British sound artists Adam Martin and Mark Slater explore the freedoms of restriction with their Nightports project, basing their compositions entirely on source material played by a single featured musician. Following a study of the possibilities of vintage pianos with Matthew Bourne, Nightports second Leaf release was constructed entirely from the adventurous drumming of Maxwell Hallett (aka Betamax Killer), best known as a member of psych-jazz revolutionaries the Comet Is Coming. The Nightports duo spent a day in February of 2018 recording Halletts splashy, sprawling improvisations, then took a few months tearing the sounds apart and reconstructing them. Nightports uncover hidden textures in Halletts playing, shaping them into drones and sculpting rifts of feedback. The result is far from being just a collection of wonky drum solos, but it doesnt attempt to trick the listener into believing that a full band is playing. Opener Ritual surrounds a procession of choppy drums with brassy grunts and digital crunch, resembling some sort of miniature cyborg marching ensemble. Other tracks such as Ill Tell You Whats Happening and Hidden are transformed into sparse, alien dub, with clattering vibrations emanating from the calmly paced rhythms. Fro has a more staggered time signature, and the electronic processing brings out the tactile qualities in the drumming (it sounds like Hallett is hitting several different types of surfaces) while covering it in fizz and fog. While the artists dont seem interested in amorphous free jazz splatter, they rip the rhythm apart quite thoroughly on the scattered, shaking Fourteenth, which has an ambient bridge inserted in the middle; despite all of this, the rhythm remains persistent and never fully dissolves. The release amplifies the complexities of Halletts drumming, turning nuances into guiding forces and highlighting his strength and versatility. ~ Paul Simpson

Rovi