Artiphon, the most recent release from prolific experimental sound designer Parallel Worlds (aka Bakis Sirros), features several peaks and valleys of dark ambient strands.
Panoramic audible reflections
Artiphon, the most recent release from prolific experimental sound designer Parallel Worlds (aka Bakis Sirros), features several peaks and valleys of dark ambient strands. Could the album involve “the first MIDI controller that lets you strum, slide, tap, and drum any sound“—see website here—or are Sirros’ vast skills on the Eurorack modular, Korg Wavestate, and Buchla modular the main tools used as described on the liner notes? Nonetheless, these panoramic audible reflections begin with the appropriately titled “Radiate,” a buzzing beauty that pierces through subtle glitch and dark drone sparks from several light years away as it traverses modular threads casting shadows on apocalyptic landscapes.
The title track sounds like it’s about to rattle us to our core, yet in the end, it carefully unwraps sweet blips and bleeps to allay our anxieties—driven by an industrial avalanche of ominous synths and muted organic soundscapes. With each turn of this powerful collection of rolling rhythms and textures that gradually dissolve, Sirros creates remarkably captivating sound patterns and pulses. That being said, “Textured Time” descends into an abyss; its desolate ambient cacophony is perhaps the darkest of all, while “Smear” concludes and, hopefully, lessens the burden for us to consume.
Artiphon is available on Móatún 7. [Bandcamp]
