Right from the onset we can consider this album as an electronic exploration—its tangled, mangled, and clanging industrial tropes are in full swing (ref. “F.rr.t–Cer”) and sliding through crunchy sonic acrobatics.
C Mantle opens the floodgates
A luminous appearance, image or subjective perception of a hallucinatory nature. You’ll find C Mantle (aka soundsmith Christopher Mantle and Acre Records label head) shedding light; especially in the dark, on the exciting new Photisms with Kaer’Uiks. Right from the onset we can consider this album as an electronic exploration—its tangled, mangled, and clanging industrial tropes are in full swing (ref. “F.rr.t–Cer”) and sliding through crunchy sonic acrobatics.
A maze of sweet effects and scorched bits and pieces finagle their way through an onslaught of arcane noises that are seemingly connected by strange rhythms and a dark energy brooding in the background. There are synthesizer strands (“Taic-parrans”) that unfold mysterious ambient washes only to be taken over by broken beat patches and braindance flutter, acid stitches, and captivating, if not unexpected, vocal stabs.
The talented musician doesn’t hold back either, providing Kaer’Uiks an entire library of flexible soundscapes. From rugged Autechre versus Richard Devine-infused manipulations and fizz-fuzz electro-industrial acoustics (ref. “Aeu.’qs-1065”) to full-depth atmospheric avalanches of glitchy blips and bleeps (ref. “A:rth”), to flexible downtempo electronic shuffling (ref. “F-Sigm”) and smoldering hypnotic bricolage beatwork (ref. “Gr nul;the”), C Mantle opens the floodgates on Photisms. It’s a whirlwind of creative and mechanical activity that flexes and deforms along the way.
We’re still baffled at C Mantle’s scope of audio work and utterly enjoying this one inside and out!
Photisms is available on Kaer’Uiks. [Bandcamp]
