Category Archives: Switched On

On Record: Universal Harmonies & Frequencies – Tune IN (Yeyeh)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Tune IN is the result of a five-day studio session that took place in Amsterdam in the summer of 2022, between saxophonist / composer Jerzy Maczyński and the Chicago DJ and producer Hieroglyphic Being. The two, introduced by Yeyeh founder Pieter Jensen, were supervised by recording and mix engineer Rein De Sauvage Nolting, otherwise known as RDS.

The sessions were highly productive, spawning 26 improvised compositions where Maczyński delivered saxophone and electronic ‘tools’, with Hieroglyphic Being contributing synthesizer parts and vocals.

After the sessions. RDS and Jensen sat down and worked the improvisations into coherent tracks, some of them fragmented and reconfigured – while Maczyński added more layers of instrumentation, creating a what is termed as a ‘whole digital band of reed instruments’. This post-production process proved every bit as important as the improvisations themselves.

What’s the music like?

This is a fascinating and energising listen. The musical chemistry between the two artists is evident, and the dozen tracks chosen for Tune IN reveal a wide range of colours, moods and styles. There is a cosmopolitan feel to a lot of the music made by the pair, extending well beyond Western approaches but taking those in mind.

It is impressive, too, that none of the compositions overstay their welcome – not even the title track with which the collection begins, clocking in at nearly 13 minutes. This is a fascinating scene setter, establishing the dominance of the saxophone but also showing the wide range of colours. It starts with a constant hook but the music really spreads its wings, the electronics and acoustics dovetailing beautifully.

Throughout there is a fertile musical imagination in play. Maczyński contributes some agile saxophone playing, especially on Can U Hear The Hum. Multidimensional Transformation is a completely different story, using a block rhythm in an oblique throwback to 80s funk, while Sam-Sa-Ra employs a grubby beat as melodic figures flitter around above like a group of swallows. Then another about turn, for two wide-eyed dreamscapes in The Book Of Forbidden Knowledge and Call Of The Wild.

Still the two are not done, with a flurry of activity on The End Of Ur World, the music circling around its central axis like a swarm of bees. The Emerald Tablet signs off with a bubbling cauldron of activity, set over a sure footed four to the floor beat.

There are many calling cards and influences at play here – Sun Ra, Kamasi Washington, Anouar Brahem even – and that’s just for the work at the treble end of things! Hieroglyphic Being thumbs through a wide range of rhythms in response, referencing but not restricting himself to house and experimentalism.

Does it all work?

It does – and Tune IN impresses not just through its continual invention but its ability to reign in most of the excesses. I would wager the tracks that didn’t make it are of a similar quality, given the consistently good work here!

Is it recommended?

It certainly is. This is an invigorating album, recommended to lovers of jazz and improvised music but also electronic afficionados. The two contrasting musical powers complement each other perfectly – and deliver a piece of work demanding your attention.

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Published post no.2,034 – Saturday 9 December 2023

Switched On: Various Artists – Pop Ambient 2024 (Kompakt)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

The first Pop Ambient compilation was released in 2001 – since when our need for ambient music is arguably greater than it has ever been, and the annual wander down Pop Ambient lane has become one of the most reassuring fixtures in the electronic music calendar. Arriving near the close of the year, it always coincides with the point where the end of year rush is starting to get too much.

As with previous years, it is a carefully selected blend of Kompakt favourites and rarities, none of them in a rush to get anywhere, and none of them containing any drums or rhythm tracks.

What’s the music like?

Regular listeners will know what to expect here – music suspended in time, with long drawn out notes that slowly shift across the sonic landscape. Many of the productions appear weightless, taking the listener through a dense cloud of ambience that soothes the fevered brow.

Yet while the music is familiar, Kompakt always manage to bring us something new. That means that while the listener is immediately soothed by diving into the ambience of T.Raumschmiere‘s Eterna 2, Mikkel Metal‘s Octarine offers a pattern of distinctive, metallic chimes that draw the listener in. Sono Kollektiv also presents an ambient face on Ever Last Thing but this track has dramatic crescendos within, pulling the ear towards them on headphones.

Joachim Spieth and Głós deliver the sort of weightless gem we have come to know and love from this source, Panta Rhei turning out to be a bottomless wonder, while Blank Gloss deliver some considered but rather beautiful guitar work on Weedless Hook.

Other airy beauties include Morgen Wurde’s Hiernach, with trumpeter Tetsuroh Konishi, and a similarly improvised space where Reich & Wurden make room for Alex Linster and Joel Jaffe on Orbit. Finally Segensklang (Bergfrieden) and Ümit Han (Nirgends) deliver atmospheric moods, the latter with a wandering melodic line.

Does it all work?

