Bass Clef - Reeling Skullways

One note is what it commences with, after which those beats take off and we're soaring through all manner of electronic curios. Bass Clef take the gloves off and bring the groove without any second thoughts and if you'd thought you were going to keep still while all of this is going on, think twice. Some Truths have an introspective bent, Ekoclef are the sundering of all physical ties to this world but the Clef's work on his own is what I'd demand to hear in a club if I still bothered with them. The minimal arrangements allow us to focus intently on the individual sounds he's corralled like some kind of eclectic sonic rancher running around with a white hot branding iron; timbres bend this way and that, time slips by... it speeds up and then slows down, bluntly put this is what you'd get if a fellow was given access to a reel to reel and then loosed upon a collection of classic keyboards. He picks out what works and with fastidiously focused detail proceeds to cut and paste his way to perfection. I've said before that Ekoclef could show you the universe with a pair of scissors but Bass Clef are sporting a pair of garden shears on Reeling Skullways.

The title of this record is an apt one, he's alluding to the bio chemical reactions his music can trigger in the consciously aware frontal lobes of a person's mind. Perhaps that's just my interpretation but this is no ordinary ride this guy has got me on, think of a roller coaster that is one constant ascent to the peak. That's how it hits, boys and girls, continually amping up the adrenaline while alternately mesmerizing you with smoothly suave and sophisticated segues. One track ends then another begins, no pause no reprieve. It's not dark in any way, no tension is contained in these songs. Increasing excitement and a buoyant feeling of unparalleled adventure brings us through each piece, our appetite is sated but then it ends and we come back for more. To tuck into Reeling Skullways is to know what it is for a starving man to be ushered to his place at a banquet. This is a sumptuous repast which satisfies as few things can, organic technology indeed. I look over at my stereo and expect to behold some kind of vortex through which an alternate reality beckons.

Take your time with this one, my friends, don't let the direct rhythms fool you. Bass Clef subvert these well recognized time signatures and command them to do things you aren't even ready for. On the surface, things look calm but man oh man if you crank this up or channel it through headphones you won't even know what hit you. Where did he find some of these sounds? I get the impression a lot of time was spent poring over sample menus or better yet: could someone have found a library and then pillaged it thoroughly? Who am I kidding, this guy wouldn't be content with just casually perusing, he more than likely assembled this arsenal himself. Synthesis is a word often bandied about by the preset generation but take my word for it, Bass Clef sound like Bass Clef. Ekoplekz is the only other that I know of working similarly to this; the giddy revelations of taking vintage tones and then eviscerating them thoroughly.

It's like being part of the manufacturing process, going through numerous chemical baths until what is revealed no longer bears any resemblance to what began the journey. Sine wave abuse of the highest order; an oscilloscope shorting out while the technician roots around in it's guts with smoldering solder under inhuman magnification.

Some may want a further depiction of what this music sounds like and to them I say, go buy the damn thing. Such atmospheres! Do we stand amongst the buildings and turn to urban furniture or do we reach beyond and rise above our primitive selves to dance deliriously through gorgeously crafted auditory tapestries such as these. The choice is yours. May 12 2012