- Rymdkollo is Nils Krogh's second solo outing as Arkajo on Aniara, following last year's understatedly muscular Altavista. His new EP shares a similar mood and production aesthetic to its predecessor, along with the inclusion of subtle breakbeat flavours on two of its three tracks.
"Isotropisk Relation" appeared on Aniara affiliate Henrik Bergqvist's recent RA podcast. Its melancholy strings stretch out in graceful arcs and leave a strong sense of loss and yearning, which is nicely offset by bass and drum programming that would read as positively bumping in a less emotionally charged production. "Rymdkollo" initially rolls on low-end content reminiscent of Altavista, before a female voice intones, "Honestly, I haven't noticed the least bit of stimulation," which acts as a breath before the plunge into pitched snare hits and a rising, jungle-esque bassline. It could have continued in this fashion for a while longer, but we're allowed to have our cake and eat it when an off-beat hi-hat enters after a well-timed, beat-long break, adding a sense of drive to the syncopated rhythms. "Inuti" hits classic rave notes without being cheeky, as a filtered vocal loops atop another combo of juddering sub-bass and pitched snares. The silky synth work returns to the reflective quality found in "Isotropisk Relation," but the track is slightly more propulsive.
Classy structuring runs throughout Rymdkollo, as Krogh has a knack for knowing when to get the emotional synths out of the way and let the drum and bass programming stretch their legs. These stripped-down passages are among the most satisfying moments of an accomplished EP.
TracklistA1 Rymdkollo
B1 Isotropisk Relation
B2 Inuti