Keith Berry: Tropical Modernism
VSM Theory

The stylistic distance Keith Berry's traveled since his first VSM Theory release to this latest one is considerable, as Tropical Modernism has little in common with the soothing ambient soundscapes the London, UK-based sound sculptor once favoured. This latest collection might be described as exotic lounge music (muzak?) of a particularly refined kind. Without the results sounding lifeless, every element is in its proper place and each surface polished to a smooth, sanitized sheen. There's still a “wallpaper”-like quality in play, but the character of the music is radically different from what came before.

Par for the Berry course, no information is provided as to how the material was generated or the artistic intention that motivated its creation. The seventeen exercises might have been assembled from samples or perhaps stitched together from live edits; for all I know, Berry recorded himself playing acoustic instruments and then assembled the fragments, or perhaps he sourced the album's sounds using digital means to convincingly approximate “real” instruments. The acoustic bass pulse that animates the sultry “Xanadu” certainly sounds authentic enough, as do the brushed drums that lend it a relaxed swing and the Moog synthesizer that bolsters the dreamlike effect.

No matter: the material he's created presents a generous number of surprises and repays the investment of time and attention required to listen to it. Track titles such as “Yellow Bird” and “Blue Peninsula” allude to an imaginary seaside paradise, and Berry reinforces the idea of a vacationer's holiday excursion by naming two pieces “Land in Sight” and “Departure.” Whereas “Enchanted Seascapes” and “Submarine Spotting” also align with the concept, “The Pinkish Room” seems like a side-long nod to Twin Peaks' “Red Room”; such a connection receives added support when the narcotized track could pass for a performance by a Twin Peaks house band.

Each piece plays like a snapshot of a longer one when many fade in, stay for three or four minutes, and then retreat. Berry's used generative strategies to create his material in the past, and while changes do occur within these tracks—instruments dropping in and out, for instance—the looping design exemplified by many suggests he might have applied that production methodology here too. The relaxed vibe of the material conjures the image of swimsuit-clad vacationers lounging on a faraway beach, dazed by the sweltering heat and dazzled by the brilliant hues of water, sand, and sky.

Flutes, mellotron-like timbres, vibes, string washes, acoustic bass, and percussion intensify the sultriness of the music. In “Forbidden Fruit,” a forlorn alto sax figure establishes a feeling of melancholy that's reinforced by gentle sprinkles of acoustic piano and flutes. While the tremolo twang of electric guitar adds to the mystery and intrigue of “Land In Sight,” the inclusion of guiro and marimba accents gives the material an exotic touch. With a punchy electric bass-and-drum groove driving “Bad Wisdom,” one could almost imagine the song a pop single vying for radio play, despite being an instrumental. There's also no denying the prettiness of certain pieces, the swoon-inducing “Taboo and Exile” a case in point.

December 2024