(10.03.05) The Four Quarters marks a return to the long-form techno that Vladislav Delay made his name on, harkening back to the icy moonscapes of Ele or Entain, and pretending like the cul-de-sac of Luomo’s tech-house didn’t exist. The album consists of four tracks (obviously), ranging from fourteen to sixteen minutes each, and covering the same sort of glitch-dub techno that Delay is known for. Warm synths underline each track while deep dub bass bounces around underneath skittering percussion. Full of space, each of the quarters draws the listener in with a short, inviting prelude before rocketing out into the outer realms of rhythm and sound. This is an album that will sound great on a loud system.
Perhaps most reminiscent of the one-track Anima (or its live equivalent, the also one-track Naima), The Four Quarters works as a whole piece, which each track segueing into the next on the CD (no idea how the tracks end on the vinyl). Each track has very little repetition, progressing in ways that are surprising and sometimes jarring, as at about 8 minutes into “Second Quarter, ” or two minutes into “Third Quarter” (you’ll see). The album as a whole is much more involving than his previous, Demo(n)tracks, in that it gives the listener time to sink into each track and feel its twists and turns. The previous album worked in shorter form than 4Q, and suffered for it for just that reason. While Demo(n) had more of a just-get-it-done vibe, 4Q feels loved and labored over. There is careful work apparent in the details on this record.
Delay is an artist that needs a long span of time to get his ideas across, and where this might be a criticism for some artists, it is an endorsement here. So few artists (especially electronic musicians, at this time anyway) work in long-form that Delay’s music is a much-needed whiff of something fresh.
Is this the new beginning to the prog-space-dub-house movement? Perhaps. Is it the end of a logical progression for the sound? The case could be made. But I think Delay has something up his sleeve that will surprise us next time, much like 4Q did this time.
The Four Quarters is out now on Huume.
- ((( Buy it at Amazon.com)))
- Huume
- Vladislav Delay
