Groeni Nihx Project Mooncircle TBR 30th March 2018 | The Electro Review

Groeni
Nihx
Project Mooncircle
TBR: 30th March




Inspired by the transition of land at the foot of New Zealand's Mount Victoria, this sonically ground breaking and artistically relevant long release takes Groeni to new levels of mastery. The trio of technicians bring their compositions to the computer at the last minute, formulating their sounds with analogue composing before penning down the digital interpretations. For electronic music, this top down approach records more than a random selection of settings and loops, but translates real human thought and planning into replicable and polished notations.


The album starts with a quiet build, slow moving music gently begins to rain down on the atmosphere as great forces are laid down in bare detail. Warm and wholesome tones reflect from still waters before the haunting sound of vocals drown out the silence. Emotive lines from a dreamy mind gloss over a subtly moving backdrop. Beautiful and melancholy yet shimmering with human light, layers of harmony build gradually as the music slowly swells to fill larger spaces. Rhythms bunch up in curls of regular driving energy, bringing the album to a sweet spot which teeters on the high energy while keeping its feet in the stillness below.


The addition of guitar and voice give a quality of natural magic which sit like figurines on the digital scape, rolling out like fields and valleys. Playful techniques make the listening experience more interesting yet the traditional forms and lyric patterns keep the music anchored in the near usual. Frantic interludes of fresh vibrancy reveal souls of energetic spark as pretty melodies keep pace with the inner sensations that hold things together.


Simple patterns sit gently upon each other with stitches of flair to keep the flow interesting, the cake of sound drifts from the speakers in expertly layered masonry, dancing with itself as it gently falls over the furniture. With over two years on the clock in making this record, and a deep soulful connection to the music from all involved, Nihx marks a centrepiece in the legacy of Groeni. More than electronic music, the warmth of the human element greets the digital like long distance friends who spend too much time apart. Moody and moving, the record enjoys a seat in the mind somewhere in the halls of ambient theatre.


Pre-order/buy Groeni Nihx on vinyl or digital from Amazon UK and digital from Amazon US.