#ep: speed hypnosis experiment

[virtual-mythicality]

“solid and rigid and powerful.”

[x]

[thesunlounge]

Reviews 293: Memphis

Tribal trance and prog house mystic Memphis, otherwise known as Paul H. Williams, has experienced a well deserved reappraisal over the last couple of years and 2018 in particular saw several labels either reissuing old classics or unearthing never before heard treasures. Mr. Ho and Luca Lozano’s Klasse Wrecks pressed up a new batch of the first Memphis 12” Around the World / Lost Sands, which showcased Williams’ flare for proto-prog bombers and ethereal house slammers, and Spekki Webu’s esoterically inclined Mirror Zone took on Beneath a Different Sun, an EP of shamanic trance intensity, jacking tribal rhythmics, mutli-cultural drum exotics, and interplanetary ethno-psychedelics. As for newly issued archival work, first came Animals on Psychedelics, which pulled the deliciously breakbeat heavy and DnB kissed Sunken Garden EP from Williams’ DAT tapes and then included a track from the artist on their Mazatec compilation EP. And now in 2019, Spekki Webu and Mirror Zone have assembled another incredible collection from the Memphis archives called Ukigumo (Floating Clouds). 

The reunification of Mirror Zone and Memphis can be seen as a closing of the sacred circle, as a completion of some mysterious ritual, and as a return to the source of it all. But Ukigumo (Floating Clouds) also marks a significant moment of spiritual and sonic expansion for both artist and label, with the title track in particular coming as a complete revelation due to its morphing synthetic soundbaths, zoned out rhythmic minimalism, and dreamscape flute explorations…a sort of spellbinding coalescence of temple woodwind ritualism and ambient techno dream dancing. On the flip, “Child of the 70’s” takes that familiar Memphis beat science, all ethnological hand drumming and stomping prog house energy, and spreads it out into a dreamscape rave epic, with synthesizers evoking LSD ocean waves, dolphins communicating via neon tracers, and jazz snares adding an irresistible touch of rainforest bebop energy. Finally, in closing track “Acid Brook,” Memphis morphs and mutates subsonic acid lines into gurgling alien insanity…all while spectral metals are sequenced above club kicks and tapped rides.

Memphis - Ukigumo (Floating Clouds) (Mirror Zone, 2019) “Ukigumo (Floating Clouds)” begins on bending atmospheres of narcotized synthesis, with waveforms buzzing as a flute executes some exotic dreamdance overhead. It’s a similar vibe to modern mystical explorer’s such as Bitchin Bajas, John Also Bennett, and Leo James, yet these connection are made all the more magical with the knowledge that Williams crafted this track decades ago. Eventually, a kinetic kick beat enters while a snare smacks and crystalline rimshots work in and out of echo layers…the mutating synth patterns and zoned out rhythmics forming a perfect backdrop for the spellbinding aerophone ragas. The flute drifts according to its own mysterious logic and is perhaps meant to evoke the aimless wanderings of Yukiko Koda, the heroine of the film and novel from which the track takes its name. Hypnotizing curlicues move into breathy drones, with the playing sometimes accented by cosmic arpeggiations, all delay soaked and aglow in neon shadow. Low bitrate electro-cymbals work against the ambient rhythm minimalism while sequenced rimshots continue morphing and modulating, sometimes sounding like an idiophone constructed from gemstones. There’s a moment where the drums drop away and we are transported back into a world of futuristic temple ritualism, with the flute spiraling ever further out of control, resulting in overblown screams and free jazz ascents into solar realms. Slowly, the rhythms build back up, with mechanized ethno-beats, sub-bass currents, and kick drums locking into a shamanic robo-stomp beneath tapped textures of glass. Sequential electronics glow and flow, liquid energies vibrate then fade away, and all the while, the increasingly ecstatic woodwind performance pushes everything towards spiritual transcendence.

