There is a cohesive palette of sounds at play across this release—binding the tracks together, assisting with creating an overall sense of identity.
Enveloped by streams of cold sounds
It’s always a good day when a new album pops up out of nowhere from an artist you really like who had disappeared off your radar, whom you thought maybe never to be seen or heard from again after their old label also stopped. That was my first thought when I saw Idlefon had a new album on n5MD. Idlefon (aka Hesam Ohadi, the sound artist from Tehran) had released an album and EP on Tympanik Audio which really fit well with the sound and direction of the label. Tympanik Audio focused on interesting and thoughtfully deep, challenging and experimental electronic music, often with a leaning towards modern industrial.
This new release titled COLDSTREAM gets a lovely vinyl pressing on n5MD, with gorgeous green black marbled wax. The record is dark and the music is dark and gripping. This is IDM with industrial moxie. The running time is just shy of 37 minutes, making it a relatively short LP by today’s standards, but every moment is worthwhile. Spread over 7 tracks, it opens with the grinding multi-layered title track, which builds until your speakers are emitting broad and powerful frequency ranges, getting you off to a suitably epic start.
As the album develops we are reintroduced to rhythmic elements which makes this artists’ work so appealing to me, more grinding, but also more bass elements. The sound fills the stage like a cathedral organ on super overdrive, turned up to 11. There are some lovely IDM styled percussive elements. The use of reverb adds to the sense of space and depth within the productions, whilst keyboard sounds fill the remaining space—which creates a contrast of being enclosed, or enveloped by streams of cold sounds.
Experimental and challenging music ::
There is a cohesive palette of sounds at play across this release—binding the tracks together, assisting with creating an overall sense of identity. After being late to the party discovering Dryft in recent months, and now hearing this release, I’d love to hear a collaboration album between Idlefon and Dryft. (hint, hint)
If you are partial to experimental and challenging music on labels like Ant-Zen and artists like Sonic Area, then this will be very appealing. If you like more ambient offerings from the likes of Past Inside The Present, but want a bit more rhythmic elements, then this is also for you.
n5MD is such a good home for this artist, with its appetite for diversity and experimentation. Bravo Mr. Cadoo (Dryft, Bitcrush) for bringing us back a great artist who lost their first label home when Tympanik Audio ceased operating.
COLDSTREAM comes highly recommended! Get the lovely dark green and black marbled vinyl before they’re all gone—well done n5md! 2021 was a great year, I’m very much looking forward to more excellent stuff coming out in 2022. Hoping you can keep the vinyl coming too, given the global issues with production, and rising costs of shipping across the world.
COLDSTREAM is available on n5MD. [Bandcamp]
