Mixing a variety of colors, Elements discovers an infinite textural combination—its kaleidoscopic trajectory aligned with the sounds of the universe. Perhaps one of the finest discoveries of 2018, this inspired, tranquil, natural, and surreal soundtrack-driven escape continues to expand with every rotation.
Ishqamatics‘ Elements—a compilation of the artists’ total musical output featuring three albums: Earthbound (Anodize, 2013), Spacebound (…text, 2013), and Waterbound (…text, 2014)— adds to their ambient-electronic preceedings its closing chapters Firebound, and Airbound. As I seem to have (sadly) missed-out on much of Ishqamatics boundless music, it is a pleasure to absorb Elements‘ low-pressure transmissions in a 9-hr audio collage finale.
The depth and scope that Elements achieves is one I’ve already placed at the top the (digital) stack—its eight factory pressed CD’s in a limited edition of 150 boxsets has already sold out. With such an impacting range of emotion, the hypnotizing effects from start to end are powerful and all-consuming. Oftentimes finding myself lost within swirling loops and meandering ambiences that hover around each track—there’s a laid back groove surrounding these 51 sonic portraits, like a rolling avalanche of soothing sound palettes transcending time and space. Mixing a variety of colors, Elements discovers an infinite textural combination—its kaleidoscopic trajectory aligned with the sounds of the universe.
Bringing this review back to terra firma, there’s an abundance of bewildering found-sounds, elevated field-recordings, subdued whispers, pitter-patter beats, and drenched low-end diffusion, that I find myself repeating Elements with no signs of wear due to its timeless ambient substructures. A drifting downtempo mood is seamlessly choreographed via brittle notes falling by the wayside as Elements evolves with a succinct ebb and flow.
Perhaps one of the finest discoveries of 2018, this inspired, tranquil, natural, and surreal soundtrack-driven escape continues to expand with every rotation. And it is the culmination of past and current time capsules that are seamlessly sewn that makes the whole package so special. A few friends are assigned remix support including M2xirtam, Sven Kössler, and Mick Chillage, while Ishqamatics lays the groundwork for psychotherapeutic possibilities as the label has been aptly described as. While Elements appears to be Ishqamatics’ closing supernova, a retirement of the moniker, it’s even more important to snap up this final collection today!
Elements is available on Fantasy Enhancing.
Physical elements ::
Disc 1: Earthbound
Disc 2: Spacebound (Unmixed)
Disc 3: Waterbound
Disc 4: Waterbound (Submerged)
Disc 5: Firebound
Disc 6: Firebound (Embers)
Disc 7: Airbound
Disc 8: Airbound (Oxygen)
