(01.02.08) Perhaps because of Jean Arp, Arp 220, Halton Arp, Air Raid Protocol,
or possibly ARP synthesizers San Francisco’s Alexis Georgopoulos is
now known to his fans as Arp. Prior to stepping into the light,
Georgopoulos experimented with Tussle and improvised with The Alps.
Join me now as I wander through the tracks of this project’s cosmic
minimalist debut: In Light.
Track 1: A variation on the arpeggio stirs gently and solidly. I hear
something akin to Moog synthesizer dancing a playful, baroque dance.
Wait, is the playfulness getting insipid and dull? We shall have to
see. The intro is charming and listenable. Nothing more, nothing less.
Track 2: Beat, beat, beat, beat goes the quick steady pattern. Aaaaah,
now a beautiful percussive melody wanders out on to this minimalist
dance floor to intermingle. Another soft melody is added, then
removed. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. This is not the rhythm of
dance, but of being. In other words, it does not encourage the body to
dance, but rather the universe to be. Track 3 is a wandering
piano/flute improvisation. At what point does improvisational cross
the line into masturbatory self-indulgence? It’s the swell of static
underneath that saves this piece.
Track 4 returns to a now distorted Moogie sound. Rich (but still
simple) composition combine with lumbering bass line and swelling tea
pot noise to announce a return to those things Electronic music’s
recent leap toward glitchy dance grindin’ has arguably lacked: beauty,
simple melodies, tasteful builds. Mr. Arp even uses some of those
well-loved electro keyboard tones, but he uses them tastefully.
After my attention has been won over by track 4, track 5 lures me in
with an arpeggio variation on track 1, this time with bass and a
drum-free yet still visceral rhythm. Track 6 combines electronic bass
stumbling hurriedly with a raspy, electronic mouse singing drunkenly.
These voices sing within a structure like a small choir or string
quartet. In other words, Georgopoulos takes the sounds that I usually
associate with electronic dance music (I being an electronic dance
music listener), removes the block rockin’ beats, and applies a more
melodic form. And it’s nice. Not perfect, not fully transcendent, but
a step in the right direction. I want this line of dialogue to
progress into a re-examination of Switched on Bach. I want electronic
music to give me less dazzle and more content. And I think this is
what Alexis Georgopoulos is going for. But who the fuck knows.
I can talk about each track without this review becoming tedious
because the album is only seven tracks long. Track 7 lays down another
thump-free but still grooving rhythm with the simplest of sounds
gradually fading in all around. The whole thing is like a pillow, or a
gossamer hammock–but not in swirly, trancy way–these are silken
compositions.
This album has received mixed reviews. Pitchfork seems to like it, BBC
seems to not. I laughed out loud when I read this gem from
“Editor” on download.com:”Part of Arp’s charm is that the bulk of the
stuff sounds like an earnest pair of 10-year-olds sat down and put on
a show of their awesome songs for their moms.”
I’m not sure how I feel about it. Sure, there’s not a lot to it; sure,
the tones and forms have been heard before; sure, it doesn’t thump the
dance floor–but there’s just something really special about it. Maybe
there’s something really mystical going on here and I’m just not smart
enough to get it. Or maybe Alexis Georgopoulos is just really stoned.
Or maybe I’m just really stoned. Either the emperor is wearing clothes
or not. I guess we’ll know for sure when we hear album #2.
In Light is out now on Smallsound Supersound. [Purchase
