Awkward Silence put out 7″ vinyl singles that represent the typical DIY indie ethic of the punk era. Black and white photocopied style sleeves, all with a house design and hand cut inserts, each single limited to just a few hundred copies (600 each in this case). The music they release however is far from DIY and often features some well-known figures on the electronic music scene quietly contributing new tracks.
Single 11 in the ongoing Awkward Silence 7″ single series is from Lusine ICL and The Buddy System. Jeff McIlwain (aka Lusine ICL aka L’usine) and Kurt Korthals (aka The Buddy System) present the calmer electronic side of Awkward Silence. McIlwain’s “Vacate” takes a looped static sample and overlays it with gentle synth washes and understated beats while a guitar is casually plucked in the background. Later, he introduces manipulated vocal samples that sound like alien chattering while synth blips and whirs become increasingly edgy and anxious. Korthals’ “Missing You Much” is based around a sample taken from an audio letter to a loved one and also utilises guitar melodies, but this time layered on top of each other. As the track progresses, the main vocal sample becomes more and more processed with glitchy clicking beats and female harmonies joining the combination, almost obscured by the guitar melodies over them.
Continuing the melodic electronic theme are Martin Abrahamsson (founder of Saundart Recordings and otherwise known as Bauri) and Roman Belousov (founder of Shaped Harmonics and known as Novel 23) with their contributions to Single 12. Abrahamsson’s warm uplifting “Teddymx” combines rhythmic breakbeats with processed blips and whirs, adding a hint of techno and glitch for good measure. Belousov is already known for his beautifully emotive melodic electronic works and “Moony Girl” is no exception. Based around the idea of a moonlit girl deep in thought, “Moony Girl” is a lush mix of precise rhythmic beats, warm synth melodies and a gently contemplative mood.
As always with Awkward Silence, a single is quietly released every so often containing some notable electronic music and these 2 singles are fine examples. Rhythmic, lush, melodic and wonderful, each track complements its partner nicely. Awkward Silence keeps a fairly low profile, happy to discretely release these gems every so often, but they really deserve wider coverage and more attention.
