Lanes - Disengaged 2013 Live Set

Lanes – Disengaged 2013 (live set)
2013, Andrei Lanes

Andrei Lanes is a Brooklyn-based EDM musician who has played live sets in and around Williamsburg.  With an expanded live set coming for shows this fall, Lanes is building a library of unique and lively original EDM compositions.  The tracks reviewed here are not officially released, and Lanes has no plans for formal album releases, preferring the give and take atmosphere of the stage.

“Hysterical Sobriety” is driven by a killer beat and ethereal counter melody.  Lanes structures this around a series of riffs that are certainly dance worthy, and this tune has its own gravity that is difficult to escape.    Lanes makes an effort to explore the theme he’s concocted here, making “Hysterical Sobriety” more involved than your typical EDM track.  “Noctilucent”, inspired by Liz Nielsen’s “Egg Galaxy”, once again blends the ethereal with the primal.  The net effect this time around is more subdued, but Lanes manages a mellow groove.  With “Disengaged”, Lanes moves into more surreal territory, bringing Eastern sounds into the ether over a double-timed clockwork rhythm.  The result is infectious and driven, but with a measured feel that is not urgent, yet feels inevitable.  “East Coast” captures the frenetic pace of New York City’s West Side Highway, or perhaps any stretch of open road on the I-95 corridor.  The construction is coherent, but Lanes suggests between the lines that chaos is never more that a hair’s breadth away.  “RTT” has an incessant feel, like the onrushing of time in an urban landscape, where nothing changes but everything is always moving, circling, building…  Lanes constructs primary in 4/4 time here, but manages to build a techno/musical march that will get under your skin.

Lanes surprises and captivates with an unusually lively set of electronic compositions in his Disengaged 2013 live set.  Ethereal themes and energetic compositions are the rule of the day here, with Lanes showing no fear as a composer.  His tracks delve deep into thematic exploration without ever losing their EDM credentials.  If all EDM music were this original and energetic it could go main stream.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more at www.lanespro.com. 

Review: Iuengliss - Motion In Mind

Iuengliss – Motion In Mind
2009, Bocumast Records

Denver, Colorado’s Tom Metz transcends his own humanity to become Iuengliss, the melodic/electronic purveyor of digital ambience responsible for Motion In Mind. Experimental dance beats, ethereal vocals and a Hip-Hop energy are the components of Iuengliss’ electronic stew; you’ll be hard pressed to remember the last time you tasted music so good.

I use the food/taste metaphor because there is a real and substantive flavor evident on Motion In Mind. Ambient music can get caught up in its own ether and become disconnected from the listener, or so overpowering in rhythm and sound it becomes a wash that never soaks in. Metz has constructed music with a visceral essence that is inescapable. Motion In Mind doesn’t overpower the listener, but also does not fail to challenge the listener to try something new. Opening with Blubbles, Iuegnliss creates a virtual bubble chamber in music, with pockets of air bouncing off one another separated by the thinnest membranes of sound. Dark Motions has a wonderful, gloomy feel that is exciting, similar to the thrill/fear of walking down a dark street in an unknown part of town. Iuengliss even plays with Industrial themes on Another Time. Say Goodbye (Dark Mix) is the highlight of the album, mixing dreamlike staccato rhythms with a gorgeous, ambient vocal and a plaintive piano hook that gets stuck in your brain. Other highlights include Mend Right, Say Goodbye and the title track,

Iuengliss parts the waters of Electronica on Motion In Mind and crosses over into a truly Pop/Electronica realm with a highly accessible and credible album. Motion In Mind meets the listener with feet firmly planted, thrilling with tangible musical conversations that are sonically sound and structured like popular music. It’s a strong effort.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Iuengliss at http://www.iuengliss.com/ or www.myspace.com/iuengliss. You can obtain a digital copy of Motion In Mind through iTunes.