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Subheim
Approach

Tympanik Audio

Posted: Wednesday, May 14, 2008
By: Ilker Yücel
Editor

The head of Spectraliquid, Kostas K. is the brain behind Subheim, presenting a dazzlingly introspective display of lush ambience fused with IDM percussive manipulations. When first listening to Approach, beginning with the stuttering rhythm of "Hush," creeping up to the listener like a panicked heartbeat, we immediately see signs of Subheim's wintry power, as electronic crickets appear in the sonic distance amid swells of icy pads that will surely have the listener reaching for the nearest blanket. The rest of the album follows very much in a similar fashion, as bitcrushed beats and subtle distortions hover about such tracks as "Away" and "Stranded," reverberating for what seems like an eternity, creating a cavernous effect that immediately puts the listener in a state of slight unease. This unease is only vaguely comforted by the familiar refrains of a piano on "Ybe 76" and "Away," but even then the brief passages are so lonesome in tone that it sends chills down the spine. A series or disjointed voices that permeates through "Intact" continues to enhance the melancholy, but it is especially aided by the ghostlike vocals of Katja on "Howl," "Hollow," and "Voces Perdidas." Her vocals float in the mix, layering upon itself to create an angelic beauty that is at once enticing and haunting, similar to Lisa Gerrard's Middle-Eastern inflections in Dead Can Dance. To close out Approach, we have two remixes by Mobthrow and Flaque for the tracks "Hollow" and "One Step Before the Exit," respectively. Alas, while the remixes are not bad in an of themselves, they do little to enhance the flavor of the original, retaining the cold ambient progressions and adding little more than some synth warbles and a greater emphasis on the beat structures, although they are rather interesting if not entirely impressive. Subheim presents to listeners a deep and rich tapestry of frigid soundscapes befitting the cold serenity of the album's photography, depicting waves upon the beach under a cloudy sky - much like the music itself, as waves of synthesized atmospheres wax and wane in the mix, beneath clouds of droning melodies. It's not the most astounding album in the world, but it does prove that Kostas K. is capable of creating an audio/visual cornucopia of downtempo IDM wonder.