Focused on the classic Russian IDM template, Elephant Effect stays true to its intrinsic formation without veering too far into unknown fields.
[Listen | Download] After what seemed like such an influx of Russian electronics from imprints like Art-Tek, Shaped Harmonics, Dars, Citadel and Lagunamuch (to name a few) releasing classic molds in the early-to-mid 00’s; this cold and melodic synth-based sound has remained curiously dormant for some time as it awaits a reemergence. This flow of pioneering acts appeared on many compilations over the years and brought its listeners inspiring acts such as Novel 23, Eu, Vesna, Lazyfish and Solar X among the most recognizable. Ambidextrous (aka Nick Zavriev) also played a large role in this scene and for the past decade has simultaneously carved his own path drenched in an array of genres including skittering drum’n bass, sheets of ambient flutter, harmonious rhythms but most of all, highly melodic circuit-bent electronics.
It is with this overt melodic style that Elephant Effect begins to suffer. While its percussive elements are a mixture of upbeat and downbeat crunching, the overly saturated melodies can be a little cumbersome in spots, tainting an otherwise well-produced piece of work. These robotic grooves, while polished and processed reflect the artists positive outlook, however, the sporadic video-game like motifs come across as tired and grasping for depth. A dose of random political samples (President Obama makes an appearance on “Barrackuda”), subtle vocal extracts and 80’s synth melodies collide with relative ease… perhaps the original intent Zavriev had in mind. Focused on the classic Russian IDM template, Elephant Effect stays true to its intrinsic formation without veering too far into unknown fields. And with a physical release out-of-reach, Ambidextrous has jumped on the Bandcamp bandwagon to offer his latest audio collection as a donation-based digital release. Listen with an open ear as the Ensoniq ASR-10, Roland Juno 106 and Korg Prophecy boil-over in unison, once again.
Elephant Effect is out now and available as a donation-based (no minimum) download. [Listen | Download]
