It’s always exciting to discover music that doesn’t belong to any one genre, created by an artist doing their own thing because they want to, and not because they feel like they should curate a particular style. One such artist is Kenneth Roberts. Hailing from Portland, Oregon, Kenneth is actually a classically trained musician and composer, yet on his new EP release, Exploration SX-240, he finds himself delving deep into the electronic scene, making music that sounds positively out of this world!
By Jane Howkins
Kicking things off in fine style is Storm. It’s got something of a menacing feel at times, setting the scene for the rest of the EP perfectly. It really does sound like something out of a sci-fi theme, conjuring up evocative images in the mind. A synthy bassline pulsates through the piece in a fast fashion, as occasional backing notes break off, crafting a nice contrast. It’s certainly a suitable opener, and one that will surely excite experimental music fans.
Across the Plains continues the style set out in Storm, yet it’s almost rather catchy at times, with the way the different synthlines collide and co-exist with one another, adding a really rhythmic quality into the mix. This entire track is a sonic soundscape, designed to get underneath your skin and illuminate your ears with pleasure. As you can probably tell, it’s one of my favourite pieces on the EP.
Epiphany is a perfectly titled song, as it really does have something of an enlightened feel to it. The synths build up to a wonderful crescendo at the start of the song, before dropping off again. However, the music soon rises up again, this time in a much slower manner, really getting stuck inside your head. Put an EDM style beat underneath this and you could have a hit single in no time!
Dark Exploration is up next, opening with a cool synthline, underpinned nicely by the dark bass melody. More and more elements are added over time, slowly building the music up, keeping your attention constantly piqued for what’s to come next. It’s a pretty minimalist track at times (at least when compared to the other songs here), but it serves an eerie purpose.
Final track Constellation Meditation has a much more positive feel, making for a marked change from the rest of the record. It’s another slow-burner, but the uplifting sound sounds remarkably after the haunting vibe of Dark Exploration, making for a nice change of pace.
I highly recommend listening to the songs on Exploration SX-240 in order, allowing the concept that Kenneth Roberts has so expertly created to wash over you in perfect style, creating an atmosphere that will suck you in on the very first listen!
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