Brock Van Wey - White Clouds Drift On And On (echospace [detroit])

On his first full-length album, White Clouds Drift On And On, Brock Van Wey (better known as Bvdub) abandons dub techno conventions and returns to his West Coast chill-out room roots. It’s a step in the right direction, making for some of his most emotional music to date. The opening track, “Too Little Too Late” is gentle and ambient with voices drifting in and out of the mix. “I Knew Happiness Once” features fuller vocal samples that sound Eastern in origin. “Forever a Stranger” is beautiful and relaxing, with slow washes of textured sound. Repetitive choral pulses guide “A Gentle Hand to Hold.” I’m reminded of Philip Glass’ soundtrack for Koyaanisqatsi (in a good way). “A Chance to Start Over” seems to ask a question. Its ascending three-note pattern is joined by plucked strings and echoey vocals. The title piece is awash in long drifting chords. All six pieces are airy and beat-less with little bass. They are perfect for summer’s late twilight. I’m sure lazy afternoon or late-night post-party listening sessions would work equally well. Van Wey and Stephen Hitchell both played live at a LWE loft party in Chicago over the winter. They must have kept in touch, because not only did Hitchell publish this album, he also contributed a full disc of interpretations. These versions will undoubtedly please dub techno fans. The “Intrusion Shape” of the title track gradually reveals itself with full, deep bass and lingering chord caresses. It turns the uplifting original on its head, adding elements that are dark yet sensuous. At over twenty-four minutes, it’s no lightweight. The Intrusion version of “A Chance to Start Over (Intrusion Shape III)” bears little resemblance to the original, but is pretty in its own right, with contemplative analogue synthesizers and wonderful surface noise that gives way to downtempo percussion. “A Gentle Hand to Hold” gently sways to congas like a pop song de-constructed. There is an entire world built into its subtle changes. “I Knew Happiness Once (Intrusion Shape V)” reminds me of The Orb, but for being serious (and more sparse). On “Too Little Too Late (Intrusion Shape VI)” metal shivers and beats tick while piano notes glisten. This double CD is an amazing two-and-a-half hours of quality electronic music. Listening to it straight through, I’m reminded of the good old days when synthesizers offered glimpses of an alien world, when bedroom producers created whole atmospheres in space and time. Sometimes you need to look back to move forward. It’s a revival.

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Original review posted by Jacob Arnold on Gridface.
Republished with permission of the author.

myspace.com/bvdubtechnology | bvdub.org
myspace.com/echospacedetroit | echospacedetroit.com

Intrusion - The Seduction Of Silence (Echospace [detroit])

The dub sound of Intrusion is like an early stroll along the empty beach. Waves of white noise and minor chords splash and bounce against the glistening, polished, and rolling bass. The rhythm is measured, natural and hypnotic. The background four-four beat creates a trance-like experience. And the overall emotion is indeed seductive. Although the formula behind the production builds up on the previous successful sound of Echospace, the warmer side of the duo perfects the minimalism by injecting a fusion of Jamaican and South African dub. And it works. I could listen to this album over and over, like a head cleaner, after dense days, heavy nights and exhausting people. The minimal dub techno sound of Intrusion no doubt belongs to none other than Stephen Hitchell, one half of the above mentioned Echospace, who along with Rod Modell froze our hearts with The Coldest Season (Modern Love, 2007). Where as the latter critically acclaimed album captured the lower spectrum of the virtual thermometer with swishes of wind and falling snow, The Seduction Of Silence is more than a few degrees warmer. This is indeed a lovely twilight stroll under the ocean. The album is the first full length solo release for Hitchell, inadvertently compiling previously released EPs and 12-inchers. This may, perhaps, be an answer to a solo release by Modell, Incense and Black Light (Plop, 2007), with Hitchell taking his turn to demonstrate his individuality. The album welcomes an appearance by Paul St. Hilaire (Tikiman), where the Dominican artist contributed reggae vocals. The tracks morph into one another with swells of white noise, sometimes clocking in at over 11 minutes long. Tswana Dub is perhaps one of my favorites, having previously appeared as a limited 12" on Intrusion's sub-label of Echospace. Recommended if you appreciate the sound of minimal dub from Modern Love and Basic Channel, as well as Yagya, Gas, and of course, DeepChord Presents Echospace. Last minute edit: be sure to pickup the latest release on Echospace [detroit] by Brock Van Wey (aka bvdub) titled White Clouds Drift On And On. This is a double disk release with the second part full of Hitchell's interpretations of Wey's original works. Truly sublime. Back to back!

myspace.com/echospacedetroit | echospacedetroit.com