KONTAKTE "We Move Through Negative Spaces" (2011)

band: Kontakte album: We Move Through Negative Spaces year: 2011
genres: post-rock, electronica origin: United Kingdom

ELECTRONICS KONTAKT POST-ROCK

Nowadays there are lots of post-rock acts out there. Checking them out one realizes that many of them are nothing but an uninspired copy of Explosions in the Sky. Furthermore, creating post-rock music demands a good composition gift, so, as you can imagine, forming a post-rock band is not an easy job. But, suddenly, one runs into worth listening bands, like this one. They’re Kontakte, a London-based band, which is not completely described by using the term “post-rock”, we need to add a second word: electronics.

“We Move Through Negative Spaces” is their second full-length album, they have also produced an EP, all their material is available for free streaming in their Bandcamp site. Perhaps, the combination of post-rock and electronics is not that original when we think about bands such Blueneck or Unlearn, nevertheless, Kontakte uses the electronics in a very different way. They do not use drums. In order to replace them, they generate electronic beats and rhythms, which bring a very unique atmosphere that becomes into fresh and easy listening music. Replacing drums with electronics brings a wider possibility of sounds, letting the music to be more dynamic and unpredictable.

The album begins with a good set of electronics (please play it with powerful speakers) and shoegaze effects inviting the listener to dive into the atmosphere of lots of images appearing and disappearing every moment. Guitars in the whole album are similar to This Will Detroy You first album (their new stuff is epic, by the way!). Melodies are often generated by clean guitars that become the main element in most of the moments of the album, they are accompanied by a second guitar with excellent shoegaze effects (damn it! I love this, it’s almost orgasmic!). In fact, sometimes feedback becomes quite noisy, especially in the chorus moments, letting our minds to trip into a more violent yet melodic atmosphere. Some droning effects on guitars are also included, for example in song “With Glowing Hearts”. All this is combined with electronic polymorphisms creating different textures in the sonic experience. You can recognize, at least, two layers of motion, especially in track 6 “The Owls Won’t See Us Here”, where powerful electronic beats contrast with melancholic melodies on guitars. In general, electronics replacing drums may remind you to trip-hop band Arms and Sleepers.

Moreover, Kontakte handle some acoustic instruments. You can hear a violin in several tracks; a piano melody joins the soundscape in the song “Early Evening Bleeds into Night”. I don’t really know if these are keyboard-made instruments. Ambient song “Every Passing Hour” also features an acoustic guitar passage, the song fades away and becomes into the long track “The Ocean Between You and Me” this is probably the richest song in the album, including many textures, guitar effects and feelings whirling together in the same piece of song.

Highlights? Well, my favorite tracks are “Hope” and “With Glowing Hearts”. The melodies from these songs are awesome, they are well structured and, by the way, seem to express exactly feelings like hope, they fit with the nice picture in the coverart. This album is awfully good and it’s recommended to everyone inside the post-rock scene who will surely find it interesting and creative.

Check'em Out (myspace)
Full Discography Stream (bandcamp)