O’Sullivan has taken a number of styles and ran them together. It is not a coarse blend of techno with some house and electronic elements. Instead the Led Er Est member uses aspects of each, utilizing slow techno structures to sculpt electronic vistas with some Chicago influence.
It was roughly around this time two years back that I first heard Le Er Est. Wierd Records had a mini tour of Europe featuring Xeno & Oaklander and the Brooklyn synth wave trio of Led Er Est. I was at the Glasgow gig. The audience might have been light, but the output from both stage acts was synth heavy and truly brilliant. Since then Led Er Est releases have been few, a 12” on Mannequin and Captured Tracks. Shawn O Sullivan, one of the triumvirate, has been more productive of late. Last month a mix of his was featured on Honey Potcast, a surprising concoction of techno and acid pounders. So, what is to be expected from Mr O’Sullivan’s first forray as a solo artist? To facilitate this interesting move is William Burnett and his Brooklyn based W.T. Records.
O’Sullivan’s first solo outing starts with “Free Flight.” The track is an expressive piece of electronics—buttresses of analogue warmth embrace lush sounds as wisps of snare dance. There’s a rumbling energy to the piece, driving it forward with slow injections of power. O’Sullivan sends runners into the past, returning with softened 90s electronic sounds. “Unarmed” sees an acid line guttering under O’Sullivan’s hand, 303 tweaks melting in a sublime UK techno throwback. The Led Er Est man keeps his x0xbox running for “At The Resevoir.” Arguably the most DJ friendly piece, the track builds along similar lines to some of Legowelt’s more recent House numbers—a thick melody moves behind light synth touches. “What When How” runs the record out, it’s a slow, building piece of electronics. Definitely deep soundscapes to close.
O’Sullivan has taken a number of styles and ran them together. It is not a coarse blend of techno with some house and electronic elements. Instead the Led Er Est member uses aspects of each, utilizing slow techno structures to sculpt electronic vistas with some Chicago influence. An accomplished debut from O’Sullivan and an enthralling listen.
Free Flight is available on WT.
