Konx-Om-Pax - Ways Of Seeing (2019) CD-Rip
BAND/ARTIST: Konx-Om-Pax
- Title: Ways Of Seeing
- Year Of Release: 2019
- Label: Planet Mu Records #ZIQ404CD
- Genre: Electronic, Experimental, Ambient, Techno
- Quality: EAC Rip -> FLAC (Tracs+Cue+m3u,Log) / MP3 CBR320
- Total Time: 39:44
- Total Size: 293 / 129 Mb (Full Scans)
- WebSite: Album Preview
On ‘Ways Of Seeing’ Konx-om-Pax has switched up the mood and hit gold. He has made an album that is filled with joy and sunshine, saturated with the classic feel of Berlin Techno. Tom Scholefield has moved on from the dark ambient and brittle rave of the first two Konx-om-Pax albums, which were a reflection of his hometown Glasgow's electronic music scenes. After a recent move to Berlin, the textures of Glasgow's musical strains have fused into an accessible and friendly mix of poppy melodic electronica built from a stricter 'less is more' sound pallete, closer in spirit to the music of his adopted city. It is also a record which was made in opposition to recent music he has been hearing, in particular the troubled, dark and noisy experimental music coming out of Berlin. Tom wanted to focus on more joyful qualities, making this a record imbued with warmth and happiness, a panacea to the darkness and disorientation all around in 2019.
Having a social scene full of producers has also influenced the album. The opening track 'LA Melody' came from staying with Ross Birchard (Hudson Mohawke) at his house in LA, hanging out in the glorious sunshine with him and Lunice working on tracks. "Initially Ross asked me to write some melodies to use in a project he was producing, but I ended up liking it so much I decided to keep the riff. I generally write music alone, but being around other producers gave me a certain excited energy that reminded me of after-parties back in Glasgow where Ross and myself spent our youth together. Spending time in Clark's studio also helped me improve my workflow and sequencing the album by seeing the way he does things". On 'Säule Acid' he collaborates with Silvia Kastel and in 'I’m For Real' the vocals of Glaswegian DJ/producer Nightwave filter around the track. Stripped away to just the good bits, 'Ways Of Seeing' is a pleasure to listen to.
Track List:
01. LA Melody [3:43]
02. Säule Acid (ft. Silvia Kastel) [0:00]
03. Paris 5am [4:42]
04. I’m For Real (ft. Nightwave) [5:07]
05. Rez [3:37]
06. Optimism Over Despair [4:08]
07. Earthly Delights [4:44]
08. Missing Something [4:41]
09. Day Dreams [1:48]
10. Magenta One [3:17]
11. The Paleontologist [3:56]
Having a social scene full of producers has also influenced the album. The opening track 'LA Melody' came from staying with Ross Birchard (Hudson Mohawke) at his house in LA, hanging out in the glorious sunshine with him and Lunice working on tracks. "Initially Ross asked me to write some melodies to use in a project he was producing, but I ended up liking it so much I decided to keep the riff. I generally write music alone, but being around other producers gave me a certain excited energy that reminded me of after-parties back in Glasgow where Ross and myself spent our youth together. Spending time in Clark's studio also helped me improve my workflow and sequencing the album by seeing the way he does things". On 'Säule Acid' he collaborates with Silvia Kastel and in 'I’m For Real' the vocals of Glaswegian DJ/producer Nightwave filter around the track. Stripped away to just the good bits, 'Ways Of Seeing' is a pleasure to listen to.
Konx-om-Pax's first two albums for Planet Mu moved from amorphous ambient abstractions (Regional Surrealism) to bright yet half-dissolved rave nostalgia (Caramel). With Ways of Seeing, producer/graphic designer Tom Scholefield places a greater focus on beats and melodies, yet his music remains just as dreamy as it was before. Scholefield recorded Ways of Seeing after relocating from his hometown of Glasgow to Berlin, and while the album is certainly his most techno-influenced release yet, it sounds nothing like the sort of dark, paranoid techno one might associate with the city. Instead, it's joyous and even beach-ready, exuding warmth through hazy, lo-fi textures. Part of the album was recorded in Los Angeles while Scholefield was hanging out with Hudson Mohawke and Lunice, and there's a somewhat sinister but still carefree vibe to opening track "LA Melody" and a handful of other trap-influenced cuts. While much of Caramel hinted at the ecstasy of rave music without reaching a climax, Ways of Seeing mainly consists of more fully committed dance tracks, although these still don't conform to conventional structures. "Paris 5AM" fades in with mellow, dubby synth washes, thumping beats, and sampled bird calls, establishing a tranquil mood and making no attempt to escape it. "Optimism Over Despair" is significantly more ambitious, starting out with staccato synth riffs and a stuttering beat, which eventually straightens out as vaguely trancey melodies develop, with choppy breakbeats elevating the atmosphere as the track escalates. "Earthly Delights" almost seems like the dark twin of "Paris 5AM," structured similarly but conveying a much more subdued feeling. "Missing Something" hints at progressive house, with ringing melodies and a subtle sense of transportation, but it keeps things relatively stripped back, rather than shooting for a grandiose epic. Recalling earlier Konx-om-Pax releases, final piece "The Paleontologist" cloaks a misty new age melody in foggy, distorted bass. With his third album, Scholefield continues to fade light into dark, but this time there's a much stronger heartbeat.
~ Paul Simpson, All Music
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Track List:
01. LA Melody [3:43]
02. Säule Acid (ft. Silvia Kastel) [0:00]
03. Paris 5am [4:42]
04. I’m For Real (ft. Nightwave) [5:07]
05. Rez [3:37]
06. Optimism Over Despair [4:08]
07. Earthly Delights [4:44]
08. Missing Something [4:41]
09. Day Dreams [1:48]
10. Magenta One [3:17]
11. The Paleontologist [3:56]
Year 2019 | Electronic | FLAC / APE | Mp3 | CD-Rip
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