Hailing from Moscow, Russia comes Ambidextrous, an ambient/downtempo
electronic artist who is starting to turn heads in the downtempo scene. Mixing
warm basslines with infectious melodies that seem to come straight from a 80s
mixtape, he's fast becoming a force to be reckoned with. His new album Radio
Not has now been released and I attained the enviable task of reviewing this
next entry. So here I go, vodka bottle besides me (I'm completely serious) and
with undivided attention.
Arp in the Fridge immediately shows what Ambidextrous is influenced
by. It's the recognisable sound of the 80s and 90s, an updated version of Alpha
Wave Movemen and Global Communication. Jean Michel Jarre's modern cousin, but
with a 303. A little side note: If you're a listener of our podcast and a
reader of my reviews you should know by now that I have two weaknesses. The
first is ambient music; the second one is acid basslines and melodies - this
album has plenty of those. Saint John's Mood is a wonderfully laid back
soundscape reminiscent of Carbon Based Lifeforms' earlier work that blends warm
pads with the cold acid bass and a nice build-up to a nice beat of downtempo
house. Naukograd continues the acid blurbs and exquisite use of filtering.
School of Dub does not, as its name implies, venture into dub techno but
instead delivers a wonderfully melodic hook that you've come to expect of this
release by now.
And that's where things get hard for me. It's extremely
difficult to review a release like this. "Why?", I hear you ask?
Because it's incredibly cohesive and well within the confines of the genre. I
am absolutely in love with all things ambient, but because of the overall feel
of the genre it's hard to hold on to a specific element in a track because most
of the time ambient music uses the same elements in every song and on every
track. This is by no means a bad thing though. Cohesiveness is certainly
something that every band, producer of singer/songwriter should strive for when
releasing an album. But with ambient it's hard to grade something that is meant
to be so cohesive that tracks flow into each other without the listener
noticing it as much. This might seem like an easy way out, but it's not. It can
be viewed as a criticism when an album doesn't seem to have any high or low
points but bear with me on this one. If I were to grade this album as a whole,
as an hour long experience then I can tell you this: This is a great album.
It's incredibly well produced and mixed, it features an acid synth that is hard
to tell apart from the real thing (I spoke with Ambidextrous, he told me it's a
VST and not an analogue synth) and it manages to grab hold of me completely
from the get go. It's interesting, tracks flow into each other perfectly and
while not every melody is as "good" or "memorable" I would
be lying if I said that it didn't hit its intended target. And, okay, if I did
have to pick my favourite track on this album then it would have to be
Tiangong, because that bassline is fantastic. But it's a close call between
every other track on the album.
And now my verdict, do I think you should get this album?
Yes, totally. If you're a fan of Sync24, Carbon Based Lifeforms or Global
Communication and you're looking for a spiritual successor to the latter, then
this album will make you feel right at home. It sounds like an updated and more
powerful version of the ambient of the 80s. Its individual tracks do not really
stand out, but as a whole this album is a force to be reckoned with.
~Chris
8.5
