A departure it may be, but we don’t lose anything that we love; rather gain some new tricks that we can enjoy just as much.
Bogdan carves out his own little piece of sonic Utopia
Not every day does one get the chance to have a sneak-peak at the music of one of the icons of their formative-years, so when the opportunity arises it’s really a no-brainer. Occupying myself for the few minutes it took me to obtain a promotional copy, my thoughts turned to all of the possibilities that Bogdan Raczynski’s ADDLE could turn out to be.
Would it be a return to the uncontrollable-dance peppered childish-innocence of 1999’s Samurai Math Beats and Boku Mo Walaran? Another departure into folk-inspired music like Muzyka Dla Imigrantów? Or perhaps another deceptively (and hilariously) titled festival of laughs along the lines of Ibiza Anthems Vol. 4?
Well it turns out that it’s none of the above, with Bogdan managing to carve out his own little piece of sonic Utopia—a collection of measured and almost academic pieces that challenge all that you may have previously-thought of him. By his own admission Bogdan states “calm is great… but… real growth happens in turbulence,” but it’s evident here that he may well have found a happy medium between the two.
Don’t get me wrong, Bogdan’s allowed me a lot of fun over the years including summer dances in dusty tents, late nights in basement clubs and after-parties in places I just plain don’t remember the location of but it’s really refreshing to see another side to one of my favourite creators. Much like Rossz Csillag Alatt Született was a thought-provoking departure for Aaron Funk, ADDLE has the potential to perform the same role for Bogdan.
A departure it may be, but we don’t lose anything that we love; rather gain some new tricks that we can enjoy just as much. For someone who has been so closely-associated with RDJ’s Rephlex label—not only appearing but oft-touring with—it’s no surprise that the opening track “LADDE” is highly emotive, immediately drawing me in and washing over me.
For want of a better word, some entries just sound scholarly—”DLEDA”—thought out and meticulously-structured, it feels like some very distinct decisions have been made in the placement sounds and structures. The vocal interjections also have purpose, communicative bursts that remind me of playing with linguistics software at university.
Soft yet punchy physical-sounding instrumentation ::
It’s not just the expressive elements that are clearly recognizable as his own; the presence of telltale pitch bends, soft yet punchy physical-sounding instrumentation and distorted phrases scattered everywhere offer up a familiarity that is both comforting and welcome, even with the pleasure of this erudite release it’s good to know that the emotions continue to flow from start right until the very end.
Don’t, however, count on plain sailing and pleasant musicality all of the time. There are plenty of jarring moments and sounds for all of you who want that (I know, I’m not complaining). The grating beginnings of “ELDDA,” like the dragging a MIDI file through the selection bank of a sample, leave no doubt that you’re never in control despite the track’s relatively-peaceful resolution, all things considered.
Arguably the most straightforward of the pieces here happen to be my favourites—penultimately “ADLDE” allows me a little bit of a dance, albeit slower to what I am used to, but it’s the final track that really leaves its mark.
ALDDE both starts and ends with some of my most-liked sounds—a rainstorm—and if you listen carefully it’s ever-present throughout the whole track. It’s a thoughtful ending, the field-recording is crisp and clear and brings up all sorts of emotions. One can’t help but wonder whether this is the storm in which Bogdan found his inspiration.
As usual with Mr. Raczynski there’s always a joke somewhere, so thanks a lot for the letter-shifting titles, it made it so much simpler to write this review and not get confused between tracks I was trying to reference. But I guess that’s all part of the Bogdan experience. It certainly hasn’t stopped me from preordering—and I just can’t wait for it to arrive.
ADDLE is available on Planet Mu. [Bandcamp | Site]
