Illuvia: Iridescence of Clouds
A Strangely Isolated Place

Ludvig Cimbrelius ended his self-titled Illuvia full-length in 2017 with an atmospheric drum'n'bass track that so captivated ASIP's showrunner, it prompted a request for an entire album's worth of material in that style. The eight productions on Iridescence of Clouds are as epic as that earlier one; more importantly, perhaps, the collection presents a fresh take on the genres it's rooted in: the material sounds less like a drum'n'bass producer weaving ambient textures into tracks and more like an ambient artist expanding on the genre's sound world by threading beats into the mix. And don't mistake what Cimbrelius is doing here as a variation on liquid drum'n'bass either: Iridescence of Clouds checks all of the glorious ambient boxes listeners have come to associate with ASIP, but elaborates on it by working an aggressive beat dimension into the design.

The typical Illuvia track is panoramic, majestic, and ethereal; packed with detail, the material engulfs like a blinding snowstorm. That one of the album's tracks is titled “Sky Beyond Sky” hints at the music's scope. While Iridescence of Clouds does position itself within a demarcated zone, it ranges widely within that territory. Some tracks accentuate drum'n'bass, others jungle; whereas “Wanderer” includes aspects of the familiar 'Amen' break, smatterings of aromatic dub-techno find their way into “Veil of Mist.” Having established a state of peaceful resplendence, “State of Emergence” thereafter swells into an awesome, pulsating colossus; in similar manner, “Titicaca” slowly adds to its ambient splendour with a full-throttle jungle pattern.

February 2021