It is a real pleasure to see both Eoism and Pulse Drift back on the shelves. Collapse Yourself is a perfect expression of what both boss and label are all about. The 12” finds an enviable balance between frosty alienation and inviting abstraction. A diverse EP, one of depth and quality.
An enviable balance between frosty alienation and inviting abstraction
What a difference twelve months can make. Feels like the mantra of 2020, although it could probably be applied to nearly any time period. A year ago I was in Germany, meeting up with folk in Leipzig involved in its burgeoning music scene. This year it feels like music has almost entered a state of paralysis, probably due to the fact that many of ourselves have. Of course the world has kept turning during COVID and music is still being made.
Pulse Drift finally returns from the pressing plant with some new sounds. To follow up its 2019 12” from Varum, the boss of the Leipzig label, Eoism, steps up with five tracks for Collapse Yourself. Five tracks make up Eoism’s first 12” in three years with the cold and sheer “Hypernorm” introducing. The squelching funk of “Notorious Flat Nation” follows. Bass lines are reduced to a syrupy essence with synthline stabs piercing crystalline scales. Abrasive tones co-exist with softer forms in the sci-fi scented “Machines of Loving Grace” with the palette changing on the flip. “Whiteout” maintains those otherworldly knots of sound while a degree of menace is inserted to produce a dark and uneasy track. Those foreboding clouds lift with the final, “Critical Slowdown.” Space sounds still float in this broad and uplifting work, silken strings and warming pads shining above unfettered rhythms.
It is a real pleasure to see both Eoism and Pulse Drift back on the shelves. Collapse Yourself is a perfect expression of what both boss and label are all about. The 12” finds an enviable balance between frosty alienation and inviting abstraction. A diverse EP, one of depth and quality.
Collapse Yourself is available on Pulse Drift. [Soundcloud | Clone]
