‘Loftway’ is Greek IDM / electro producer John Dousk’s debut album offering as Kamotek, and arrives on the fledgling Lo Impedance Recordings imprint as a first salvo alongside two EP releases by other Greek artists. Despite its floaty, diaphanous-sounding title, ‘Loftway’ shows Dousk leaning predominantly towards drilling breakbeat-fuelled IDM excursions reminiscent of AFX, best typified by ‘Darlimond’s icy fusion of melancholic Plaid-esque synth atmospheres and hammering, hyper-processed rhythms.
While it’s impossible to ignore the over-familiarity of much of the territory covered here, standout moments here such as spacious Detroit techno moment ‘Generation Egg’ and closing track ‘Pilgrin Penguim’s eerie distorted chanting and slow beats show that Dousk’s at his best when he keeps it simple, without trying to shoehorn too many ideas in at once. ‘Crescendo Sheep’ meanwhile comes across like some fusion of BOC and John Carpenter, stabbing rhythmic programming counterpointing a deep backdrop of ambient synth tones in one of the most evocative offerings here. At 17 tracks over 58 minutes, the sense that trimming things back slightly might have resulted in a less ‘fragmented’ listening experience creeps in, but despite these considerations ‘Loftway’ is a strong, ambitious first offering from Dousk as Kamotek.
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