
Darksleep – Obviate
The imaginative soundscapes of Buffalo producer Darksleep have been among the most otherworldly to emerge from the local underground electronic scene over the past year. With the release of his debut album, 電効営み, the artist caught our attention with a vivid, experimental style reminiscent of avant-garde synth virtuoso Oneohtrix Point Never and Venezuelan producer/Bjork collaborator Arca. This sound-art approach to making tracks is conveyed clearly from a glance at the abstract artwork for the latest release from the enigmatic producer, Obviate. From the onset of the album’s lead track, “Precursor,” with it’s glitchy vocals and washes of digital chaos, Darksleep creates an unsettling, yet mesmerizing atmosphere complete with playful arpeggiating synth tones and eerie droning textures. As a listener, the effect can be imagined as being transported into alternate universe where what follows is an eloquent glimpse at a wildly conceptual world of sonic visions. On “Spectre,” another unearthly loop begins the[...]