In rotation for the past several days/weeks/months, this multi-view reveals the latest sonic landscape from several talented musicians. Plenty of brittle, glitch, abstract, noisy, mechanical and bass-infused sounds with releases/tracks by Dollarstore Keyboard, Morego, Myoptik, NNYz?, Noised, Shamanic Technology, Stazma, Toiminto, and Wake.
Dollarstore Keyboard :: Edible Synthesis EP (Self Released)
Produced and performed by Minneapolis, Minnesota-based Colin Swenson, Dollarstore Keyboard released Edible Synthesis on March 20, 2020—a dip through crumpled braindance rhythms, fractured melodies, and upbeat drill’n bass. Seven tracks that bend and sway with an emotive arch, here we see the artist dip into nostalgic moods. For example, “Misty” initially breathes life into analog machinery and eventually breaks down into reversed loops and drifting bleeps meant to ease you into its arms. Elsewhere you’ll find tracks like “Swarm To Secrecy” blissfully dancing about with its upbeat tunefulness and abstract flare. There are also 8-bit funk/electronics featured on tracks like “You’re Not Half Wrong” and the title track—widened beats and bass with lullaby grooves to keep us in check during these trying times. With the craftiness of Squarepusher and chipper rhythms of classic Global Goon, Dollarstore Keyboard is one to contend with, and Edible Synthesis really sets the stage.
Morego :: Astrophile (Ovnimoon)
December 2019 saw the release of Morego’s Astrophile, a cinematic and chilled-out album that pushes through downtempo and broken beats (as evidenced on the opening “Prospect.”) Time doesn’t stand still either—the Tehran-based producer known as Morego Dimmer (aka Xerxes The Dark, Nyctalllz), continues to intrigue the ears and mind with contemplative semi-acoustic sound sculptures that tread between post-industrial washes (ref. “Far Lights”) and kaleidoscope drone-scapes that are emotionally packed like “Aspire.” Morego irons out all the kinks on Astrophile—where you would expect disparate sounds drifting into isolation, Morego manages to let them coalesce in some kind of hypnotic and impenetrable way. Listening to “Swoon” and its softened piano keys with interspersed voices drifting in the wind, allows one to lose track of time as the minutes simply fade away. In all, Astrophile is an achievement for Morego, an album of utter relaxation—its abstract electronic harmonies succinct and fine-tuned.
Myoptik :: Twilight In Stratford (Neotantra)
Released in August of 2019, somehow this 6-track release (that spans about an albums worth of material) unfortunately got mixed in with many other (digital) promo’s and only recently re-appeared on the top of my listening to-do list. With the CD unsurprisingly sold out, a digital download is luckily available on the Neotantra Bandcamp page. Not like what we’ve come to expect from Myoptik (ie. acid-drenched braindance), here we are provided fading ambient hypnosis that draws you into its abstract worlds of gentle, time-stretched notes. Each piece over six minutes in length, Myoptik finds solace and a calming retreat from the everyday with these epic sonic landscapes. Like meandering through various dream-like states, Twilight In Stratford is a “cinematic mystery” as Dimitar Dodovski described in his supporting feedback—perhaps the best way to visualize where Myoptik takes the listener. A baffling foray into translucent ambient and drone terrain, this Twilight in Stratford is a balance of tranquility peppered with sci-fi elements that is grounding.
NNYz? :: Reveries (Self Released)
Soundtracks to imaginary pictures is about right, according to NNYz’s short form bio description on his Bandcamp page—Reveries is the collected works of the Acceptance, Aetiology, and Automation EPs. 26 tracks in total, and a mind-boggling assortment to sift through—described as “written in three acts, made to be told as one.” Nathan Perry (aka NNYz?) finalized the release on CD with only seconds shaved off the digital version. Reveries is a landslide of musical activity, and rather than delve into its three composites and each of its tracks, we recognize Reveries as a strong sonic statement. Running through a series of genres from post-industrial like “Bounce (Neonian Mix)” to the pitter-patty melodics of “Entropy” and the curious wastelands versus drone-scapes on “Endo,” NNYz? recognizes a myriad of styles that seamlessly sequence together whether played one track after the next or in random. The overall darkness counteracted by subdued instruments sometimes comes out to play—ref. “Emilove” and “Olilove” which could perhaps be distant cousins. The overall mood dithers away into dust and debris—a hypnotic fusion of world music and dark ambient sheets appear on “Cell,” and yet there are gentler pieces that carefully sew together this dense audible fabric. A spectacular assemblage of shadowy electronic music that traverses many moons and manages to paint one large mural featuring several hundred found sounds that glitch and break apart as quickly as they are absorbed.
