A subtly extreme culmination of sandblasted dub extracts and tempered downtempo slices.
Reaching into muddy trenches of audible grit and debris
His first album in 7 years, SIMM reaches into the muddy trenches of audible grit and debris with Too Late To Dream where broken beats and bass slither all about—just listen to the baffling bass sludge on “Boxed” as its opening. No surprise for Eraldo Bernocchi, the London-based Italian producer has collaborated with Harold Budd, Bill Laswell, Mick Harris, Robin Guthrie and many others—this time blending dub-splattered vocals recruiting Phelimuncasi from the African label Nyege Nyege Tapes, and London MC Flowdan to add a new dimension to the storytelling of SIMM. The results are boggling—each downtempo strain is infused with low-end thudding drums and scorched rhythms (“Mangled”) as the title track is a slippery onslaught of dark dub diffusion.
Shuffling beatwork and rugged reggae blasts take shape on “Gqom Squbulo (featuring Phelimuncasi),” as Too Late To Dream dips and dives through the darkest corridors, splitting open to a vast soundscape as noted on “The Space I Left.” The wide-angle drums on “Undertaker” and “A Loud Darkness” expand and unfold a myriad of cascading ambient flutter and echoes from miles away—perhaps twin highlights of the lot that are simply outstanding. Too Late To Dream is a subtly extreme culmination of sandblasted dub extracts and tempered downtempo slices—inching its way to our top releases of 2021.
Too Late To Dream is available on Ohm Resistance. [Bandcamp]
