fans—it’s a soulful electronic album with a pop aesthetic at its heart—but for those who love a joyful retro 80’s synth fest then you are urged to get involved.
Aerotropolis is available on Hyperdub. [Release page]
