Denmark Netlabel Phinery recently put out a slew of tapes simultaneously for December, and among the brilliant batch was this release “Through the Portal” by Pulse Emitter.
This meditative electronic project is satisfying and melodic. 8 tracks fronted by synth chimes and drones, accompanied by hollow percussion and pulsing bass tones. Some tracks have more traditional composition, with others venturing into much more experimental territory. All in all its a great listen from start to finish, and it probably sounds even better on Cassette!
You can purchase the Digital Album/Cassette via Phinery’s Bandcamp. Also available is a fantastic December Tape bundle, this tape plus 4 others for only $25 bucks!
There is a constant struggle between the organic and inorganic aspects of our personal nature—an effort aided by the drive to define our own physical boundaries through intangible experiences and ephemeral thoughts. But for Portland-based musician Daryl Groetsch—who records curiously reassuring and intricate synthesizer music as Pulse Emitter—this determination isn’t given credence by volume or density but by an emotional center around which everything else revolves. He peers deeply into our relationship with our environment and positions himself as a mediator of sorts between the fierce wilds of our instincts and the calming constancy of nature. He possesses a particular fascination with the hold that the environment and memory hold over people and discovers mesmerizing ways in which to link each influence to certain emotions.
Scattered across the tracks of his latest release, “Through the Portal,” Groetsch maintains an intimate connection with both his audience and their perceptions of his freewheeling rhythmic insight. Over the course of eight songs, he applies his new age prudence to determine whether individuals have an innate need for natural connections, or whether we’re simply a collection of pinging neurons in the service of a dispassionate body. He surmises that there could be a case made for either reality, but he’s certainly offering us evidence to support the former supposition. Imbued with glacial synth melodies, found sound maneuverings and a mischievous sense of imagination, “Through the Portal” finds Groetsch supplanting all doubts with one of the most beautiful and electronically pastoral releases you’re likely to hear this year.
credits
released December 12, 2016
Recorded July 2015 – March 2016 in Portland, Oregon
Instruments: Roland JV-2080, VirSyn Addictive, Ensoniq VFX-SD, Waldorf Blofeld, E-mu Morpheus, Yamaha PSS-560, and global acoustic instruments
Pulse Emitter is Daryl Groetsch
Art by Pia-Mélissa Laroche
piamelissalaroche.fr
piamelissalaroche@gmail.com
Eternity Tree 