5.15.2009

Pearlcoder review on Resonant Vibes

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Pearlcoder
Illex
Blackfish Productions
Kind of amazing that people are still making loungy downtempo music like this-I thought the coffee shop techno went the way of Jazzanova (i.e. deep house) when the club scene started jumping again about a half decade ago. Pearlcoder does the downtempo thing so well though-merging subdued elements of house and techno but leaning more heavily on jazz, Balearic, and ambient styles to create a muted early evening version of the full on late night hedonism of the club experience. Fans of this genre have always demanded diversity and memorable hooks and Illex is all of that and then some by adding soulful and cinematic to that list of fan criteria. There is dub reggae, ambient, trip hop, lounge, and even techno all stirred up in this dense nugget of the organic and synthetic. Some of the album does sound a little dated like an early 2000’s Bedrock chill-out compilation with flourishes of New Age-y trance arpeggios but beyond those minor flaws exist Pearlcoder who are still out there pushing the downtempo genre forward. More power to them as they have succeeded in conveying their commitment on Illex.

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