Those who know the minimal drum & bass made by Synkro during the last few years for labels like Exit Records should know that the musician from Manchester has a unique touch for creating a certain atmosphere. The genre-hopping, red-haired Synkro has last proven this talent together with his fellow countryman Jack Lever (aka Bering Straight). Under the name Kiyoko, they created the exceptional release »Sea Of Trees«, using analog equipment, shorted electro-toys, guitars and dusty vinyl samples. What came out is a collection of titles with uncategorizable compositions somewhere between electronica and bass music. It’s the same mixture used for the eight volatile downtempo-tracks on »Acceptance«, Synkro’s latest almost-record for the reactivated sub-label of R&Scalled Apollo. Again, long-winded scenes of ambiance are used as a foundation for sentimental chord-sequences, for carefully chopped and offbeat rhythms, ruminant synthesizers, discreet percussion and dreamy vocals. Here and there we’ll find careful guitar-sequences, creating a more organic texture, like on the shivery »Disappear« or the indigo-feature »Mutual Divide«, which renders homage to Boards of Canada. Despite their differences in details, the consistently good – almost too flawless – tracks of the 35-minutes EP become a homogenous collage of sound without any distinctive highlights. It’s a kind of new-age-potpourri for the dubstep generation. While post-rave-melancholy and encouraging future-optimism melt together in a unique bitter-sweet vibe, the even more remarkable trade of »Acceptance« remains to be its astounding warmth.
Acceptance EP