Noised :: Monolith EP (Onset Audio)
Like a well-oiled machine, Onset Audio continue in their pursuit of sonic deconstruction. The focus on darker strains of bass music, jungle, breaks, drum’n bass and hard-edged electronics has been their signature from day one. Monolith passes the proverbial torch with only three pieces of turbulent and powerful electronics. “Awake,” the first track, sets the stage of propulsive mayhem. “Mantra” picks up the pace ever so slightly with its dub and growling bass, the drill’n bass groove twisted around subtle acid screeches as the title track takes it down a notch with its subterranean vibration and stop’n go breaks rattling in the background—the tone, drone, and drift of this track is worth the purchase alone. Dark, brooding, rugged, and expansive, the Monolith EP shatters into hundreds of pieces with its tectonic audio sheets.
Shamanic Technology :: The Secret World (Self Released)
Reminiscent of early Merck Records’ “electronified hip-hop,” Shamanic Technology revealed The Secret World in November 2019—a blend of abstract beats, bass, and hypnotic sonic visuals with instrumental tracks, various vocal slices, samples, and downtempo glitch. A myriad of found sounds are delivered with astute attention to detail and creative elements. For example, tracks like “Rattlechains” elicit a jovial perspective of nonchalant electronics, like DJ Shadow messing about with his synthesizers and drum machines on a lazy Sunday afternoon. “Vapor Trails” drips and oozes with a sort of old-school Telefon Tel Aviv versus The Glitch Mob mentality, its downtempo beats meant to pick you right up as it sways back and forth. The bubbling “Everything Is Okay,” to the surprising Berlin dub-techno of “Brainstorm” shows Shamanic Technology’s ability to take risks and not depend on any single genre leaning. The 2-step, Burial versus Semiomime sonic rendering of “Hidden Shores” is a baffling journey that should not be missed, allowing The Secret World to elevate itself into uncharted realms. And with the above-mentioned artist comparisons aside, rest assured that Shamanic Technology has packed a creative album that merits repeated listening.
Stazma :: Shapeshifter (Concrete Collage)
Julien Guillot also known as Stazma (the Junglechrist) reveals this 11-track album on Concrete Collage, a blistering foray into breakcore mayhem, and his first album in more than 10 years— known for “smashing up raves all across Europe since his first release on Peace Off in 2008,” all manner of broken beats, distortion, noise, grit, and collective deconstruction is unleashed on Shapeshifter. Also operating under the Repeat Eater alias where robust synths recently converged on his 707_202_EP a few months ago—”video-game inspired motifs and scorched sound-scraping“—Shapeshifter is one behemoth of an album that sheds similar grooves, albeit with a more rounded acid punch (have a listen to “Triton,” for a good example). Elsewhere, tracks like “Compu1” take a back seat and carefully unravel with slow-motion sense appeal—it eventually erupts into an erratic breaks, bass, and breakcore avalanche. “Wrong” takes a left turn, its scattered beatwork and melodic bits are dosed in further acidic warble as the uplifting cacophony of skittering drums and heavy low-end is pushed forward on “Chilling Coulds.” Shapeshifter, an aptly titled album, runs the gauntlet for delivering 1000s of crackling notes that somehow all blend together for a crazy if not mind-boggling album. The decomposed synthesizers and analog buzzing noises on the closing track “ENd” is a dizzying array of fractured electronics that might as well lead us to a whole other universe that Stazma may have in mind for the next release—hopefully not 10 years from now.
Toiminto :: Dogmatic Patterns EP (Concrete Collage)
Toiminto is new to these ears, and with their Dogmatic Patterns EP one can certainly hear the attention to detail. These half dozen tracks run the gamut between rugged braindance electronics and acid drenched warfare. “Calibrate” delivers minuscule bits and bobbles—a minimal assemblage of blips and bleeps that run amok with synthesizer noodles and eventual broken beats. With “In Order To Dance,” Toiminto busts into disjointed robotic electro, clangs, and heavy rhythm stabs that continue to expand with its vocodered shuffle. In a more Autechrean landscape you’ll find the closing track “Iterate” meander through abstract pulses, drones, and ricocheting drums as “Pattern Funk” lays down its analog dose of danceable notes and lively mood. Dogmatic Patterns processes some very unique soundscapes, scrapes, and chugging electronic periphery that is just enough to keep our attention span during its 36 minute duration.
Wake :: Murder Gloves EP (Schematic Music Co.)
We wrote about Wake (aka Matthew M. Hettich) and the Am Diamonds release also on Schematic described as “an album that chisels its way through an electrical, beat-invested avalanche of epic proportions.” With Murder Gloves, five tracks are cut with a sharp edge, the title track shimmying its way through dark and isolated turbulence—icy acid slivers and abstract bleepery are churned over mysterious drones and tones that drift away. “Hrmmm” continues with acid flickering debris, this time more beat driven in its trajectory—the oscillating rhythm breaks apart as “On The Mesa” delivers straight, in your face, clinical techno strands from Berlin and opens into a full throttle drum festival. With “Es Loops” bringing a much needed 8-bit melodic and sizzling mood, Wake elevates the playfulness as “Feet Become” closes with two minutes of sublime ambient atmosphere and subtle keys that creates just the right backdrop as we look out our windows from the inside.
