"You Are What You Hear"
(Electric Underground)
eight / ten
|
|
KEVIN BLAKE "You Are What You Hear" (Electric Underground)
eight / ten |
This isn't one of those 'Limerick -boy-does-good' reviews. You know the type, where the artist scores a raving review for no other reason other than the fact he's 'local'. Nope - all the praise Kevin Blake gets, he's earned fair and square.
As the main organiser of Cork's indefatigable Electric Underground nights, Kev has delivered an incredibly diverse line-up of electronic artists to the city over the last two years, including the likes of Boxcutter, Luke Vibert and Bonobo. All that time spent rubbing shoulders with the big-shots and high-rollers means he's picked up a trick or two when it comes to whacking together an electronic ditty, and this EP sure sounds a lot more seasoned and mature than the work of a 22 year old music student.
You Are What You Hear explores all that is fresh in electronica at the moment, borrowing elements of glitch, minimal and dubstep and compounding them together in a way that's uniquely respectful and progressive. Every track is devoted a large chunk of both pace and time, allowing the music plenty of room to present its eventual sculpture.
'Adventures in Subspace' and 'Old Ships Lament' sidestep the usual intense low-frequency staggerings now inherent in dubstep, instead placing greater emphasis on the interaction of the numerous melodies involved. Its harpsichords aplenty on stand-out track 'Lost at Sea', with the late introduction of the drums providing a sweet underlying stability to the intricate pizzicato arrangement.
Blake's composition skills are definitely in check; his selection of electronic orchestration and sequencing often hinting at the work of Orbital back in their days of being Gods. The only potential criticism of the album is that one or two tracks tend to go on a little too long, but sure, the same could be said of my reviews. For a debut release on a brand new label, it makes a great statement of intent from the outset.
John Lillis
www.myspace.com/kevinblake
.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................