An album that doesn’t know if it should be Aphex Twin, Two Lone Swordsmen, Boards of Canada or Brian Eno and I do not mean that out of disrespect at all. Having said that, there’s something for everybody. This album only shows Generation Lossless’ ability and diversity. For that reason alone, I am keeping my ear to the track.
Summing up the last 25 years of IDM
Falling asleep on the armchair at 6pm on a cold, dark Wednesday evening. Finishing a hard day at work, I suddenly feel a lapse of guilt at ending the day prematurely and decide to make a coffee and try to keep awake.
Returning, I switch on the computer and visit an unnamed forum. “Just released my debut album last Friday – heavily invoked by Boards of Canada & Aphex Twin”—I feel it’s great that a new generation of music is emerging and that there is no attempt to hide their influences or their teachers. We’re able to hear new artists by a way of appealing through their influencers—almost to newsgroup or hashtag affect. Some examples are semi-direct rip offs of such artists, however, this record is not one of them and that is what made it stand out for me.
From Oklahoma, Generation Lossless made a few adjustments to his studio. Along with that and his life experience he’s managed to sketch down a most remarkable debut. Portrait in Circuit has elements of early RDJ as well as hints of Carl Craig and Yellow Magic Orchestra. There are even hints of Beck and Bogdan Raczynski. In short the album is a sort of summing up of the last 25 years of IDM and it’s quite a treat.
After a brief introduction track, the album really begins with borrowed time, lazy haze of baggy beat shoegaze. This is an artist that’s not afraid to use his voice and has something to say. “Cloud Save” begins a melody that’s the audio equivalent of a cat stretching out its claws on the carpet, ready to pounce, but then after a few bars it goes into a very different place. From something quite relaxing and organic into a rigid structure of electronic rhythms and pulses. Then towards the end of the madness we get that triumphant sound once more, solidifying the piece and making sense of the madness.
Some music evolves so as the beginning is absolutely nothing like the end.
“Mulatto Blues” plays next with lovely vocoder work delivering a personal message in a similar vein to the second track on the album. The slow, sweet circular motion of “Red Clay Tipi” really highlights Generation Lossless’s ability around the studio, delivering a strenuous synth style that I’ve not heard since Tomorrow’s Harvest.
Some music evolves so as the beginning is absolutely nothing like the end. “Desdemona” plays true to this methodology. A playful take on a simple drum beat evolves into something completely different again and again. Then after a brief interlude we come to “Ichi Kyu Hachi Yon.” This one has all the hallmarks of Aphex Twin’s early work and you’d be forgiven to think it was an outtake from Selected Ambient Works 85-92. It’s just perfect.
But for me the two tracks that really showcase this album are tracks 13 and 14—”¥100″ and “Personal Problems.” It is here where the true sound of Generation Lossless resides. Healing and therapeutic tones, drum rhythms that sound like waves crashing at sundown. Painfully emotional synthesizers and arpeggios that make the heart feel.
An album that doesn’t know if it should be Aphex Twin, Two Lone Swordsmen, Boards of Canada or Brian Eno and I do not mean that out of disrespect at all. Having said that, there’s something for everybody. This album only shows Generation Lossless’ ability and diversity. For that reason alone, I am keeping my ear to the track.
Portrait In Circuit is available on Bandcamp.
