Mornings are my favorite time of day. Especially the part right before the sun rises, and everything seems to exist in a suspended state of calm, serene bliss, like something out of a painting. Lucid, surreal, and infinitely amazing. And then the sun peaks over the horizon, and everything is bathed with the warming, welcoming glow of the morning light. Here are a few late-night/early-morning burners to either put you in the mood or bring you back into reality...
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This first cut is Superpitcher's Kompakt Remix of Dntel's "(This is) The Dream of Evan and Chan". Ben Gibbard's vocals roll smoothly along the undulating, rippling pads that glide effortlessly over the mild, yet stout kick and rumbling bass. Glistening keys echo and breathe life into the track, giving the track an ambient house feel with a hint of pop sensibilities and techno goodness. Dntel, additionally, is Jimmy Tamborello, or one half of The Postal Service. This track is meant to float, glide, caress, smooth out, nurture, and lull to sleep. It does all of these, using melody and harmony to its advantage over an intricate, buttery-smooth array of layered pads and synths. Majestic and serene, if anything.
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This next track is a little more out there...James Holden's eclectic remix of Nathan Fake's "The Sky Was Pink" ranks up there as not only an amazing track, but one that does many, many different things. Techno rhythms fused effortlessly and idiosyncratically with humming, winding pads and glassy, quivering synths. The drums work wonders here, equally rhythmic and catchy, presenting an interesting and in-your-face backdrop to a shuffling, rippling monster of a remix. Honestly, I cannot easily classify this track. The rhythms are clearly techno, but the use of synths and additional sound effects led it more towards tech house, while the spacey, gnarling pads lend this to ambient house...Holden's remix has its hands in many different baskets, but its the better for it. The cut never tires, finding new ways to crawl out of the rut of any one schtick, bringing fervor and energy while never straying too far from the main riff and drum pattern. Too many words can be used to describe this track, so I'll select my favorite: epic. A must-listen.
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This final record is one of my favorites, but it really isn't meant for morning...it's meant to signal the beginning of a very, very late night. Audion is the alias of American techno producer/DJ Matthew Dear, and under this guise he produces some of the most visceral, skeletal, hedonistic techno I have ever heard. On "Mouth to Mouth," Dear winds a squelching, snaking synth line under a blanket of hi-hats and blisteringly writhing pads, before laying down an extremely catchy, bare-bones drum pattern that, as simple as it is, perfectly compliments the lonely synth riff, and as the second synth winds itself up, the thunderous clap drops, and the rhythm section finally comes full circle, wrapping itself forevermore around the potent two-note synth line. Almost tribal by this point, the sound wraps, writhes, wriggles, bends, stretches, and titters on the brink of insanity before coming back into the confines of reality and bringing it home one more time with the kicks a kickin', At nearly 13 minutes, this track definitely takes patience, but for the lack of diversity and musicality of this cut, the rhythm, effects, sounds, and elements add up to make a minimal epic, a journey of sonic density and skeletal catharsis that drives the listener to the edge and back multiple times as the sound coils itself around them and refuses to let go. Minimal techno at its most basic and most powerful.
That is it for me. Sorry for the lack of posting lately, but I'm starting to get back into the swing of things! ANother post should be coming this week. Goodnight all. -NL
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