A lot of passages in these tracks hark back to Tom’s back catalogue—the more ambient passages on “Magenta One” or “The Paleontologist,” or the ominous synth line that intervenes in the latter half of “LA Melody”—part of the pleasure here is to here the spirit and melodic ideas of older Konx-om-Pax productions seeping in these new compositions.
Tom Scholefield, as Konx-om-Pax, has become one of the most interesting artists published by legendary label Planet Mu. His releases are thought-out, polished, and produced with the right amount of detail and raw sensibility. His previous album, Caramel (Planet Mu, 2016), demonstrated this process by condensing each track in two or three minutes, each a little melodic ecosystem stripped down to its core elements.
While on Ways of Seeing Konx-om-Pax still offers meticulously crafted tracks, beats and atmospheres, he also adds to the mix a large dose of fun and energy, light-hearted pieces driven by hard-hitting rhythms. The influences are varied, and Tom Scholefield revels in their immediacy. The album starts with “LA melody” and its dark trap beat, already signalling that this is not going to be the usual abstract electronic music we’ve been used to hearing from this act. The song is simple and efficient, with enough twists to keep the listener interested. The same goes for “Paris 5am,” with its four-to-the-floor kick and techno chord stabs. It just works, regardless of how recognisable the Berlin influence is throughout the album.
This move away from the dark and abstract sound of earlier release toward these lush and immersive movements is triumphantly heard on “Optimism over despair.” This track is the mission statement of the record, and one of the best cuts on here. From the fast-paced synth line to the energetic kick pattern, the song builds up and adds layers with a simple goal in mind—to make the listener smile and move, to acknowledge delight and surrender to it.
That is not to say that Konx-om-Pax has abandoned what some would consider his signature sound. A lot of passages in these tracks hark back to Tom’s back catalogue—the more ambient passages on “Magenta One” or “The Paleontologist,” or the ominous synth line that intervenes in the latter half of “LA Melody”—part of the pleasure here is to here the spirit and melodic ideas of older Konx-om-Pax productions seeping in these new compositions.
In short, Ways of Seeing is a treat. Now go on and treat yourself—you deserved it!
Ways of Seeing is available on Planet Mu.
