Bluetech

Liquid Geometries

In a world of saturated synthesizer music, it’s hard to find a gem that truly shines. There is a whole wide slew of modular synthesis experimentation turned music, to showcase the engineering behind each crafted sound. But unless you are the almighty deity of all that is modular, like Richard Devine, or the architect of a complex chaotic universe, like Autechre, then, what we call “synth music”, may often fall right through the cracks. A lot of it seems overly abstract, a bit too noisy, and reeks of one-off rapid death of ghost in the machine. But what about those truly musical arpeggios that draw you into yet another world, as you sit there in the dark and slowly turn the knob on that beloved filter or adjust the slides of the ADSR envelope? Do you remember all those special moments? [Of course, you do!] Enter the oceanic tapestry of sound with Bluetech‘s Liquid Geometries, where a kaleidoscope of intertwining harmonies is in a perpetual and perfect fluid dance with all the neurons in your brain. Forget the wild ASMR – before this latest [fascinating] trend, we’ve had “synth music”, where all of its neatly sculpted beauty triggered the auditory-tactile synesthesia which you didn’t know you had. Put on this latest record by Evan Bartholomew and drift into the sweet abyss. “Liquid Geometries sees him exploring shifting, fractal landscapes of melodic, sequenced lines using a huge range of analogue modular synthesisers. […] These benefit from repeated, deep listening as there are so many details and interlaced patterns that will reveal themselves over time.” Fans of textures, analogue, and DSP should find themselves in Eden [as did I] where Bluetech reigns behind the organisms he bears. Highly recommended!

m.cadoo & p.stephan

ujat​-​jhem

Mike Cadoo is not new to these pages. After all, he is the driving force behind the influential Oakland-based n5MD label. I have followed Cadoo’s work as both, IDM infused Dryft and guitar-driven Bitcrush, so it is with some curiosity that I approach his newly devised project with Paul Stephan (aka Xoloder), of whom, I must admit, I haven’t heard before. Their collaborative release, uhat-jhem, consists of eight experimental pieces, approaching on post-metal drone, dark ambient, and dark sub-basement music. Distortion and noise ripple through the rumble of this industrial landscape, creating environments subtle but dense. The sounds are cold but inflamed by the fire that stems from the crater where nightmares are born. The composition effort involved a collection of sound textures by Stephan, to be layered upon with Cadoo – a process they have resurfaced since their roommate days, which is still remaining on some dusty forlorn tapes. The new album “became less of an idea but an ethos to bend, rebend, mangle and strain every sound to its logical yet musical limit that became the entity that is ujat-jhem.” Recommended for fans of Lustmord, Northaunt, and Sleep Research Facility.