Category Archives: Switched On

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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New music – Mark Peters feat. Dot Allison: Switch On The Sky

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Some more good news from Sonic Cathedral. If you are a regular visitor to Arcana you will have seen our praise for the new Pye Corner Audio album Let’s Emerge, released on the label last Friday. Now we can bring confirmation of new music from Mark Peters, whose rather wonderful Innerland album provided a geographical record of his move back to Wigan in 2018.

The new album, Red Sunset Dreams, looks much further afield for its inspiration, casting longing eyes across the Atlantic in fact. It features contributions from pedal steel guitar legend B J Cole and vocalist Dot Allison, who sings on two tracks including the single released today, Switch on the Sky. They both appear as part of Peters’ fascination with the ambient side of country music, with Cole’s legendary steel guitar work becoming something of a healthy obsession.

The press release takes up the story, talking of ‘an incredibly evocative trip through the landscapes of old Western movies, exploring their links with the North West of England while touching on wider themes such as isolation, freedom and dementia. Sonically, it builds on the palette of the previous record with instrumentation equally inspired by the ascendant ambient Americana movement and classic country-rock. As a result it ends up somewhere between Acetone’s peerless I Guess I Would, Diamond Head-era Phil Manzanera and the dusty instrumentals on the second disc of David Sylvian’s 1986 classic Gone To Earth.

Switched On – Pye Corner Audio – Let’s Emerge! (Sonic Cathedral)

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reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

This is the first album from Pye Corner Audio – aka Martin Jenkins – for the Sonic Cathedral label. It is a wholly logical move, given the producer’s work with Ride guitarist Andy Bell on Social Dissonance, a live recording he made at a Sonic Cathedral night at The Social back in 2019.

It was the first meeting for the pair, and it ticked a lot of musical boxes which lead to the collaboration on this album, where Bell plays guitar on five of the ten tracks. The impetus for this long player is markedly different from Pye Corner Audio’s last in 2021, which was inspired by the underground fungal pathways where plants communicate. This one reaches for the sun, bathing in the summer heat – which makes its release into the middle of a UK heatwave all the more pertinent.

As a bonus, Let’s Emerge! is fronted by vibrant artwork from Marc Jones, consciously drawing on sleeves from LFO, Spaceman 3 and early Stereolab in his vivid colouring.

What’s the music like?

As warm as the cover suggests it should be. Jenkins’ slight adaptation of his music for Sonic Cathedral does indeed take it closer to ‘shoegaze’ if we are looking for a musical label, but it means the music he produces is full of rich colour and dreamlike possibility.

De-Hibernate acts as an awakening, introducing the big sonic backdrop with which Jenkins operates, but also showing how closer inspection reveals studied details in the work of Andy Bell. Broad brush chords from the keyboards, then, are complemented by more intricate guitar work, a blueprint that works extremely well as the album progresses.

The wash of sound on Lyracal confirms the temperature, bathing in consonant harmonies and shimmering textures, while Does It Go Dark shifts to lower pitched drones, its woozy outlines gradually revealing a chord progression of poise and power.

Haze Loops is a rich tapestry of warm sounds, more of a poolside chillout number, before some slightly smaller tracks link seamlessly together as part of a bigger suite. Let’s Emerge Part One breaks like a wave into the ears, retreating to the deeper colours of Saturation Point. Sun Stroke (so appropriate as I type this on the hottest day in UK history!) is thick with humidity, and then after the brief Let’s Emerge Part Two, Luminescence harnesses more rhythmic drive, synths bubbling just below the surface. Finally Warmth Of The Sun, the musical culmination of the album, brings the guitar to its greatest prominence yet, shimmering on the surface with fuzzy vocals and supportive percussion.

It says much that Andy Bell’s contributions are subtly integrated into the music. Not for him the posturing of a typical ‘featured guitarist’ – he gets the mood of Jenkins’ writing and adds his own subtleties to complement it, rather than going for standout melodies each time. It is to his enormous credit that the two work as equals and achieve something far more meaningful.

Does it all work?

It does. Music evokes time and place better than almost anything, and Let’s Emerge! certainly does that with its hot weather soundscapes.

Is it recommended?

Yes – a rather special addition to Martin Jenkins’ work until now as Pye Corner Audio, taking him in the direction of sunnier climes while reminding us of his capacity to evoke images and moods through his electronic music. Andy Bell’s guitar work is the icing on the cake.

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