- Most people associate techno with the mechanical. The genre's automated thump evokes images of futuristic machinery or, at least, the hardware and computers used to make it. Silent Season flips that script. The British Columbia label has always shrouded its techno in a naturalist aesthetic inspired by the beauty of the Vancouver Island region, whose picturesque landscapes adorn every Silent Season release. It isn't just a matter of slapping photos on cardboard sleeves, though. The style seeps into the roots of Silent Season, defining its earthy textures and damp atmospherics. Primarily known as a dub techno label, over time Silent Season has matured to encompass more abstract forms of the genre as well as ambient music. The Wandering II, Silent Season's second compilation, uses three discs to explore every nook and cranny of this expansive sound.
At 27 tracks and well over three hours, it's hard to hear The Wandering II all in one sitting. But to label owner Jamie McCue's credit, the CD version of the compilation is sequenced beautifully. Disc One is mostly beatless—listening to the soundscapes from Birds Of Prey and Sonitus Eco feels a bit like taking in the sounds of a dense wood. There are hints of rhythm that bubble up here and there, which gradually develop and take over on the second disc. Starting with Archivist's stunningly bright tones and propelling through lush contributions from ASC, Michał Wolski and Brando Lupi, the sound is more ethereal and singular than the conventional dub techno of the label's earliest releases.
There are still plenty of dubby moments. Inanitas's "Sorello" is full of yawning chords, and Yuka's "Black Cloud" pulls dub techno into a slow creep. Best of all is label vet Mon0, who presents a perfect approximation of Silent Season's imagery with the woodsy rustle of "Forgotten Gods." It sounds like DeepChord gone camping, and is a fine example of how to personalize a familiar formula.
Even the less recognizable names stand out on The Wandering II, making it that much harder to pick out highlights. Not only is it consistent, as we've come to expect from Silent Season, but it also feels like everyone has given their best work to the label—it's an embarrassment of riches. Compilations like these often suffer from a hodgepodge feel, but The Wandering II is painstakingly constructed, from its packaging to its curation.
Like most Silent Season releases, The Wandering II requires patience, but it rewards the extra attention and instills calm, too. It invites to you to disconnect, reflect and get lost in the music's rich atmospheres, just like McCue does on his regular nature walks around his home of Union Bay. Silent Season has never embodied that ethos better than it does on The Wandering II.
Tracklist01. Legiac - Jefre Tropod
02. Sonitus Eco - Frost
03. Birds of Prey - The Surface
04. Brother Blue - Summoning UFOs
05. Kanthor - Hegemony
06. A.P - Interdimensional 2.0
07. Aesthes - Amphibians
08. Inanitas - Tuesday Evening
09. Ethernet - Reminiscence
10. Inanitas - Sorello
11. Archivist - Photosensitive
12. Brando Lupi - Something Blue (Redub)
13. Hidden Element - Edge Off
14. Michal Wolski - Sunyata
15. ASC - Montauk
16. Hydrangea - Ananké
17. Alfredo Mazzilli - Continuando a Sognare
18. Tdel - Deep Field
19. Yuka - Black Cloud
20. Segue - Identity Dub
21. Mechanist - Ley Lines
22. As If - Nærvær
23. DT-90 - Arnica
24. Mon0 - Forgotten Gods
25. Warmth - Altitude
26. Martin Schulte - Trip
27. Slownoise - Wilderness Years
28. Mr Zu - Retaw