The Stordiau Revolution 2024
Skin Of Salt
Genuinely arresting strata of soul-seeking mysteries from Belgian electronica maven.
This Brussels artist styles himself as “DJ, composer, producer” which might seem like a serious underestimation of Alexander Stordiau’s priorities, as he doesn’t need a sweaty swarm of bodies to explore one’s id and is content to work with an audience of one. Here’s why the four instrumental pieces that comprise “Skin Of Salt” – the EP title’s letters not-so-coincidentally spelling “SOS” – cut much deeper than a regular dancefloor fodder. Thanks to Stordiau’s melodies and groove, rather than mere beats, there’s enough thought-provoking fare to mesmerize the listener instead of propelling them towards thoughtless trance. It’s not transcendental, of course, yet a few meditative layers get wrapped around an open mind quite comfortably, if sometimes unsettling, to keep a person focused till the end.
The focus is formed slowly, the record’s titular track presenting a psychedelic vibe before projecting cinematic passages on an almost symphonic canvas to remove abstract strands and paint a series of progressively dynamic images of stately scope. With sparse church organ reigning supreme over synthetic vignettes that create a gripping undertow for anxious pulse to float to the surface, the listener will be left in the lurch – vulnerable to the sci-fi spank emerging from “The Sting Of The Lie” and staying fantastically solid. But then, the 10-minute “Hearing The House Breathing” offers a multipart cosmic meander Edgar Froese would be proud of, while “Fear Merges Easily” locates velvet grandeur in deceptively cold alien worlds of sonic delights. A salty sort thereof – to lick off one’s skin and enjoy it.
*****
