Council Meeting Memo #008
Rhyw: The Devil’s In The Dlzlzlz (Fever AM, EP)
Intricate sound design treated as playful sonic fodder on all four tracks of this most invigorating EP. ‘Bee Stings’ has a nice line in spatial awareness. And ‘Anasa’ gallops along at an urgent tempo and almost nudges its tempo to junglist levels. Initially wasn’t so keen on the female vocal (though it did grow on me after repeat listens). Lazy journalism alert: the sort of thing Autechre would indulge in if they weren’t such miserable bastards.
Alva Noto: Hybr:ID (Noton Album)
Alva Noto aka Carsten Nicolal aka the king of reductive pointillist techno. Yeah, it’s alright I guess. I mean, if you know his stuff, it’s more of the same really. Some tracks bubble and float whilst a few are piercingly rhythmic. You know the score. I’m looking forward to the last part of his ongoing ‘Xerrox’ series. But after that, I think I’m kinda done.
Nala Sinephro: Space 1.8 (Warp, Album)
All the reviews of Nala Sinephro’s debut album have been hugely positive, with a focus on the restorative power of the music. No argument there: if you need to be cradled in kindness and warmth — and lord knows most of us do — then play this record. But it’s much more than the aural equivalent of a foot spa, it’s a really intriguing record with its arrangements of harp, synths and guest soloists. Space 1.8 as a whole looks back to the adventurous electric music of the ’70s, but tracks like Space 5 and especially Space 6 point forward to something new. It’s been called ambient jazz, but ignore such awful labels and play it alongside The Jewel in the Lotus by Bennie Maupin, Two Pages by 4hero, Time Capsule by Chris Bowden or yes, of course, Alice Coltrane. Can’t wait to hear what Nala Sinephro does next.
MMM: On The Edge (MMM, Album)
Opening track Where To Go sounds like it could be a sprightly remix of a Rhythm and Sound song. The sound is very synthetic, there’s a skeletal melody and a woman speaks in hushed tones adding a sense of drama to proceedings. It’s bracing, mysterious and fun. Next, Everything Falls Into Place sounds like a weird echo of its predecessor adding a dash of Equiknoxx in the process, its soundscape at once cavernous and crystalline. Memories of 80s video games, but remastered for the hi-def era. It takes a few listens, but at some point the track lives up to its name. The title track is more brooding, more minimal with everything taking place in sharp relief. It’s a spare, puzzling album, enigmatic even, but it’s well worth your time. In case you’re unaware, MMM are Errorsmith and DJ Fiedel.
Otik: Soulo EP (3024, EP)
Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed melodies coruscate through the precision low-end on everything here. The ambient-jungle excursion of ‘Paradise Mode’ is reminiscent in spirit to early LTJ Bukem. But the clear winner is the optimistic and quite beautiful title track.
