I first learned of this new album on a Facebook group for Icelandic vinyl-heads (takk, Trausti!), and after playing a few tracks on Bandcamp I knew I had to order it, despite the fact that shipping from the UK, where the label SVBKVLT is based, is completely and utterly unhinged. If I may rant for a minute, I can’t tell you how many items shipping from the UK that I’ve passed on over the last year or so, as it’s not uncommon for the shipping to cost more than the record itself. This isn’t the fault of the sellers – they’re just trying to run businesses, and I’ve seen this remarked on in various online forums as well. I feel for my friends in the UK that are struggling to sell physical goods because the shipping fees they have to charge are usurious.
ANYWAY… sometimes I make an exception, and I’m glad I did in this case. sideproject are a trio of producers and designers who recently completed a remix of “Atopos” from Björk’s most recent album, 2022s Fossora. Their first release as sideproject, Isis Emoji, came out back in 2018, and they’ve been putting out new stuff each year since 2021. sourcepond represents their second physical release (Isis Emoji came out on cassette) and the first on vinyl.
I’ve seen sourcepond described as grime, and I can certainly see some similarities, though these tracks don’t feature any (or at least very minimal) vocals. Song structures are often loose, elements suddenly appearing, disappearing, and shifting. Beats can be lighting-quick or languorous, even within the same track. All of this can make for an at-times jarring listening experience, but when it all comes together it’s something to behold. The opening track, “captcha land art”, has an underwater feel, a slower, deeper beat reminiscent of house music pulsing through a swimming pool filled with warm water. The same holds true at the opposite end of the album, the closer “fluttertongue” incorporating a bit of reversed sounds to create an other-worldly feel. “bering strait” embraces the sensation of whale song, the rare bass sound buried deep in the darkest waters and coming to you across a great distance. Another highlight is “cannonposting”, beat-driven, the flow low and rich and serving as a foundation for the higher-pitched element as it progresses toward a full-on dance beat in the second half of the track.
sourcepond is available on the SVBKVLT Bandcamp page HERE. Vinyl is still available and limited to only 150 copies.