Presented with a SurveyMonkey-style matrix of contemporary electronic music, Chicago-based producer Potions licks the tip of his e-pen to get the ink flowing and clicks a ✔ into all the right boxes:
☑ Dense compositions vertically layered with synth lines and rhythms.
☑ Fluid interweaving of genre signifiers from house, ambient techno, IDM, jungle, trip-hop, psytrance.
☑ Individual tracks cross-faded together into a cohesive set.
☑ Exploitation of antiquated preset tones mimicking acoustic instruments.
☑ A rhythmic grid that straddles the line between tracker robotism and “live” “swing.”
Presented with these survey results, without hearing a single beat, a skeptical listener believes to have heard it all before. After keying the glyphs of a shrugging emoticon [ ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ] he or she presses [ENTER] and slouches as low as possible in the desk chair.
Presented with the IRL audio of MIDI Jazz Bass, streaming in full below, even a skeptical listener lets a, “Whoa. This,” slip out. Eyes open wider than expected. Feet move. Minds pick up new tricks. Melodies hover patiently in the back of the mix before slinking into the spotlight. Sessions evolve into vibrant lead passages over initial loops. Structural surprises lead deeper down the spiraling walkway to Potions’ subterranean bachelor pad, where lava lamps and strobes shine on, day or night. All the chairs there are shaped like eggs and allow for full horizontal recline.
MIDI Jazz Bass is available now in a limited 12” vinyl edition via Chicago’s Lake Paradise Records.
• Potions: http://potionsmusic.bandcamp.com
• Lake Paradise Records: http://www.lakeparadiserecords.com/index.html
More about: Potions