Resonant kicks gallop beneath rimshots and tightly wound hand percussion in “Child of the 70’s”, with everything echoing into the void. A mutant bassline slides up and down while hi-hats work through hypnagogic stutter patterns and triple time rolls. Oceanic synth waves wash over the mix, trailed by crystallized starshine, and the cymbals sometimes pull away, leaving delirium currents to wash over the spirit. Elsewhere, psychoactive tracers diffuse through the mix…these aquamarine rave melodies that sound as if whales and dolphins are singing strange songs across star ocean expanses. There’s a freaked out percussion passage wherein polyrhythms rocket above a fuzzed out bassline groove as Williams begins dropping bebop snare patterns, which give the track a pronounced future jazz energy. Insectoid rattles tickle the mind and deep sea synth hazes resume bathing the mix in a calming glow, with aqueous chill-out electronics tracing polychrome light spirals…the whole thing predicting the candy-colored rave experiments of Lone. The beats drop away at some point, leaving behind slipping, sliding, and mutating basslines and sparse electronic accents until the kick returns to stomp through layers of grime. Ethnological drum cascades start ricocheting across the spectrum, with Williams morphing hand percussions from various world cultures into a tapestry of galactic liquid, and eventually, we find ourselves again lost in a world of tribal rave and acid jazz hypnosis, with vibed out snares smashing beneath ecstasy wavefronts and seascape hallucinations…like rainbow cosmic energy meeting jungle bebop perfection, or some cyborg approximation of jazz drumming locked into a futuristic prog stomp while clouds of LSD energy swirl into an all consuming vortex.

“Acid Brook” throws the body straight into a gonzo acid stomper, with kick drums jacking at high speed, squelching basslines firing down low, and viscous 303 energies panning across the spectrum…these delay soaked waves of tribal acid intensity that push the mind towards psychosonic delirium. Metallic sequences dance in counterpoint, the tones spectral and constantly shimmering, and it all works itself into peak-time club militance…the kind of track that’s perfect for the deep and dark phases of the night, when everyone has given over to primal dance ritualism. As the kick drums drop out, everything that remains filters and flanges, with acid synthesis transmuting into extra-terrestrial frog songs and gurgling alien madness while cymbals tick nervously in the back ground. As the kick smashes back in, we are thrust forward on crushing waves of acid momentum, with everything washing out above urgently tapped rides. Sometimes, even these ride cymbals pull away, leaving nothing but crushing bass drum energies, far out acid insanities, and metalloid sequences filtering out of control…resulting in flashy displays of silvery synthetic sorcery that ascend higher and higher before fading into mist. It’s a world of blasting kicks, golden cymbal rhythms, and tubular acid bass, with virtual bird calls fluttering through the sky…like some cyborg loon flying through a techno fever dream. The 303 lines continue sounding like monstrous beings from dimensions of shadow as Williams wrings sounds from his synths that defy all logic. And throughout the track, there are no moments of radiance or any ethereal breakdowns, rather, everything throbs and pounds, with electronics continually contorting into sonic madness over druggy trance beat minimalism.

(images from my personal copy)

[rbeatz]

Space Mom, Rezz, is my #1 act of 2017

Billboard recently dubbed Dance’s Breakout Artist of 2017 to REZZ, and I couldn’t agree more. I had the pleasure and opportunity to cover her Mass Manipulation World Tour this Saturday at the Playstation Theater in Time Square, New York City, New York, USA, North America, Planet Earth. It didn’t feel like planet earth; however, as I was sonically and visually transported to another dimension in time and space. Below is my Rezz discovery story, my transformation into a Rezzbian, my review of the events that took place last Saturday at Playstation Theater, and photos I took from her unforgettable performance.

In 2017, I’ve seen Rezz 4 times: Bonnaroo, Electric Zoo, Lost Lands, and last Saturday in New York City. I’d never heard of Rezz before Bonnaroo. I had a slew of friends adamantly tell me I should go see Rezz at Roo (Bonnaroo’s nickname) because “she’s incredible.” I typically know which friends to trust musically at this point, and these emphatic murmurs were coming from trusted sources.

That low end play @OfficialRezz #Bonnaroo http://pic.twitter.com/QneNP8MSNK

— rBeatzRadio (@rBeatzRadio) June 11, 2017

I was blown away by the downtempo, experimental-bass music that was coming at around 100 BPMs (Beats Per Minute) or lower. I’d classify it as beautiful, trippy bass music from space for the masses. When I was younger, I loved dubstep; however, at the ripe age of 27, the 140 BPM intense energy drops can exhaust me. Rezz’ music kept those industrial sounds at a lower tempo, giving me the tonality and texture I always loved from dubstep at a lower speed and energy I could get behind.

