Category Archives: Switched On

Switched On – Quattro Artists: albums from Quivver, Captain Mustache, Satoshi Fumi & Lopezhouse

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quattro-artists

4 Albums – Captain Mustache Indigo Memories; Quivver Revelate; Satoshi Fumi Mysterious Phenomenon; Lopezhouse Apollo

reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

This is a novel idea from John Digweed’s Bedrock label. The Quattro project presents four new albums from Bedrock artists, put together in typically chic packaging. The four producers in question range from the new to the experienced, namely Quivver, Captain Mustache, Lopezhouse and Satoshi Fumi.

The care and attention to detail with the release gives it a prestigious air, but also shows the depth of investment Bedrock are prepared to make in their artist roster.

What’s the music like?

There is a wealth of electronic music goodness here.

First up is Quivver’s Revelate album, released separately in November and given a bright green light on this very site. As Arcana said at the time, the structure of John Graham’s album is impeccably cast and tells its own story, acting like a DJ mix. There is a really rewarding mix of deep, warm house tracks but also those laced with a bit of attitude, all geared squarely towards the dancefloor.

Altered and Funkfly are two great examples of just how strong Quivver’s groove can be, while Crystals offers enticing warmth. What really impresses though is Graham’s mastery of his tools, never using too many or too few notes, and generating impressive momentum through his rhythm tracks.

The music of Satoshi Fumi offers the ideal contrast, generally operating at a slower tempo. There are some lovely, warm soundscapes here, proving well suited for a poolside session but also more immersive home listening. That’s because Fumi’s compositions have rich, melodic layers, such as the cellos in A Ray Of Sunlight, or the warm pads used in Dawn And The Moon. Star Gazer is appropriately awestruck as it heads outside with busy pianos and heady strings, while Bamboo Forest presents an intimate set of loops. Fumi has great control over his music at all times, but that doesn’t stop him from expanding his thoughts on occasion, using music made by instinct as well as process. His works are descriptive too – Out To Sea and Air Castle paint vivid pictures as their loops unfold.

Contrast this with the work of Lopezhouse, the Spanish duo adding darker colours to their work in a very effective set of brooding instrumentals. Apollo is a fine debut after 3 EP releases, sporting some dark and tense numbers in Clouds and Soyuz II, while Burning gets just the right balance between poolside chill and a gritty, urban undercurrent. Love On A Spacecraft goes widescreen with pulsing electronics and big boned drums, while the title track is slightly dreamy. Someday, meanwhile, is prime end credits material.

The tempo increases again for Captain Mustache, whose Indigo Memories album gives the double benefit of sounding like home-produced techno while producing grooves destined for a far bigger room. Bleu Ciel, previously released on Bedrock, gets the album off to a pulsating start, sounds flitting above an electro beat that could be imported from the 1990s. Catch Me has a cinematic air, and Andromeda works up a head of steam, while Paola proves to be a compelling electro / techno loop fest.  Midnight Man is a great futuristic track with a touch of Jean-Michel Jarre about it, while Shapes & Oddity also reaches back into the vaults to create a Tron-style thriller.

Does it all work?

It does. Each of the albums will stand well on their own, but given as part of a package they complement each other extremely well. Although John Digweed might not have contributed a musical note here, his influence runs through each of the releases, as you could expect any of these tracks to crop up in a DJ mix under his guidance.

By that you will gather production standards are high, each track is impeccably structured, and the attention to detail is reflected in the artwork adorning this handsome box. There is an album for each mood, too – Quivver and Captain Mustache tending towards moments of dancefloor-based hedonism, Lopezhouse getting the moody end of day lead up to the big night, and Satoshi Fumi floating between the start and the end of the night.

Is it recommended?

With great enthusiasm. Quattro feels like a bit of an indulgence on the part of the buyer, but in the best possible way as this is a labour of love from Digweed’s label. If you plump for the physical version the rewards are many, since not only do you get the music but you get the clever, minimalistic packaging. For those of a certain age – yours truly, for instance, who bought the package just before Christmas – this middle-aged electronica fan means something, at least!

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You can buy the Quattro CD set from the Bedrock shop here

 

 

Switched On – Bonobo: Fragments (Ninja Tune)

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reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Perhaps surprisingly, this is the first album from Bonobo in five years. Simon Green – whose pseudonym this is – describes his new record as the most emotionally intense record that he has ever had to make. As with previous releases he takes a number of guest vocalists with him on the journey, dovetailing those tracks with instrumentals.

What’s the music like?

Familiar. If you have heard Bonobo’s music before, the manner of its construction on Fragments will tick a number of boxes. Beautifully orchestrated, the instrumentals work well with the broken beats that Green employs, which have more power and depth this time.

The vocal guests complement his sensitive work with some meaningful lyrics. There are strong contributions from Joji, Kadhja Bonet, Jamila Woods and O’Flynn, but pick of the turns is from Jordan Rakei, who lends a powerful tug to the heartstrings on Shadows.

The thicker set grooves may be welcome, but does the familiarity of Bonobo’s sound breed contempt? Certainly the chopped up vocals on Age Of Phase feel familiar, very much a continuation of what Bonobo does best. Rosewood is also a characteristically moody instrumental with vocal snippets, though Otomo is more acidic, dropping a heavy set beat. On the calmer side the shuffling beats of the comforting Closer work well, while the silvery strings to close out Tides are reminiscent of Ravel. Elysian also has alluring strings, especially when teamed with a harp.

Does it all work?

