Leon Vynehall ‘From the Sea/It Looms’
I feel like this is a great start of getting back to mine, as we’ll still be feeling pumped up from the night out and this feels like a great intro. I really admire the effort that went into the album ‘Nothing is Still’. Having just completed my own album ‘Desolate’, I’ve come to appreciate the complexity involved in creating not only great sounds but a narrative and concept to hopefully create something timeless.
Bxentric ‘Afon’
This is the B side from my last EP ‘Sakura Fall’. The most wonderful sorry-looking piano was used for all the sounds, save for the drum machine used.
Catarina Barbieri ‘Fantas’
I went through a dangerous eurorack stage, but whilst investigating live artists utilizing a rack in their performances I discovered Catarina. I’ve enjoyed all of her work but his particular track felt like one I’d play on my home system to introduce everyone to her.
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith & Suzanne Ciani ‘Closed Circuit’
Mentioning my eurorack pilgrimage I have this on vinyl which includes both artists of the future and past on one record. Suzanne Ciani is being rediscovered by contemporary modular artists and it’s great to see her collaborating with Kaitlyn for an amazing LP
Emeralds ‘It Doesn’t Arrive’
This is from the amazing album ‘Does It Look Like I’m Here’. If you dig your kosmische and want to lose your self in a wash of synths then this is the band for you.
Laurel Halo ‘Raw Silk Uncut Wood’
Moving into her most ambient album this track has a sparse emotiveness that I always find myself lost in.
Oneohtrix Point Never ‘Replica’
This track will fill the whole room space up, connecting everyone together and amplifying their senses.
Ghost in the Shell ‘Intro’
I had the pleasure of watching this movie at the Hackney Picturehouse. I’ll never forget the first sequence along with this song booming through the Soundsystem. You can see how a bit of The Matrix movies probably got their ideas?
Arthur Russell ‘In The Light of the Miracle’
I’ve learnt a lot about composition and production just from this one track. From its epic track length and merging ‘Buddha-infused minimalism with the rippling Indian percussion’, you have a perfect Arthur Russell (RIP) track.
The Doors ‘The End’
This seems like the track to politely let everyone know back at mine to leave and it’s time for my bed.
Bxentric – Desolate (Nanda Records)
Bxentric returns to his Nanda Records imprint after spending two years delving into the deeper realms of sound experimentation and vast sonic environments with the result being ‘Desolate’. ‘Desolate’ follows his three previous releases on the label which included remixes from Matt Karmil, Willie Burns and Herzel and featured on B.Traits’ BBC Radio 1 show, playlisted by Maceo Plex’s Essential mix and Max Cooper’s Balance Series. Desolate displays a diverse use of deliberate and accidental sound-strokes, on a foundation of subaqueous undertones. Like a brush to canvas, Bxentric has created a balanced composition, offsetting the negative space with enough contrast to ensure a dynamic and narrative intensity. With a vitality for creation and time to evolve, Bxentric’s auricular expansion has been the seed for ‘Desolate’. “Over the long period my album took to create, I channelled many emotions and experiences, whilst attempting to capture that ‘first thought best thought’ onto record. What ensued was a combination of hyper energy, deep exhaustion and sometimes anxiety. I present you with an honest record that hopefully is enjoyed from start to finish the same way I enjoy many other inspiring records that exist today.” Bxentric ‘The Carrier’ begins with a heavy punch deploying weaving oscillations and resonating kicks before flowing into an electrified ‘Altered Signal’ focusing on metallic structures and modulated grooves puncturing the static air as it moves. ‘Mawrth’ then progresses with emotively lead melodies fused with stabbing acidic tones until ‘Echo 5’ evokes the midnight calm of a sleeping city with its gentle ambience and drone-filled atmospheres. ‘Envelope’ then offers humming frequencies giving off hypnotic yet enthralling moods while ‘Desolate’ maintains the undulating tranquillity by fusing angelic pads and reverberating low-end which journeys gracefully throughout. ‘Over Circle’ moves the album into darker territories through robust percussion and machine-like tones evoking industrial atmospherics. ‘Minus Four’ then rounds things off with a high-energy techno roller balancing thunderous drums and euphoric, sweeping notes in the distance.
