Found Dark Fidelity Hi Fi Bricolage Records | The Electro Review

​Found
Dark Fidelity Hi Fi
Bricolage Records
Out 5th July


Rick Jones returns under the familiar guise of Dark Fidelity Hi Fi with a super lucky thirteen track album, hot off the presses. Let's listen to it for the first time together, it was released earlier today so grab your copy now. This Manchester based musical creator is known for experimental and diverse influences that combine into one wholesome far-out sound. Elements of trip-hop, dub, IDM, and more meld together as one uniform direction into mystery and mayhem. Billed as having new discoveries with each listen, this multifaceted and highly textured piece of work deserves to be in the favourites folder.


First track, Substancerunner, begins with a warped horn motif that builds with bells and swelling bass. Frantic hand drums pulse in from a new direction while rhythmic chimes and sonic discoveries repeat and wave in well composed lines. Extra elements of rhythm strike through as new instruments cast their melodic shadows across the landscape. Sunny drips of sound merge with subtle phonics and shimmering textures while continual percussive instruments keep the flow steady. It's followed by the tuning in of an analogue radio set. Catching the frequency gives us a spanning organ riff which builds into digital plunks on metallic arms. Glitchy sounds resonate through ample atmosphere as the rhythm evolves with the passing bars. The title track of the album, Found, is a more sentient number. It portrays a magical edge with a mixture of human and mechanical distinctions.


Next is One Thousand Years. A string and echo make a lapping water's edge sculpted from sound. Synthesised sunbeams radiate across the moving water and shimmer in glistening treble. New tones build from underneath in distilled harmonies that reach into the body. An invigorating and calming sensation brings us deeper into the music. A slow and effortless wave of sonic clarity pins us to the seat as ingenious method and intuition build a fantastic dreamscape. The progression is quick, a sudden burst of energy culminates in a lid being removed and an earthy party of togetherness and linking of futures revolves in the deck. This is followed by a gamelan of bells which roll and chime in a unique medley of colourful notes. Joined by vibrant and energetic drumming, a new injection of energy builds in the music. Ethnic strings finish the mood as harp like frills decorate the dancing beat. Jarabi Sky takes us into a scene of exotic beauty and wonder.


A symphonic ballet of strings swoop in for the entrance of Static Recurrence. They weld away the silence as blow torch sounds made from pixels spray across the lamina. An underwater sensation in accompanying synths distorts in refracting currents of luminous sound. Once again on the chill-slop, we glide effortlessly down terrain into blankets of well timed art. It folds over into a ghostly swing of sound, voice and pressure combine with a voice-over. Drums add new levels of music in outpourings that suddenly halt to bring out highlights in the composition. Tempo warbles and occasional page turning gives the song an abstract Picasso feel, with pieces scattered across the frame to make up an image we have to assemble. She Dreams perhaps points to the fractioned nature of passion and reflectivity.


A reverberating quaver reaches out from the brief silence. Cymbals and finger clicks bring on a tone of immanency while stepping tones gather in the dwindling sound. Drums cut through with ambient beats and gradual evolutionary tones. Electric charge scatters in bits and pieces while persistent tempos surge on through experimental directions. In Your Pursuit Of Modern Happiness takes on a minimal edge to reveal an edgy and cavernous mix-down. Work To Play begins with a blippy rhythm. A digital hum in the tone gives an electronic feel while upbeat and interesting drum fills break open the bottle. Snaking warbles and drooping bass adorn the framework in flags and ribbons that flutter in the breezy rhythm.


It's followed by a sample of children playing. A haunting nostalgia sweeps across the field now empty and dimly lit at night. A clock ticks and crackled frolics of melody call out over the impending progression. More ghosts return in the back of the mind to jerk the tears perhaps or just remind us how far we have come. A fruity melody calls out, bouncing tones and happy uplifting melody merge with the deep and breathy underscore. Heavenly Splinters continues into a realm of bass and swirling beats that hang from high reaching kites of sound. Crackling opens out into airy synthesiser tones that span into near infinity. There Is A Light In You cradles delicate melody on natural sounding flute while digital build-up gives perfect framing to the mixed media scene.


A space-age spectrum of sounds sear across the astral sky for the next number. Bass and treble infuse as rhythm pushes through in bursts of metalwork. Intriguing loops on the drums glide with strange vocal emotive sounds. Synthesiser and rhythm build in joining blocks which allow ever more elements of sound to join the foray. Outer Scope takes us into a far-reaching place where the laws of physics haven't been proven to be the same. Beyond the gravity well of the local star, who knows how space behaves. Perhaps the universe isn't expanding at all, only everything is getting eternally smaller. Next is Modular (Sun To The Moon). We end up in a dark cave, maybe the hull of a giant ship. Glistening orbs of sound illuminate the vast emptiness we stand in. Machines labour in lines and pods while we progress into a frenzy of motion and activity. Is this the moment we have been waiting for? A journey from the underworld into the bright lights of now where all seems to be looking to the future.




The album finishes with a sample of nature sounds. Water washes in as birds sing, inviting the music to begin. A tone ambiently drones outward, probing for a nestling space. New harmonics deliver extra support as the music reaches beyond its egg shell. It breaks down to a drum, and then silence. Found To is short and retrospective, it makes us want to go back to the beginning. Maybe we will?


You can find Found by Dark Fidelity Hi Fi on Bandcamp

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