- Knives is a new label from Joe Shakespeare of Berlin's Motto Books and producer Kuedo, and Ecologies is its debut release. The producer is J. G. Biberkopf, a promising new figure in the world of collagistic club-referencing music populated by the likes of Fade To Mind and Janus. Biberkopf has described his music as "audio theatre," and you can see what he means: on his debut EP he seems less interested in conventional notions of musical progression than in creating narrative in other ways. As with M.E.S.H., his tracks sometimes sound like the incidental music for a Hollywood film (with the foley left in). The episodic "Air. Coltan. Carbon. Lithium." opens with the sounds of a mundane cityscape, before ominous drones and a snatch of synth melody take over. The brief "Black Soil," with yet more drone punctured by reverbed concussions, is heavy with horror movie portent.
Ecologies sets out to explore "the representations of nature that emerge from the digital-social media scape," and elsewhere this intent is (slightly) more detectable. Tracks like "Spirit," "Waters" and gorgeous closer "Weakness," with their ambrosial pads and processed choirs, recall evocations of the sublime in popular culture—just as Joe Hamilton's sleeve art reworks a lush natural landscape into a disorientating digital collage. It's easy to see why these moments caught Kuedo's ear; they're epic and heartfelt in the manner of his influential Severant. But they're not quite enough to carry the EP.
Just two of Ecologies' six tracks make heavy use of percussion, and without a rhythmic backbone, Biberkopf's rather static structures can struggle to hold the attention. Only penultimate track "Age Of Aquarius" finds the sweet spot. Its celestial synths are propelled by a taut halftime/doubletime beat reminiscent of contemporary drum & bass. When the track explodes in a barrage of eardrum-lacerating hi-hats, it feels like Biberkopf's meticulous arrangements are finally playing dividends.
トラックリストA1 Air. Coltan. Carbon. Lithium.
A2 Waters
A3 Spirit
B1 Black Soil
B2 Age Of Aquarius
B3 Weakness