Lush harmonies melt and morph as the listener is drawn deeper and deeper into this new place of The Valley And The Mountain.
The internet age has revolutionized electronic music. Sounds that were only available to the few who could access record stores in major cities can now listen to the new audio ideas coming from across the world at the click of a link. This is a wonder. It has removed the limitations of geography, of economics, but it has also removed much of the mystery. Artists who once hide in the shadows now seek the limelight through followers and likes. Despite this there are still some, a small band of dissidents who lurk behind monikers and simply let the music do the talking.
The Valley And The Mountain is one of the few Detroit-based producers who still flies under the radar. With releases on WeMe, Shipwrec, and Photic Fields, the unknown musician has developed a unique style that merges the warmth of techno with the chills of electro. Rotations Vol. 1 carries on where TVTM left off in 2016 and brings together eight works that show another side of this multifaceted musician. “Flight Computer” is an immediate stand-out piece with its cascading chords and glittering lines. A lightness permeates the octet on offer, ambient swirls and electronica floating above crisp beats in “Path Integration” with “Buggy Accelerator” being just as elegant and graceful a piece. Track titles are a good indicator of what is being shaped. “Meanwhile On Earth,” with its samples and warbling notes, is a more grounded work whereas all that tethers “Gravitational Potential” to terra-firma is a thick snare. “What Strange New Place” is emblematic of evolution in this Detroiter’s sound, entrancing currents and streams coalesce in a maelstrom of melody.
Despite using familiar sounds, TVTM has managed to create something very original. Nothing is fixed in Rotations, instead fluidity pervades. Lush harmonies melt and morph as the listener is drawn deeper and deeper into this new place of The Mountain and The Valley.
Rotation Vol. 1 is available on Central Scientific.
