(Domino)
Somewhere between a
composer and producer, Jon Hopkins has spent the last decade or so
pursuing his own form of electronic-aided classical music. After
creating the soundtrack to the 2010 film Monsters, alongside three
previous more classically inclined albums, he has made an effort to
embrace more direct elements of left-field dance music into his sound
with his latest record.
After starting with
the sound of a door opening, We Disappear takes the form of sparse
bleeps and shuffling, warped 8-bit percussion. The serene piano
outro highlights the juxtaposition between clean intimate piano and
ambience and huge electronics that lies at the centre of the album.
Breathe This Air follows a similar path as drones grow around lonely
echoing piano notes, bringing togetherstumbling beats and
dark, techno synths in a similar manner to the German production duo
Moderat. Its the first single and album highpoint, Open Eye Signal,
that really lays out Hopkins' dance floor intentions. A pounding 4/4
rhythm surrounded by deep and heavy bass morphs and progresses
gradually over the track, pulsating and rising like a crescendo,
before giving itself up to the beat for it's last two minutes.
Collider takes a
stab at dense minimal house, though seems somewhat meandering under
its 9 minute duration. Likewise, Form by Firelight seems aimless, but
the middle of the record is redeemed by Abandon Window, coming close
to the ambience of Brian Eno, who he has frequently collaborated
with. It slows the pace of the album down, like taking a long period
of time to consider a single moment. It provides a moment of serene
reflection before the album heads back towards the dance floor one
last time as Sun Harmonics provides some of the albums most direct
and immediate thrills next to One Eye Signal. The 11 minute track
starts with piano and a simple bass drum beat before a full
house-influenced rhythm forms, driven by some deep bass, building
upon layers of percussion and glittering ambience. The album ends
with title track, Immunity, following a simple piano melody pieced
together with acoustic percussive samples to create an organic
rhythm. An ethereal voice is added to the mix, recalling the dreamy
post-rock of Sigur Rós.
The effect of
incorporating current strands of electronic music whilst fitting in
with the texturally focused neo-classical that’s the speciality of
labels like Erased Tapes, can at times be jarring, though he clearly
understands both of these different musical worlds and fans of either
will find much to appreciate here. At its worst it can sound quite
similar to other artists who have been exploring some of the same
sonic directions for some time, yet its hard not to admire the
faultless production and beautiful ambience that Jon Hopkins seems to
deliver with ease.
Originally posted on figure8magazine.co.uk
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