I’m more than happy to see an entire album of original works and it’s pretty much what I expect—quality production and well thought-out tracks that sound full and lush.
Well-crafted music and technical skill that continually pleases
2023 is shaping up to be a special year and one of the major events in my calendar is the tenth anniversary of the fantastic label that is Touched Music. I rant and rave about the label for many reasons, not least because its sole existence is to support charitable causes, but because they undeniably and consistently put out releases of excellent quality. None of that can be done without the support of people, whether they are listeners, artists, or anyone else who contributes in any manner. Most of them have very longstanding relationships with the label and this gentleman is no exception.
Tom Roberts (aka Dialed) has been there pretty much from the start and has not only contributed excellent tracks for the larger compilation releases, but has offered much-appreciated technical skills too over the years.
Now, I’m more than happy to see an entire album of original works and it’s pretty much what I expect—quality production and well thought-out tracks that sound full and lush. Some things are worth waiting for, and this release is one of them. Twelve pieces of frequent bliss and composition that in no way relies on heavy processing or mad effects; just well-crafted music and technical skill that continually pleases.
The main strength for me is rhythm. Every track here, whether it’s pulsing, rolling, or broken has at its core, a solid and unbreakable path—strong foundations from which everything and anything Dialed has chosen to place over it becomes both complimentary and most-suitable.
A solid and unbreakable path ::
This is best explained by “As Above, So Below” whose almost fear-inducing opening half is complimented by subtle pads and gated phrases in its second act. Fans of Bola and much of the Skam output should rejoice here, it certainly satisfies a craving of mine.
“4D3x” is for all of you dub-lovers out there. The beats deconstruct perfectly and the accompanying instrumentation keeps my attention, not suffering from the over-aggression so often associated with the style.
With regards to the aforementioned lushness—there’s plenty to be found in tracks like “We (Inventing The Real)” and “Ably Rededicated,” both evoking fond memories of Ochre (which I’ve been listening to a lot this month) with soul-pleasing chord progressions and the latter providing a fitting wrap up to the proceedings.
Again I have to mention the overarching technical skill of this album. If I were you, I’d be playing this on the best system available, both the low-end and the harmonics are far-reaching and I wouldn’t want anyone to miss out.
Touched stalwarts Moshonsensu and Keiss provide two remixes of “4D3x” and “Martis” respectively, throwing fresh spins on what were already killer tracks—yet another reason to pick up the album and play it from start to finish.
Dials And Tribulations is available on Touched Music. [Bandcamp]
