- Experimental club music for lithe, graceful dancing.
- Cyclothymia is a rare disorder that manifests in intense mood swings. Most people who suffer from it go undiagnosed. Zealous feelings of euphoria, elation and doom set the scene on London-based, Greek-born experimental composer Jeph Vanger's debut EP for inklingroom, a new London-based multidisciplinary event series and record label that exists somewhere between the experimental electronics and contemporary choreography worlds.
Drawing from the well of deconstructed club music, Cyclothymia is equally informed by Vanger's years of experience writing music for theatres, galleries and screens. It's an intriguingly cinematic record that beckons you onto a contemporary stage set, the rhythms taking on the form of dancers pirouetting all around you. A guttural bassline throbs through "Xtasis," a tough standout track. The jittering hand-triggered drums and vocal stabs make it feel as alive as a pulsating organism. "Fatale" centers on distorted percussive snares that pitter-patter along to a marching beat, while "CA Study" is a whimsical ambient journey, with winding keys and whooshing effects that bring it to a climax. The meandering intro here reminds me of "Friendless," an intense pop song by Oklou and Sega Bodega that hits a real sonic sweet spot. In many places, Cyclothamia could be perfectly paired with some sadboy style vocals to take it to another place, a sign of the music's accessibility even with its leftfield approach.
Elsewhere, there's an otherworldly touch, like "Requiem For Clouds,"' whose moody orchestral arrangements that gives away to an echoing sound that leaves a centrifugal effect on the ear, like being up and close with the revolving rotor blades of a wind turbine. A vocoded voice is so deeply buried in audio processing on 'Give Up' that it sounds angelic, reminiscent of Bryan Adams and Chicane's 2000 chart-topping trance anthem "Don't Give Up," albeit with the husky voice pitched down to way past -16.
At different intervals this record reminded me of Hildur Guðnadóttir's striking score for Chernobyl and the more fluttery moments Four Tet and Floating Points. The first inklingroom night is set to take place in March and will include contemporary dance performances and live sets from the likes of GAIKA, Sylvia Kastel as well as Yraki and Jeph Vanger. This record was written with contemporary dance in mind and in turn, the music has taken on a unique shape and form. It's an exciting new platform that combines two classically intertwined mediums—music and dance—which, quite frankly, don't get enough time together in this scene.
Tracklist01. Fatale
02. Give Up
03. CA Study
04. Xtasis
05. Xtasis (Yraki's Rework)
06. Requiem For Clouds