Dulcitone 1804

Nightports second collaboration with Matthew Bourne was created using a rare Victorian keyboard instrument called a Dulcitone -- in particular, the instrument numbered 1804. While it looks like a standard keyboard, albeit much lighter and more portable than a piano, it produces a clear, bell-like tone. As with their other releases, Nightports take the raw recordings of the instrument and add treatments, freeing the already mysterious sound from its box and giving it even more of an otherworldly quality. The spontaneity of these pieces can be likened to prepared piano improvisations, but this sounds far more delicate, spacious, and full of life. The twirling melodies of tracks like "Unveil" bring to mind images of tiny figurines coming to life and doing elaborate ballet routines. Nightports add foggy ambiance to most of the pieces, but they let Bournes playing shine instead of obscuring it. Most of the pieces are around two or three minutes long, and many of them are similar enough that they tend to blur together in the mind, so its best to approach the album as a continuous half-hour dream. The most successful Nightports release to date, Dulcitone 1804 creates a haunting yet enchanting atmosphere bearing an easy resemblance to little else. ~ Paul Simpson