Category Archives: Switched On

Switched On – Ocoeur: Breath (n5MD)

Posted on by
Reply

by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Breath is the ambitious new album from Ocoeur, aka Franck Zaragoza, the Bordeaux-based producer. On this record Zaragoza looks to reawaken an appreciation for the world around us, and connect with the landscapes that are for most of us within easy reach.

As well as looking at elemental connections, Breath is a call for peace in troubled times.

What’s the music like?

This is an album that works on two levels. On one hand there is a blissful ambience running throughout Breath, meaning it is easy to connect with especially at either end of the day. Yet listening closely is even more rewarding, with Zaragoza’s clever internal workings revealed as tightly knit melodic loops spread their wonders far and wide.

The album grows from small beginnings to reach an early apex with Life, which has real gravitas and orchestral dimensions. The music repairs for the softer piano musings of To Love, Ocoeur exploring deep and primitive emotions, before Calling For Peace makes an understated impact. Here a steady drum tread proves immediately reassuring, pairing up with a rather beautiful chime-like figure.

Everything Moves, as its title suggests, is more active, the music dancing like ripples on a lake, before the coda Our Home finds a softly-voiced calm.

Does it all work?

It does, beautifully. Best heard in one sitting, Breath is a work that may be mostly electronic but could easily transpose for full orchestra.

Is it recommended?

Very much so. This is an album of poise and presence, one of a minimalist beauty but with emotional heft, too. With his Ocoeur pseudonym, Franck Zaragoza is creating a deeply impressive body of work.

For fans of… Harold Budd, Gas, Howard Skempton, Biosphere

Listen & Buy

Published post no.2,348 – Thursday 31 October 2024

Switched On – Minotaur Shock: It All Levels Out (Bytes)

Posted on by
Reply

by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

It All Levels Out is described as ‘a hopeful meditation on getting older’ by its composer, David Edwards. This is Edwards’ tenth album under the Minotaur Shock pseudonym, and by common consensus is his most personal and reflective album to date.

Influences on his compositional approach this time around are quoted to be Hiroshi Yoshimura, Steve Reich, West Mineral Limited, Visible Cloaks and Bark Psychosis.

Edwards describes his music as an acceptance of finally knowing yourself, an approach of equal parts ambience and confidence.

What’s the music like?

This is music where the mind can immediately kick back – though it still rewards close-up listening. Edwards works with a refreshing palette of textures and colours, using quite minimal riffs to power his music but giving them room to grow as the tracks evolve.

Because of that it’s easy to equate his music with living, growing plants – which the title track embodies, with the way it expands gradually from soft, primitive beginnings. The ambling piano is like an easily moving stream.

As the album progresses we get more of Edwards’ subtly voiced creativity, from the melodic ideas that take root on Memory Crates, which is more bleeps and dots, to the brightly lit activity on Moral Progress.

Recognise You Anywhere takes time out, Edwards evoking dappled light through colourings that certainly sound more Japanese in origin, especially when they grow in stature. Molding Physical Air enjoys a similar profile, while Launching The Kids carries greater weight. The closing With Me is initially darker but ultimately wistful.

Does it all work?

It does. Edwards is a subtle companion, shading each piece of music rather beautifully with layers of carefully chosen instrumental colour. When you stand back, you can appreciate the whole as well as the construction.

Is it recommended?

It is, enthusiastically. It’s great to have Minotaur Shock back, and the pastoral overtones of this album are beautifully weighted and suited for this time of year, extending their tendrils into the northern hemisphere autumn.

For fans of… Bibio, Boards of Canada, Baths, Grasscut

Listen & Buy

Published post no.2,342 – Friday 25 October 2024

Let’s Dance – Agoria: Unshadow (Sapiens)

Posted on by
Reply

by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Agoria – aka Sébastien Devaud – is in the best possible position to bring us up to date on his sixth album, taking up the theme on his Bandcamp site:

“As a musician and producer, after five albums, I clearly know that my proposition will always be about diversity more than a single crafted sound. This is how I am: multifaceted, nourished by social human exchanges and my encounters in science, art, and technology. I have one life and different bodies. I can be physical and digital, technological and organic, house, techno, and soul. This album is about shedding light in a vertical period where the fight for truth and visibility becomes crucial, where Blockchain might become our right to vote. It’s about making complex things sound simpler, joining the dots. A proposition more than a promise: Unshadow.”

