Berlin composer Scott Monteith begins a new creative cycle by announcing that he is “permanently” storing the dub techno project Deadbeat, which made him known 20 years ago. After a very experimental first album, released in 2016 (Qawwali Quatsch), he returns to us with this exquisite The Lichen Diaries, vol. 1probably the most ambient — and attractive — that he offered. In this disc crossed by the songs of crickets and birds captured in the Dominican jungle, Monteith designs a richly detailed, yet harmonically and rhythmically minimalist sound environment. On the second of the six pieces offered, the dub influence resurfaces in the form of simple organ chords which form the rhythm as much as the melodic motif; followed by buzzing low notes which come and go in waves, blurred by synthetic strings evoking the sound of Gas – it’s relaxing and intriguing at the same time. The album peaked on TLD 1.4, while these strings repeat a series of notes punctuated by muffled bass punctures. It’s of all beauty !
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The Lichen Diaries, vol. 1
★★★ 1/2
Electronic
Scott Monteith, BLKRTZ
To watch on video