seven

this somatic responses album is a continuation of ideas presented in recent three-four releases by healey brothers. the emphasize is not on perfectly isolated, heavy percussion and instantly appealing strings, instead the listened is treated with complex, heavily layered mass where percussion is not nearly as prominent, overlaid with tweaked frequencies, small noises and muddied string lines. come to think of it, we have more and more percussion layers than ever before, and at times it even adopts idm qualities, assuming non-linear, broken patterns, twisting and swirling around, occasionally fading out into vibrating static.

to be honest, I often do miss the straightforward, simpler sound of earlier albums, but of course, having the luxury of (almost) complete back catalogue of somatic responses, I can always go back and listen to any style the duo has ever tried out.

come to think of it, this album is a lot more of a “listening” music, due to the breaks and sudden twists in the composition and quite unusual use of percussion that sometimes seems to be carried away, similar to breakbeat science of idm genre. a few tracks still feature strong prominent beats, but at the same time they are richer and a lot more “complex,” maybe sacrificing some aggressiveness or emotions, but making up for it with sophisticated “maturity.”

two mixes of “accidental happiness” deserve a special mention. codec puts out a strangely addictive mix of almost electro tunes and more “commercial” traditional drum&bass – somehow this combination reminds me of some xyn material – same well-shaped, round, smooth percussion, heavy basslines, intelligent composition. and finally dryft closes this cd with absolutely breathtaking remix of the title song. it is quiet, almost minimal and leans a lot closer to melodic idm of “trace” by gridlock. small crunchy beats, beautiful strings, and meaningful pauses; this track should easily capture anyone remotely related to idm, and definitely take by surprise anyone familiar with dryft.

altogether, this is the release that would require some quality headphones and proper mindset. at the same time dedicated fans of the band will recognize and appreciate the unusual use of many familiar somatic responses themes. as of late I have gone back to “classic” drum&bass and techstep, and it is nice to see how the genre can evolve, escaping formulaic sound devices along the way.