It does, but the feeling persists that this is music we have heard before – and possibly in more meaningful colours. In spite of the emotion invested by Green the music does feel grey at times. That may seem harsh on Bonobo, for the music is beautifully constructed and executed, but it is more than a little downbeat in a way we have experienced before.

Is it recommended?

It is for Bonobo devotees, as there are some good moments here – and especially the Jordan Rakei contribution – but for those new to his sound an album from earlier in his output, such as Black Sands, is arguably the best place to start.

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Switched On – FMS-80: Lifestyle 02 (Rednetic)

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reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

FMS-80 is one of the pseudonyms used by Joseph Auer. It is shorthand for FM Synthesis 1980, and is influenced by the Yamaha DX FM compositions of that time – and especially those made by a number of Japanese producers in their environmental tracks.

Auer offers a nine-track album as the second in the Lifestyle series, released on his co-founded label Rednetic. The artwork and musical language suggest a close kinship with the music of the Far East, so expectations are high for a production as clean and invigorating as suggested by the cover.

What’s the music like?

Richly rewarding. Auer spends much of his time on this album in the treble range, exploring brightly coloured textures and a wide range of timbres. Many of these explorations use consonant harmonies, bathing the listener in a warm glow, but there is always an edge to the ambience that stops it from becoming too comfortable.

Beidaihe Loop, for instance, is scored for a body of metallic, percussive sounds, its effect like a peal of bells. By contrast later tracks on the album have more white noise and scattered beats, with Changgo House behaving like an active radiation counter and Swedish Container adding white noise to the picture.

Esplanade View is a warm-hearted gem, softening the timbres and creating a rich pool of sound, beautifully realised as a track to dive into at high volume. Housing Development has a glitchy texture but pans out quite a way, its effect akin to silvery droplets landing on a windscreen. Engawa Pergola paints a watery picture, while Sentul East Atrium offers a rather beautiful open vista and another bright view for the headphone-based listener.

Does it all work?

It does, and Auer knits together the different shades and moods in a rather seamless patchwork of ideas. The titles and music are borne of the far East but travel well.

Is it recommended?

Enthusiastically. The Rednetic label is hitting its stride as a positive force to be reckoned with in electronic music, and this is another feather in their cap.

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Switched On – preston.outatime: Mirror Radius (Subexotic Records)

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reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Brighton-based producer Preston Parris has been making music since the early 2000s, and this is his third long player under the preston.outatime moniker. Mirror Radius explores the theme of being lost but from a positive viewpoint, giving rise to opportunities for discovery within the natural world.

What’s the music like?

Mirror Radius is one of those albums immediately transporting the listener from their starting position to another world. Describing the album from start to finish, Permafrost begins as the track responsible for this transportation, its icy piano tendrils extending beyond the other treble lines, with a reassuring bass pulsing away underneath. All the while in between there is the constant spray of water, more balm to the listener’s ear:

Focusing Out pans even further towards the horizon, its thick ambience surrounding the headphone listener, though this is gradually cut up into a glitchy series of fragments. Postshadowing shows Parris’ ability to find original sounds and textures, with a glinting edge to the texture suggesting wintry sunshine reflected on metal. Mirror Radius forms the central point of the album, looking forward and back with a loop suggesting steel pans and recalling some of the best Plaid material.

The busy beats of this track segue into the immensely calming Antechamber, another watery experience of cool, rippling textures, before Slitscan paints a more distracted and mysterious set of images, distorting the light and pushing slow, irregular beats into the mix. Cut The Knot is a moody beauty, its probing lines underpinned by a solid, concrete rhythm track. Finally Backmask, a bonus, shimmers in the half light, the cold textures having returned.

Does it all work?

Yes. There is an abundance of ideas in this music, some of it drawn from the Replanar album of 2020, but everything here sounds very instinctive under Parris’s guidance. The combination of ambience and foreground material is finely judged.

Is it recommended?

It is – another excellent addition to preston.outatime’s increasingly substantial body of work, which finds consistently original timbres and vistas. There is much to enjoy here.

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Switched On – Hounah: Broken Land (Feines Tier)

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reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Daniel Nitsch is an extremely versatile electronic artist who has been making music for more than 20 years. Hounah is his most recent pseudonym, and he is using it to express innermost feelings and thoughts about the world today. Covering subjects such as racism and gentrification, he moves fluidly between a series of different styles, mostly slow in tempo, with the help of a band comprising pianist Johann Blanchard, singer Lena Schmidt and guitarist Marten Pankow.

What’s the music like?

Both thoughtful and thought provoking, Hounah’s musical style is downbeat but diverse too. After an atmospheric instrumental beginning from Reflections, the meditative Fairbanks has an intimate vocal from Schmidt and a production panning out in between the words.

The Robbery has a sort of smokiness you would expect from Massive Attack, creating a late night vista, but also uses a cautionary musical language. That feeling is swept up by A.F.R.O., who entreats ‘my people please rise up’ at the heart of Revolution. He appears again later on with Laid Back Misery, which ironically is a faster track with an urgency to the beats.

Sorrow is very slow, and a bit stately, as is Through The Rain – but this intriguing track feels like an improvisation on a thought, using some musical language that could be loosely appropriated with jazz. From Norton Bay is a thoughtful closing track, almost absent minded in its guitar strumming but with a spoken word vocal.

The interludes are thought-provoking, too – especially Cash For Your Home with its muse on gentrification.

Does it all work?

Yes, largely. On occasion the music of Hounah can feel too preoccupied with itself, weighed down by the surroundings, but more often than not it emerges with resilience and poise.

Is it recommended?

It is. Nitsch is a writer who gets to the heart, and this atmospheric album has a lot of emotional depth to go with it.

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