Saturday 22 April 2017

Album: Miwon - Jigsawtooth

Miwon Jigsawtooth



Info: 'Jigsawtooth' is the third album from Hendrik Kroez’s Miwon project. On this long-awaited follow up to his critically revered 'A to B (City Centre Offices)', Kroez displays his skill in marrying motorik techno infused rhythms and soaring pop ambient melodies. This is most evident on 'Charezza', which could be the most uplifting track in the n5MD cannon. Other cuts on the album utilize sweeping synth-work that encourage a near kraut/kosmische travel worthy flavor to the proceedings. It is now available on CD, as well as white, and transparent red vinyl.

Miwon's Jigsawtooth is an album that will immediately sweep you up and under it's blanket of ambient techno and electronic soundscapes. Opening track 'Fuzzy Words' is probably where I had hoped Tycho's Epoch album would have ventured last year but failed to do so. Thumping drum pads and gently stretched effects cast themselves across its 3 minutes and 20-odd seconds like a gently rippling wave.

'Charezza' follows, a feeling of isolation is present in its intro, chimes dangle and move in opposite time to the beat, there is a real feel of Eno's Another Green World meets fellow German downtempo electronic artist Paul Kalkbrenner, it's a really beautiful listening experience that soars slowly and with ease. Then comes the old school house sounds of the glitchy and slightly industrial sounding 'Spiderman', a thudding muffled bass-line and beat forcefully place themselves directly under the more delicate wisps of the synth.

'Shutter (Windmill Version)' shrouds itself in a dark yet flickering light, the beat on this is choppy like a guillotine cutting the song in to tiny fractions, there's a determined drive behind it which is balanced against the soft retro 70's sounding keys. Proceedings get decidedly funky on sixth track 'Pineda', with its air of Massive Attack ambiance, it trickles hazily with a very soft static backdrop.

Again industrial sounds crop up on the wonderfully spatial and creeping 'Mondharke', reminiscent at times of Death in Vegas' 'Aisha' at a reduced pace, it brings inhospitable and bleak alien landscapes to the fore. Following the upbeat and bouncy 'Cool Your Jets', Jigsawtooth concludes with its title track, an equally joyful piece to its predecessor, a retro computer game sound encompasses the optimistic beat, and at the half-way point a funky hip-hop burst introduces itself. Overall Miwon swirls us through a wide range of his sonic catalogue of visions on his new album, and it's a very, very enjoyable trip to take part in.


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