Jonathan Deasy delivers moody modular manifests on sketches and themes; delicately choreographed microsound explorations teeter on Subotnick-like terrain.
An absolute powerhouse of minimalism
Jonathan Deasy delivers moody modular manifests on sketches and themes; delicately choreographed microsound explorations teeter on Subotnick-like terrain with unfolding and glitchy sonic tentacles open the album via its intro “1.” Loose and improvised, these dub-like mutations provide just enough clicks and cuts spread throughout its eight transmissions as “5” pushes ahead with darker threads of curiosity and saccharine snips and snaps.
While Autechre influences can’t be ignored, it’s not necessarily the first thing that comes to mind as Deasy unleashes sporadic bits and bytes more akin to good old-school Pole—reference 1, 2, 3 on Mute. And yet, for what it’s worth, these minimal soundscapes feel almost invisible; as if drifting in the distance. You could say that “7” best represents this characteristic; silently flickering microscopic pulses and low-rumbling noises abound until “11” bursts the proverbial bubble with upfront R2-D2-sounding blips and disjointed bleeps. The ebb and flow is tranquil as well, with each piece utterly intact and crafted with attention to detail.
While sketches and themes‘ focal-point is perhaps fuzzy and unclear, that simply is the beauty of it. Closing with skewed electrical tones and drones on “15,” this is an engaged and entangled album that draws upon all of our senses. An absolute powerhouse of minimalism.
sketches and themes is available on noci miste. [Bandcamp]
