Al ak - Falling Into Place

To me, al ak's compilation of tunes titled 'Falling Into Place' was what clearly exhibited a quantum leap in his songwriting abilities and his skill as a producer. This set of six tunes played out like the coming-of-age treatise of an erstwhile under-recognized talent who carves out a unique artistic identity for himself. While doing so, it gave listeners like me a chance to approach electronic music using a slightly different lens and appreciate its multitude of creative possibilities. Going over these tunes exposes you to a lovely mesh of sounds ranging from hints of Burial-esque 2-step and Nigel Godrich-infused IDM/electronica to ambient, glitch and deep house, all interspersed with tastefully chopped-up atmospheric vocal samples.

Al ak eventually went on to join the Karachi-based electronic music collective Forever South, and has been consistently producing tunes. His musical direction might have changed ever so slightly over the course of time, but his production quality and mastery increases exponentially. Whenever I listen to any one of his compositions, I feel that each note is meticulously placed at a specific place and serves a unique purpose in the grand scheme of things in al ak's deterministic musical universe. I'm reproducing the EP in its entirety here, for not doing so wouldn't do justice to it.

6LA8 - The Future Doesn't Care for You

This blog entry is about a duo who call themselves 6LA8, and is way overdue. The rate at which these guys produce music is mind-boggling: a quick glance at their bandcamp page reveals around twelve compilations, including collaborations and recordings of improvisation sessions. I remember talking to someone once who was vehemently asserting that this band has been very 'honest' when it comes to composing music, and hasn't shied away from experimentation. That is perhaps true. With an oeuvre that might be difficult to digest for many, the band has meddled with everything from experimental drone/ambient to post-rock.

This tune is called 'The Future Doesn't Care for You', and is taken from 'Chaos/Solipsism/Self-Projection', a joint release with 'Aus Rine'. The composition is drawn out flat, and different elements make their entry one after another. The ambient keys eventually morph into a beautiful wall of sound that engulfs everything within itself.

Sound of Madness - Blue

Yet another band from Karachi, ladies and gentlemen. The name of the tune is 'Blue', and they released it in March earlier this year. This is what they have to say about themselves: 'Sound of madness is passion and it's a journey that will take you into a space where there's no moon and sun, but only melodies filled with madness'. A little too complacent, you say? Perhaps not entirely so. 'Blue' is a nice mix of melody and vocal harmony. Moreover, it manages to exude the kind of melancholy-ridden aura that one finds in Anathema's tunes. The pensive air is accentuated with the help of keys, weeping guitar-bends and background ambience. They've also come up with a video for the tune, which has been uploaded on Youtube. The cover art depicts a female gravitating towards a blue balloon in a somewhat surreal semi-urban landscape.