Since he first emerged back in 2003 with his debut ‘Moon_Phase’ album, Canadian electronic producer Michael Morton has established a substantial presence amongst the US dark electronic scene as Displacer, with an impressive backcatalogue of music on labels including M-Tronic and Crime League. This third album for Tympanik Audio ‘Night Gallery’ follows on the heels of 2009′s download-only ‘Lost Mission’ EP and sees Morton crafting a predominantly downbeat, atmospheric collection that’s influenced just as much by the ambient and post-IDM scenes as much as it is by more ‘traditional’ dark / industrial sounds. Opening track ‘Phantom Limb’ nicely introduces the sweeping atmospheric feel that permeates through much of the eleven tracks here whilst also revealing the influence of hiphop just below the surface, as jagged MPC-punched beats and sub-bass judder and lurch against a sheeny backdrop of trailing synths and minimalist piano keys.
By contrast, ‘Invisible’ flows with a texture-rich, warm vibe that’s often been missing from many recent Tympanik release, its luxurious fusion of slow jazz-hewn hiphop beats and sweeping melancholic synths leaning far closer to the likes of The Cinematic Orchestra, before ‘Orchid’ sees tentative broken rhythms locking into place around a glowing backdrop of blissful harmonic tones, the occasional buzz of what sounds like sampled muezzin instrumentation adding a slightly jagged edge to what’s easily one of the most gorgeously enveloping moments here. There’s also the odd more extrovert moment packed in amongst the sweeping atmospherics, with ‘Radioactive’ suddenly accelerating things up into flexing post-junglist styles reminiscent of AFX, while ‘Falling’ ventures out into streamlined electro-house more akin to the likes of The Hacker as Downhouse contributes phased New Wave vocals that sit somewhere between Trent Reznor and The Presets. While both tracks are certainly strong in their own right, in many senses they sit slightly oddly against the opulent downbeat landscapes charted by the rest of the tracklisting. A strong return from Displacer that’s well worth your investigation.
Chris Downton
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