Seattle doesn’t have a signature sound. There is no “Seastep,”
“Pugetcore,” or “Northwestronica” moniker that makes any sense, and
instead of lamenting that, we should embrace the fact that our talent
pool can play with so many sounds and excel. When the secret finally
gets out about what our scene is producing, our sonic diversity will be what keeps us relevant long after the initial wave of hype
recedes. Here are a few of the releases that have recently come across
my desk that are moving our scene closer to its moment in the
spotlight.
Butter, Fourthcity‘s latest compilation, encapsulates
the label’s sound, with a smooth, relaxing mix of digital downtempo,
updating the late-’90s template with glitch, effects processing, and
some IDM-lifted aesthetics. This album came out in the summer, but I
was late in getting a copy, and even later in finally giving it a
listen, which only increases the album’s effectiveness: It’s much
better suited to chilly, gray autumn than blue, sunny summer, exactly
what you want for your morning commute, not so much for your prefunk.
“Float” is five and a half minutes of jazzy perfection, with a subdued
bass thump punctuated by a lilting piano loop and plaintive trumpet.
“Wanna Get High?” is a fitting title for Naoto Yamazaki’s hazy,
drum-led contribution. Truckasauras, Foscil, and Plan B also include
tracks that further solidify why each is worthy of the attention they
receive.
A release to pick up when it drops is the debut from new boutique
techno label Peloton Musique. In keeping with the biking-related
label name (a peloton is the large main pack of riders in a road
bicycling race), the label curators release a sample pack of
bike-related sounds (changing gears, ringing bells, blasting air pumps,
etc.), soliciting tracks that incorporate them. The final release will
feature around 20 tracks from artists like Markus Nikolai (one of few
nonlocals), Jerry Abstract, Lusine, Jeff Samuel, and Matt Corwine, and
from the early sampling I’ve heard, it should be one of the local
releases of the year, with the biking concept leaving almost infinite
room for creativity. Sure it’s all “techno,” but releases like this
illustrate the latitude the genre spans, with some contributions
calling for undivided attention in headphones and others demanding
peak-hour play on a club system. The tracks are currently being
mastered with an anticipated release in just weeks.
Promoter Levitation Device has gotten his first release on
the debut from North Carolina label Waveform Modulations. Deeper in
the Box is a compilation featuring 20 tracks from newcomers. As
with most compilations of this type, the disc is uneven both in quality
and overall cohesion, but Levitation Device’s “Relativity” easily falls
on the more interesting half, with percolating percussion and dubby
bass countered with synth washes. It’s only one release, but Levitation
Device has twisted his influences into a new musical statement, and
you’d be wise to listen up.
***
To follow up on my piece from October 18 regarding the fate of
Oscillate and the Baltic Room, the venue is back open after a
week of renovations, but things are still unsettled. As of this
writing, Oscillate still holds it down on Thursdays, but the winds of
change are definitely in the air, with many artists viewing upcoming
appearances as their last at the venue. On a more optimistic note, drum
‘n’ bass Tuesdays are coming back to the Baltic Room from the War Room
this week. So things are changing, but the news isn’t all
bad—just a natural part of any vibrant scene. 