- Yes, you read that right. But don’t be alarmed – this is not some arty gospel record. Christ. (With a full stop at the end) is in fact the humble moniker of Scottish producer Christopher Horne, a man with an obvious taste for retro analogue synths and creaky organs, not to mention dusty old Eno and Radiophonic Workshop LPs. Some will recall Horne’s productions with Boards of Canada during the early nineties, but he’s most known for the ambiguous ‘Pylonesque EP’ from 2001 and the full length album ‘Metamorphic Reproduction’ from 2003, both of which were issued on Benbecula. Christ. might make electronic ambience, but he also gets out of the house; he has toured the UK, Europe and Japan and many will recall his classic live session for John Peel at Maida Vale studios on December 2003.
Having heard ‘Metamorphic Reproduction’ a while back, I took a wild guess that ‘Blue Shift Emotion’ would be great driving music, so I put the CD in my car CD player and headed out of the city for a drive through the serene farmlands and fields. As I drove, my thoughts drifted away to the sounds that drifted out of the car speakers – a small-scale drug experience, if you will.
Perhaps I was lulled by the simplicity of ‘Blue Shift Emissions’. Tracks such as ‘Happyfour Twenty’ and ‘Ganky’ are made from very similar materials: soothing melodies that glide over broken beats to hypnotic effect. ‘Vernon Vinge’ is perhaps my favorite piece on the album: again it is very simple, but this time there are added vocal samples, here used as percussion, that gradually drift away into silence. ‘Cordate’ and “Blue Shifty Missions’ are also two peas in a pod: melodic, spacious synth-driven pieces with distorted vocals that creep gradually into the breakdowns. Retro-futuristic krautrock, if you will, and perfect for any autobahn trip.
Four tracks in and the personality of the album begins to emerge, and while there is beauty in its simplicity, there’s also a lack of sonic palette that might tire the less patient listener: And where ‘Metamorphic Reproduction’ changed constantly, on this album there is less range. Older ideas also rear their head occasionally: the melodies that Horne conjures from his Green Bontemp organs and old TEAC reel-to-reel sometimes recall ‘Metamorphic…” too fondly. Yet ‘Blue Shift Emissions’ possesses a more spiraling church-like vibe than its predecessor; it might be less full speed forward than a tentative look back in the rear view mirror, but it’s a fantastic album on its own terms.
But back to my road trip: it’s very refreshing to listen to an electronic record so outside the conventions of modern dance music. As I drove, my mind wandered with the music, the trees, the cows, the landscape and my car slowly merging into a single colorful vignette. A lovely trip then. And no, I didn’t crash. Thank Christ..
Tracklist1. Substation
2. Happyfour Twenty
3. Making A Snow Angel
4. Ganky
5. Stained Century
6. Cordate
7. Holobenthic Grex Venalium
8. Blue Shifty Missions
9. Breathe Between Sleep
10. Vernor Vinge
11. Balaam