Bliminal

I have to confess that this one took a bit of getting used to. It seems like there’s a plethora of labels out there who have got very good in sounding like Interchill. And hence, when Interchill release something that doesn’t sound like Interchill, it’s like being thrown a curveball.

It also reminds me of how Neil Young was sued by his record company for releasing “unrepresentative material” – in other words, not sounding like himself. (The record company wanted him to replicate the success of his 1970’s folky country albums, but he took a dreadful, more experimental route.)

Anyway.

Hiding behind some very intricate cover art – which the above image does absolutely no justice to at all, incidentally – we’ve got something very special. There’s none of that bong n’ hammock, easy-listening type of chill. Instead, think high-calibre bass-led stuff that doesn’t truly conform to its genre. Slackbaba’s The Divine Unity is a standout, as is Liquid Stranger’s We Meet At Last, and Legion of Green Men’s Letters Never Sent giving way to Ishq’s Nepalese Sun is a masterstroke in compilation sequencing.

Evan Marc (aka Bluetech) does well with Active Ingredient, another step in his mission to have us think of him in the same breath as Mathew Johnson and Trentemoller, but a more convincing one than his other recent releases. Add to this one of the most well-rounded tracks Eat Static have done in years, and you’ve got a pretty compelling option when all’s said and done.

I have a feeling that, because it’s not as immediate and universal as, say, Enteogenic’s Greatest Hits, Bliminal won’t get the exposure or credit it deserves, which is a pity. Delectable.