South African artist Gonubie’s debut album, Signals At Both Ears, is designed to create a comforting feeling of “home”. Constructed by carefully layering gentle, organic sounds. Starting soft and low, with slow, ceremonial percussion and buzzing drones, Sei opens the set like a less metallic take on Craig Leon’s Nommos. Cuvier’s floats fluttering chords, and bright, pretty chimes, over a tide-like lapping rhythm. Minke moves to a sleepy, but playful marimba melody. The serene Baiji Returns is a highlight. Its elements blissfully blinking, with a techno tap, tap, tap way down in there, echoing John Beltran’s classic Ten Days Of Blue. Totally romantic, and subtly spirit-lifting. 

The collection is a cool, calming way to begin the day. Mellow rather than mediative. A soothing soak, a wash, rather than a deep listening dive. Bucolic BGM. A musical morning massage. However, gradually, track by track, these sonic structures of synthetic sighs, drones, and swells, tender textures, draw you further and further in. The compositions becoming both longer and more complex. The eleven-minute Blue Emperor is another highlight. Muffled and muted, its aquatic, aquarium ambience conjures images of carousing a colourful coral reef. Hyphae adds harp-like strings to the hang drum-like harmonics. Nymph seems to have been generated on a glass glockenspiel. Giving off crystalline cascades, and giddy glissandos. Recalling Inoyamaland’s wonderful, ringing, Apple Star. The repeating, rippling, overlapping rounds raising a delicate dance. Like beatific, beatless techno or trance. 

Gonubie’s Signals At Both Ears is out now, care of Metron. Profits from physical sales will be donated to the NPO, Bridges For Music.