Modularfield
Modularfield‘s continued campaign to highlight low-key experimental electronic music from around Europe has settled on Cologne, and particularly the latest album from Marco Petracca AKA HHNOI. Once again lavishly packaged on cassette, Kallocain is an interesting and varied listen. Side one of the cassette takes the form of six separate tracks, whereas the second side tends towards the sprawling single track, taking lots of twists and turns and different styles in its journey.
Opener “Clocks Run, Time Doesn’t” starts off with a repeated tone generator setting up a pulse for the base of the track, and there is a sheen to it that feels like the glow of sodium lights. It is edgy with a touch of darkness that gradually reduces as an arpeggiated guitar effect is introduced to offset the vibe. A
lovely repetitive structure develops, and eventually the darkness dissipates and leads to a cool motorik ending. The beats are much more awkward on the title track: they move strangely and when they are joined by a keyboard line, that travels along a similar path. The dulcimer effect is a nice juxtaposition against the stolid, unwavering rhythm and lends a pleasant oriental feel to the track.
Things almost become danceable on the shuffling sci-fi of “Spilt Milk” and take a poignant turn for the melancholy on the lovely “They Ate The Clouds”. Throwing
beats over the top of some obscure electronic voices sees the side out in a satisfying way that prepares the ground for the twenty-two-minute collage “Fragments, Fields And Frequencies” (exclusive to the cassette edition) and to be honest, it pretty much does as it says. Over the course of that time, we feel as though we are being chased through ’80s movie streets. Vocal assistance is lent by
Slim Spitta, who raps in a similar vein to
Nosaj from
New Kingdom in one section, and from
Nina Storey, who has a sweet little soul voice and croons over one of the more gentle sections which is underscored by piano and violin. It drifts from the satisfyingly insistent to waves of space-junk noise, but doesn’t fail to retain your attention.
There is a lot going on here, but there is a lot to commend it — and if you are looking for something electronic that doesn’t fit into the obvious pigeonhole, Kallocain could be the thing for you.
-Mr Olivetti-
Modularfield‘s continued campaign to highlight low-key experimental electronic music from around Europe has settled on Cologne, and particularly the latest album from Marco Petracca AKA HHNOI. Once again lavishly packaged on cassette, Kallocain is an interesting and varied listen. Side one of the cassette takes the form of six separate tracks, whereas the second side tends towards the sprawling single track, taking lots of twists and turns and different styles in its journey.
