Do you find yourself instinctively shunning EDM like the un-cool kid at school? Does the mere thought of glistening layered synths and hooky melodies make you want to shave you head and join a monastery? If so we understand your predicament, like us your opinion regarding EDM has most likely been tainted or coloured in a certain direction by the often cantankerous EDM bashing that comes from certain quarters. In fact often our personal opinions on what we like, don’t like, actually end up being closer to, what we should like, and what we shouldn’t like. So does this mean EDM is ok to enjoy?
The funny thing about what we should and shouldn’t like is that like a Japanese tectonic plate it is constantly shifting. We may think our tastes and opinions are as solid as a rock, immovable, but in reality they are constantly shifting and fracturing as differing view points and attitudes frequently slam into us. Perhaps the most seismic of such forces is a well respected voice, an opinion we implicitly trust that suddenly deviates from its projected course. In this case that voice was LONE.
As an artist Lone sits in the category of an electronic artist who writes music not club tracks. His music is varied, non typical and very much has its own personality. As a result he’s not the sort of artist you’d associate with glistening EDM type synths but more along the lines of Boards of Canada, Bonobo, Mark Pritchard, Ametsub, Falty DL and the like.
Konx-Om-Pax is not an artist we have previously encountered and on initial inspection we were fairly certain we wouldn’t be spending much time in his presence. Following Lone’s twitter recommendation and link we landed on a Soundcloud page with the declaration ‘#Dance & EDM‘, instinctively a vow of chastity and life long pray seemed like a great idea. Overcoming our desire for lifelong celibacy we clicked play and were immediately relieved with our decision. Caramel is a gloriously shimmering synth workout that is most certainly sonically EDM in connotation, yet unlike many EDM tracks that could be grated over a fine Spaghetti Bolognese ‘Konx-Om-Pax’ work appears to have heart and soul. Contemplative pads and strings bring a touch of class to proceedings and collectively with the melodic synths remind us that we shouldn’t dismiss certain genres out of hand.
Caramel is the lead track from Konx-Om-Pax forthcoming LP on Planet Mu and we are most certainly very intrigued to hear more.
Konx-Om-Pax ‘Caramel’ (Planet Mu) Out July