- I'm not sure I'd call most of what gets released on Opal Tapes dance music, but even at its most abstract, the label often flirts with elements of house and techno, however mutated they may be. The latest batch of tapes offers up their most floor-friendly material yet. Nautically Inclined, from newcomer Lumigraph, stands out from the bunch. It's not only a commanding physical force, but a beguiling exploration of just how far you can take techno through the wringer.
Lumigraph is a kindred spirit to Gerry Read. He makes scuzzy house, cutting through samples like construction paper—ragged edges, torn fabric and all. The record opens with a seven-minute hypnagogic blur in "Patty Hearst," where drums try their best to puncture a thick skin of fuzz and warbling pianos. Followed by ambient collage "Lost In Manhattan," it's all a bit business-as-usual until "Dorsia" kicks the door down with a sprightly spring in its step. With its playful bassline and marching band percussion, "Dorsia" is the farthest thing from bedroom wankery. Lumigraph's floor fillers are mired in Caretaker-esque wear-and-tear, but that doesn't make them any less deadly.
Nautically Inclined is an array of fascinating textures. On "Matte," a soft, blurred chord brushes up against hollowed-out, redlined drums. On "Spaceblunts," trebly snares splash in a pool of goop. On the ear-shredding "Tampa Awaits," the high-end is endowed with a razor's edge, while the low-end sits full and pillowy.
Switching gears between interludes like the acoustic guitar diversion of "Swimming Pools" headlong back into fluid dance music, the tape flows as easily as its beats do. And though Lumigraph obviously isn't about to take Ibiza by storm, Nautically Inclined shows that Opal Tapes can inch ever closer to the realm of the dance floor without losing sight of the wandering spirit that made its first year so riveting.
Tracklist01. Patty Hearst
02. Lost In Manhattan
03. Dorsia
04. Matte
05. Wavewatcher
06. Spaceblunts
07. Sugar-Dunk
08. Swimming Pools
09. She Was Good To Me
10. Tampa Awaits
11. Mastic-Shirley