Genetic Engineering

a review by Stephen Fruitman of
release format Genetic Engineering by Phonophani (CD Album)

text

Phonophani's self-titled debut was one of the musicial highlights of 1998. Still the sole release on Geir Jenssen's Biophon label, its combination of warm electronica and "real" instruments wove a spellbinding ambient tapestry of atmospheric electronic cut-ups, heralding the arrival of an artist in full possession of an advanced compositional technique.

Switching Norwegian labels to Rune Grammofon for his second effort, Phonophani (aka Espen Sommer Eide, also one half of Alog), returns to similar terrain with renewed energy and curiosity. The arrhythmic structure of his pieces lend them a collage-like aspect - small melodic patches assembled with a dab hand, ideas toyed with for a while before seamlessly giving way to entirely new ones. The listener finds himself airborne over an imaginary landscape of the most shifting nature and given countless glimpses of the wonders below.

New to Phonophani's arsenal are some "songs" interleafed thoughout, sung by computer-generated voices and perfectly at home in this otherwise uninhabited place. Crystal clear production and visionary artistry make this a brilliant sophomore effort and one of the label's best releases yet. Posted by Stephen Fruitman at 00:00, 19 Jun 2001