Category Archives: Switched On

Switched On – Bibio: Phantom Brickworks II (Warp)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

This is the second instalment in Bibio’s Phantom Brickworks project, an ambient / drone concern begun in 2017. On it, Stephen Wilkinson (who is Bibio) has the aim of exploring “the human echoes still present in various sites around Britain. Wilkinson has visited these locations, observed their gradual decline, and responded with improvised and composed music.”

The sequel brings forward new, intriguing sites, described as ‘vast scars on the natural landscape, some surviving through memories, historic clips and photographs. A few remain submerged from ordinary sights, while some exist purely as legends and stories’.

What’s the music like?

Immediately restful, as Bibio leads us to an appealing calm place. The loop subtly powering Dinorwic moves at a very slow pace but maintains its poise, while the magical Dorothea’s Bed has wordless voices transmitting an icy beauty. A higher register piano twinkles in the fog of Phantom Brickworks IV, while Llyn Peris reflects the dappled light of a winter sky, the sun near the horizon.

Tegid’s Court rocks gently like a Berceuse, leading into the immensely calming, spoken word Brograve. Spider Bridge once again makes evocative use of the piano’s higher register, a distinctive feather in Bibio’s cap.

Does it all work?

It does. Bibio has mastered the art of making more from less, and these pieces are ideally weighted.

Is it recommended?

Phantom Brickworks II is strongly recommended, another feather in the cap of an artist whose versatility continues to be most impressive. Having charmed us with pastoral electronica, Bibio now has real durability as a long-form ambient artist.

For fans of… Harold Budd, Loscil, Luke Abbott, Jon Hopkins

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Published post no.2,377 – Friday 29 November 2024

Let’s Dance – Michael Mayer: The Floor Is Lava (Kompakt)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

The Floor Is Lava is Michael Mayer’s first album in 12 years, since the collaborative long player Mantasy was released on !K7.

Here he is back on home ground at the label he runs, with an album tapping into his enormous experience as a DJ, conscious of his crowd’s attention span. “It’s a DJ album by a DJ that’s easily bored”, he says.

What’s the music like?

This is a fine piece of work, Mayer always conscious of keeping the dancefloor fully populated but getting a really satisfying ebb and flow as he does so.

The beats are established immediately, The Problem grinding into gear with deep beats and jazz-infused techno. Mayer’s beats are a prime focus on this album and they work to brilliant effect on the rolling contours of Brainwave, then the driving Sycophant, or in team with a superb, booming bassline on Ardor.

So good are the beats, in fact, that they are pretty much all you need – check The Solution for confirmation of this – but with plenty of goodness piled on top of them there is as much for the home listener to tap into as there is the club dancer.

Does it all work?

It does. Mayer takes his own sweet time with his solo albums, and the reward is a meticulous attention to detail on structure and production. Both reap their rewards here.

Is it recommended?

Very much so – The Floor Is Lava is a wonderful addition to the Kompakt co-supremo’s locker. Buy it and enjoy the compulsion to move!

For fans of… DJ Koze, Gui Boratto, Moderat, Ellen Allien

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Published post no.2,369 – Thursday 21 November 2024

Switched On – Yak 40: Travelogue (Self-Released)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

As the name implies, Travelogue is a cosmopolitan album from the studio of Egor Antoshchenko, a Russian artist based in Nepal.

While essentially an electronic producer he brings in a wide variety of influences from further afield, inspired by field recordings made in Seoul, Vietnam and Nepal and also from the ambience of Buddhist temples.

What’s the music like?

Very spacious, and great on headphones. Yak 40 uses a successful blend of techno and ambient but adds a more beat-driven approach – before incorporating his surroundings to use Travelogue as a colourful diary, reflecting those journies through the prism of his own style.

Other Shores reflects the beauty of the Koh Chang Island setting where it was written, reflecting the shimmering sea against a spatial backdrop, while Goa was the starting point for the excellent Swirls, with an urgent four to the floor beat. Hummingbirds is suitably colourful and evocative, its broken beat and probing bass sounds giving way to rich colour up above. A similar approach powers the rich tapestry of Mahalaxmi Unltd, while Glassworks shows more of a Detroit influence. Vox En Go is more driven, as opposed to the softly voiced Anatta, a reflective album closer.

Does it all work?

It does, because the music keeps moving, the listener taken on a tour of regions that vary from exotic to more urban.

Is it recommended?