What’s the music like?

As varied as Agoria’s introduction implies, and in the main really well executed.

Agoria oversees a wide range of music, from the moody Heart To Heart, with STS and Sacha Rudy, to the twisty disco house that makes Getaway such a good track, in the company of Madison McFerrin. Olympe is a really good piano led number, with NDRK and Yacine Dessouki on board, while I Feel Good is even better, a hard hitter for the middle of the dance floor.

Atmospheric reaches are explored with Quiero and the dreamy Sunshine, with Dominique Fils-Aimé, and the only track that feels slightly out of place is the closing cover of Sheila B. Devotion‘s Spacer, which is effective in its own way but draws too much attention towards the original.

Does it all work?

Largely – and with no padding, Agoria’s structure for the album is pretty much ideal.

Is it recommended?

It is. Agoria writes music with plenty of hooks that is easy to dance to – and also demands repeated listening. Very nicely done!

For fans of… Cassius, Etienne de Crecy, Dimitri From Paris, Purple Disco Machine

Listen & Buy

Published post no.2,341 – Thursday 24 October 2024

Switched On – Alessandro Cortini: NATI INFINITI (Mute)

Posted on by
Reply

by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Nine Inch Nails’ Alessandro Cortini has established himself as a solo musician and producer of some repute over the years, working alone on impressive electronic scores sich as 2021’s Scuro Chiaro or teaming up with Daniel Avery on 2020’s hugely impressive Illusion Of Time. His list of collaborations and remixes carries some weight, too, either under his own name or the pseudonyms of SONOIO, Blindoldfreak and Modwheelmood.

NATI INFINITI began life as an audio installation for the Museu de Lisboa’s Fábrica da Moagem, running across all four floors of the disused flour mill. To prepare it for this release, it was mixed and mastered by Marta Salogni, and structured into five movements.

Mute’s press release gives all the required detail. “The release utilises the Strega instrument that Cortini co-designed with Make Noise, capturing the ambience of the original piece – commissioned by Sónar Lisboa 2022 – where each of the four floors of the cavernous mill evoked a different state through Cortini’s sound design. Constantly unfolding as the listener travelled through the building, it harnesses the movement of the piece, highlighting the interconnectedness of all things.”

What’s the music like?

Cortini writes with a broad brush, the five tracks stretching over 40 minutes with slow, incremental changes in each.

At least, that’s how it appears on first listen – but further listening reveals more going on just beneath the surface.

The five scenes / movements are brooding, with II especially moody as the musical drones make an approach, gathering white noise, then retreating a little before returning. Here Cortini’s use of quarter tones gives the music a threatening edge, while on III there is a generation of more kinetic energy as the treble pitch wavers while progressing. IV takes on the spirit of an organ, as does V with its really sonorous bass notes – with close listening revealing all sorts of subtle crossrhythms at play as the wave forms bounce off each other.

Does it all work?

It does – and is most effective if all five movements are experienced without a break, in one sitting.

Is it recommended?

Yes. This is a very immersive piece of music, often calming but never retreating to the background, as Cortini gives his voice real stature and presence.

Listen & Buy

Published post no.2,340 – Wednesday 23 October 2024

New music – Fluke: Real Magnificent (Surface)

Posted on by
Reply

written by Ben Hogwood

A confession: the return of Fluke in April completely passed me by. My excuse is two-fold – 1) I wasn’t expecting new music from the band, given we hadn’t heard anything in 15 years, and 2) it’s surprisingly difficult to keep up with new music these days, with so many digital outlets.

What a pleasure, then, to discover that both their April return Insanely Beautiful and this new single Real Magnificent are up to the same high standards of their 1990s peak – while staying nicely ahead of the game. Real Magnificent arrives in a number of guises. The original has a slight country accent to its vocals and riffing, while the two remixes from sLEdger, are a shimmering, atmospheric house take and a moody pared-back dub. The JC remix blends tough beats and blurry imagery, pumped up but losing a little of the atmosphere, which the All Buttons In version retains.

You can access all these versions at the Fluke Bandcamp site, the mixes delivered with the same no-nonsense effectiveness that the band have always shown. It’s great to have them back!

Published post no.2,338 – 21 October 2024