I don’t know how many files come across my inbox with suffixes like “_FINAL” or descriptions like “SOMETHINGWAVE,” but it’s probably a lot. If we’re in really deep, I’ll get hit with a “_FINAL.wav,” proving that my luck is humming smoothly along like a well-tuned engine. There’s nothing more to do at that point than to fire up the old Audacity program. (Does anyone still use Audacity?)
Enter Brighton electronic artist Nicholas Langley, who has surely seen his share of “_FINAL.wav” files over his lengthy tenure as the mastermind behind Third Kind Records. Probably even a few of his own, if he’s being honest. That’s partly the impetus for his chucklingly titled new record Final Wave, out November 8 on Third Kind. I mean, it’s probably not the whole impetus — let’s face it, you can only get so much mileage out of a wink and a nod.
Good news! It’s not the whole impetus, not all fun and games, not all jokes and laughs; Final Wave marks Langley’s “final word on things for a little while,” and he considers that it’s “the one where I say, this is MY sound.” Maybe that’s a freeing concept when you’ve mostly released stuff by others, or if you’ve mostly spent the recent past collaborating (such as his work in Kyle & Wilbur and Erm & Nickname, his efforts with Linden Pomeroy, or his reimagining of Vitamin B12 tunes, with whom he has played, and he still plays with B12-er Hassni Malik).
But, OK, let’s face it: it’s still some fun and games, especially when you’re drawing inspiration from Congolese soukous or South African xitsonga, and not the dour, “very serious, dark vibe” of boring old British producers. (And I can only guess there’s some Nyege Nyege Tapes releases lining Langley’s recent listening shelves! [And if not, why not?]) That’s where “Flywork” comes in, the lead single off Final Wave. It’s a stuttering, synthetic ball of energy, emitting sparks and flashes every second it’s pinging through headphones, jolting leg and arm muscles into involuntary movement. And although Langley is certainly British, “Flywork” is definitively NOT dour, “very serious,” or “dark.” It’s blinding spasm of luminous yellow light. Take THAT, sadness!
Think if you download the track it’ll have “_FINAL” in its metadata? Hmm …
More about: Nicholas Langley
