IC takes it as a compliment when asked if Gravitropic is electro, citing the genre’s ability to explore “themes pertaining to human consciousness, quantum physics and alter dimensional realities more so than most other genres of electronic music.” He describes his sound “an organic movement toward breaking fertile ground, a gradual movement toward what is possible…”
The quiet season is over. Balmy nights are slowly turning into chilly autumnal evenings. Perfect time to get back into record digging and what better side to start than the colder cuts. Pulse Drift set the bar enviably high last year with some simply superb 12”s. The Leipzig label is coming out of its summertime hibernation with a new discovery, a discovery I managed to catch up with.
Iteration Corporation is a Canadian artist who is less than pleased with the gentrification going on in his native Toronto and how it is affecting the music scene. And making music was what IC had been up to, cutting his vinyl teeth with a four tracker: Gravitropic. Despite his fondness for the Sequential Circuits machine this debut was made using software, “drum programming software” that this Canadian newcomer helped create.
The 12” opens with the jittering hyperactivity of “DNA Sequence.” Split beats shoot from the needle like accelerating particles. A jumpy melody fidgets, skittering over those fractured drums as delicate keys rain. The track is very difficult to pin down, adopting elements of braindance and electro for a unique piece. “Escape Velocity” sounds as if it’s from a completely different artist. Minimal and reduced, a stark beat echoes in a chasm of hollow bass and liquid lines. The flip, introduced by “Flowers”, is from a more familiar place. Rhythms are ruffled, dragging their heels to rake up splinters of snare. This off-kilter percussion forms the bedrock for a squirming, wriggling melody that bends against acid bass. “Acacia” closes. A bright and beautiful piece, the track glows with a morning clarity while brittle beats thaw.
IC takes it as a compliment when asked if Gravitropic is electro, citing the genre’s ability to explore “themes pertaining to human consciousness, quantum physics and alter dimensional realities more so than most other genres of electronic music.” He describes his sound “an organic movement toward breaking fertile ground, a gradual movement toward what is possible…” I tend to agree. Although the A-side journeys into the mechanical, the flip is certainly centered in a human softness. A balance is found, something a certain few can only achieve.
Gravitropic is available on Pulse Drift.