I loved dubstep, also, because of how creative and crazy I could get with my whomping or headbanging as most would call it. I always called it whomping because that’s what dubstep sounds like. If you don’t know what whomping is, check the video below of a mom whomping. You can really get creative with it. It’s kind of like dancing to heavy metal with A LOT more moves. With Rezz’ music, I was still able to WHOMP, combining my two favorite elements of dubstep with the unavoidable passage of time. This is WHY I loved her music the first time my ears laid ground to the frequencies she was combining and arranging.

After Bonnaroo, I was hooked. When I got home, I read about her and listened to all her music. Standard operating procedure when you’re blown away. I found out she really blew up on deadmau5’s mau5trap label and was found early on by Skrillex. She released her first two EPs in 2016: The Silence is Deafening and Something Wrong Here (both released on mau5trap), and peaked at #19 on the Billboard Dance Charts late in 2016.

When I saw her at Electric Zoo, I spent the most time with my camera in my backpack dancing alone to her set. I couldn’t have been happier. This was her debut show on her Mass Manipulation World Tour.

I wanted to see her on the biggest stage with more lights and her accompanying visuals around her. Another aspect of Rezz’ show that is out of this world is her visual performance. There is an essence of hypnosis in the majority of her visuals; a perfect compliment to her sound. There is typically a lot of red and black spirals of different patterns that put listeners into a visual trance. Occasionally during her sets, there will be other Rezz animations there to mass manipulate. The more Rezz’ the merrier in my opinion.

#EZoo2017 @OfficialRezz Riverside stage was too small for her http://pic.twitter.com/rUwJWLy82j

— rBeatzRadio (@rBeatzRadio) September 2, 2017

Aside from the apparent tone of the above tweet, Rezz was still one of my favorite sets at Ezoo. I ended up buying her Snek T as my only merch purchase at Ezoo. Rezz’ merch was so popular, they only had one small left. I still wanted it, so I bought it and gave it to my girlfriend.

It glows in the dark, which is pretty cool if ya ask me.

Click HERE to get your OWN.

Lost Lands was more like it. It was another stop on her Mass Manipulation World Tour. Rezz did her THANG at a New York City festival; however, it’s like when you see a HUGE Great Dane in New York City. You think to yourself, “Dam, that dog is really limiting their potential in such a small area. I need to see it run free in a huge field.” Lost Lands gave me just that. The sound and visuals were everything I dreamed of, and she was in a prime-time slot. She started her set with her hit single, Relax, which provided the calming, hypnotic, spacey, weird, and exciting vibe that would carry through her entire set. I took the video below.

Rezzbians yelling, “SPACE MOM!” were out in full force. I felt weirdly at home in the middle of Ohio that night, finding so many people who were just as obsessed with Rezz as I was. After Lost Lands, I found out there’s a Facebook group called The Cult of Rezz, which I joined immediately after gaining that knowledge. I was enamored by the creative collaboration by the Rezz fans (or Rezzbians) participating in the group chat. There is a sense of respect and compassion in the group that’s been passed down by the group’s mother, Rezz. Click HERE to check the group out on Facebook.

After seeing her crush three festival stages, I was eager to catch her at a venue. I saw she was playing at Playstation Theater in my hometown of New York City, and thankfully rBeatzRadio has done enough to be able to get me access to such amazing shows.

I wrote a preview for the event, which you can read by clicking HERE, and I joined the Facebook event Cult Meet Up @ Playstation Theater to interact with my fellow Rezzbians before and at the show. In the preview, I revered Rezz’ storytelling techniques. Music is storytelling, and it takes another level of skill to do it so well with just sounds. A lot of her music doesn’t have lyrics.

I packed up my camera, and headed off to my 3rd iteration of Rezz’ Mass Manipulation World Tour. I headed straight to the bar when I got it, that’s where I saw Playstation Theater was serving a special Rezz drink. I didn’t get it because I like beer. I wondered, though, if this was her idea or not.

