nocturnal emanations for an interstellar weigh station. peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)
If you find yourself drifting between the stars, then Ylem - by Roman Wolfe on 905 Tapes - will guide you to the space sanctuary. Certainly, this is music for the sonic seeker. Prior to setting my mind alight with these mysterious, highly alluring tracks, I was intrigued by the accompanying photo. The image is of a woman in ceremonial attire accepting the hand of another person. Meanwhile, a masked person in a uniform, and what appears to be an eye, lurk in the background. Fourth amendment vibes are diffused throughout this nebulous environment, comprised of copious layers of mysterious, futuristic sounding synth.
The A side starts with contiguous layers of synth, one of which is mysterious, yet beautiful in a Popol Vuh kind of way; the other part contains pulsating tones. Various transmissions manifest from the periphery, until ritualistic, reverberating tones move to the fore. However, soon the listener enters a brooding zone of pernicious sounds and submerged, scrambled vocals. I really dig the arrangement of sound. The flip literally feels like the other side, as it has a different character from its sonic mate. Ominous, buzzing synth climbs the celestial staircase, glistening in the light of nearby stars. Light, incipient beats join the eerie vibrations, which almost immediately coalesce with glowing waves of energetic synth - a wild synth jam!
Ylem is apparently the second release from this wonderful artist, for whom there is a dearth of information. Do not allow the absence of a soundclip to dissuade you from investigating and purchasing this fine tape. The Discriminate page allows you to sample the goods - secure you copy through either 905 or Discriminate!
peace and love, friends :)