John Heckle - Voices and Visions

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  • Liverpudlian John Heckle's output has largely been split between Tabernacle Records and Jamal Moss' Mathematics imprint, and he returns to the former for Voices and Visions, his second EP of the year. Heckle's sound—battered Chicago-indebted jack tracks capable of being both thorny and whimsical in equal measure—is by now well developed, and these four tracks don't stray too far from the expected. As the artwork suggests, this record is loosely unified under a tropical theme, all vivid psychedelic tones, steamy forest-floor antics and the occasional shaft of dazzling light. "Doctor Catz" cruises lusciously along in typical Heckle fashion, its busy bassline and syncopated flurries of percussion dusted with glimmering, artful melodics. The opening of "1-7 main, 8-9 recurring," meanwhile, is a fine example of Heckle's ability to balance the propulsive and the mathematical: its central riff leaps around, following some indecipherable sequence, sparring with complex tom and hi-hat patterns. Relief comes in the form of rich pads, strings and some unobtrusive keys towards the midpoint; though an unrewarding trebly quality to the mix, here and elsewhere, detracts from the warmth somewhat. "Nine Gulps" pursues a more muscular techno feel, though there's still a trippy gleam to it, a certain eerie drifting in and out of focus even as the various daubs of melody build to an understated crescendo. Finally, the beatless "Ode to SAW" closes proceedings by compounding the tropical imagery: birdsong is looped and pitched down as if refracted through a chemical lens, while subdued pads lap gently at the edges of consciousness.
  • Tracklist
      A1 Doctor Catz A2 1-7 Main, 8-9 Recurring B1 Nine Gulps B2 Ode to SAW
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