Sound Tracks

This came out last week, a limited edition C60 cassette featuring the music of Matt Gunn, an hour of electronic adventuring titled Sound Tracks 1. Matt's music spans the range of electronica, from ambient to chug, synth pop and psychedelia, underpinned by the song based sensibilities of someone who spent their youth in guitar bands. 

The eight tracks on Sound Works 1 are sequenced as a journey. Slip the tape into the car's tape deck and as you pull away from the curb the ambient synth twinkles fade in. By the time you've got to the main road the drums have kicked in and the bass is pushing. Sleeping Thru The Movie segues into Trapped Water, the topline melodies dancing and spinning, the chuggy rhythm matching the speed of your car. The drums fade out and the ambient soundscape reruns, sampled voices make you flinch, sounding like there's someone in the car with you. There's a change of tone, things get a bit spacier, more Orb- like with Ring Road Repeat. Choral voices chanting. Squiggles. The drums re- enter, the beat takes over again. Side one concludes with Tempestuous Days, a bumping piece of oompty boompty. The traffic jam you're stuck in melts away as the music fills the car. 

Flip the cassette over, in and out of the car's tape deck, clunkity click. Side B starts with Safe Harbour Jazz and the sound of waves. Washes of synths fade in, a tugboat's horn and seagulls, a long and languid ambient piece that becomes Return To The Drohne, Eastern sounding melodies and crunching drums. Electronic psyche. You're on the move again now, slipping onto the ring road. More voices, repeating and urgent. Tinned Water comes next, laid back ambient house, a slo mo groove and stellar synth sounds. Things pick up with Tonky Redux, a shape shifting piece of music, slipping between acid house and chug, rolling drums and flickering sounds, chanting voices and distorted synth bass. You pull over, destination arrived at and sit in the driver's seat, hand on the ignition key, waiting for the tape to finish paying so you turn the engine off. 

Sound Tracks 1 is at Electric Wardrobe's Bandcamp.