Steep Stims

イギリスのプロデューサー、クリス・クラーク(クラーク)のニュー・アルバムが完成。トム・ヨークの協力を得た前作から一転、古いシンセで制作し、原点回帰のアプローチを示したニュー・アルバム『スティープ・スティムズ』、リリース。

Thom Yorkeの協力を得て本格的に歌に取り組んだ最初の作品『Sus Dog』と、その姉妹作『Cave Dog』による「歪んだ非自己啓発の輝き」に続き、Chris Clarkは、『Steep Stims』で、シンプルながらも揺るぎないダンスフロアの喜びへと回帰する。「このアルバムを聴くのをやめられなかったし、制作をやめるのも辛かった。ある時点で、『Steep Stims』から自分自身を切り離し、楽しむことをやめざるを得なかった。このアルバムは私の本性だ。エレクトロニック・ミュージックがアコースティック・ミュージックよりも自然で、より力強く感じられる時が好きだ。それが悪魔の策略であり、エレクトロニック・ミュージックの約束だ」とChrisは語る。「全曲で古いシンセサイザー、Virusを使った」とChrisが語る通り、『Steep Stims』は原点回帰のアプローチを示し、当時のテクノロジーの制約によってもたらされた、情熱的な創造性の初期の時代を彷彿とさせる。「このアルバムのほとんどのトラックは、記憶容量の少ない古いサンプラーで音楽を作る精神を捉えている。『Clarence Park』の制作を思い出させる。この新しいアルバムは、いくつかのシンセと厳選されたサウンドだけでできている。重要なのは作曲なのだ」とClarkは説明する。

When Clark branched out from his electronic roots on Playground in a Lake and Sus Dog, he earned plenty of rightful acclaim. However, anyone concerned hes ventured too far from his foundations will welcome Steep Stims, a reminder that hes just as adept at making powerfully original music with a few well-chosen pieces of gear as he is with strings and a choir at his command. In this case, its a late-90s model of the Access Virus synth that was a staple of the eras dance music. Though Clark tweaks it to his own liking, the heyday of rave and trance still echoes in its brassy and stringlike tones. On "Janus Modal," that signature sound is joined by an oompah-like bass and mewing lead synths borrowed from acid techno, and as it pivots from sweaty beats to spacious beauty, its faux-majesty attains a genuinely magisterial feel. Those fake strings seem to travel at the speed of light on "Who Booed the Goose," a deceptively silly name for a track that sounds like racing through the cosmos; paired with diva vocals that stretch out towards the heavens on "Negation Loop," they feel like a commentary on dance music itself. Steep Stims live, hand-crafted immediacy evokes Clarks own body of work as well as the late-90s/early-2000s IDM renaissance of μ-Ziq and Squarepusher. Like the best moments from Body Riddle, Death Peak, and Turning Dragon, "Infinite Roller" flutters effortlessly between light and shadow -- and reinforces that hard-hitting club tracks can also be beautiful and mysterious. Throughout Steep Stims, Clark balances the dancefloor and headier concepts in fascinating ways: "18EDO Bailiff"s dilapidated piano melody becomes a surprisingly sticky hook for the crushing breakbeats that dominate "Globecore Flats," which are reincarnated as the rhythm of "Blowtorch Thimble"s old-school IDM frenzy. Tracks like these are just as artfully composed as anything on Playground in a Lake, and it often feels like Clark is on a mission to demolish the distinctions between high and lowbrow art entirely. "Civilians," an outlandish highlight driven by a worming bassline and flutey tones that swell and deflate, is a not-so-distant relative to Love Lock Floot, a piece composed for choreographer Melanie Lane. For Clark, going back to basics is far from a retreat. As sophisticated in its execution as his more overtly ambitious projects, Steep Stims reaffirms his place among electronic music’s most imaginative voices. ~ Heather Phares