Based in Cardiff, Paul, producing
this release as Dementio13, cites
influences as disparate as Aphex Twin,
Neu!, Delia Derbyshire, Arthur
Baker and The BBC Radiophonic
Workshop. Each one of these voices however can be heard throughout his
latest release “Last Test”. The opening groove of “A Beat Called Don” will have
any Krautrock devotee who has even a passing acquaintance with Neu!, salivating with joy, whilst “Pemberton
Colliery”, through a series of tones and electronic textures, takes the
listener on a journey through the history of electronic music over the past
fifty years. Delicate keyboard textures and drones inform “Pen Y Fan” evoking not
only the composer’s interpretation of that specific location but the spirit of
ambient music in general. Eight minutes of “Really Far Away” are swept along
with the momentum of mesmerising pulses and dark, yet not unfriendly, washes of
sound. Again the characteristic “Apache Beat” or “motorik” groove underpins the
ride and carries the willing participant across a vista of sound including abrasive
electronic shards and a seemingly wordless female voice drifting soulfully
through the mix.
Almost dreamlike yet delerious vocals
bubbling gently underneath the music are a distinguishing feature of “Cycle
Energy”, whilst “This Is My Mid Life Crisis and You’re listening To It” is
playfully simple, yet deeply evocative of a life once led. “Zenit” may please
the listener, who remembers and appreciates the 8-bit technology reminiscent of
1970/1980’s computer game music. The influence of characters such as Aphex Twin may be felt on pieces such
as “Fruitfly”, “Bonnie Dog” and “Last Test” which oscillate wildly between
abrasive electronic noise and solid driving rhythm with confidence, whilst aficionados
of The BBC Workshop and John Baker may recognise the composers acknowledgment
to those artists and the electronic composers of the 1980’s possibly some of
the early work by The Human League. Some
of the passages here would not appear out of place as incidental or soundtrack
music to a dystopian vision of the future. There are moments when one almost
feels they are listening to the sound of a fax machine or out of date modem
being manipulated into the productions. The geometric cover art to this release
goes some way to reinforce this aesthetic.
“Last Test” closes with “Version 3”
which in some ways blends all of the previous influences into one cohesive
piece whilst at the same time displaying an almost “hauntological” admiration for
music of an innocent time gone by. The contrasting music that collectively
makes up this latest release from Dementio13
is in no way fractured, indeed “Last Test” is a cohesive work that acknowledges
the music that has gone before, and uses that history to create something at
once respectful and inspirational.
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