Rave Review: VaNadium - Lattice
There has been a steadily rising strain of IDM taking hold of the genre, where modular patterns seem to fall randomly into place. On the latest release from Dallas-based Science Cult, Spanish maestro Vanadium delivers a sincere and eloquent slice of neo-classical braindance on his album Lattice that fits nicely into this mold.
The modern roots of this approach arguably trace back to the mid-2010s and Traditional Synthesizer Music by Venetian Snares. More recently, the sound has been pushed further into the spotlight by luminaries exm and Roel Funcken, whose stochastic IDM masterpiece Flyphel also appeared on Science Cult just last year. Yet while those artists carved their legacy through sharp-edged experimentation, Vanadium opts for a gentler touch—one that invites the listener to linger in the warm glow of its electro-acoustic vibrations.
EP opener ‘A180’ functions as a clear mission statement. Throbbing bass stabs ride atop scattered clicks and claps before a delicate piano gracefully enters the mix. Despite the restless drum programming, the languid yet poignant piano lines lend the track a warmth. The scene it evokes is vivid: a solitary figure playing a melancholy melody inside an old Victorian home while the bustle of the city skitters by outside.
Not every moment is quite so immediately inviting. On ‘ID TES M,’ Vanadium leans toward force rather than melody. A driving beat and menacing low end push relentlessly forward, while cutting acid squelches slice through the arrangement, adding bursts of tension and color.
The EP’s brief runtime ultimately proves to be one of its strengths. On full-length releases, this type of patternless, generative material can easily blur together into an indistinguishable whole, leaving little behind once it ends. Here, however, the tracks flow seamlessly while still maintaining their individual character.
The closer, ‘REZ 02,’ brings the record to a graceful finish, weaving the EP’s most intricate polyrhythmic percussion around a hauntingly beautiful piano line. The melody carries the wistful weight of something remembered from long ago, yet the music itself feels resolutely forward-looking—another exciting step toward the future of IDM.
(The Lunatic is an Austin, Texas–based raver spreading the good word through his reviews and blog—and by selling the weirdest fucking electronic vinyl around.)
