Apiento releases 6 stunning tracks of esoteric Electronica and transcendental Dance on LIXTP
LIXTP is a special collaborative project between Bristolian imprint Love International Recordings (an offshoot of the Love International Festival) and London’s much respected Test Pressing website. Putting their best foot forward with the label’s second release, to follow on from their debut a couple of years ago – led by Fantastic Man. The honours fall on Test Pressing founder and equally impressive production hand Paul Byrne, with the simmering ‘Escape Reality’ EP under his Apiento alias.
Having carved out an impressive career over the years as A&R for Junior Boys Own, International Feel and his own Test Pressing label as well as releasing his own productions on imprints such as Music For Dreams, World Unknown and World Building. On this occasion, Apiento has delved deep into his sonic mind’s eye and drawn upon years of creative savoir faire to conjure up six tracks of esoteric Electronica and transcendental Dance that are a sheer delight. All of which could have easily been lifted from the discovery of a forgotten DAT tape, sat on a dusty filing cabinet at Rising High or R&S for the last 3 decades. There is no mistaking the sonic alchemy at work here – as Byrne sums up the best from his machine soul vocabulary and presents varying shades of dream inspired incantations of the third kind.
With influences owing as much to Detroit’s founding Techno fathers as the likes of artists closer to home such as Stasis, 7th Plain, Autechre or the much underrated Robert Leiner. There is much to admire and enjoy on ‘Escape Reality’ with each track adding to the overall complement.
From the opening airy twinkles of ‘Beau6’, light-touch drum work and swirling pads set a beautifully serene tone, harking back to the days that ambient chillout rooms could also be a space to sway and get loose. Taking a bolder stance with the deep chords and broken beat of ‘Axis’, heavy bass rumbles deep as the hypnotic vocal lifts you to the next dimension. Complex drum work and the dreamy synths of ‘Those Busy Circuits’ reach further into airy territory as chords wash over
Opting for a more hedonistic danced up vibes on ‘Everything Move’, Byrne gives a nod to hardcore breakbeat roots for the midnight hour, adding the brooding twist of ‘Escape Light’ to serve as a reminder of the darker edges of our consciousness. Ending on the positive drift of ‘The US Frequency’, this is one of those records that presents a broad palette of moods and tones for lovers of the real electronic groove.
