An esoteric world awaits in this two track release by Filipino producer similarobjects. It's called Etheric, something itself that refers to a sort of human energy field, and houses just two tracks under its title, one referring to an obscure archangel and "orb goddess", the other to a legendary place which may or may not have existed.
We descend into a dark tunnelic world through this thumping avenue of beats, the soft diamante glow of muted harps decorative and weird, and with this like-paint-running vox ghostly pervasive. The room to breathe for a minute in the middle of this 9-minute symphony and the shuffling percussion, the fizz into existence again, more sparkling shards of charged synth bounce around twinging, this whole 'Gersisa' track vibrating and pulsing in house rhythm and handclaps delicious hollow and true. It's a wormhole of uncertainty something unsettling within the confines of that driving beat.
And then we move into the glimmering submarine atmosphere of 'Blueprint To Atlantis'. Again it's a house beat, but more funky this time, accented with more of a spring in its step - combined with the smoother sound of the music, the melty glimmering synths, exotic melodic flourishes like millions of tiny bubbles, the syncopated fluttering chords and others sharper with standout flash, all of it makes for a more contended less bristling atmosphere than the previous track. Makes it feel like more lounge house for most of the track, but then sub-bass rumbles column underneath and euphoric chords grow more intense, overspilling, and then drops into slow glitchy loop, the magic of mythology over.
It feels as though these two exist as polar opposites: one claustrophobic and discordant and jittery and struck with darkness and unknown dimensions, and one a manual of discovery full of light and laid-back and earthly. Or instead the unreality of 'Gersisa' could be the strange interdimensional den through which you travel with 'Blueprint To Atlantis' as the destination, like savoury dinner and sweet dessert. The level of imagination here, the places to which similarobjects promises to take us, are bold and bright, sunk below the sea and somewhere in our thoughts.
- Etheric is released by Kuala Lumpur-based label Botanic, which I think is pretty new and aims to "champion new music from Southeast Asia and beyond". You can download the EP from the label's Bandcamp on a pay-as-you-like.
- similarobjects' real name is Jorge Juan Wieneke V and as well as making music he runs Manila-based Buwanbuwan collective. He is also associated with Singapore label Darker Than Wax.
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