Lusine - Podgelism
< author: g booker > |
Lusine Podgelism Label: Ghostly International |
“Podgelism” strikes at first as strange, but inviting. This is experimental electronic music. Is it ambience? Is it dance? Is that relevant? What is notable is that either blips and bloops have lost their curiosity, or the tracks on this album avoid the alienating effect of work laboring too hard to be “Intelligent Dance Music” (one of the dimmest and most offensive labels for a genre ever). This collection of Lusine’s material remixed by several abstract electronic artists, including himself, is rarely less than pleasant to listen to. Yes, there are layers of subtle effects, strange noises, and skittery beats with erratic dynamics. For a remix collection, however, it is remarkably cohesive, and the elements create a warm, effervescent vibe on the whole. The album sails on grooves it does not take a mathematician to enjoy, a sweet, mellow package for modern machine music mavericks.
Eventually the repitition begins to wear or hypnotize, but in either case conventional active listening is waylaid. It is tempting to think “Podgelism” may be better suited to be ambience or use as homework music than as full album listening. It is clear when one song starts and another begins, but they become more difficult to distinguish with each song and its own cycle of mild noise. A funny thing happens, however. From this zoned out state, the details begin to emerge as they are sprinkled throughout the tracks, their subtle sonic intrusions and enhancements magnified. Music that seemed mild becomes infintessimally dynamic. The boring becomes invigorating. Tracks that sounded like filler or rehash cloy to the mind and become new standouts later. The beats and loops which seemed at first like self consciously arty noise collage reveal a tight and even funky secret dance music. Like much great electronic music, it warps perceptions, to make, play or listen to, of time, structure, and what is perceived as musical.
Ironically, for an album that is so successful in bringing an agreeable vibe to great music (most great music knows to is great and has to keep reminding you of that…smug ass music), the best song is also one of the most dark, loud and frightening. Matthew Dear’s remix of “Flat for You,” dubbed “the broken washing machine song” by a co-worker, builds a clausterphobic and unstoppable rhythm as a treated voice at once sinister, sad and scary skates over the track. Other standout mixes are contributed by Cepia, John Tejada, Apparat, and of course Lusine himself. There is not, however, a bad version on the album. Interesting, sincerely engaging (it is quite possible to nod your head, bounce, or smile to many of these songs), and immaculately produced, “Podgelism” is a wonderful set of experimental electronic music that can be enjoyed by ears of all sizes.
Lusine - Still Frame (Lusine Remix)