(06.01.07) Almost a year later, Michael Santos is returning to the recorded world with
his new album. In June of 2006, Santos first emerged on Benbecula’s Mineral
Series with his debut LP: Matters. The politics student from Leeds is now
putting out another limited edition CDr album, this time on the U-Cover
CDr Limited label. Only 155 copies of Soft Pocket are going to make it
out there, so what’s it got to offer?
Santos has built on his experiences from Matters. Ambience, glitch,
experimentation, abstraction and electronics are warmed through before being
generously poured out. Sounds are bubbled and stretched, distorted and
restored through hardware and music programmes. “Peak” opens the electronics
with slow, whirls of detached sound. “Motion Light” brings a more grounded
tone. Computerised mixed data is shuttled through pepper cracked beats and
reverberating plinks. Circles of digitalised smoke waft and rise, producing
relaxing waves of ambience. “Slopes” and “Hub” are slighter pieces, with the
former focusing on interference and harmony whilst the latter moves into
more ambient terrain with organic samples and sound.
“Energy Turtle” is a slow, powerful, lumbering piece of ambient electronica.
Distortion, abrasion and melody are programmed together to create this warm
work. “Language” is a snippet of a piece, giving a brief interlude before
“Different Draft.” The track is hazy, droning ambient sound bobbing along in
a sea of glitch. Waves roll and fall, as sounds ebb and recede. Wonderful
piece of abstract electronic music. “Listening Spring” floats on
interference before “Gesture” completes the album. The final track sounds
almost like electronic air being let out of a translucent tire. The track
develops slowly until Santos has manufactured a rich deep sound. A dreamy
piece to finish off Soft Pocket.
Santos has once again created a beautiful piece of ambient music. So many
times ambient music is exhaustingly long and can be like trying to digest
vast quantities of salad, it may be quite light but the sheer volume is
going to make it a pretty taxing experience. Santos’ tracks are not
monolithic fourteen minute works of atmospheric drone, but perfect sized
pieces of ambient sound. Some people see ambient music as dull, and it well
can be. But, Santos has created something fresh and light that is warm,
complex and a pleasure to listen to.
Soft Pocket is out now on U-Cover CDr Limited.
