This was the next musical surprise of the month. Second Circle making a significant move away from the dance floor. Having established a definite aural aesthetic with a series of 12s by the likes of Androo, Benedek, Dazion, DJ Normal 4, DK, Montezumas Rache, and Tornado Wallace, they’ve taken a break from the electric tribalism. The Acidic Electro, alien distress signals, and analogue machine Funk, the digital voodoo, Sci-Fi keys and silicon circuits chirruping like steely, robotic cicadas, these “escapist Rave fantasies” instead replaced by Yu Su. The Vancouver-based artist having already demonstrated her unique, chilled abstractions and mutations of classic Deep House tropes, with releases on Wichelroede and Peoples Potential Unlimited. Sighing and sensual, her E.P. for Arcane is particularly outstanding. On Roll With The Punches for Second Circle, the House has pretty much vaporized, leaving only an Ambient footprint. A Techno flutter, full of light and air, adorned by sampled streams, whistling SFX, zheng and guzheng tones. Kind of putting a spin on Sakamoto`s pioneering Exhibition. There are also sonic similarities with the emissions of fellow Vancouver dwellers Mood Hut, and Mood Hut family members Pender Street Steppers guest on the E.P. Carefully plucking guitar, and gating synth sequences, between the minimal piano and slowly building machine and hand percussion on Tipu`s Tiger. Rhythms are loops, aquatic bubbles, backing idiophone ripples. Vocals are heavily processed. Melody, a song of echoed droplets. Words Without Sound put me in mind of Craig Leon`s The Gates Made Plain. `Cept with room-shaking bass. 

You can order a copy directly here. 

Reference Links

Arcane

Exhibition

Mood Hut