Jan Amit is the name of this one man band musician from Moscow, Russia who composes dreamy, relaxing ethereal electronics with a contrasting rhythm department of layered, glitchy frenetic subtleties that decorate downtempo, slow beats with a rigidity, digital stiffness. In this contrast the magic is born, Jan's charm comes from magic these two distinctions have when working in unison. "Flowertraces" is the third of three records, the first of which i have been exposed to, and I'm certain ill be picking up the other two.
The power in the music comes from the ethereal strings, haunting pianos and moody compositions that build atmosphere with progression and gentle tunes that whisper in the wind as the songs drift by with grace. No punchy melodies or hooks are required, Jan steadily builds an atmosphere and sucks you into moments where he can deliver so much with a few notes on the piano above intensifying strings that emote directly. The big airy choirs and reverb soaking forging atmospheres big and grand, yet humbling with an eerie undercurrent amplified by haunting keys and bells that play like forgotten lullabies in the mist.
With all this gorgeous atmosphere their is an infusion of a different idea that works to give the music a unique feel, both in texture and emotion. The beats are slow kick clap grooves with a layering of quite noises that range from glitches to beeps and compression distortions that weave and flutter around around the beat, rattling and building into momentous moments of noise. The contrast gives me a distinct vibe, that of two eras colliding, the natural world intersected by malfunctioning time travel technology as we peak into an unknown age of wonders through this paradoxical hicup.
This particular chemistry was what jumped out at me most. On a couple of tracks the moods are more upbeat than introspective, and despite being well rounded tracks they didn't quite achieve the same impact as the ethereal tracks. Production wise its solid, well produced and balanced considering the cluttered nature of the beats in there climactic moments. At forty two minutes it often breezes by, a fantastic listen.
Favorite Songs: Ages, Grace, Heartfires, Ghostly Blossom
Rating: 5/10