A few weeks ago we heard the first new music from veteran producer Datach’i in a few years, announcing to the world his return with an upcoming LP entitled ‘Bones,’ releasing the 26th July 2019 on Planet Mu sublabel Timesig. As mentioned in that review, Datach’i’s approach to this album was unlike any other in his now-sizable ouvre. With the recent passing of his father, he channelled thoughts and feelings into Bones that only significant disruptions such as this can bring.

Electronic music is almost intrinsically linked to repetition, to loops, to cycles. A form in which time bends back on itself, creating moments with no predetermined end. Datach’i employs this principle masterfully when he operates his custom-designed modular system, but in the context of this particular album, the producer born Joseph Fraioli reflects deeply on how this manifests in life: “It was something very much on my mind throughout recording this album, ends being beginnings and beginnings being the end. Cycles of time and how time works, it's all reflected throughout the album right down to how the tracks are ordered."

In particular, the opening track on Bones which we get to preview today, unmistakably captures how electronic music can reflect life in this cyclic manner. It’s a rhythmically mesmerizing start, intentionally obscuring the structure of various modulations to capture a feeling of perpetual movement. Fittingly, the track is titled ‘Akemies’, likely after Akemie’s Castle, a beautifully classic sounding FM synth module that propels the frantic synthetic percussion and kicks the album off with a bang.

Stream it above right now, and hop over to Datach’i’s bandcamp to pre-order the full album.

— review by autonomy

Keep up with Datach’i
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Hear more from Timesig/Planet Mu
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Longtime electronic producer Datach’i has a new album coming titled ‘Bones’, and while new music by great producers is usually cause for celebration, for Datach’i, it is a sombre moment. The album is a deeply personal reflection, made during the producer’s father’s battle with cancer and recent passing. The album releases 26th July 2019 on Planet Mu subsidiary label Timesig, but today we get to hear the 4th track from the album, ‘Rockledge 3A.’

You may think that writing music during such a difficult moment in life would produce decidedly darkly coloured music, but Datach’i shows us that there are other ways to process death. The intimacy of Rockledge 3A is readily apparent; however, it is also surprisingly upbeat. Synthetic polyrhythms abound, and warm, analog chords create an all-encompassing optimism, perhaps channeling an appreciation for what once was, rather than dwelling on what is no longer. Like Datach’i’s last album, ‘System,’ Bones was written, sequenced, and produced entirely within his custom-built modular system. Typically, modular-based music tends to lean on the side of dense and technical, but Datach’i’s musical touch instead imbues Bones with an emotionally rich palette. Clearly, he would rather prioritize sensitivity and intuitive appeal over rugged complexity, and it makes for a wonderfully listenable introduction to the album, despite, or perhaps in common cause of, the heaviness of its subject matter.

You can stream Rockledge 3A above, and if you like it, be sure to pre-order Bones via bandcamp for access to limited edition bonus materials, including the chance to win a TipTop Audio 'One' Modular sampler.

— review by autonomy

Keep up with Datach’i
Website
Bandcamp
Instagram

Hear more from Timesig/Planet Mu
Website
Spotify
Soundcloud