Even among the onslaught of evolved melodies, foggy noise and smoldering percussion, 214 fiddles enough with his machinery to make neurons dance and flutter about unknowingly.
[Listen | Purchase] Not exactly new to the scene, Chris Roman (aka TwoFourteen, or simply 214) is moving on a decade’s worth of audio sculpting. Having maneuvered his way through heavyweight imprints such as Touchin’ Bass, Pyramid Transmissions and Mikrolux (to name a few), there’s no question that 214 is a highly skilled musician that has kept himself under-the-radar far too long. Joining the friendly folks at Outside Recordings (a Charlotte, North Carolina and Los Angeles, California sound collective), 214 is in good company with his latest output, the Eye Thoughts EP.
Yes; abandoned warehouses with dim lighting, concrete floors, decaying drywall and crumbling pipework may be the initial environment for these electrified rhythms, however, a warm and comfy Espresso Bar may also yield similar results. When you really get down to it (figuratively and literally), explaining each of the six featured pieces becomes a tedious undertaking. Instead, what should really be described is the place Eye Thoughts takes the listener. Sure there are moments of pure bliss in a bed of flickering bass lines and synth distortions, but what does that really tell you? Nothing. What happens is a displacement of time and space, a virtual repositioning of your mind into that of harmony and contentment. It’s a place that is unique to each pair of ears as it sweeps you into a cavernous void. Even among the onslaught of evolved melodies, foggy noise and smoldering percussion, 214 fiddles enough with his dub-laden machinery to make neurons dance and flutter about unknowingly. Low-pitched tones meander in the wilderness just as subtle breaks crash in the foreground. And this is only a fraction of what is on display.
214 definitely has a knack for all things experimentally electro and if Eye Thoughts is the next chapter in his musical arsenal, be prepared to be moved, or shall we say, displaced.
Eye Thoughts is out now on Outside. [Listen | Purchase]
