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BAKK HEIA

For our ninth offering we have ventured out of our small but fertile swamp in search of another source of magick. Meandering across boggy pastures new, we crossed paths with Steevio, who sat hovering serenely in the fern covered shade of a nearby valley. Instantly recognising the singular vision of this fabled artist, we hastily gathered our nets and cast them under Steevio’s branches, capturing four beautiful offerings as they wriggled towards us. Upon the return to our mulch, it became clear that we could not contain Steevio’s creations, so willful was their vitality. It was therefore all we could do to release them back to the universal dance from whence they came.

The dance germinates with the writhing polyrhythmic ‘Apricity’. Hearing the crunch of frost laden grass beneath our webbed toes, we look above us to search for the sun. Angular beams of light escape over the horizon, as the warmth of Steevio’s machines coalesce. A glistening hi hat breaks through the membrane to bind his creation and anchor its ever shifting arms.

‘Octopus’ glides gracefully through a sun-dappled kelp forest. Sub frequencies rumble up from the shadowy darkness below, rippling along the fronds as they ascend. As the ocean begins to churn, a wriggling melodic tentacle parts the foliage, gleaming with primordial energy. Its joyful visit to the surface realm leaves us with a brief yet powerful reminder of the mystery beneath.

The glow of the midwinter sun warms our bones on ‘Apricity (Sunrise Mix)’. Percussive elements bubble out of the depths, forming intricate cascading patterns as they grow over the perfectly formed kicks. The moog filter tames the brew with Steevio’s intuitive restraint , until he releases its mighty power upon the gleeful forest dwellers, to their rapturous gratitude.

With ‘Adref’ we return home. The sedate tempo provides oceanic space for a melody which inhales and exhales over a familiar landscape of perfectly tuned percussion. With each breath the melody seems to increase its reach, until it’s buried deep within our bones, its memory resonating on long after it’s gone.

Steevio’s music reflects the universal moments where seemingly chaotic and disparate elements are suddenly revealed to be perfectly harmonious. Of course examples of this are always universally present in nature, and have been eternally, but we have to be reminded to appreciate them. In the same way that a wave deposits a perfect line of shells on a beach, dew freezes on grass, or individual strands of mycelial hyphae bind together to form incredible patterns, Steevio’s music is likewise; effortlessly considered. For us, it has more in common with the unrelenting flow of a river than it does with dance music. It is psychedelic music in the same sense that nature is intuitively psychedelic; without ever leaning into any tried tropes of what is culturally considered ‘psychedelic’ music.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Free Rotation star Steevio joins the hallowed halls of MCR's Bakk Heia label. Those accustomed to his serpentine, waltzing mainframe funk will have plenty to indulge in here. One of those producers with a strong sound signature, you can recognize those wavy synth lines instantly.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Apricity
A2. Octopus
B1. Apricity (Sunrise Mix)
B2. Adref

Bakk Heia Records has evolved outta the celebrated Manchester / Salford based club night of the same name. The label appears to mirror the clubnight's ethos - 'blurring the lines between ambient drones, performance, abstraction, hedonism and dance music.' Add to that a keen ear for the cutting edge and brand new sounds and you've got, in our humble opinion, a recipe for success! The clubnight, currently based at the White Hotel, has brought over a who's who of underground modern music players (Toulouse Low Trax, Radioactive Man & Intergalactic Gary amongst others) and if this first record's anything to go by, they're gonna present a who's who of modern music MAKERS!

Johnny Phethean aka Shuttle was born in Newcastle and currently resides in Mancunia (alongside label head Jack Tomson) and heads up this killer first release. "Grade 1" deconstructs B-boy and electro references into a angular, jaunty trip into the inner workings of the mainframe. Add some eerie, AFX-indebted keys and you've got a haunting and skeletal midnight dance ritual for broken hearts. "Speke" is beautifully stripped back and poised. Elegant, slightly Detroitian, synthesized rhythms jostle against delicate melodic flutters as a steady kick keeps time.

After the warming bosom of side A, B-side track "Utensil" is much more fierce and gnarly beast; a weaving, dark n dusty corroder you wished was on the last I Love Acid EP. Finally, in keeping with the multifaceted moods and feels of their clubnight, "Grade 2" provides a gentle return to the atmosphere; a celestial slice of space-aligned ambience that wouldn't sound out of place marking the much celebrated return of the Moomins to our humble planet.


STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: A ridiculously well conceived beginning to this project; perfectly encapsulating both the mood of Bakk Heia by night, and exposing this new producer to some very willing minds, ears and bodies. Top one lads - keep it up!

TRACK LISTING

A1. Grade 1
A2. Speke
B1. Utensil
B2. Grade 2


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