(08.20.06) I saw Huntley Miller’s live set at
impressed by the density of his music. Like a man who can visualize
every grain of sand on a beach, Miller makes micro-dot dance music,
texturing complex layers of tiny particles with enough space between
all the notes that you can fall into the Mandelbrot confusion of the
work. Atlantic Blood, a collection of new tracks and remixes
done for other artists, captures his granular magic.
The new tracks — “Atlantic Blood,” “574” and “Arount” — are rife
with grit, tiny crackling elements that add both rhythm and decay to
the warm organics of the central melodies. “574” undulates like an
organ modified to produce double-speed whale songs, aquatic ballads
tuned to hummingbird pitch. “Atlantic Blood” is a squirming
come-down; a 4am chill room soundtrack where the vinyl has started to
warp and the hiss of the city streets has crept in through a back
door. “Arount,” a brief two minute outro, is filling with the sound
of wind beating flags, rain against steel drums and a struggling tonal
melody that is equally affected by the wind. Miller processes all
three through his grit filter, bonding them together into a single
inter-connected sound.
As expected, the remixes have some variety, though they are never
quite free from the Cepia grit. The remix of Mr. Projectile’s “You
Need” is scarred with minute particulate, a fine dust that sounds like
sand being blown against a microphone. Cepia’s remix of Tiki Obmar
(an unspecified Tiki Obmar track, as far as I can tell) pumps up the
bass while still managing to wash the elusive melody with grit and the
chatter of static. Voices gutter and quiver through oscillating
filters and lush pads twinkle beneath the obscuring detritus. Dosh’s
“Naoise” is stripped of its meat, leaving the vibraphone naked against
a sparse drum kit and unadorned organ; while Cepia’s remix of Miles
Tilmann’s “I’ve Already Forgotten” hesitates on the edge of memory for
some time before unfolding into a spiraling instrumental track
propelled by a tight bass drum heartbeat. Rounding out the disc are
remixes of Tim Koch and Fog.
While the inclusion of remixes allows the listener opportunities to
hear the Cepia filter passed over the work of others, Miller’s tracks
are strong enough that they hold much allure. As a collection,
Atlantic Blood has enough interesting ideas and interpretations
to whet an appetite, but it is the few treats of Cepia’s own work that
really make this record worthwhile.
Atlantic Blood is out now on Sublight. Buy it at Amazon.com.
