'Ancient Kingdom' is the first full length release project coupling Black Saturn's spoken words with subduxtion's 'noise'. An innovative album, the beats
remain dark, haunting and at times claustrophobic. Static sizzles throughout the opening track, 'Simulation Failure', threatening to catch alight at regular
intervals. The pictures painted by the lyrics certainly aren't pretty but are occasionally lost amongst the distorted beats. Slightly nauseating at times due
to the undercurrent created by the crackling distortion, complete listens are certainly a challenge but a challenge that is worth undertaking due to the nature
of the rewards on offer. This is an album for those that have enjoyed recent offerings from the likes of Saul Williams and Argumentix.
Mark Whiffin / Tasty Fanzine
http://www.tastyfanzine.org.uk
The collaboration of Black Saturn’s spoken words with Subduxtion’s ‘noise’ achieved in creating « Ancient Kingdom », the first full length release of the duet on Alrealon Rec. This album mixes two different styles: hip-hop spoken-words (as well as a part of rhythmics) and a noise / rhythmic noise, bruitist approach. What could we await from this album? Whom does it address?
Original maint beat (Simulation Failure), while other tracks have some more predictable sounds ( Return of The Nazarite), with some drums' sounds, cymbals/hi-hat like sounds ( Simulation Failure, Space Walking). We also find some kind of low bass-like sound, quite distorted (Fireburn, Artistry). But, clearly, a big part of rhythmics is due to the variety of noises present: crackling noises (Simulation Failure), gratings (Fireburn, Artistry), clicks, ticks (Third World), glassy and electronic tones (Simulation Failure, Adam & Eve, Ancient Kingdom), various distorted rhythmic sounds (Third World, True Story, Space Walking), white noises ( True Story), really weird sounds (Never Look Back) and so on. These are a main part of the music and give a really interesting urban 'industrial' atmosphere. On a certain point, it reinforces the atmosphere hip-hop genre aims transmitting.
Few synthetic keyboard notes are enough to set an atmosphere (Space Walking, Adam & Eve), but we also find low piano-like sound (Fireburn, Third World), very echoed. More than bringing melody, here the goal is setting a dark atmosphere (e.g. Simulation Failure), as if we'd be trapped in a big empty space... We also find simplier short melodic loops ( Fireburn), adding to background vibration to create the atmosphere or a massively distorted low bass sound, very pleasant (True Story).
Hip hop styled vocals and lyrics (Simulation Failure, Third World): some may appreciate others not. This style is rather caricatural (Third World), sometimes more subtle in terms of rhythm and intonations (Ancient Kingdom) and, rarely, the sonic space is a bit too saturated with words, which may make 'em lose their strength and meaning (Return of The Nazarite).
The contrast between smooth 'organic' sounds (f.i. flute, saxophone) and noisy rhythmic elements is sometimes really interesting ( Third World, Return of The Nazarite). A progressive approach with adding of sounds ( Simulation Failure), evolution featuring repetition of certains themes and sounds, carefully arranged with lyrics ( Fireburn), disappearence of noisy elements and reappearance ( Third World), bringing The sound is globally good and interesting, but we note an extreme distortion, degradation of sounds that it's almost a bit too much (Analyze (Dark Crystal)).
Tracks are relatively short, and succeed each other naturally, as well as tracks inner evolution. Structures are simple, just the sound collages and combinations of noises, as well as arrangement of music and lyrics (f.i. Third World), especially their alternation, (f.i. True Story, Return of The Nazarite) is well-done, despite a certain linearity and predictability of vocal style. Some tracks may be quite repetitive (f.i. Analyze (Dark Crystal)). Maybe a more ambient side has been put forward there, but it should have been even more, exactly like on «Space Walking».
Even if the hip-hop-style may not interest usual fans of electronic music, the music shouldn't be mistaken: it's really rhythm-focused, with a futuristic dark atmosphere, and a very bruitist/noise approach. The positive point, after all, is that hip-hop atmosphere and themes clearly benefit from electronic noises and especially a more 'indus'/noise aesthetic: it complements and strengtens the dark urban atmosphere like no lyrics could do. « Adam & Eve » is quite catchy and really exemplify what is an efficient hybridation of rhythmic industrial with hip hop, nowadays still too rare. Either for hip-hop fans not afraid of noisy abstraction, or for IDM / rhythmic noise fans not afraid of hip-hop lyrical style.
Perceptron / Heathen Harvest Webzine
http://www.heathenharvest.com