One of the salient features of electronic music is the ability to communicate without the use of standardized elements like choruses, vocals, or often even melodies. In Turned The Dusty Hymns, the latest offering from Belgian IDM artist Synchdub, this artistic communication transcends description by simple emotions but instead pries at the soul, the essence of artistry.
Altogether, Dusty Hymns is a diverse work as far as electronic music is concerned. The first track, appropriately entitled Slouch and Swing, borrows individual elements from a wide variety textures, from the brooding, contemptuous Goa-inspired bass runs to the organic sounding tom samples at the climax. Because of this juxtaposition, it’s difficult to classify such abstract textures that at times pander to the minimalistic Kompakt sound of artists like The Field and The Orb, while simultaneously hectic enough to warrant comparisons to IDM artists like Autechre or Lusine.
There’s a brief moment in the turnaround in the next track, Sinister Scope, where a similar driving bassline gives complete yield to a basic four on the floor rhythm and an ambient key sample. It’s moments like these where the female-fronted producer is at her best, in the graceful and thoughtful transitory periods of movement. Clocking in at just a little under 9 minutes, the pair of tracks last long enough to contain one or two of these beautiful intermediary segues, but even if the length were doubled, the EP would still be as powerful, if not more powerful.
On Synchdub’s MySpace, there’s a reference to an influence from Eastern culture. Upon further examination, this analogy meshes perfectly with the nostalgic and melancholic sounds of Dusty Hymns, conjuring up vivid imageries that wouldn’t be out of place coming from Tokyo-based producer Ametsub. It’s difficult to describe just how demanding the sounds are of a listener’s attention; make no mistake, this is meant to be taken in, digested, and thought about, not something to be put in the background and forgotten about.
You can purchase this independently-published EP immediately on iTunes, or you can check out some of Synchdub’s earlier work at Jango.
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