Title: Little Information Deposits
Artist: Schlang
Release Date: 25 March 2014
Genre: Downtempo
License: CC BY-NC-SA
Label: Ektoplazm

Introduction

Schlang’s information deposits come from the brain of two producers: Supersillyus and Space Jesus. And, according to Ektoplazm, they create their music by “…knitting time into a sweater and lighting it on fire” which isn’t far from the truth. Let’s take a bit more of a look into this bizarre and wildly inventive music.

Psychedelia Reborn

So, let’s talk about the root of this work. The element that propels the music of Schlang is the beat / rhythm that is foundational to most electronic music these days. But Schlang does something that is, while probably not unique, important for what they manage to accomplish with this work. Frequently the tempos are layered. For example, the first track is 75/150bpm, while the last track is 80/160bpm.

This is important because it allows them to weave elements around and over and under the deceptively simple sounding rhythm tracks they lay down. And boy, do they weave a tapestry together that is second to none.

They borrow spoken word samples with ranges of topics as widely varying as computer gangsters, and planet earth being reborn. Stir in a healthy dose of synthesizer samples, and sequenced lines. Then add a dash of ethnic elements such as Tuvan throat singing, sitar, and other eastern instruments, and top it off with a few samples of instruments harpsichord.

Now, okay, I hear you saying / thinking: yeah, this doesn’t sound like anything new. And, I would agree. Except with these producers, you would swear that the samples they are using were run through a paper shredder, then reassembled into some form that is totally new and unique.

But, the thing that really caps this work off is the production. Supersillyus and Space jesus are not just skilled or talented producers who could have turned out some good works. No, these two are masters. With this rewoven fabric of sounds, they create an amazing space for their work. Each element has its own space, and is separate and distinct. And yet, each of the elements compliments the other, and relates to the rhythm at the ascribed tempos I mentioned before. This why the split rhythms are important: allowing these elements their own relationship to the rhythm.

This is the new psychedelia. The groups of the sixties often mixed different elements and rhythms into their music, seeking a higher sound. This is what Schlang achieves with this release. Thoroughly dance-able, thoroughly relate-able, and something that you listen to again and again to catch more elements. To say this music is quite a trip on its own is, hopefully, a high honor. I think it would be a totally new trip with the right influence.

Schlang’s Information Deposits

If I were to have any complaints about this release, it would be that putting it in the downtempo category seems to be selling it short. But, I guess that it is a difficult to categorize release, which excites me to no end. It’s not really experimental, it’s not really Psytrance, or Glitch, or Zenonesque, PsyDub, or Ambient. But, in its way, it probably deserves its own category: Schlangesque anyone? LOL

It’s also not a perfect release. I would say that the track ‘Philip K. Dick Stuff’ falls short of the other material on this release. Borrowing samples from older IDM and Electronica releases, things just feel a bit too predictable. It’s also the only track on the release with a single tempo that doesn’t vary.

But, other than that I love this release. I really love the “secret” un-credited track. These producers really now how to weave a work, and excel in production in ways that many other producers could learn lessons from.