Florida producer Ryan Parmer throws another installment of his Phasen guise with cover and title that raise the expectations of bass heavy, electro tinged vocal rap. While Old West Coast Rap may have influenced his composition, there are elements of electro, although not in robust optimistic assertion of Old West Coast Rap, and there is definitely hip hop techniques. Tracks like plACID bring in the kickdrum, acid line and melodic tinkling that are a mile from any idea of the Jungle Brothers or De La Soul and more in the territory of Juan Atkins fused with early Warp. Listening to the album with the idea of a reminiscence of ‘a golden age’ colours the view of the album, indeed it is more helpful to examine an attunement to sound as if such ages never cease just shift focus and form and location. Any re-examination is a form of homage or recognition of who have come before, in the sense of ‘respect’ or acknowledgement of the ‘shoulders of giants’ on which Phasen stands.
After such an introduction it does seem that Phasen is working through styles and techniques as he easily wields electro, house, IDM, funk and hip hop into precise bright forms .It is as though he is waded through all the acknowledgement that has tuned his ear to catch up to his moment in time and form a distinctive impression. There are surprises beyond this assessment with ‘Glass is a Liquid’, breaking the mould with a sparse construction and guitar emphasis over deceptively simple drum machine and bare synth line. Also the ambient sampling within ‘Cheaux’, a faux piano and accordion number has a discrete charm that is displaced from a good deal of the tracks. Why it is placed between ‘Discotek’, an acid clap House track that would do Bob Sinclair proud and ‘Guilded Kitten’ a down tempo analogue acid squelcher with modulated strangeness for those early morning shuffles’ is a question that is unlikely to be answered . If the assessment of the album as homage is close to the truth it may be that Palmer has to be more adapt at moving out of the musical shadows cast by the reference and cultural debt he acknowledges on this album.
Innerversitysound
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