Category Archives: Switched On

Switched On: John Beltran – Serendipia (Oath)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

John Beltran continues undimmed. The Michigan-born producer has been making albums since 1995, establishing himself as a leading exponent of ambient techno – but along the way showing us that he should not be restricted to that genre alone.

Serendipia finds him exploring his love of all things Balearic for the Oath label, and taking the opportunity to bring in references to Brazilian music and jazz.

What’s the music like?

Music like this demands a cocktail and a large expanse of water. Serendipia will come as a lovely surprise to those who might have had John Beltran pinned down as a home studio producer, for it brings in a wide range of percussion, waves lapping at the shore in its beautifully realised down tempo treats.

Beltran creates a tropical infusion, with typically classy production but with a sultry atmosphere heightened by languid guitars and extra percussion. There are some lovely jazzy solos from guitar and keys, with the opening Taina an excellent example, but these are tasteful and never overdone.

Sa Coma Blue features a vocal cameo from regular collaborator John Arnold and sounds uncannily like the intro to Lady In Red – but styles it out with lazy guitar and hazy textures. It is typical of Beltran’s open air music, where widescreen textures put the listener in an exotic environment, while the close-up detail gives evidence of an expert technician.

Aşk Anları shows off those expansive sound pictures, while the more thoughtful tracks – such as La Hermosa Vista – bring the ideal blend of slow moving chord sequences and thrumming percussion loops.

Does it all work?

It does – effortlessly so. The combination of electronics, easy guitars and jazz-inflected solos is a winning one, especially with the rhythm section Beltran supplies.

Is it recommended?

Yes – an easy decision. An album to spend time with in the hot weather, for sure!

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New music – Broads: B-roads Vol. III (Bandcamp)

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If you are a regular visitor to Bandcamp, you will know the musical riches and rewards that are available, both for streaming and for purchase.

The electronic band Broads – who are Norwich-based Mark Jennings and James Ferguson – have made a third set of B-sides and alternative versions available on the site for a ‘name your price’ fee.

Established listeners will know that theirs is an inventive, organic brand of electronica that responds really well to repeated listening – and so comes highly recommended from these parts. The cleverly titled B-roads Vol. III is available here:

Switched On: Saloli – Canyon (Kranky)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

It is relatively rare for electronic albums to be performed ‘as live’ – but that is what Saloli achieves with Canyon. Saloli – the Cherokee word for ‘squirrel’ – is the alias under which Portland pianist and instrumentalist Mary Sutton operates,

The whole album is performed on a Sequential Circuits MultiTrak synthesizer, routed through a delay pedal to add the spatial quality of ‘echoing off canyon walls’.

There is a concept powering Canyon, too, the album evoking ‘a day in the life of a bear in a canyon in the Smoky Mountains’. As the press release explains, ‘in Cherokee teachings, humans and animals are considered to have no essential difference – originally, all the creatures of the earth lived together in harmony.’ The album’s cover art is by Sutton’s father Jerry, its yellow lettering using Cherokee Syllabary and spelling ‘Yona’, which means ‘bear’.

What’s the music like?

Strong in character. Saloli’s writing is very ‘in the moment’, creating portraits full of colour and musical content.

Waterfall shimmers and glistens in the light, the melodic patterns of the synthesizer sustained as they bounce around the sonic picture. At this point Saloli’s music resembles earlier Philip Glass, both in its melodic language and its pleasingly rough timbre. This is clearly music evoking the outside, and is all the better for its untampered state.

Lily Pad is much more fragile, the live setting capturing the surface tension of the water on which it sits, while Snake is more obviously right and left hand, as arpeggios in the left complement higher melodies in the right.

The sonic picture changes strikingly for Yona, the playful bear portrait, whose lack of reverberation makes this feel a close-up, indoor encounter. Panning out again we hear the softer Silhouette, whose vibrato casts a spell and draws parallels with Wendy Carlos.

Full Moon brings a pipe-organ sonority to Saloli’s music, wide-eyed and brightly lit, the echoes used again to playful effect. The slightly jaunty mood continues to the elusive Nighthawk, the left hand on the keyboard establishing a Habañera-type rhythm while trying to pin down an elusive right hand melody.

Saloli ends with the exhilarating Sunrise, its rippling arpeggios telling of the light forcing its way upwards out of the darkness and into the day. Its evocative growth from subtle flickers to stabs of daylight shows Sutton’s skill at painting pictures in sound.

Does it all work?

It does. The intimate portrait of the bear is slightly curious, given the animal’s size, but it is typical of the personality running through Sutton’s music. This is electronic music with a beating heart, for sure.

Is it recommended?

It is. Saloli has made an album of instrumental tone pictures with lasting character and quality.

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Switched On: Helios – Espera (Ghostly International)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Keith Kenniff releases his third album as Helios on Ghostly International, a label he joined in 2018. Kenniff, though, has been making music under this alias since 2004 – a complement to his other active persona of Goldmund. Kenniff, who also explores poppier climbs with partner Hollie as Mint Julep, is a prolific composer who likes to record at night.

Espera took on its form in this way, using layers of guitar, piano and percussion and concentrating on texture and colour just as much as melody and rhythm.

What’s the music like?

In a word, lush. Espera presents wide open vistas, sunny outlooks, a light wind in the branches, an ebbing tide – all of those ambient things that we look for on holiday, presented in audio form. He presents those textures with subtly catchy hooks and melodies, the sounds warm to the touch and the harmonies easy on the ear.

From the moment Fainted Fog floats in the mood is set, and you can practically feel the sand in your toes as Intertwine takes shape. As well as pure relaxation, Kenniff’s music as Helios does have an emotional dimension, as the excellent later cuts Well Within and Rounds show. The latter has some softly voiced melodic loops linked together rather beautifully.

Meanwhile the likes of Impossible Valleys present a calming meander, outdoors in nature with not a care in the world.

Does it all work?

It does indeed, especially in the sunshine!

Is it recommended?

Yes. There are no surprises here, but that’s because Helios knows exactly what to do to set the mood. The mood here being relaxation and hot weather bliss.

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New music – Modern Nature

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Here’s a calming video for a Saturday morning – the visual accompaniment to new music from Jack Cooper’s project Modern Nature. Enjoy Cascade, the second cut from forthcoming album No Fixed Point In Space on Bella Union next month.

Jack Cooper had this to say about the single: “Cascade is a link between the abstract colours of this record and the rhythms of the last one Island Of Noise. The imagery is an attempt to convey how overwhelming the world can be when you make the time to really observe it. Beautiful, intricate and infinite. I was honoured to be able to sing this round a microphone with the great Julie Tippetts… something I’ll never forget.”