As Iron Sharpens Iron, One Verse Sharpens Another takes the best elements of his previous two LPs and combines them to form a racy, atmospheric yet still aesthetically minimal beast that culminates in one of Donoso’s finest hours.
In 2011, Ricardo Donoso released the brilliant Progress Chance, the first of what was to become a series of releases of new material that the Digitalis label dubbed a new brand of “morning music,” a ruthlessly redacted take on Goa and Scandinavian trance mixed with sparse techno elements, leaving percussion free, skeletal yet still undeniably rhythmic slices of beatific, contemplative come-down music.
The second entry in this series was something of a flagship release for Digitalis, the expansive double vinyl LP Assimilating The Shadow, housed in an expensive gatefold jacket with a simultaneous release on CD. Showcasing Donoso’s new style in its most rigorous, purist form, many of the tracks were so protracted and picked clean of warmth they became somewhat clinical and alienating. This wasn’t helped by out of place metallic, droning interlude tracks, or indeed the generous serving of unappealing and pretentious spoken-word samples of what sound like professional “spiritualists” spouting total and utter guff about meditation and the human condition.
Fortunately, the series continues on a high with 2013’s As Iron Sharpens Iron, One Verse Sharpens Another. Oddly, rather than simply releasing the eight new tracks as a third LP, Digitalis staggered the release across two four-track 12″ EPs, subsequently releasing them digitally as an eight track album, or—if you’re feeling particularly pedantic about it—compilation. A strange decision given that it works perfectly as an album.
As Iron Sharpens Iron
As Iron Sharpens Iron opens with the vinyl-in-reverse melodies and skittering keys of “Affirmation,” its supple bass tones and pure electronic sine-wave keys more immediate, engaging and less pretentious than the opening of Assimilating The Shadow and, at a tightly-edited five-and-a-half minutes, less prone to meander and repetition.
“The Sphinx” features a similar bass rumble, complex melodic matrices and propulsive syncopation together with sparse but effective use of whispered or distorted radio chatter that recalls the evocative atmospheres of “Progress Chance.” The dotted and dashed morse-code transmissions of “Diagonal Environment” are similarly pensive, and beautifully balanced by the occasional emergence of sweeping, amber pads.
The faster pace of these new compositions creates an energy and vitality that wasn’t present in previous releases. Of the longer tracks, only “The Old Straight Track” (like “The Child Primitive” on One Verse Sharpens Another) notably returns to the previous formula. As plodding and linear as the title oddly suggests, it builds nicely but remains the least compelling entry in the series.
One Verse Sharpens Another
Things get even better as One Verse Sharpens Another. Opener “The Redeemer” is a taut, clattering, pad-fueled belter with discrete melodic sequences criss-crossing one another to create razor-sharp geometric forms, finally cementing the move away from morning music and firmly into more thrilling territory. Even the sparser and more aggressive “Open Drawer, Full Of Masks” is adrenaline-fueled and tense, with an effective false ending thrown in for good measure.
But it’s the final farewell of “The Master Game” that sees Donoso at his towering finest, featuring the kind of rigorously paced, tension block pushing repeaters that set the heart racing as it slowly adds layer upon layer of new elements, building to a final towering crescendo that even includes overt slices of hi-hat percussion, finally shedding the remains of the post-rave chill out.
As Iron Sharpens Iron, One Verse Sharpens Another takes the best elements of his previous two LPs and combines them to form a racy, atmospheric yet still aesthetically minimal beast that culminates in one of Donoso’s finest hours.
As Iron Sharpens Iron, One Verse Sharpens Another is available on Digitalis.
