Tonal excellence. Skee Mask’s innovative dedication to the craft is apparent. It’s a record that’s hard not to talk about or examine in further detail and one that you will likely hear about for some time to come. It’s just that good.
In the year 1913 a second Mona Lisa emerged in the public consciousness. Some claim that it holds a beauty surpassing that of the infamous portrait the world has widely come to know. Prior to the Isleworth Mona Lisa’s authenticity being attributed to the master Leonardo da Vinci himself, a group of art historians and skeptics had hypothesized that the second painting in question could have been created by a mystery apprentice of da Vinci’s. They theorized that this disciple not only exemplified his predecessor’s work in the shared details of legendary technique, but had also created something uniquely remarkable, if not more so.
Such is the case with Skee Mask’s new album Compro. Aphex fans rejoice! The evolution of experimental techno is upon us and Skee Mask is revealing the way. Quickly revered as a favorite new producer, he is an artist who not only possesses a similar skill-set to the greats before him but also expands upon it in an inventive, forward thinking fashion.
Compro commences with the luring “Cerroverb” featuring attention catching bass plucks as if to say, “you should probably listen to this”. The second track “Session Add” sends out a distress beacon on an uncharted planet signifying his arrival. A nocturnal groove emerges. An image of the captain collecting his supplies, crafting something of use to come, hatching a plan and surveying new territory for which he is about to traverse.
Exquisite atmospheres compliment break driven beats throughout the whole album. Compro’s pockets of ambient depth range from quietly contemplative roles to more pronounced pools of electronic bliss. Track “VLI” is fluid in motion and a rewarding listening experience.
The jovial synth melody on “Rev8617” is divine along with its snippy percussion, one of Skee Mask’s signature moves, akin to shuffling a deck of cards. Now for his next trick, introducing a rhythmic pulsating bass around 2:02 with just enough oomph to change things up. What follows is the track “50 Euro to Break Boost,” owning crisp and grainy breaks as well as a deeply cathartic, reverberated melody. It only gets better from there. Other selections from the record also feature chugging drums and partial nods to a transformed TB-303 as heard in “Sub Mids.” Compro’s halfway point “Soundboy Ext.” should pleasantly satisfy jungle and grime admirers while “Muk FM” has a kick that’s Berghain bound. “Kozmic Flush” is a sleek high-speed rail that will lead its riders through a beautiful clearing and lastly “Calimance” finds a drummer enjoying the fruits of his labor during the album’s comedown.
Tonal excellence. Skee Mask’s innovative dedication to the craft is apparent. It’s a record that’s hard not to talk about or examine in further detail and one that you will likely hear about for some time to come. It’s just that good.
Compro is available on Ilian Tape.
