- The Mana label aims to work "at the intersection of contemporary and archival sound," and with De Leon they've nailed the brief. On a blind listen, you could reasonably assume this record to be either old or cutting edge. Its smoky, scuffed sonics are strangely ageless, and its hand drums and pitched metallic percussion, arranged in sly polyrhythmic patterns, call to mind various kinds of traditional music. (The label describes the release as "gamelan and capoeira in dub.") Equally, it could be (and most likely is) well-disguised electronic music, perhaps using physical modelling synthesis to imitate resonant acoustic sounds.
The project's anonymity helps stoke the mystery. De Leon first surfaced on Aught, a concept label that released ten cassettes of shadowy, genre-crumbling music in 2014-15. The two De Leon tapes were the most striking, their slinky rhythmic science and exotica vibe paralleling Don't DJ's early releases. The sound has older proponents, too: the B2 of this mini-album resembles some of the archival tracks Burnt Friedman has been releasing lately. Both artists explore fluid polyrhythms using gossamer-light percussion; both draw on non-Western sounds and ideas to invigorate Western electronic idioms.
Perhaps it's just down to a good mastering job, but De Leon finds the project at its richest and most engrossing. Even with its brief runtime, this mini-LP presents a detailed and distinctive world. The A side lures you in gently. The longest track comes first, deploying clusters of sour bell-tone melody and, eventually, a flute solo, over intensifying drums. The energy picks up further on the A2, before dissolving into the swampier A3, where hints of moody melody are half-lost in the hiss. As with most Aught projects, the obscured quality is a big part of the music's power.
It also makes the album's bolder tracks, when they come, all the more rewarding. The B1 is the clear highlight, a moment where solid pulse and clear, emotive melody take over. On the closing track, meanwhile, you're sent to sleep by lilting rhythm and lullaby-like melody. Listen closer, though, and you'll notice layers of strange detail flickering at the edge of perception. De Leon leaves plenty of questions unanswered.
TracklistA1 Track 1
A2 Track 2
A3 Track 3
B1 Track 4
B2 Track 5
B3 Track 6