Visionist - M / Secrets

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  • Louis Carnell will be the first to tell you that his music has always been about grime. But his output so far this year—the Snakes EP for Leisure System and I'm Fine for Lit City—saw him address the form more directly than ever. The former was rather aggressive, the latter more lyrical. Both deployed an ethereal, reverb-drenched sound palette that is fast becoming his trademark. With this single for Ramp, Carnell returns to the more techno-indebted rhythmic templates of his earlier work. Well, partially. As opposed to the oblique 8-bar structures on I'm Fine, these two tracks unfold patiently, gradually arranging elements in the manner of a techno tune. But where past productions like "Iris" or "Mr. 67" twitched in a Swamp81-friendly manner, this time around Carnell proceeds with a heavier heart. "M"'s head-nod halftime beat and ghostly atmospherics recall, if anyone, Mala (though it thuds along at 125 BPM) but a generous slathering of those unmistakable re-pitched vocals make its roots clear. "Secrets" benefits from a subtle rolling swing but is more subdued still, all distant bleeping melodies and muffled vinyl crackle. Neither is as striking as I'm Fine's highlights, but together they form a neat bridge between Carnell's past sound and his present—and perhaps a new sound to come.
  • Tracklist
      A M B Secrets
RA