It does. None of this will come as a surprise to regulars, but that is a good thing – for Kompakt’s quality threshold is always high.

Is it recommended?

Definitely – with as much enthusiasm as all the others. Pop Ambient needs to remain a permanent fixture in our listening year.

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Switched On: The Black Dog – Music For Moore Street Substation (Dust Science Recordings)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

There is a lot of multiform art coming off The Black Dog’s production line at the moment, their Bandcamp page regularly refreshed with new ventures and creative projects. The latest is a limited CD and digital album release of the music accompanying their exhibition My Brutal Life.

For the showing they used the top floor of Moore Street Substation, a space ‘rarely open to the public and often shrouded in mystery’. Their soundcheck revealed the space had a natural reverberation of over 9.7 seconds, meaning the original soundtrack designed for My Brutal Life would not work in such a wide open setting. Therefore they set about a set comprising remixes of the original material and new pieces, ensuring viewers were comfortable as they moved around the space.

What’s the music like?

The reverberation problem has proved a benefit for listeners, for although the music in this sequence is simple in make-up it provides a very effective ambient set.

There is a thick ambience throughout, The Black Dog immediately reflecting the space in their music, either through slow and majestic chord sequences (The Light That Never Goes Out), twinkling motifs that pierce the gloom (Kirk Test Tones Sequence, Béton-Brut (Deconstructed), Hey Serry, The Jefferson Sheard Choir) or drone-based pieces with indistinct voices (Theme Of The Substation, The Mundane)

Elsewhere there are soft, reflective moments such as Busbar Connection and Villa Göth Calling, where the outlook is sombre and grey – but still with an appealing ambience.

Does it all work?

It does exactly what The Black Dog wanted, giving viewers space and perspective as they peruse the art.

Is it recommended?

It is – a complement to the original soundtrack and the visuals. They may be releasing a lot of music at the moment, but The Black Dog certainly aren’t stinting on quality.

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New music – A Strangely Isolated Place: 2023 Label Compilation

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by Ben Hogwood

Here is a treat for electronic music lovers, in the form of the annual label compilation from A Strangely Isolated Place.

Mixed by todos, it is a generous collection of ten tracks that can be sourced from the Bandcamp page below for a ‘name your price’ fee. Label founder Ryan Griffin posted the following commentary to the mix:

“It has become somewhat of a tradition since our first annual compilation release in 2019, and each year I find it tough to separate tracks from their album releases in this way. We pride ourselves on delivering an album format, and more often than not, specifically a conceptual album format that works best as a whole. So I appreciate the artists who allow us to separate their musical children for this worthy annual exercise. It’s so easy to skip over releases nowadays – at no fault of anyone but the pace of life and technology today – and so this compilation not only helps us reflect on the year gone by, but also ensures anyone new to the label, or dipping in and out over time, can get a taster of what we have proudly spent our time and passion presenting this year. Please take the time to visit each respective artist release to realize its full form.”

todos has provided a continuous mix, “left to his own devices as we have grown to admire time and time again, using snippets and samples from many of the releases, but focusing on delivering a long-form mix that stands on its own, using nothing but the ASIP 2023 library of music.”

You can listen below, and follow the commentary from the Bandcamp page:

Published post no.2,026 – Friday 1 December 2023

Let’s Dance: Various Artists – Twenty Year Weekend (Two Decades of Darkroom Dubs) (Darkroom Dubs)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

This is one of those anniversaries that make writers feel old – especially this one, who was starting to write when Glaswegian duo Silicone Soul put their Darkroom Dubs plan into full action.

Rather than look back with rose-tinted glasses, however, Craig Morrison and Graeme Reedie have commissioned a whole new set of deep and dark house music, with 14 tracks making the cut.

What’s the music like?

Happily the tunes and beats collected here are in the best Darkroom Dubs tradition, with some fulsome house beats, darkly coloured textures and reassuringly full-bodied beats.

Highlights include the loping beat and robotic precision of Phunkadelica’s Phunkarama, and the excellent Lucky Luciano from Am$trad Billionaire with its rhythmic impulse. Undo’s Vencejos makes clever use of swifts in the background, a great pairing with the solid beats, while Amount‘s Figure Skating is an excellent cut, bubbling under the surface. Few tracks, however, can match the confident strut of Subcisco’s Boiling Point, the lean bass of Nuclear Digital Transistor’s Lead Boys, or the voiceover / synth combo of Local Suicide & Wiener Planquadrat’s Flashdance.

Does it all work?

It does indeed – and satisfies both the newcomer and the label afficionado.

Is it recommended?

Definitely. Raising a glass to Silicone Soul and their excellent Darkroom Dubs venture, with the hope it will only appreciate in value as time goes on. The signs are very good from this compilation!

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