- Abyss X and Danse Noire's cofounder, Aïsha Devi, have a lot in common. They are both émigrés with phenomenal voices who use their native cultures as a starting point for their art. Abyss X, AKA Evangelia Lachianina, was born in Crete but has spent her adult life elsewhere. She is currently based in the US, but her music always references home. Lachianina's previous record for Infinite Machine considered modern Greece's instability through the lens of rioting, resulting in a series of cataclysmic club tracks designed to cause discomfort. Pleasures Of The Bull is starkly different. Like Lachianina's earlier EP, Mouthed, it's a more lyrical musing on ancient Minoan civilisation—and a lot easier on the ears.
Pleasures Of The Bull invokes the Greek myth of Pasiphaë, the cursed wife of a king of Crete who fell in love with the Cretan Bull and gave birth to the monstrous Minotaur. Lustful and vindictive, it's a story of passion. "Lyrical Waxing," which could almost be called a pop song, is the EP's poignant centrepiece. We're treated to Lachianina's dazzling operatic range as she sings like a heartbroken seraphim.
The vocals are more experimental elsewhere. Sharp inhalations and breathy, bestial mutterings form the basis of "H. TURT," reminding me of Forest Sword's dance performance, Shrine, which also deals with issues of the flesh. Neoclassical undertones are strong in the EP's closing half, where Maria Skoula's traditional Cretan lyra playing takes a leading role. The complete work is deeply theatrical and lends itself to the stage, which is where Pleasures Of The Bull and its maker should ideally be experienced.
TracklistA1 H. TURT
A2 Critical Path
A3 Lyrical Waxing
B1 Humiliation
B2 Critical Path II
B3 Fang? Kaaeema