Neon Cloud is described by its label Flau as a “tokyo based secretive producer†which can be translated as has adopted the familiar strategy of anonymity to build interest. It reveals little, no bios or release information and track names “1′, “22′, “333′ and “1 Irrelevant remix’. Beyond that this group has released their “Knit’s ep in 2011 and a track has appeared on 2012 Boomkat compilation “Hypersoul’.
Opening the ep with the needle to the record sample and needle return loop is not a new technique and the group then build on a slightly wobbly bass, electric drum slap and ethereal layered vocals. Long slightly glitchy synth chords, which are almost drones, but not quite, are over layered as are the vocals which float in the mix. There is a roughshod dull thump to the slow beat pace, almost at heartbeat but not quite. Drumsticks get quite a work out, especially in the track “1′, where they lazily beat out the slow slap of drummers between movements and run over some electric kit bouncing out some 80′ nostalgia repackaged as “chillwave’. Yet it has complex programming patterns for the early stages of a group playing at the edges of electronic ambience. There are aspects of the ep that hold the slightly warped rhythms of a chilled out dubstep, but other aspects of the sampling experience and insistent glitches, record noise samples, super cheesy synth chord action see them not as specifically style merchants.
A friend once described this sort of ethereal vocal style dream pop as “a teenage boy’ wet dream’. She is a feminist academic, and i think she has got the description right, but who am i to complain.
Innerversitysound
