Kosmischeboy and Quiddity: what we used to call trance but is now intelligent techno…possibly

Kosmischeboy and Quiddity

æthersongs

…or Dan Doughty and Graham Thorpe as they’re known to their mothers.

The pair describe this album as almost a barrel-scraping exercise, stuff lying around their hard discs and, if that’s the case, then I really must track down their ‘good material’ because this collection is rather nifty.

The album begins with Sunrise/Sunset which sounds incredibly nostalgic, at least to this music scribe. Call it electronica, intelligent techno or, if you can got back that far, the original ‘trance’ genre back in the early 90s, this track has a sense of the familiar to it. There is a Warp-ish shadow attached to it. In fact, my first thoughts swayed towards B12 (who were on the Warp label) from 1993 or so. It’s that open synth texture that Quiddity has…airy, spacious and roaming.

The next track Ambulatourism, settles into more modern electronica modes but also has a nostalgic, Future Sound Of London-esque vibe but with a 70s melodic, Tangerine Dream-like, synth rhythm that is quite addictive and prompts much foot tapping in the process.

Although Karmic Slam, Combined Nations and Ganymede have a treading water feel to it (which is not to say that these tracks are bad, just dip under the high quality of the rest), Through Immaterial and Black Diamonds pick up the pace and continue the journey while maintaining the free and easy style of the album as a whole.

Sunray is one of the stars of the show with its slow, erotic, rolling beat, ambient touches and innovative secondary percussion that almost invokes Orbital in its sonic layering while Dispossessed provides an almost organic-like piano synth effect that invokes sleepy Sunday mornings and a slow paced motion to life in general while the epic, Bewitched Edge, is big, bold and initially rather scary in a portentous way but effectively continues the slowdown vibes. Chill Haze doesn’t really continue the snoozy downward slope but does offer a beautifully melodic electronica melange and is another album stand-out.

Finally, Dreamchaser stands before you as a piece of sonic grammar, “Tis the end, folks,” it says, breathing deeply after the albums previous exertions, “Relax with a cuppa and a choccie techno-biccie.” As it proceeds to drive you home.

Incredibly, this album is free to download (although the link I had no longer seems to work).  You can (and should) give the boys a donation. They’ve put considered thought and effort into this project (no matter what they might say in their off-the cuff, nonchalant, smiley, boyish manner). So please support them.