“For fans of early Autechre and 90’s IDM music such as Beaumont Hannant, Stasis, Likemind and B12…”
The press release of diametric.’s latest album makes some mouthwatering references to any Techno ears. David Nizet, aka Ozka, is debuting his Sons of Melancholia moniker on Arne Weinberg’s imprint with Beauty is Imperfection.
Lonesome disparate beats introduce “Little Astronom.” Fading clicks and damp clacks scuttle below a thick Ambient canopy. There is a Dub heaviness to Nizet’s sound, a pressure and weight that builds an enveloping claustrophobia. A ferocious isolation looms. Tracks like “Numbers Have No Soul” transporting the listener to some forgotten rock, one battered by freezing winds and gale-filled bass. Hostility is balanced with a welcoming warmth, abrasive elements pared down and rounded off by drifting notes. Shattered percussion supports banks of melody, solid slabs of sound being sculpted for Look at the Forms in the Clouds.” Yet, there are moments of almost weightlessness amidst the electrical thickets. The soaring bars of “Liquid Revolution” escape the snaring hooks of drenched ticks. The elevated elation of “There She Is” floats overhead, leaving behind the rhythmic gravity of some works. Beats are removed for the close, the ambient cityscape of “Rapaz (Out of the Blue.)”
Would I say that Sons of Melancholia reminds me of Likemind or B12. No. But I can see where the press release is coming from. Beauty is Imperfection is steeped in the sounds of 90s IDM. Autechre, Accelera Deck and Phonem are all sources of inspiration but there are definite nods to modern Dub Techno. Drum patterns are collapsed, ground down under the fantastic strain of harmony for a wonderfully emotive album. Nostalgia melted with modern movements.
Beauty is Imperfection is available on diametric..
