Danseizure-- This is Danseizure

At once energetic, ambient, and brimming with both field recordings and original sounds, the appeal of Danseizure's LP "This is Danseizure" lies in his ability to grasp the ephemeral, detailed mystery of countless moments, all in the span of ten tracks. 

Opening with a riotous cacophony of birds over a stunningly euphonic drone, first track "Naturlike" emanates from a deeply rustic and calamitous but calming place, and there's a fecund, joyous simplicity in the shimmery tones that dapple above the woody percussion. 

Track two, "Satellite Dish Crumbling Wall" shares some common threads with the first track, but tackles a far different soundscape. Turbulent, resonant, and restive, the piece relies on a rolling beat, a clipped, boxy bass, and simmering little high notes that soundtrack the juxtaposition and uncomfortableness of the urban experience. 

Third track "Blue Sunshine" veers away from its more pensive predecessors and boasts a danceable, clubby beat. Peppery handclaps and a winsome synth pulse with a bold fluidity. By adding forested textures upon textures, the track manages to make a listener feel at once relaxed and energized. 

"Who put your nose out of joint" dives into a soundscape much darker than previously explored on the album, using distorted field recordings and a deep, spine-tingling drone. A pinched synth provides an uncomfortably high contrast against the deep bass, and a militant beat further moves listeners out of their auditory complacency and into a prison-like hollow. Despite the darkness, there's a forbidden-fruit sort of temptation in the drone, an ungraspable aural thread that permeates the beat and ends with a whimper.

"Holes in Walls" is much less heavy-hearted than "Nose out of joint". It shifts into a more mechanized world that's full of brassy synths and queasy little counter-melodies working through scattered electronic blips.

"No ideas but in things (feat. Ryan Van Winkle)" blasts into being, with destructive buzzing transforming into deep organ distortion. Ryan Van Winkle's superb, smoothly spoken word poem feels right at home in this dark din that fades back into distorted nothingness.

Seventh track, "Take what you want" is a completely shameless homage to the insipidity of prayer hotlines. At once viciously amusing and sad, the track captures the desperate hopes of the misguided, and the following track "Out" explores a similar loneliness, albeit through a single, simple piano. Its melancholy theme and meandering melody are at once evocative and ever-so familiar.

Ninth track "Berlin" opens with an off-kilter percussion. Light electronic piano patters like rain over the drumbeat. Distorted conversation filters through in the background, creating an open, disjointed impression, and electronic bass hums like thunder and fades out like a passing storm.

Final track "The world is a sad sad place" offers a sorrowful melody and counterpoint borne by twin synths lacing one another. However, the driving beat seems to criticize the anguish, encouraging action and engagement with the world instead of helplessness. It's a fitting end to an album that wanders through joy and suffering with equal courage.

All in all: it seems that Danseizure is able to find inspiration in just about anything, and his depth of understanding shines through in his sincere, meaningful LP. Each track is an evocative representation of a place or an idea, and his field recordings, original sounds and borrowed words augment his ideas. Some tracks are pop-tart worthy, while others are dark, deep explorations of places few others would dare to go.

Available at Invisible Agent (a net label full of very talented people), free to listen on-site and available for digital download, $9.90.

Tay0-- Names and Numbers

"Names and Numbers", the most recent album available from Tay0, is a fulfilling and exciting aural experience that showcases brilliant bass and percussion-led tracks. These pieces at once generate vivid imagery and span a spectrum of styles.

First track "Jodrell Bank" opens with strong percussive elements and a faint buzz, relying on soft, rattling beats that morph into bass pulses and ominous drones. A quiet synth that feels at once hopeful and maligned interplays with the sharply glitched elements of the track.

Slower in tempo, second track "Wintermute" displays a mosquito-ey synth supported by a watery and diverse percussion. It fits, strangely enough, very well with following track "Behold tha Lamb", a piece that builds itself around a booming spiritual woman's voice preaching. By working her voice through the chaos of synths and an upbeat rhythm, there is a somehow symbiotic blend between the two seemingly unamalgamable styles.

"Backscatter" moves away from the characteristic upbeat rhythmic patterns of before, using eerie echoes, a hint of bass and a slight smatter of random blips to surround the listener with chilling sounds. Sound-rays like distant sirens creep up and down the spine amidst the frenetic blips, proving that it's somehow possible to emulate the sensations of going through a backscatter scanner with sound. 

Easing us back into a more comfortable, more high-spirited beat, fifth track "Names and Numbers" features smoothly expanding hums and gently tinkling little synths whispering above twisting mids that unwind and finally detune. Following up is the well-recorded "ModoKun (Live 01092010)". It opens with a deep booming rumble and unwinds into impressive, frenetically paced drums, which are well-bolstered by an airy synth.

Track seven "Bubblegum Beats" encompasses a number of vibes: first, it opens with a solemn synth and beat. Then cleverly played, enthusiastically cheerful video game beats hop over soda slurping and sunny plungs. Finally, the track darts into a synthesized beat breakdown, while vocals gleefully tell us: "Oh that's so sweet. It's so melodic. It's so tuneful, and accessible; this is Bubblegum Music!" 

