The Cracks #6
Recent releases to check out from Yanling, Happiness, Afterlife, Jill Fraser, WAASS and Samuel Rohrer
Yanling - Cymatic
Although Yanling has produced a number of Ambient mixes for radio over the last few years, the Hong Kong native's background has seen her explore Techno and Bass and everything in-between, which makes this debut album all the more pleasantly surprising. With its cinematic sweep, Cymatic riffs on the concept of there being a visible response to a sonic vibratory movement (think of a throbbing subwoofer). Yanling searches for something elusive and intangible by using these frequencies that our ears interpret as sound. With strings, synths and vocals, all treated electronically and in euphonic harmony, the result is at once breathtaking and colossal.
Happiness - Happiness
On Happiness, their self-titled debut album, Anders Fridén and Jerker Josefsson create a world of subtle but persistent tension. It's like a soundtrack to a TV drama with its vast eerie drones and cut-up vocals snippets. Reminds me of clocolan's Empathy Alpha.
Afterlife - Timelines 2
Afterlife is Steve Miller, and Timelines 2 is the sequel to his 2023 long player. Miller is a veteran of the Balearic scene but don't be put off by his inclusion on Café del Mar and Ministry of Sound compilations or his production work for artists like Sinead O’Connor and Lana Del Rey, this gentle music, like a cross between Aleksi Perälä, Wave Temples and Iguana Moonlight, is a deeply pleasant balm. (Don't ask me why this album is not on Bandcamp yet.)
Jill Fraser - Earthly Pleasures
Jill Fraser, who has spent a large part of her career making music for films, TV and adverts, has produced an album of revival hymns, recomposed with a mix of hardware and software (specifically a 1978 Serge Modular, a Prism Modular and Ableton Push 3). Earthly Pleasures brings us eight tracks that offer a fluent meditation upon mortality and rebirth amid numinous infinities of dimensional sound
. The sound is spooky, angelic, euphoric and ethereal.
Waass - We Are All Small and Stupid
This music feels vital and fresh with its punchy drum programming and distorted vocal treatments. The French duo rattle through six unconventional tracks dipping into Breakbeat, UKG and various elements of IDM. It's loud and invigorating.
Samuel Rohrer - Music For Lovers
On Samuel Rohrer's Discogs page, it says the Swiss Jazz drummer has been releasing music for over two decades. I was aware of his work as ambiq (with Max Loderbauer and Claudio Puntin) but it turns out he's a prolific collaborator. In contrast, Music for Lovers is a new solo album in which he plays the majority of the instruments himself. It took a few listens to click but when the drums kick in on Schizophonia, new vistas slowly open. While the instrumentals can be abstract and experimental, the blend of throbbing bass, subtle synths and live drums lend an air of the contemporary. My fav track is The Gift where Nils Petter Molvaer's soothing trumpet balances Rohrer's ruffling rhythms.