One of the early record labels to start putting out drill’n’bass in the mid-‘90s was Cambridge-based Bovinyl, setup by a number of artists including Vert (Adam Butler) and Animals on Wheels (Andrew Coleman). Both of these have gradually moved on from the skittering jungle rhythms into the strange liminal territories between acoustic and electronic. And while I’m fairly sure Andy Coleman hasn’t left the beats entirely behind, his latest release – the second for new Cambridge label Tripel Records – is a mysterious object created almost entirely from the processed sounds of acoustic guitar, along with some field recordings and piano.
One of the loveliest aspects of this five-track CD is the way that the sounds are used as-is, so that what sounds like the creaking of a wooden chair is caught up and warped digitally along with the guitar strings. That’s not to say that it’s unmusical; you just have to listen the right way. “Fight or Flight” begins with percussion sounds, but grounds itself in a rhythmic motif EQ’d to have almost no attack at all; instead, found-sound clunks, guitars and piano serve to create a 3D audio environment. Demons is so quiet that it could easily slip by in the background, but rewards close listening.
Peter Hollo |
