Although these 40-minutes wisp by like a breeze in the cold night, each sprinkled minute paints a musical abstract full of color, variety and contrast.
[Listen | Purchase] Cloud Bands On Arabesques represents the second release for Murray Fisher and Wil Bolton (aka Biotron Shelf), a collaboration that has yielded timid electrical waves among a flood of sonic activity over the years. And to take this release quite literally, “The arabesque is a form of artistic decoration consisting of surface decorations based on rhythmic linear patterns of scrolling and interlacing foliage, tendrils or plain lines, often combined with other elements.” This definition alone may be Biotron Shelf’s most significant interpretation yet. Their latest set of robotic details gravitates toward ethereal and hypnotic movements pivoting from digital-to-analog spheres without sticking to one formula (IDM, experimental, spatial-techno are all on offer). But just as these decorative rhythms slide across the ears, a new direction is introduced; minimalism and atmosphere intersect with emotion and anxiety. While in the peripheral this album reflects mid-90’s era Artificial Intelligence (thanks to Warp Records), the core is deeply embedded in crumpled dial-tones and left-field electronics.
As a new generation of musicians dive into the past, it’s rewarding to hear Biotron Shelf interlacing the foliage of their delicate machines to deliver a softer image that still flows with complexity. And although these 40-minutes wisp by like a breeze in the cold night, each sprinkled minute paints a musical abstract full of color, variety and contrast. After all, isn’t it important to sit back and enjoy the scenery sometimes? Cloud Bands On Arabesques really does settle into the background creating a pleasant voyage for the listener to digest, however, if there’s one track that gels all of the above, it would be “Clockwork Pharmacy.” This smorgasbord of hardened bass and electro-motifs merits continual repetition. Now if Biotron Shelf could hone-in on the theme set out in this track alone, they would likely garner even more attention in the proverbial sea of musicians.
Cloud Bands On Arabesques is out now on Boltfish Recordings. [Listen | Purchase]
<a href=”http://boltfishrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/cloud-bands-and-arabesques” _mce_href=”http://boltfishrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/cloud-bands-and-arabesques”>Cloud Bands and Arabesques by Boltfish Recordings</a>
