Andriy Vezdenko’s Noumen elevates Altum into a singular realm, where fractured rhythms, lush downtempo, and meticulously sculpted IDM converge into a dazzling, otherworldly journey.
Altum: Noumen’s sonic masterpiece
An outstanding release, Ukrainian-based Andriy Vezdenko’s Noumen project positions Altum in a realm all its own. Downtempo breaks swell and recede through the blissful elegance of “Oion,” while “Splitter” channels a couple decades of IDM lineage—echoes of E.O.G., Funckarma, and Funkstörung—carried by sleek, crisp percussion wrapped around unhurried melodies. Across thirteen pieces balancing broken rhythms and splintered electro forms, Altum proves formidable from start to finish, its namesake track standing as a defining moment.
Just when it feels as though Vezdenko’s range might narrow, his knack for fusing dismantled hip-hop motifs with forward-thinking electronics—see “Telemask”—is astonishing. Elsewhere, Gescom-like glitch excavations rise within “Calm” and “Centrip,” while “Twelwind Scars” channels a Tri-Repetae-era “Clipper” pulse that simply stuns. Noumen ultimately ascends on the cataclysmic rhythmic radiance of the closing piece “Spurling Sign.”
A record of this caliber feels like a gift to the cosmos—one meant not to be overlooked but absorbed fully, coursing through every vein. Rare in its impact, each selection lands as a vivid shard of sound, weaving abstract circuitry with glitch, hip-hop, downtempo, electro, breakbeat, and that refined, old-school analog IDM spirit made new again with a subtle sci-fi gloss.
Altum is available on Central Processing Unit. [Bandcamp]
