Category Archives: Switched On

Switched On – Kuedo: Infinite Window (Brainfeeder)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Kuedo, the pseudonym for Berlin-based producer Jamie Teasdale, moves to the Ninja Tune family for third album Infinite Window, the first since 2016’s Slow Knife.

In the interim Teasdale has been extremely busy, collaborating with Flying Lotus on the Blade Runner: Black Out 2022 OST and scoring two films.

This album explores Teasdale’s love of contrasting styles of music, principally spaced out ambient synths and the more rhythm-based work of producers like Frank Ocean and The Weeknd, and looks to bring them together in a wholly complementary way.

What’s the music like?

Excellent. Teasdale’s prowess as a film composer is immediately evident, as it is easy to picture scenes to go with his descriptive writing. He also masters the combination of R&B and more through-composed synth music, meaning that we get emotive pictures set to rhythms that vary between intricate and driven.

The sound picture is slightly glitchy, with the vast backdrops given small dots of detail in the foreground, a bit like looking at a scene from Stranger Things where those white dots swirl in close to the viewer.

Harlequin Hallway simmers nicely and drops the beats, one of many occasions where Kuedo really flexes his muscles and drives the music forward. The title track acts as a kind of opening credits montage. Positioned halfway through, it gets just the right blend of moody introspection and pure strength from the rhythm section, while the synths, initially bubbling under, surge to the surface with simmering energy.

Sliding Through Our Fingers is a great start, rippling synth lines spreading out in the manner of Tangerine Dream to fill a massive space. The fluttering rhythms on Shadow Dance are brilliantly done, while Skybleed Magic has a really impressive scope, and feels like a sci-fi theme in waiting

Does it all work?

Impressively so. The album is really well structured, telling a story of contrasting moods and colours, but staying very true to a single path. There is a lot of energy just beneath the surface, especially when Kuedo is spinning those intricate synth lines, but the big drum tracks ensure that it is released in a wholly satisfying way.

Is it recommended?

Definitely. You could approach this album from the direction of Vangelis or Burial – and either way you would fine plenty to enjoy. Deeply impressive and consistently rewarding.

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Switched On – farben: textstar+ (Faitiche)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

This release brings together a series of four EPs released between 1999 and 2002 by the celebrated electronic musician Jan Jelinek, using the pseudonym farben.

The selection has been mastered from the original tapes, with two additional pieces also included. Jelinek also includes Polaroids of his home studio in Berlin at the time of recording.

“Every sound is a text” is the theme behind Jelinek’s thinking – “a bearer of meaning in search of a reader. Hoping the ideas inscribed in its autonomous existence will be understood as intended. While its beauty lies precisely in misunderstanding, in reading the coded message a new way every time. A thousand colours of sound, a thousand different ways to hear, to see, to understand.”

His description is a helpful accompaniment to the music as it takes hold.

What’s the music like?

Darkly cinematic. The way Jelinek works minimal material into something very descriptive is captivating throughout, and on headphones he effortlessly draws the listener in. With seemingly simple bleeps and clicks he can create atmospheres, while the subtle rhythms create surprisingly funky backdrops. These basic elements all help to form impressively constructed longer tracks, adding wider perspectives to draw out the listener’s aural view.

On the first track, Live At The Sahara Tahoe, 1973, the bleeps and clicks are complemented by shady pad sounds, while on FF things break out into a really strong, low-end funk. Beautone is an introverted, studio-bound track – and yet its chordal sequences hint at something much more active and the low-end squiggly bass is a treat. farben Says Love To Love You Baby has snatches of melody, rather like walking past a jazz club and hearing fragments of music.

The musical language is friendly and often with snippets of humour, easily glimpsed on the warm-hearted farben Says As Long As There’s Love Around, beats ricocheting around the stereo picture. farben Says So Much Love nails a more conventional but excellent deep house groove along the lines of Matthew Herbert, while the turntable scratches lend Raute extra warmth. Finally farben says Love Oh Love offers a watery backdrop, like its album companions setting a deep, nocturnal scene.

Does it all work?

It does, providing the listening environment is the right one – clubs or home stereos will bring out all the subtleties of Jelinek’s basslines and his intricately processed percussion.

Is it recommended?

Enthusiastically. You could even call it textual healing!

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Switched On – Arp: New Pleasures (Mexican Summer)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Arp, the alias for American producer Alexis Georgopoulos, made a very positive impression with his 2018 album ZEBRA, the first in a projected trilogy for the Mexican Summer label. Where that record stepped into a lush landscape, its sequel makes its way to the heart of the city. The press release talks in florid terms of “the flinty glow of commerce, the sleek rhythms of industrialization, and the cool finesse of brutalism”, all leaving their imprint.

Once again Arp uses analogue synthesizers as his mode of expression, with the list of instruments including a whole squad of keyboards from Fairlights to Moogs, 707s to 909s. In spite of the number of instruments used, the objective for Arp is to make incisive music that on occasion moves to the experimental.

What’s the music like?

Extremely enjoyable, and full of human emotion in spite of its wholly electronic origins. Although set in the city some of these textures are still wide open, conveying a giddy excitement at their surroundings. There are some wonderfully rich colours from the analogue equipment, which Arp uses to the extent of its descriptive powers.

The busy activity of the city can be glimpsed on Sponge (for Miyake) with figures flitting across the stereo picture, or in the rolling drums and melodic nuggets of New Pleasures itself. The swirly goings-on of i: /o are complemented by a bendy bass bringing reminders of Paul Young, while Le Palace has some lovely chunky handicaps and airy lines that also reek of the 1980s…in a good way!

