Industrial Nation (US)

The freezing of time is something Maya Deren tried in the 40’s in film by bringing slow motion and freeze frame techniques to the screen. It resulted in a peculiar reflexive and hypnotic effect. Later on she tried her hands at voodoo, but that’s a different story altogether. Taylor Deupree, the much praised wunderkind from Brooklyn, tries the same thing on his second album Stil. The only difference is that he uses looped drones and granular electronica passages which only slightly and very slowly change or evoke the feeling something might have changed in the listener’s head after listening attentively enough. Only the extended repetition of the same allows for discoveries of new patterns or frequency overlaps. Four long tracks fluctuate hardly noticeable among the enveloping sound of warm fuzz and stretched synthetics. Clicks and beeps are sprinkled on top of the flowing sounds that almost make for rhythmic flair. The oscillating sound planes have the same calming effect as the gentle movements of the sea (Deupree’s original inspiration came from photographs of seascapes by the Japanese artist Hiroshi Sugimoto) that also define themselves through repetition and minute changes. You are instantly captured by this ambient sound. Subtlety intelligently improved, as there is indeed stuff happening under the at first seemingly uniform surface. A very mind-expanding and fascinating work.