Tuesday, December 03, 2024

Second Storey - Are Hands Waterproof (No Static/Automatic)

 


Title: Are Hands Waterproof?

Artist:  Second Storey

Label:  No Static / Automatic

Cat Number:  NSA010

Genre: Electro


1. Are Hands Waterproof?
2. Avia Kultura
3. Fhain Gales
4. Holografix
5. The Foundry


Innovation isn’t easy with electro. I guess that whenever something different is tried there’s a risk of stepping outside the genre and risking its sanctity. So, on this release, Second Storey generally tries to remain true to the form by creating dense soundscapes that preserve its inviolability, while still allowing room for what feels like spontaneity and improvisation. The beat templates are present, but there is organized chaos scattered over the top. The title track is perhaps the best representation of this, and feels quite clean compared to the gnarly sounds that follow. If one track does stray it’s ‘Avia Kutlura’ which is down to its bare bones and feels just funky but has a totally different beat pattern. It’s a hoodoo hoedown in a shipping container. Of what remains, all three tracks have a definite Drexciyan touch to them. When listening to them time feels like its slowing down and the gears are grinding. The tempo descends from ‘Fhain Gales’ down to ‘The Foundry’, which is haunting, evocative and, like everything here, really makes you speculate on why these sounds were conceived.

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