There are not many musicians out there who would describe their latest work as “quite messy” yet Nathan Fake goes even further, describing his process as “hitting record and seeing what happens“, which culminated in “no post edits“. He adds that this extended player was “recorded on an old Marantz tape deck, Jupiter 6, a broken Akai drum machine and a Yamaha Reface DX”
Messy it may be to him, yet ‘Sunder‘ represents a satisfying shift from the complex, agitated harshness of his latest long player ‘Providence‘, released in 2017, and delivers a fine selection of eccentric yearning techno – treading a mossy path into the forest where pixie rings grow.
We’re drawn into the trees as Aphexian pads mourn across “Serotonin Drops” and 4/4 kicks pound through the fog. Cosmic synths flit across “Cloudswept“, whilst “Arcaibh” unfolds a low East Anglian mist across a sea of dancing forest sprites. (Any mention of Nathan Fake has to include a Norfolk reference, it’s the rules!)
Title track “Sunder” is aptly described by a comment on Nathan Fake’s Soundcloud channel “This sounds like a séance it’s so tragic and hopeful I love it“…quite right too! There is much to be said for not over producing and recording live to tape – yet regardless of the work process, it’s the final outcome that matters most and in this case it has served “Sunder” and our ears magnificently.
Sunder EP is available 23rd February 2018 via Ninja Tune, order a copy here.
TRACKLIST
1. Sunder
2. Arcaibh
3. Serotonin Drops
4. Cloudswept
5. Lea
Discover more about Nathan Fake and Ninja Tune on Inverted Audio.