As synths melt on a seabed of highs and lows, Reef Project reveals a wide stereo-field lending itself to either headphone consumption or home audio listening as each pair of ears dives into the depths of Aquaculture‘s nebulous pulse.
We’re pretty sure reviews for Aquaculture will inherently include aquatic descriptors—an ebb and flow of visual undercurrents that are a breeding-ground for artists like Reef Project to flourish. And why not? His Adrift full-length from early 2011 inhibited a range of liquid emotion that was beat-oriented and described as by Chris Bolszo as “fully ambient, downtempo and minimal, to hip hop, IDM, glitch and dance: making each track fairly diverse and allowing for unexpected musical excursions.” Aquaculture tends to emulate Adrift‘s aural canvass of exploratory ambience without diving full-throttle into percussion. Instead, each audio life-form exudes fluidity in the form of delicately woven strands of bass and distinctively subtle melodies continually looping in and out of sight. Similar pathways were explored in early works from The Detroit Escalator Company where brushed symphonies of atmosphere ran loosely below contemplative rhythmic shifts. Nor dark or light, these creative pieces hover in slow motion as low bass tones mingle in cyclic formation. As synths melt on a seabed of highs and lows, Reef Project reveals a wide stereo-field lending itself to either headphone consumption or home audio listening as each pair of ears dives into the depths of Aquaculture‘s nebulous pulse. While an ominous mood cascades from left to right, Aquaculture takes center stage and offers a glimpse into an unexplored underwater world that merits repeated investigation.
Aquaculture is available on System. Buy at Amazon.
