Tessellations

Chronique

Peverelist first emerged operating on the fringes of dubstep, before going on to form Livity Sound -- alongside Asusu and Kowton -- to play around on the fringes of techno; it would be easy to label him as someone who hops on the latest genre depending on popularity. All this reflects is the need to associate artists with genres to understand how they fit in. Well, now it's time to stop tying Peverelist to various masts and accept that Livity is basically a genre unto itself. While his 2009 debut, Jarvik Mindstate, has some basis in the paranoid essence of early dubstep, his follow-up, Tessellations, shares a reliance on percussion and timbre with techno; in reality, the two records share more in common with each other than the genre tags they are respectively associated with. That's not to say Peverelist hasn't grown as a producer; if anything, his style has been distilled here for his, and Livity's, most direct release so far. After the obligatory ambient intro that is "Burning Sea," Tessellations dives straight into a relentless pattern of off-kilter rhythms, with each track being a distinctly different take on the Livity mission statement. Everything has been built rhythm-first, giving a lot more creative space to craft interesting percussive patterns before splashing colour on after. Although many tracks have a stumbling gait, it's because of his beat-driven approach that they never fully trip over themselves and inhibit the desire to dance. Picking out highlights comes down to a matter of taste, as each composition can stand on its own merits. However, this does mean that Tessellations' greatest flaw is its lack of necessity. Every song has enough strength to stand alone, and in a world of streaming and fickle attention spans this is both a blessing and a curse. Around half of the album consists of left-of-centre tracks such as "Wireframes" or "Further Inland," whilst the other half is a little more straightforward in structure -- see "Slice of Life" or "Brinks and Limits" -- with both styles interchanging throughout. The saving grace is the overall consistency, meaning that listening to the record in its entirety is an enjoyable experience, just not necessarily better than a custom-built playlist or a DJ mix from Peverelist or his peers.
© Liam Martin /TiVo