Aylu - whose excellent Walden dropped on Orange Milk only recently — is back with a new collection of work released under the title Serum, this time on LA imprint Sun Ark Records. On this EP, the Buenos Aires-based producer adopts a looser compositional approach than ever before; these tracks are lean and elegant, yet completely unpredictable. Various electro-acoustic sound sources are scattered all over the place and listening feels more like exploring, rather than just absorbing.
“I” is a gentle introduction to the whole experience - at once, you realize you’ve never been here before - whereas “V” where (presumably) Aylu’s voice is the sole suggestion of human presence closes the EP in an unexpected fashion. My personal highlight “III” feels subaqueous, but not oceanic — this is a tiny aquarium with only one or two fish, a plastic plant and a kitschy house for the fish to hide in. From within it, bubbles rise quickly to the surface… You’ve seen this scene from the outside, but you’ve never explored it from the inside. Here you will do just that.
If Serum was really “designed to bring the mind out of anxious confinement into broader space”, then mission accomplished. This is some of the most engaging music I’ve heard all year. And I don’t feel so confined anymore either - exploring that aquarium has actually been very pleasant.
More about: Aylu
