With releases on Moon Harbour, Curl Curl, Railyard and his Poker Flat debut "The Whisper Had It" last year, Simon Flower is one of New Zealand's top exports. Now he's back with two more slabs of irrepressible dancefloor action, complete with a slow burning deep-techno remix by Berlin's own Efdemin. "Phosphenes" is a pacy, chemically induced affair into the darker eschews of Flower's production techniques.
Just before the end of the year Mute. finally returns on the mighty Symp.tom imprint after a very long absence. Luckily, all that lost time wasn't in vein as he delivers a stunning release in his own unique style.
Under their exael moniker, Berlin-based producer Naemi makes highly imaginative music that can be seen as a study in contrasts - precise, hyper-detailed drum programming sits atop fuzzy, organic pools of ambience, virtuosic futurism is wrung from a falling apart laptop. Following a string of excellent releases, both solo and in group settings, “Flowered Knife Shadows” features eight productions that feel like the full realization of the project, demonstrating the artist’s range and knack for vivid, pressurized productions. From the dextrous, chops-flexing “Koch Metish” to the sanguine “Reality’s Sweetheart,” Naemi’s clarity of vision and instantly recognizable aesthetic are delivered here with remarkable potency. Frost on the window, whispers in the dark.
