London based label Uncharted Audio continue a line of fine releases from mysterious Finnish producer “Ukkonen” with debut long player The Isolated Rhythms Of…
[Release page] Little is known about this Arctic producer – the preference being to hide behind a cloak of anonymity which, whether you like it or not, undoubtedly adds an edge to any underground electronic musician. Perhaps it’s the lack of any tangible reference point apart from the music, maybe mystery in any form adds a desirable sheen to an artist—either way it’s all about the music though right?
Ukkonen’s style has been variously described as “post techno”, “Eno goes Detroit” and like “Carl Craig making love to Isolee”—references that won’t disappoint any listener of his work including this release. Some of the tracks here look long (with three of them clocking in at over 16 minutes) but don’t let this put you off as there’s a number of different tracks within flowing seamlessly together. “Three From the 4223” winds its way from a bouncing techno funk to a lovely 4/4 bass driven burbler framed with delicately pretty melodic pad work. “Seventy Three Days of Radiance” pitches some wonderfully wonky
melodies against atmospheric 303 wobble before dropping into a sublime deep melodic brooder of the finest order – all warm glassy pads with a gentle pointed sub dancing around the kick drum in true Detroit style.
It’s the stylish yet uniquely formed marriage of simplistic yet memorable melody and lively, tight percussion that makes Ukkonen’s work so strong. “Haukivesi Spirit” (taking it’s name from a Finnish lake) gradually builds a huge hands in the air distorted lead line whilst “Humans, knew in the forest” sees a cheeky organ lead burrow its way into the subconscious, flitting through multiple subtle structural formations against a similarly morphing variety of percussive breaks.
If you are fan of melodic beat driven electronic music and you’ve yet to hear Ukkonen then I highly recommend you acquaint yourself with his work. Not just The Isolated Rhythms of… but also previous EP’s Spatia and Erriapo—all of which have been garnering high praise from across the globe.
With the vinyl coming as a double 12 sporting hand printed sleeves and an Abbey Road cut, this is a labour of love from Uncharted Audio and deserves the high praise and attention. Move fast to bag yourself a copy for your turntable!
The Isolated Rhythms Of… is available on Uncharted Audio. [Release page]
