Not sure when the last time I said something like, “Man, it’s been a great year for four-way splits” was but… man. I was a little wary of taking on the task of telling you about some of them. I mean I have, what, 200 words to describe four different artist to you? Impossible, right? I’ve already used, like, almost barely just even a quarter of them already (or something)… But I guess I just don’t need a lot of them. All four of these guys are so perfectly matched on this tape it’s obscene, and the release’s title, its simplistic, stylish artwork — it all comes together into the blue and yellow, night and day, ebb-and-flow, tide-timed, super-mellow slice of psycho-spiritual relaxation that is as expansive and wide open as the very oceans each contributor’s music so effortlessly represents for your imagination’s drowsy eye. All sides present us with the proverbial drift — smooth planes of celestial plain created by delicate swathes of synthesized major chords… in other words, what each of these people does completely the best of anyone else out there today. What I like about this split is how each contributor is distinctly themselves while at the same time you very much get the vibe that they know their neighbor. When Panabrite, for example, finds a few minutes in the middle of his piece to let the crystals of melody melt themselves down for a minute or two, he can sound a helluva lot like Former Selves. And that kind of stylistic queue makes this release seem like such an essential document of the state of synth-based ambient. A prism of disparate players, each with their own takes and approaches, each aware of the incredible beauty going on around the world. These are terrific times, dear readers, and Oceanic Triangulation is one of the age’s true gifts.
More about: Hakobune / Oliwa / Panabrite / Former Selves
