Berlin, Germany-based Avant Garde electro act Lump200 first hit my radar earlier this month through their single release Cex. It’s a track that features on their latest album lsles of You which I just had to give a listen.
By Graeme Smith
Isles of You is a hybrid release – not just an album but an app as well. The app welcomes its users to co-create, providing their own recordings and sounds. It’s an intriguing and innovative concept, and that’s what you get from the album too.
The album opens with Maximouse, a richly atmospheric and experimental piece that opens with disorientating snatches of sound. An electro groove comes and goes with heavy bass and looping melodies. It’s a strong indicator of what’s to come.
I Am The Elephant In The Room is a maximalist percussive wonder, mixing the deep with the whimsical in its composition. Its poetic lyrics draw on natural imagery. Draw A Distinction mixes Bowie-esque surrealism with ’00s big beat elements. The jazzy Dr. Schwamm gives us our first taste of Els Vandeweyer’s vibraphone while Skox is a six and a half minute, channel-flipping odyssey. Cex follows with its captivatingly eerie composition.
Kryptomarch sits at the heart of the album and delivers driving percussion and twinkling textures. Nilien is bass-y and severe while Splix is full of a discombobulating sense of drama. Master Realist pairs groove with jazzy improvisation. Missoi treats us to a moment of gentle yet disturbing ambiance before Calm Down continues the same mood while adding visceral lyrical moments. Gonwok closes the album in a slow and contemplative lo-fi style.
With Isles of You, Lump200 are pushing boundaries in every sense of the phrase. It’s hardly surprising given their long history of doing so. I’m so glad to have discovered their world; it truly rewards those with an open mind.
Isles of You is performed by Orlando de Boeykens on tuba, Els Vandeweyer on vibraphone, and René Desalmand on bass clarinet, beats, lyrics, vocals and production. Mastering is by Dan Suter. You can give the album a listen below.