Traitor (Dub) has a good disco vibe from that era, as does Embassy Disco, which elegantly refers towards Kraftwerk but with some attractive contributions from the marimba. Cloud Storage proves to be a weird and wonderful ending of some woozy keyboard thoughts.

The mood running through the album is consistently positive and amiable, but never coasting – quite the opposite, as Arp packs his music with bite-sized riffs, rich bass sounds and subtle percussion. Often the mood leans towards the Balearic, suggesting a hot city, which is also implied by the nocturnal mood of many of the instrumentals.

Does it all work?

Yes, pretty much, and not least because New Pleasures reveals more melodic layers with each listen, showing an intricately constructed patchwork of complementary riffs and moods.

Is it recommended?

Yes – a fine complement to ZEBRA. The sequel, and the conclusion of the trilogy, is already eagerly awaited.

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Switched On – Various Artists: Shapes: Spectrum (Tru Thoughts)

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What’s the story?

After 23 years there is something immensely reassuring about the annual appearance of the Tru Thoughts label showcase. The ‘Shapes’ series has always felt like a holiday present, containing as it does a huge amount of highlights and remixes, generously sourced and sequenced by label founder Robert Luis.

The Spectrum edition collects together 35 tracks that show off the depth and breadth of the music made on the label, from stalwart artists such as Quantic, Alice Russell and Anchorsong through to new sounds from Ebi Soda, Anushka and Tiawa. This time around there is an exclusive in the form of Divine Elevation, a new track from Think Tonk.

What’s the music like?

Thoroughly enjoyable – and ideally sequenced by the man who knows the music best. Robert Luis has a really good knack for ebb and flow, in this case keeping the musical temperature high as he moves between slower, smoky numbers and nippy remixes taking in drum ‘n’ bass.

Early highlights include Palm Skin Productions, providing a moment of calming magic with The Sword Will Die, a downtempo epic that develops unexpectedly sharp edges. Quantic provides a notable highlight with Nidia Góngora, and the richly scored Mucamba, while Alice Russell’s Heartbreaker has characteristically brilliant vocals but also a memorable trumpet contribution.

Luis is happy to include some really substantial mixes here, one of which is a dub cracker in the form of Sefi Zisling’s The Sky Sings, reworked by Obar Nenor. Meanwhile the sound of Afronaut channelling P-funk on How It Goes is very welcome.

Other highlights include the samba infused A Pomba Girou, from Zero dB via the remixing desk of Austin Ato, Rebecca Vasmant’s Dance Yourself Free which opens out beautifully, then the WheelUP remix of Tiawa’s Soldiers, an easy synth based groove. There is offbeat soulful goodness from MELONYX, then a lovely warmth to the STR4TA remix of Anushka’s Bad Weather, one of the choicest moments among the 35. The good vibes spread to the cool Again Again by Kuna Maze, the V.B. Kühl remix of sUb_modU’s Gravity and the hypnotic Daz-I-Kue remix of WheelUP’s Fusion, looping Bembe Segue’s vocal nicely.

Meanwhile the exclusive, Think Tonk’s Divine Elevation, cuts a sharp figure with its edgy breaks and serrated bassline.

Does it all work?

It does. Many label compilations have gone the way of the playlist, but Tru Thoughts have their presentation down to a tee, and this is an excellent and broad-minded selection of music. Not only that, there will be a vinyl release of selected tracks in October.

Is it recommended?

Definitely. Label devotees will snap it up, while those new to Tru Thoughts are in for a treat.

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Switched On – CoastalDives: Next Light (Data Airlines)

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reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Next Light has a deeply personal resonance for CoastalDives, the pseudonym under which Ohio’s Casey J Cooper operates.

His father had to undergo emergency brain surgery around the time of his 75th birthday, and Cooper wrote wanted to create an ambient work to transport the listener to another place. He does this with the help of field recordings from St. Joseph Cathedral in his home city of Columbus. Placed at the beginning and end of the album, these give an idea of the space in which Cooper will operate, and the natural noise of people coming and going gives a communal feel to proceedings before the music itself gets underway.

What’s the music like?

Consoling. Using analogue synthesizers only, Cooper achieves his aim through music of elegance and poise. The grandeur of the cathedral is immediately evident on Dark Spots, where hints of Vangelis and Angelo Badalamenti can be heard as the stately chord progressions move slowly on their way. Splitter has more movement, taking on the profile of softly ringing bells as crossrhythms are worked in.

The title track is solemn and lost in thought but with an underlying strength, suggesting the power of recovery, while Rewire builds up thick textures, a powerful swell of sound. 75 eases a little, still suggesting the slow progress of an object, while Black Pearls has a majestic profile and an analogue timbre harking back to Jean Michel Jarre. Finally Reservoir has lovely mellow tones, a suitable epilogue arriving at a settled place, the
preceding music having done its job.

Does it all work?

It does. Listening to this when even slightly under the weather has a calming yet strongly uplifting effect, the writing acknowledging nervous tension and anxiety but presenting a clear way forward and out at the end.

Is it recommended?

It is, for all the reasons above – and for the fact that First Light has some very fine writing for keyboard that brings some of the greats of the instrument to the surface. CoastalDives has achieved his aim of strength and resolution from hardship, with plenty to spare.

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