Tel Aviv’s based sound and visual artist Ran Slavin delivers his fourth release on Portugal’s Crónica Electronica label and nineteenth since he started his musical career 20 years ago amongst albums, splits, and compilations appearances on labels such as Mille Plateaux, Subrosa. He also has remarkable video production, directing several music videos and composing music for choreographers and dance ensembles.
Slavin’s approach in this album is the Oriental Middle Easter music and his digital sound textures, glitches and field recordings.
The electric guitar soundscapes on ‘Village’ are accompanied by Ahura Ozeri’s collaboration on Bulbultarang [an Indian instrument] as on ‘Wayward Initial’ alongwith some organic animal noises like, concrete sounds, and emerging a half melody. On ‘Jericho’ there is collaboration from Moshe Eliahu playing the Ud [and Arab instrument similar to the lute]. As a backdrop digitally processed Ud’s chords, clicks and unidentifiable noises are interweaving. A minimal beat is the rhythmic approach for ‘Shelters and Peace’, a title that might describe the surroundings in that zone and a desire and the same time. The pulsing beat is hypnotic and recalls midst 90’s minimal techno but subtlety placed in the background. On ‘DAT beats’ there are stuttering voices, percussions and maybe it’s the more improvised piece in the whole album. Again on ‘The Silence’ the Middle Easter music vein with Ozeri’s on Bulbultarang creates an intense atmosphere that almost feels like dangerous perhaps through the dark voices. On ‘Kiosk in Furadia’ the juxtaposition of field recordings made out of female chants combine perfectly with dance beats like. Finally, ‘Hagalil’ delivers melodic Bulbultarang lines which are like spirals that blend different cultures.
Guillermo Escudero