Article
Lucy

Albums
Alphabets Heaven
AREA C
Aidan Baker
Black Devil Disco Club
Cluster
Dakota Suite & Errante
Davis & Machinefabriek
Deaf Center
Fancy Mike
FM3
Forest Swords
Frivolous
Hakobune
Kyo Ichinose
Juv
Deniz Kurtel
Sven Laux
Lucy
Stephan Mathieu
Joel Mull
Near The Parenthesis
Netherworld
nunu
Fabio Orsi
Penalune
Pleq
port-royal
Rainbow Arabia
Todd Reynolds
Roedelius
Rosenqvist and Scott
Steffi
Sublamp
SubtractiveLAD
Tapage

Compilations
Back and 4th
Future Disco Volume 4
SMM: Context
Tasogare: Live in Tokyo

EPs
Aardvarck & Kubus
Corrugated Tunnel
Debilos
Djamel
Tolga Fidan
Flowers and Sea Creatures
Anne Garner
Mike Jedlicka / Cloudburst
Mo 2 Meaux-2
Proximity One: Remixes
Darren Rice
Sepalcure
Sharma + Krause
Josh T
Talvihorros
Francesco Tristano
Widesky
Dez Williams

Tapage: Seven
Raumklang Music

Why Seven? Quite simply because Seven features seven tracks, with each one exactly seven minutes in length. Ostensibly a meditation on the concept of time, Tijs Ham's latest Tapage opus continues his exploration into ambient-industrial music-making, with, in this case, a pronounced emphasis on downtempo beatsmithing to go along with it (the album follows his solo outings, 2008's The Institute Of Random Events and 2009's Fallen Clouds, and the recent collaboration with Meander, Etched In Salt). While Tympanik Audio has operated as a recent Tapage home base, Seven finds Ham appearing on Raumklang for an atmospheric set that brings into sharp relief some of his avowed influences, including Hecq and Boards of Canada.

The approach is predominantly understated and the mood melancholy, and there's a refinement and sophistication about the material that speaks highly of Ham's production skills. The ambient aspects of the material endow the material with a serenading quality, while its rhythm dimension gives it a physical drive and propulsion. Pretty melodic treatments imbue “Five of Seven,” for instance, with as much sparkle as a prototypical Boards of Canada track, while the beats give it an earthy kick that can't help but induce a bodily response. “Three of Seven” likewise offsets the radiant tinkle of music box patterns with a heavy and subtly funky bottom end. The closing track flirts with orchestral ambiance during its first three minutes but then abruptly shifts gears when a hyperactive beat pulse skips into position, and crisp beats with a hip-hop edge lend oomph to certain tracks (“Two of Seven,” “Four of Seven”) as well.

March 2011