Studied lo-fi sci-fi archaeologies at the edges of a path trodden by Boards and electronic thrift-store diggers like Ekoplekz, it taps into a similar vein of knowing past-mining to Ghost Box, albeit less formalistic, more ludic.
Not sure if this is the last, or simply the latest, from the man from Atlantis—Tim ‘Maps and Diagrams’ Martin under the cloak (or is it wetsuit?) of the alias donned for his sketches in retro analog synthetics. You see, it’s been a while since May when it came out, before which he’d been more regular±a serial release offender, under whatever moniker. Here he proposes the Electra’s Discovery EP on his own Handstitched label, on the back of House of Tomorrow (Digitalis), The Institute of Technology (Chemical Tapes), The Index (Unknown Tone), and Bokukko (Beko).
Discovery begins in 60s B-movie outer space, tinny Schnitzler-ian electronic squiggle ricocheting around fizzing with slapback echo-dust. “South Wind” and “A Mass Spectrograph” channel the spirits of early-electronic circuit-wranglers through woozy low-light cyberdelia and star-burst FX. “Electronion” percolates lightly on some forgotten star in a Sea of other than Tranquility, with synth-bubble, spartan rhythmic skitter, and molten synth-shimmer. “The Secret Agent” has neo-dub bass irradiated with interstellar overdrive, and more electra-glide Kosmische with oblique dub-tech gestures, on “The Land Of Nome,” as if of BC/TD mash-up juice it had drunk. Ending in descent, “Population 1970” sets the cosmo-spheric controls from the heart of the sun back through the ‘spheres in a blown-out re-entry. The future inside the past inside the present…
The uninitiated, approaching via the Maps and Diagrams route, may be surprised at the Atlantis sound, which strikes as disheveled as M & D is well groomed. The artist evidently wanted clear water between the projects as ‘it was heading in a more abrasive and automated direction, using older instruments with minimal involvement in the production, inspired by the early electronic music of the 60′s. I use less processing and field recordings for Atlantis and it is a raw sound, less-polished and more “machine” influenced.’ (Headphone Commute, interview) In its own way, however, Atlantis is just as carefully put together: studied lo-fi sci-fi archaeologies at the edges of a path trodden by Boards and electronic thrift-store diggers like Ekoplekz, it taps into a similar vein of knowing past-mining to Ghost Box, albeit less formalistic, more ludic. While awaiting other possible discoveries, Atlantidean adventurers could do worse than trawl through other Handstitched tape-japes and synth-doodle on Particles, The Day the Music Died, and, via Futuresequence, The Lost Island.
Electra’s Discovery is available on Handstitched.