Very much so. This is an album made with love, for the music itself but also for the locations and cultures inspiring it. Because of that, Travelogue is a set of electronic postcards full of colour and personality.

For fans of… System 7, Blu Mar Ten, Ultramarine, Four Tet, Transglobal Underground

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You can listen to Travelogue below:

Published post no.2,364 – Saturday 16 November 2024

Switched On – GLOK / Timothy Clerkin: Alliance (Bytes)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Andy Bell’s GLOK alias has given him a burst of creativity within electronic music – and after his successful Dissident album of 2019 and Pattern Recognition follow up of 2021, he turns to a collaborative approach.

Timothy Clerkin, who runs the Insult To Injury label, met Ride guitarist Bell through the Bytes label, when they suggested Tim be part of the Dissident Remixed album, which was put together in 2019. The two met at the funeral of Andrew Weatherall, and their collaboration was fuelled by Tim finding and playing an old Les Paul guitar. Ideas were traded online between Amsterdam (Tim) and London (Andy), with the instruments equally shared.

What’s the music like?

Empowering. That’s the first feeling that comes through on Empyrean, where subtle adjustments in tuning give the weighty guitar sound an appealing weirdness, and the loping beats add reassuring depth. The same pitch variations work really well on the gritty AmigA, with the bass sound burrowing through the floor, before wordless vocals that instantly transport the listener back to the heady mood of early ‘90s Manchester.

Bell and Clerkin also make groovy music, using slower rhythms that really set themselves firmly on the floor, with rich colours above. Scattered is one of the more obvious pieces of Weatherall homage here – in a good way, while The Witching Hour goes acidic with all sorts of electronic squiggles taking over. Closing out is the brilliant E-Theme, a kind of Hacienda-Detroit meeting place where airy synths complement blissful vocals.

Nothing Ever is the home banker, with vocals from Du Blonde – aka Beth Jeans Houghton, adding a rich tone to the electro-disco footwork underneath.

Does it all work?

It does – and repeat listens reveal several earworms. Once made known, they refuse to leave!

Is it recommended?

It is indeed. This is a fruitful partnership, blessed with freedom and enjoyment – and proves to be a slow burner that increases in temperature with each listen!

For fans of… Death In Vegas, Andrew Weatherall, 808 State, Stereo MCs, Primal Scream

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You can explore buying options on the Bandcamp link below – and also read Arcana’s extensive interview with Andy from 2019, when he was not long starting out under the GLOK alias.

Published post no.2,361 – Wednesday 13 November 2024

Switched On – Mirror System: Route 77 (A-Wave)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Mirror System is the ambient sibling of System 7, the beat-driven electronic music project headed by husband-and-wife team Steve Hillage and Miquette Giraudy. The duo, who have previous as part of the famed progressive group Gong, have been working together on the project since the early 1990s, and the release of this album fits a pattern of a new Mirror System album every nine years.

As with a number of the duo’s previous albums, Route 77 is inspired by travel – and includes on its journey a couple of intriguing cover versions, Ry Cooder’s Paris, Texas and Manuel Göttsching’s Sunrain.

Don Donovan adds keyboards and effects to Bocca du Lupo, while The Orb’s Alex Paterson adds extra production to Shapes Of Things and Camel Hot. Meanwhile Sonora Desert Edge (The Abyss) includes a poem by Allen Ginsberg.

What’s the music like?

Rich in incident and colourful – but ambient at the same time. Route 77 does indeed fulfil its promise to take the listener on a journey, though while it implies a coastal odyssey in America, there is a strong Eastern flavour to a good deal of the writing here.

Avenue of Lights as good as anything the duo of Hillage and Giraudy have done under this moniker, coming as it does after the intriguing Ry Cooder cover. Often there are heat-soaked promises of far-off lands, such as in Sunrain, which shimmers with a good deal of minimalist chatter. Shapes Of Things gets a great beat up and running, no doubt under the direction of Alex Paterson – but has a frisson of danger about it. These sleights of mood make the album ever more compelling, though still ambient.

Does it all work?

It does. Repeated listening brings more melodic elements to the surface, while the heady atmospherics cast a spell that will be familiar to System 7 fans.

Is it recommended?

Wholeheartedly. Hillage and Giraudy have lost none of their melodic charm in the 30 years they have been making electronic music together, and Route 77 reveals that they have just as much appetite for making new music. It’s as good as anything they’ve done.

For fans of… The Orb, Fluke, Leftfield, Eat Static, The Art of Noise

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Published post no.2,360 – Tuesday 12 November 2024