Imperium Droop

Mouse on Mars co-founder Jan St. Werner invited Oneida drummer Kid Millions to perform at one of several events related to his sprawling 2016 album Felder. That performance in Oneidas Brooklyn practice space (to an audience of one, namely Helado Negro) was followed by additional gigs in New York, Berlin, and Boston. The duos first release was constructed from various shows and studio sessions between 2016 and 2020, but mainly focusing on recordings made at Andrew Barkers Brooklyn studio in 2017. The nine tracks that make up Imperium Droop are vivid soundclashes between Millions ecstatic, crashing drum convulsions and Werners buzzing, howling electronics, with a few guests contributing additional tones to the audio canvas. Werners sharply rolling synths on the appropriately titled opener Color Bagpipes are bulldozed by Mats Gustafssons rusty saxophone skronk and Millions percussive splatter, later clearing out for a more meditative stretch at the end. Apotropaic and Laffen Death both seem to approach the idea of a groove without surrendering to it completely. Hexaco Inversion is the albums shortest track at three minutes, but its the most forceful one, with Millions breathlessly hammering his kit over Werners full-on droning. The more spacious Dark Tetrad has long stretches of near-stillness interrupted by laser zaps, multi-dimensional drum fills, and Richard Hoffmans untethered bass notes. Other tracks like Nuclei Melodies (also featuring Gustafsson) and Sorrows and Compensations seem suspended yet in a state of panic, full of kinetic energy without really moving in any particular direction. Essentially a distillation of countless hours worth of spontaneous moments of inspiration, Imperium Droop is a brash, often striking exploration of the outer limits of improvisation. ~ Paul Simpson