Canadian digital media artist and composer Myke Dean, aka Wiklow, wraps up an eventful 2019 with a pensive yet purposeful EP entitled ‘Bloom’ out now on Montreal’s eclectic UNLOG imprint. Serving as the culmination of years of audio research alongside his visual collaborators Diagraf and Push 1 stop, ‘Bloom’ serves as a contemporary reduction of sorts to Wiklow’s sound of fragmented instrumentation and high tech sound design.
The EP opens with the deceivingly subdued ambiance of ‘Less than a Ghost More than a Shade’. Yet it shouldn’t take long for the casual observer to realize that all is not cherry blossoms and plum trees as more dissonant notes take over plunging the listener into an icy cold bath of pitched delays and subterranean spurts of noise.
The EP appropriately opens up into a subsequent number of idm infused, highly detailed electronic excursions highlighting Wiklow’s attention to detail and keen ear to atmosphere. Before sending the listener off into hyperspace, a final and lasting impression is downloaded with ‘Do Not Shiver in my Memory’. The parting track leaves us with a feeling of interstellar nostalgia and perhaps even utter defeat, yet somewhere in between the rolling percussion and sawtooth waveforms there lies some sort of resilient emotional expression which might even resemble hope.
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Quebec city's Gramofaune blends the electronic and acoustic in new album 'Fear Not'
Gramofaune is the project of Gabriel Gagné, a musician and producer based in Quebec City. Originally a classical guitarist, it wasn’t until Gabriel heard artists like Bonobo and Four Tet that he started experimenting with more electronic soundscapes. His compositions are characterized by their diverse sound design palette ; melding acoustic and electronic elements to form deeply moving emotive collages.
His new album ‘Fear Not’ is a smattering of finely tuned electronic environments to lose yourself in. 10 tracks of tastefully prepared landscapes rich in micro percussion, voltage charged melodies, and the occasional acoustic expression. The album is a definite start-to-finish listen that offers up a new sonic treasure around each twist and turn. Featuring a number of musical guests such as: Étienne Masson (drums on "Trails") Philippe Gagné (handpan on "Grande Faune") Pascal Ouellet (dulcimer on "For Pascal") and La Renarde (voice on "Entanglement") - these collaborations add another dimension to an already stellar album.
Support ‘Fear Not’ on Bandcamp or stream it on Spotify
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