There’s no straying into strange new territories—what we have here is simply classic Arovane.
n5MD is really flying the flag for all things electronica and follows a slew of excellent releases across 2013 by hoisting that flag higher with the words ‘New Arovane Album‘ emblazoned upon it.
For any electronica fan worth their salt, this announcement will set the old ticker racing in anticipation. Uwe Zahn decided to close the Arovane moniker back in 2004 for reasons only known to himself—yet thankfully, and like all good bands we love, a surprise comeback album now awaits our ears in all its glorious beauty.
Ve Palor consists of tracks written from as far back as 2002 to present day yet sounds like a wholly consistent work. For fans it will far from disappoint—more like overjoy. There’s no straying into strange new territories—what we have here is simply classic Arovane. Perhaps there’s more of a glitchy, complex time-signature Autechre feel than on say, Lillies or Tides. There’s a lot of that fractured melodic crunch going on too—the kind of melodies that only incessant fiddling with hardware gear and an innate sense of what works can produce.
You might actually have a little weep listening to “scaabl,” “gniddt” and “deev”—all beautiful workouts of yearning melodics and synapse tickling rhythms. In terms of production techniques it feels like Uwe runs his tracks live through a hardware sequencer rather than shuffle blocks in a DAW. There’s all sorts of odd tempo shifts throughout that only this type of method can produce. Take a listen to “cae nij” for example.
Whilst celebrating this old skool approach, it goes without saying that the production sheen and sound design are superb. At times it feels like those pinpoints of melody and percussion are scraping out patterns on the back of my skull, at others like the machines have cantered off on their own paths following algorithmic impulses only know to themselves.
A fine return from an excellent artist.
Head to the link below to find out more—if digital is your thing there are also three download bonus tracks which are equally as strong as the rest of the album—closer “vendt” is a particular highlight. Now go on, get purchasing.
Ve Palor is available on n5MD.
