(11.12.04) The Fateless Flows collective returns to follow-up
their first compilation CD, Volume 1, with the
poetically titled Shadowmath. Where Volume 1
primarily concerned itself with a self-described pure
dance culture, Shadowmath‘s masterful track sequence
explores diverse electro styles ranging from chilled
atmospheric midtempo grooves to sweltering maniacal
rhythmic experiments best experienced in one
continuous listening session.
Indicia sets the mood with “Rescue Me (Interlude)” by
bathing its waves of vocals and synths with liberal
amounts of reverb and echo effects, much like a ritual
cleansing before proceeding any further to Appogee’s
“Coral” and Kathie Talbot’s “Blandula XT.” Next in
line to seduce our ears is Dream Electric’s “Not the
Glow,” whose spellbinding collection of emotions
appeared on Igloomag.com as an exclusive free download
earlier this year (and as a result, many playlists,
I’m sure).
Tripform continues the chillout vibe with “Silver
Reflection” before The Luxury Tax hints at the implied
shift in tone with “Hey You Get Off of My Lawn.” The
distorted drums and disjointed chords march diligently
along until a voice declares “It’s time to pick up the
pieces” as if to signal the digital trickery that
ensues past the last half of the track and on to the
intro of Surface 10 Activity’s “Birth-Collide.” The
Luxury Tax then makes another appearance with “Sex
Machine,” a torrential downpour of beats and samples
that moves with building energy and increasing
momentum that gets filtered thru a fine mesh of
guitars on Appogee’s “KDDR mov 2.”
Constant Flux slows things down a bit for us to hear
the mix of synths and vocals on “City in the Cold,”
only to have “Super Robo Crunch” by Dream Electric
bring back the days of breakdancing robots popping to
underpaid drum machines. The subtle jazzy elements of
Kathie Talbot’s “A Conversation Down” and Mr. Soon’s
“Arcosanti” signal another shift in tone back to where
reverb and echo flow like honey through the circuits
that created them. Niture’s “Xylophagous” flows right
into Vic Hennegan’s “In a Broken Heart” with shared
visions of wounded emotions in various stages of
healing.
Subversive Element’s “Diagonal,” with its ebb and flow
of monstrous chords and funky drum loop could be
compared to if Jack Dangers theoretically remixed the
haunted interlude from “Echoes” by Pink Floyd.
Surface 10 Activity closes Shadowmath with “Only a
World,” a reflective ambient soundscape of operatic
vocals and digital silhouettes all floating downstream
as the Fateless Flows Collective sail on to their next
excellent compilation.
Shadowmath (V.2) is out now on Fateless Flows.
