Music Review: Letterson Twine - Greet In Silence The Glow EP

Letterson Twine is a one-man Electronic project from Berlin, Germany. His music is firmly settled on the deep end of the genre, which is also where he seems to draw most of his inspiration from.  Influences from artists like Burial are unmistakenly present, with deep, rumbling basslines, playful percussion sounds and very atmospheric instrumentation. But he manages to give this well-proven formula a personal twist by building his music on rythms and arragements found in Minimal Techno.

The "Greet In Silence The Glow" EP is Letterson Twine's second release. It was recorded and produced between August 2011 and January 2012. It contains four tracks totaling at just over 20 minutes. It can be downloaded for free on his blog, which I suggest you do, if you're into that sort of thing.

The first track on here is an homage to this EP's muscial godfather, Burial, by sampling some of his signature sounds. Those sounds are being backed up by a hard, pounding contemporary "Club Techno" beat, which are usually not really my cup of tea. But what eventually wins me over is the very rich bassline that, combined with a soft synth sound, creates a soothing atmosphere. In the middle of the track you can make out some vinyl crackle, before the pounding techno beat breaks down into a two-step-like rythm.

The second track picks back up on the Minimal Techno theme, again paired with a soft atmosphere, and a soft xylophone or Glockenspiel melody. It's probably the most "danceable" track on here and also the one I care for the least.

The next song, "What If I Lay My Fate In Your Navigation," starts off with a continually modulated, low-end mechanical synth sound that eventually gets backed up with another deep bassline, a Techno beat and a very soft and playful melody, transforming the whole thing into a very grooving piece of machinery, moving through a lush, rolling, green landscape. This track feels like it could go on for ages, and I would have no problem with that.



The closing track "Video Games" is easily my favorite. On here, the feet pounding rythms get traded for head nodding, filled with a soft, echo-y string section and a thick, wavering bassline. Contrasting a female vocal sample, the deep end of the percussion hits hard, until it basically breaks out and escalates towards the end. The whole song invokes an urban atmosphere; something you'd want to listen to on the way home at four in the morning.

Overall, this EP is a very fine piece of music. The only gripes I have with it stem from the production. In some parts, the low end - be it drums or the basslines - seem too loud for their own good. I feel they would benefit from a softer finish.


Linkage:
http://letterson-twine.blogspot.de/
http://www.lastfm.de/music/Letterson+Twine


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