The final track "Flyover Country" is more serious, sincere, and shows off once more Tay0's ability to paint complex visuals with his sounds. The track's elevated sonic movements glint and gleam, making for a well rounded track that feels like a view of earth and sky at a travelling pace. The fadeout comes as a gently ascending takeoff, leaving listeners satisfied.

All in all: Listen if you are desirous of strong rhythms and bass without sacrificing ambience, and if you're in the mood for a wonderfully varied album that makes excellent use of transitions. The album has a fantastic balance of lighthearted upbeat grooves and sobering moments, and is a mature, attentively created collection. 


Available on Tay0's site, free download. Find more on Soundcloud.

Dubh-- Fractured Broken and Beautiful

Dubh's resonant, evocative 18 track album "Fractured Broken and Beautiful" shifts and glides through a spectrum of sounds using samples, synths, and beats to map out a somber album. His ideas are well rounded by shimmering moods and great depths; it's a phenomenal album for the pensive from start to finish. 

"Hello" fades listeners in with a rolling thrum, and through the murk a clipped sample greets and beckons. The album's watery beginning manages to outdo expectations of typical introductory first tracks through beautifully created sound collections. 

Distorted piano fuzz plays in the margins of the next track, "Without Pain", guiding it through the kaleidoscopic, forested sounds that feel as though their origin comes from the listener's own chest. We're then shifted into "You Will Find", a track that hums and shimmers, twisting hauntingly through its deepening of sounds. Particularly enjoyable is the faintly syncopated rhythm section that intertwines with the light sample.

As we climb deeper into the album, fourth track "Reality at Any Point" beats and throbs-- its sounds are nearly tangible. One of Dubh's major talents seems to be his adept handling of the sounds he creates; he allows his ideas to linger, fade and crescendo at exactly the right moments, never overpowering his ideas. "Geography and Chronology" showcases this talent, as piano, gentle windlike sounds, and sampling keep from dominating one another. 

Sixth track "Small Things" has a timid quality that recollect visions of drowned wind up toys forgotten but not yet gone. Next, "Fracture Broken and Beautiful" incorporates that same magical timid piano quality to it, but deepens itself with pizzicato bass underscores. The track glimmers and creeps and swells-- it's beautifully emotional without being maudlin.

Breaking listeners out of the reverie with extraordinary bass echoes, Dubh fades in "And We Do Not Know". The distinguished rhythm keeps the track gratefully pensive and moody rather than eerie or disquieting. Deftly, Dubh has moved his audience from the previous wilting mood to one of restlessness and quiet action. "Truth Becomes" continues in this vein and is more glitchy and clipped. Particularly lovely are the piercing, stretched piano tones against the scant rhythm.

Tenth track "Inside Ourselves" is a more muted, grave experience, using somnambulant mids rather than throbbing basses. The piece feels like an organic growth and intermingling of its own sounds rather than a painstakingly crafted idea.

"Musette" has a guitarlike theme that pulls away from the more restless feelings, and elevates the mood to a reflective, clear state of mind, and "Angeltech" layers light and dark, pricking the senses with rhythmic ticking, enigmatic voice samples, and a slightly foreboding bass.

Thirteenth track "Mild Methodology" is anything but mild-- it's a dark, pacing return to restlessness, but the cleverly timed drum rhythms keep the track from becoming unnerving, and immediately following, the aptly titled "I'm A Cyborg" features distorted organs and a plodding beat.

Track fifteen, "Unbecome" features an soft, beautiful accordion-like synth, but is more dictated by its rhythms-- another shifting beat that leads the tone. Soft midtones round out the piece, making it feel simultaneously large and intricate. The restlessness is quieted here, and almost banished in "Silence is Full of Music", a track that opens with a regal, church-like appeal. Chanting synths with a pattering bass and percussion line strengthen the track's charms, and the continually evolving resonance throughout deepens and unifies the individual sounds.

Penultimate track "The White Box" marks a return to a more mechanical theme, and a dark bass is elevated by sweet, lilting bells. The track evolves into itself, maturing in a matter of minutes.

The final track, "Cimmeria" is disorienting but rewarding, if the listener can relax into the track's vocal samples, scattered patterns, and winding mechanisms. The tiny piano that haunts the listener's ear again and again are like final glimmering rays of light before day's end. It's a fitting close to an album that demands complete surrender and rapt attention. 

All in all: Resonant and gorgeous, this album is one that you can sink deeply into without any residual effects of unease-- instead, upon finish, you might find yourself feeling an energy and clarity lacking before. Listen for the beautiful piano and amazing accordion-like sounds. It's a wonderful album for sitting and staring out a window on a rainy day, or for providing a soundtrack to a task requiring solidity of mind and concentration. Not for pop-ulists, but definitely a must hear.

Available on Dubh's site, physical copies (cool vinyl look!) ₤10.00 or more, digital for ₤5.00 or more. See also Dubh's Facebook page.