R-N094: Automne Fold by Kangding Ray
The album begins with the short but rhythmical opening Konstruktiv. You can almost hear the foundations being laid within this track. The title track Automne Fold uses these building blocks starting quietly. The song then rises to a resonating symphony of what sounds like electrical interference.
For me the album really starts with the third track, the upbeat Downshifters. Here a robotic funk bass line is merged with what sounds like a radar ping. The journey of this album is now truly under way.
The Distance continues the journey and takes you through an electronic woodland, encountering electrical snakes and mechanical bees. The deep sounds of the reverberating bass keep you on the path that leads to a different kind of A Protest Song. This track well and truly solidifies the feeling of being outside. It almost feels like the journey has now taken a turn onto the autobahn at night. The warning given by the seraphic voice leads you to think there is something more to this track but you’re not sure what.
The pace of the album slows again with the track Apnée where you are almost brought to a halt. Although the pulse of the chimes keeps you moving forward. The next track Idle is anything but. With it’s higher paced busy beats, it almost touches on the funk of Downshifters but not quite. It helps you discover the edge just before it bringing you back.
The album again changes pace with Quarante. The melodic beats are back with an almost angelic voice providing a beacon for the continuation of the journey. Altiz starts immediately with a hypnotic hum. This grows into a near religious repetition before taking you to a deep submarine radar-like finish.
Parallel, although short, brings you back out of the darkness into a much lighter place. The piano noise leads you to an almost morse code in nature message.
The album takes on a more edgy feel with the track World Within Words. With the cautionary monologue from an anonymous male voice. Époque has many levels of sound laid over a repetitive bass line. The ping of the radar is also returns bringing familiarity to this track.
Apnée. Part II begins quite sleepily with a consistent clicking beat in the background. A third of the way into this track you are jolted out of this slumber by a voice. Very descriptively the voice uses abstract imagery to describe usually mundane everyday items.
The album closes with Palisades fusing together elements from some of the other tracks. The clicks and the blips are back again. The feel of this track is much more subdued and nicely brings the journey to a calm close.
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