“Tick tock tick. Time trickles away softly and time flows off hard, steadfast as ever. Time travel might make you dream off but you cannot stop time or turn back, even if that is your dearest wish. The hourglass is running, at that steady pass, water is flowing, an ongoing stream, and everything we do or did is in the past. Time is ticking and will not stop, not for anyone, not ever …”

Unlike on his debut EP on Mahorka – a trip through abstract territories, blending dissonants and rough waves of emotion rumbling, here on this 9 track album Brainquake explores common songstructures and sounds. Overtones, dissonants and layers still provide that emotional layer but with a softness uncommon for his works. There is even some optimism in the sound palette and melodies? In sound it kind of reminds of those great 90’s electronica/ambient/idm albums we all grew up with but adding that minimal touch and rhythms and some more contemporary production. As a whole this album evolves presenting a changing approach to a constant, common sequence. Variations on a theme but quite diverse. All tracks are at 110 beats per minute and as the ongoing sequence flows on, it showcases the different interplay of underlays and thrifty build up.

As most albums this one is best listened to in full but that doesn’t minimalize the vigour of the compositions by themselves. Take your time and use the strength of repetition. Sleep, snooze, listen, dance to it, it’s ambient, idm, experimental, leftfield, pop and endzeit emotronica as much as it is not.

released October 25, 2020

All tracks composed 2018-2020, compiled and recorded for Mahorka, autumn 2020 by Marc Ceulemans at Hemel Centraal (Belgium)

Cover artwork by Marc Ceulemans