Cleopatra 2017
Gaeseki Dream Machine
Nebulous ambience from electronica enigma who sets abstractions in unexpected spaces.
Based in South Korea yet removed from K-pop stream that entered collective consciousness in later years, this artist manipulates mass minds on a subtler subliminal level that’s just as large, if a conceptual trip of “Gaeseki Dream Machine” is anything to go by. It’s a slightly unsettling but rewarding album that begs to be delved into and lets out the other end a transformed individual.
From the crystal clean drops and dirty creaks of “Intro” to the sad chords and nostalgic shards of “Outro” which is a remix of two JackCote†’s pieces, there’s ominous magnetism in the tracks whose aural smears are often devoid of groove, while the blissful bubbling on “Outside-In” and clock ticking behind “Insomnia Euphoria” serve up simple rhythms in an overall shapeless scheme. The heartbeat-inspired drums on epic “Feel Better My Friend” may set a form to what’s going on there, yet”Venturing Into Etherea” gives a good indication of how tangible it all is, although occasional ghostly laughter and spectral voices inform the record with cinematic quality.
Still, tinkling piano loops in “The Universe” and the beeps ‘n’ burps in “Binary Brain” suggest a game-like experience, a fragile one as the clinking “Glass Jar” hints at, leaving abstract flow to fill “Daeseki Gream Machine” – yes, a twisted title – and “Codex Gigas” where slow motion is propelled percussively towards nothingness. It’s an ultimate destination, but the route there is rather exciting.
***1/2
