Experimental Electronic Music
Their approaches, methods, and sound signatures are relatively aligned, revolving around microtonality and meditative spiritual stillness. Such a creative dialogue can only be harmonious, guided by an imaginative force that invites the listener on a mental journey elsewhere.
There’s something sleek, fluid, and neuro-electronic unfolding within Roel Funcken’s sonic realms. A master of abstract rhythmic manipulation, the Amsterdam-based audio architect continues to shape complex, captivating compositions with seemingly effortless precision.
A vibrant array of rhythmic and melodic flourishes defines Inmate Shuffle, a five-track suite from renowned Dutch IDM craftsman Kettel (Reimer Eising). Each piece, concise at around five minutes, showcases his enduring ability to fuse intricate beats with poignant, melodic expression.
Expansive and hushed, the landscape breathes through each piece, as Thorarensen captures its elusive essence using custom microphones—drawing out subtle sonic layers interwoven with synth hues and an almost tactile sense of presence.
The nine tracks of Death Mask fall into techno. However, such labelling does this record a disservice. Richard Fearless is pushing the limitations of the genre and forging new paths within the sound. His ability, and years of experience, come to the fore as new audio explorations are charted.
This body of work stands as a singular achievement—uniting fractured percussion, deep low-end gravity, and razor-sharp production. Each piece resonates simultaneously as a cohesive statement and a series of singular visions.
Across this collection of concise compositions, modular synthesizers stretch and twist, weaving intricate strands of melody beneath tough, textured Skittles-like surfaces.
William Fields & Synalegg form an unorthodox alliance—uncanny, compelling, and persistently on the frontier of rhythmic evolution. Their union reshapes auditory terrain, an enigmatic dialogue between circuitry and emotion.
Monologue Intérieur takes a more intimate, solitary path—rooted in daily life, field recordings, and almost post-Cage-like sparse and fragile piano sequences.
A culmination of everything Day Before Us has cultivated over the past decade, while venturing into even more radiant, immersive terrain. For listeners willing to let go and drift in its pull, Dim Shores of Eternity is one of the most beautiful and haunting releases of the year—a spiritual monument built from silence, sorrow, and sublime sound.
There is a geography of the soul that Rafael Anton Irisarri mapped out in 2015, a cartography drawn with electrified mists, torn soundscapes, and submerged melancholies. A Fragile Geography, his third release on Room40 (see our 2016 review here), spoke at the time with a dark and hushed voice, the echo of an emotionally fractured era. Now, ten years later, the album returns in a newly curated edition by Black Knoll Editions.
