- Having cut his teeth modifying his own electronic equipment and making tape collages, Michael Wright, who records as Brassica, went on to study sound design at the London College of Communication. As for his taste in music, it seems as though Italo disco and '70s synth pop have a prominent place in his affections. The four original tracks on Hayat Zor are infused with a flavor of that time—particularly the clarity and simplicity of rhythm and melody—although this is far from brazen mimicry.
"Everything" glows with sparkling analogue arps and flutey synths, while the rotor-blade bass keys, Jarre-like spaciness and effervescent lead are just three parts of the musically dense "Smoulders." "At Least I Know Why" is wonderful, a rich, gooey slice of deep house with a molten bassline, shimmering synths and vocals that reverse out before winding themselves back in again. 8-bit electronic trills, frenzied live drums and grandiose synths take "Ancient Mariner" somewhere else entirely—but despite the outlandish juxtaposition with its predecessor, it works.
You can see why Gavin Russom could dovetail nicely with Brassica—like Wright, he has an interest in building his own gear and analogue equipment. His trippier take on "Everything" intrigues but doesn't quite have the complexity of the original. In the hands of Petrels' Oliver Barrett, a multi-instrumentalist and electronica artist, the same track gradually unfurls, from soft, muffled ambience into a chorus of Sigur Rós-like drones. There's a lot going on over these six tracks—most of it very good.
TracklistA1 Everything
A2 At Least I Know Why
B1 Smoulders
B2 Ancient Mariner
Digital: Everything (Gavin Russom Remix)
Digital: Everything (Petrels Remix)