Jan Amit "Hyms" (2015)

Inspired by "Flowertraces" and unimpressed with "Around And Above" I see Jan as an artist who's vision doesn't fall inline with the quirks of his unique identity that makes his music enjoyable for me. This short EP was a mixed bag of fruits not yielding into anything solid but showcasing a few ideas. The opener is a short atmospheric track of dark unsettling eeriness, a soundscape painting the aftermath of an oblivion event with electronic glitches devising the voices of alien insectoids. Its opening moments strangely reminiscent of Burzum's "Svarte Troner", a creepy dark ambient piece.

"Enter Faceless" follows and its an atypical track of Jan's style. Glitched out spacious beats hurtle over dark, illusive ambient noises that drift in and out of focus. It follows the darker theme and with a break for fresh air in the middle it drops back into itself for a second run that leads to no climatic or significant moment. The next track shakes up the formula with some strong House and Downtempo influences forging deep looping dance grooves and simplistic linear notation leads, droning over and over while featured artist Quork lists he hates through a morphed voice that gets buried into the groove on "Flaming Youth".

The records closer "Mass" tickles the ear drum with more alien sounds, wet slippery glitches slap and sway with a watery tone over a vanilla baseline before jumping into glitched out breaks over more void like ambient noises. Once again it feels like it doesn't amount to much, I'm left with what I expected, interest in the aesthetics, atmosphere and glitched approach in the rhythmic department but disappointed with the lack of progression or direction in the songs and their structures.

Rating: 4/10

Jan Amit "Around And Above" (2013)

After enjoying Jan's most recent release "Flowertraces" I was compelled to seek out more of the Russians discography but given the steep record price, I refrained from splashing out and completing my collection, instead I picked up this record first and it turned out to be a very different from my expectations.

"Around And Above" comes from the same universe as "Flowertraces", but is very much on a different level. Its dreary, bleak and moves at a snails pace through tracks driven by atmosphere which lack the charm or depth to engage. That may be a little harsh, but the opening tracks and others in the listening drone through pleasant, chilled, dreamy soundscapes that lack a point or direction. Its an ambiance that drifts under the listener instead of through them. A couple of tracks offered a spark of energy and engagement but most of the record I found myself awaiting the next track. I don't want to be too critical, its supposed to be on a calmer, softer level, but it crosses a personal threshold.

Despite a lack of engagement, the records aesthetic is gorgeous. A calm lull of pristine sounds that gracefully drift through the tracks like clouds on a placid day. Theres moments where the record perks up with a beat accompanied by the glitched out electronic noises that where a big characteristic of "Flowertraces". The instrument pallets used on the two records are almost identical, however the ideas behind them are very much not. Its an inoffensive record that misses the mark and the charming, dazzling aesthetics can't save from the bland and dull nature of these songs.

Favorite Songs: L'âme, Lettur But Mikill, We Believe In Humans

Rating: 3/10

Jan Amit "Flowertraces" (2015)

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