Philip Jeck

Loopholes

Genre: ELECTRONIC

MP3
FLAC

Boomkat Product Review:

For many listeners 'Loopholes' was the first time the name Philip Jeck appeared on the radar. Of course it wasn't his first work, his debut CD yes, but he had made already quite a name for himself with the flawless 'Vinyl Requiem' - a live piece written for 180 (!) record players, 12 slide projectors and 2 film projectors. This piece deservedly received worldwide acclaim, but 'Loopholes' showed people that the artists was not merely a subversive artist and that his techniques could easily be applied to making a proper, enthralling record. The album begins quietly with little fanfare - a simple Casio keyboard loop rising and falling playfully, but inside those tumbling sounds you begin to get drawn into Jeck's murky, crackling world. Within minutes we are thrown headfirst into 'Anatomy', a track which represents Jeck's style perfectly with rich crumbling bass drones lavished in chopped cuts of brass no doubt rescued from some old charity shop classic or other. Using the simplest of methods Jeck shows that he doesn't need to play a single note to make some of the most unique and genuinely interesting experimental music out there, but unlike his contemporaries such as Oval the resulting sounds are surprisingly listenable. Although he is often lumped in with the academics, Jeck has to me always come across as having much more of a sense of humour, a surrealist subversive edge which defies the grey logical world of "serious" music, and this album re-affirms this beautifully with its inventive use of sound and narrative. Gorgeous, deep and truly involving music - essential purchase.

MP3 Release (10)