I wrote about Electricwest's limited edition CD, Together We Fade, about a month ago, and he has already followed it up with this release on the netlabel Archaic Horizons, a full-length release that pairs each of its seven new tracks with at least one remix.
This release continues Electricwest's languid journey through a hazy, melancholy landscape of instrumental electronic music. Many of his originals persist at the intersection of light ambience, slow, downtempo grooves and detail-oriented, fussy programming, all tying into his over-arching vision for something sedate, beautiful and occasionally tragic. The best original example of this here is "Before You Know I'm Gone," whose title alone suggests a certain amount of regret and/or reticence. The music reflects this achingly, with a repetitive musical phrase anchored by skittering percussion and a slow and steady drum track. It's complemented well by Milieu's reworking, which introduces a more pronounced melodic layer and a more crisp, streamlined drum track. It's probably the most typical "IDM" piece to be found herein, but it's gorgeous, both clean and clear as well as a bit "off" in some of the detuned chords that support the melody. "Because of You" is comparable to "Before You Know..." in its patient tempo and crisp break, with a warbly synth roaming overhead, but I actually prefer the remix by Celer, which removes the rhythm track altogether and consists primarily of decaying, slow synth pads. This dichotomy occurs yet again with "Hello Stranger," a nice downtempo track characterized by skittering details and a delicate melodic phrase, whose remix strips away the beats and is highly textural with the use of manipulated vocal samples and drones.
My personal favorites are the original and remix of "Where'd You Go?" Completely beatless, the original starts off with a faint drone, building into a fog that suggests momentum but never really lifts off. But the David Tagg remix is really something; his "Mall Security Mix" amps up the tension while increasing the haze, making it feel like an overpowered field recording of incidental sound, much like that constant lull that accompanies a far-off lawn mower or a heavy-duty vacuum that's 3 floors up.
As an album it's an interesting split, starting off with the originals which are quite nice, and then moving through the remixes which begin more typically as reworkings with new drum tracks, added melodies, etc, but then begin to mutate into something far more surreal and other. In this way, the album flows very well despite not being all original material, and it's an impressive exercise in track ordering since disjointedness can often be the downfall of a remix collection (let alone when remixes are adjacent to originals).
It's another handsome entry in the repertoire of Electricwest, and I for one am delighted that he's made this available for free.
download it here
more information: Myspace | Archaic Horizon
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