[i:Vibes] Skopic - Skopic [Lunatic Works]

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Skopic - Skopic [Lunatic Works]

06:24 - July 7, 2005

by Andy P

A new artist that creates music in the mold of "The Orb" and "Future Sound Of London" has appeared on the scene with his self titled debut, be sure to take a look at this, if you enjoy those groups.

Skopic – Skopic (Lunatic Works)

From the deranged minds that brought you Howie B’s latest project called Mayonnaise, the staff at Lunatic Works decided to bring you another CD release. His name is Max Braverman, who enjoyed making music in his bedroom like all good budding producers and he got signed to Lunatic Works and has released an album under his “Skopic” alias, and this is his self titled debut.

Tracklist

1.Allow Me
2.Salivate for Salvation
3.Mahonis
4.Gloryhole
5.Bound By Sound
6.Our Own Obscenity
7.Verbatim
8.Inertia Insists
9.Waylay
10.FYI
11.Committee of Tails
12.Grab Bag Grammar
13.Tommy Is Dead
14.Naysayer
15.Final Stretch

Review

Allow Me goes down tempo jazz, the kind that Gilles Peterson and co. love so much and this is certainly a nice start to the album. The jazzy parts are smooth and well polished and certainly add some nice calming music to take you down.

Salivate for Salvation uses some drums to great effect; coupled with some sci-fi style sound effects, this pushes it nicely. I love how this is so different from the German Minimal Sound that is taking over Europe. Track number deux is really nice, more down tempo with a hint of abnormality.

Mahonis takes things up a notch with some driving beats but with that down tempo sensibility. I love how Skopic incorporates such nice keys with the bassline and he makes you want to keep going. A weird sample interrupts the flow and it instantly goes into more of a jazz filled keyfest. Music is never supposed to be predictable and you can certainly give this album that.

Gloryhole uses more of that jazz feel and you instantly catch it with some cool horns and some drums in the background, which are real and it certainly makes you relax. I like how an unheard of producer can instantly make you fall in love with his album after four songs. It shows how much undiscovered talent there is out there and if you are tired of the same old stuff, go looking for smaller labels.

Bound By Sound reminds me of a lot of stuff from the Pork Recordings label based out of Hull in the UK. It uses a lot of samples and drives a jazz line and certainly gives that whacked out feel. I like how the songs on this album are never predictable and it certainly shows that Skopic has too many ideas floating around his head. That’s never a bad thing in my opinion.

Our Own Obscenity uses an old style sample that says, “you have to learn how to forgive”, which is great advice for our generation these days. I like the old skool samples coupled with the jazzy parts, such a nice track.

Verbatim is second interlude, lasting less than a minute and it really just breaks the tension very well.

For track number eight, we have “Inertia Insists”, which is another word that you probably forgot about, while you were sleeping in Physics class, I know I was!. The track uses a bass in the background with some snaps to get this started. It uses some weird foreign sample for the vocal, which is pitched towards the background and then the drums kick in. It reminds me of the more Ninja Tune stuff from a few years ago, weird but always fun to listen to. The tweaked guitar comes in and this really starts to push and push this till the end.

Waylay starts with a beautiful piano and then heads into “The Orb” style direction. It’s incredibly chill and uses some nice taps to push the down tempo style on you. This track hammers home the point that Skopic does not like to confine himself to just one genre

FYI uses a 60’s style sample about a father telling a son, how a mommy has a baby, from the opening between her legs. It is interlude #2, and it is quite funny.

Committee of Tails goes in a dark leftfield direction at the start, using some harsh drums, then it heads into the sunlight with the guitar and its effects. Its quirky and really different and some people will term it weird but remember beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Grab Bag Grammar is a funky leftfield number that uses a bass guitar coupled with drums to set the mood. There are what sound like scratches in the background and its quite different. I can’t resist just bouncing around to it, its quite different from what I’ve been listening to of late but it is a welcome relief. A trumpet is thrown in and with the funkiness, you almost now get the feeling of bossa nova style jazz.

Tommy is Dead leads us into the home stretch of this album. It starts with some evil laughing in the background and some slow drums and some eerie sound effects. The vocal was about how Tommy Peterson is dead and the vocal reminds you of Ultra Vixens at times. What memories, this track invokes, it also shows that Skopic has too many ideas in his head. The track ends quickly and it is interlude #3 and certainly very different from the norm.

Naysayer has that hip-hop feel at times and it then goes in a FSOL style direction, which is completely different from the norm. It is incredibly hard to describe, it features foreign vocals with eerie sound effects and it really pushes things in a direction that you would not expect.

Final Stretch is the last track on this album and it takes us to the end in a gentle manner and its not weird like the last half of the album

Conclusion:
Skopic’s album is done in the style of “The Orb” and “Future Sound of London” and it is completely weird but the genius of this album cannot be denied. Definitely check this one out.

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