Mad Zach was one of Rezz’ openers. I thought he was a perfect warmup to Rezz’ more intense, higher-energy vibe. He loves experimenting with sounds, just like Rezz.

I interviewed Mad Zach earlier this year for the release of his EP, Fortress. I was impressed with his acute interest in sound design and experimentation. He’s also been taken interest by Ableton and Native Instruments, helping these music tech companies create unique sample packs that other producers can use in their music. Click HERE to read the full rBeatzRadio interview with Mad Zach.

.@madzachofficial was the perfect opener for @OfficialRezz _ http://pic.twitter.com/QBFvi6LF3P

— rBeatzRadio (@rBeatzRadio) December 19, 2017

Rezz agreed because, duh, she PICKED HIM, and she’s super involved with her fanbase. She makes it a point to really be there for her fans when she can, regularly replying back when you catch her attention. This is another aspect that makes Rezz great, and another reason that she was named Dance’s Breakout Artist of 2017 by Billboard. Rezz has truly built up an organic, engaged audience through the last couple of years. These fans are also super devoted to her cause because she’s there for them.

Couldn’t agree more !

— ᴿᵉᶻᶻ (@OfficialRezz) December 19, 2017

She started off with, Relax, which is such a good song to start with. As I said above, it sets the tone for the rest of the night, letting listeners know to throw all their anxieties away because this isn’t a scary bass performance, this is REZZ.

She eventually delved into an evil edit of Porter Robinson & Madeon’s Shelter, which is a favorite of mine because that vocal chop melody is super catchy and comforting, then the script is flipped, adding power and grit creating a stark contrast. The bass was so heavy, as you can see from the video taken below, thanks to Playstation Theater’s in-house sound system powered by JBL.

Rezz relies a lot on sub-bass in her song compositions. According to Google, sub-bass is “low-register pitched pitches approximately below 60 Hz and extending downward to include the lowest frequency humans can hear, assumed at about 20 Hz. In this range, human hearing is not very sensitive, so sounds in this range tend to be felt more than heard.” Therefore, her music is very much FELT. This also explains the movement of the phone, as it’s unable to hold still from the heavy sub-bass.

After the evil edit of Shelter, you can hear her going into probably her 2nd most popular song off Mass Manipulation, DRUGS! She obviously played most songs from the album since that’s what the tour was about!

  One of my favorite drops was when she played Rage Against the Machine – Killing In The Name (Just A Tune Flip), bringing that heavy metal/ punk rock feel to a modern day electronic setting.  Bringing back those old-school rock style vibes into a bass music setting is a fantastic way to change it up during sets. The nostalgia factor kicks in, where everyone in the audience remembers that old song, and goes crazy to its modern day spin. I loved this song, so I posted the Soundcloud embed below.

Killing in the name of @OfficialRezz _ http://pic.twitter.com/3Lryx2SBoL

— rBeatzRadio (@rBeatzRadio) December 19, 2017

From time to times, Rezz would slow it down and play some noticeable vocals. At one point, playing her song with Laura Brehm, Melancholy from her Billboard chart topping Something Wrong Here EP. Rezz’ melodies are quite noticeable, creating a sense of uncertainty and anxiety. A lot of her songs don’t have lyrics; however, the storytelling in her songa speak to a contrast between confusion and power.

This drop also had my head spinning. Since Rezz has such a sinister vibe to her show, I decided to put this old-timey black and white filter over the video. I’m not sure what the song is and have been trying to find it ever since! Someone help ID!

Towards the end of her set, she played her new single with Isqa, Psycho.

New single by @officialrezz & @isqamusic – Psycho _

A post shared by rBeatz Radio (@rbeatzradio) on Dec 19, 2017 at 12:29pm PST

Overall, Rezz has been my favorite artist to go see in 2017. She’s not only my current favorite up-and-coming artist. She is my #1 favorite artists at the moment for everything I described above. There are still tour dates for Rezz’ Mass Manipulation World Tour, so if you’re feeling the vibe and notice she’s playing in a city near you…

Click HERE to purchase tickets to Rezz’ Mass Manipulation World Tour

Photos from Rezz @ Playstation Theater

from rBeatz Radio http://ift.tt/2oMAGmG