Artist: Bluetech
Title:
Liquid Geometries in Dub
Label:
Liquid Sound Design
Released:
19th of July
Liquid
Sound Design re-visit and
re-mix Bluetech’s
album ‘Liquid Geometries’ initially released on DiN
last year. They described the release as Evan using a huge range of
analogue modular synthesizers, with a distinct nod to the Berlin
masters of the past he upgrades that musical heritage with nine
shimmering soundscapes utilising modern production techniques to
create beautiful tapestries of sound. The DiN label boss Ian Boddy
also features on the track ‘Tranquillity Gate’ using his
distinctive Ondes Martenot analogue synth keyboard.
So
if like me the original released passed you by and you’ve not left
us to buy that already. You’re probably wondering who Liquid
Sound Design have got onboard to add their musical seasoning to this
already enticing album. As
you may well have expected label boss Youth and fellow label artists
Pan Electric, DF Tram and Mixmaster Morris make an appearance as well
as Evan Marc himself and Ian Boddy. There’s more some of which are
known to me and others which are not but they shall come to light as
I work through the release.
The
album commences with what I can only describe as a jumbled up space
transmission reminiscent of a 50’s sci-fi film on Pan Electrics
take of ‘Helix’, this leads to a series of bleeps and sequences
with occasional changes of tone that throughout the piece left a
sense of a spaceship navigating an erratic course through a meteor
storm. Next up is DF Tram on
‘Dawn Ascent’, where
he conjures
up an exotic lingering
piece of dub with plenty of apt spoken samples, and as
I travel through the track it’s
beginning to make me wonder what else is in store. Moving
on to Mixmaster Morris with
his re-working of ‘Tranquillity Gate’, and what an apt title it
is, my ears are treated
to synthesized
sequencers, weaving through flute like and ethereal clouds of sound,
resulting in me being
enchanted by this piece
of music.
The
Saafi Brothers tackle ‘Crystalline Forms’ with a low-fi piece of
acid tinged dub-techno that pushes a tad harder
than it’s predecessors, but never fully breaks into a sweat. Fellow
Americans the Desert Dwellers offer a similar pace and push on ‘Dawn
Ascent’ although it’s more melodic in places, whilst
atmospheric and dubby in others. Evan then joins the throng with
Bluetech’s Dub Diver mix of ‘Vessels’, which in some respects
reminds me of a slowed down piece of progressive house,
counter-balanced with angelic chilled out voices and slow deep drums.
We
then re-wind once again to ‘Helix’ this time with Living Light at
the controls. There’s no space transmission here, this is a rolling
piece of lush spacey
electronica, with touches of echo fx and sparse drum rolls, which
Eartha
has injected
in
all the appropriate places. Label
Head Honcho Youth drops the pace somewhat with an
elongated beat-less intro to ‘Resonating Heart’. Once the drums
do drop there are enough little fx and twists peppered through the
lush synths to maintain your interest. I’m not familiar with David
Last who adds his touch to ‘Bardo Waves’ but he ups the pace a
little once more and the drum work is quite intricate and industrial,
adding a mechanical harshness that juxtaposes the lighter synth
sequences.
We
re-wind and drop the pace again with Gaudi’s version of
‘Crystalline Forms’ it’s softer and lighter than the Saafi
Brothers and somewhat like Youth he utilises an elongated beat-less
intro. This is followed by a shuffling beat and bleepy tones that
float along throughout the rest of the track. DiN label boss Ian
Boddy eventually gets to stamp his mark on ‘Subterranea’, where
the dark and foreboding intro seeps into the light somewhat, before
the drones reclaim that fleeting glimpse with an eerie atmosphere. I
then encounter a by now familiar track in ‘Crystalline
Forms’ this time re-mixed by another unfamiliar artist Backstage
Gurus. I find myself adrift here even more so than with Gaudi’s
take as the flutes they utilise work wonderfully with the mellow
chilled out synths and shuffling beat.
By
this stage I’m in totally unfamiliar territory and enter into
Takkra Satori’s version of ‘Underground Lakes’. Although, I’m
oblivious to his usual productions, I think he’s held his own here
with this lovely piece of chilled out dub, even
offering some subtle touches of vocoder fx that feel totally in place
on the album. The next track flips the switch with the Sy Borg
re-mix of ‘Bardo Waves’, the most driving take so far and as I’m
unfamiliar with his work, totally unexpected, but not unappreciated.
Lastly (no pun intended) David Last gets another stab with his
extended dub of ‘Bardo Waves’ the intricate drum work remains and
there’s still a sense of the industrial feel that I mentioned
earlier, this time more subtle and leads
to far longer passages of guitar laden dub reggae.
To
conclude this album is a journey within itself and as with any album
there’s peaks and troughs. However, overall I feel this is going to
be a strong contender when those end of year chill out charts are
being compiled. My personal favourites were Mixmaster Morris, Living
Light and Takka Satori, but I suspect there will be some debate
amongst the fans regarding this.
Review
by Woodzee
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