exael - Vanishing Act (2023)

With 𝑽𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑨𝒄𝒕, exael’s offering to the ENXPL series, the artist furthers their exploration of what they refer to as “the jester’s gaze”, wherein a variable array of emotions of the fool are less than obvious to decode. In this emotively charged interzonal reflection point, exael probes these psychedelic anxieties through eight varying tracks of accomplished electronic music production. Excavating the root role of the jester and it’s cosmic objecthood, exael takes on a synchronous identity; human and computer, jester and virus, superimposed. Far from a glistening ambient escapism, or sentimental shoegaze meditations, or obligatory club tropes, exael has created a sonic terrain unique to their own narrative and positionality as an artist. Side A of 𝑽𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑨𝒄𝒕 showcases exael’s comfort in fast tempo constructions, while the B side offers slower tempoed ventures with guest vocal duties by writer Zoe Darsee moving between trip-hop and industrial affectations.

exael is an alias of Naemi, an artist residing in Berlin. Their work under this moniker aims to upend elements of divergent sonic aesthetics and musical styles, reassembling them with the intent to create diffuse, mulitfunctional contexts. Utilizing exael as an avatar, Naemi attempts to access a collective subconscious via their own, externally processing the sounds and images that permeate contemporary life. Thus, highlighting the ways in which people merge and re-combine with culture on a molecular level as a result of this near-constant immersion. They present stimulating, lysergic sounds in an organic and explorative manner instead of the sometimes exhausting vibe of highly-calculated, experimental club music.