Abysma

Album review

Abysma is the Ghostly International debut from Will Wiesenfeld, a Los Angeles native who is best known for his hip-hop-influenced electro-pop releases on Anticon under the name Baths, but has actually been more prolific under his ambient-leaning project Geotic. Prior to Abysma, all of Geotic's recordings were self-released digital affairs, and they ranged from field recordings to loop-based drone pieces to atmospheric lo-fi indie pop. Abysma is a full-length venture into ambient techno, a direction Wiesenfeld hinted at with the title track of Baths' 2014 EP Ocean Death. Wiesenfeld describes Geotic as "passive listening" and Baths as "active listening," which makes sense considering how much more structured and pop-informed his Baths material is compared to his more experimental work as Geotic. However, all of the tracks on Abysma contain upfront dance beats along with Wiesenfeld's airy falsetto vocals and light, twinkling pianos. Wiesenfeld says that to him, dance music has always been more about solitude and reflection than a big night out at a club with friends, and this is an ideal techno album for home listening. The beats are swift and propulsive, but there isn't an overwhelming amount of bass, nor are the tracks structured to work as DJ tools. The fuzzy, lo-fi loops of earlier Geotic releases are nowhere to be heard here. Instead, the sonic constructions are brighter and more detailed, yet they still feel light and ethereal, even with the insistent beats. Wiesenfeld sings on most tracks, but only occasionally do there appear to be proper lyrics, such as on the slightly Tycho-esque "Nav." Tracks like "Laura Corporeal" tip toward the cerebral tech-house of John Tejada, who mastered the album. Elsewhere, cuts like "Vaulted Ceiling, Painted Sky" manage to successfully combine new age piano and string melodies with dance beats, all without sounding cheesy or pretentious. Closing track "Valiance" focuses on swooping, sparkling violin manipulations, and is equally playful and majestic. Abysma is an intriguing development in Wiesenfeld's sound, and easily the most cohesive Geotic release to date.
© Paul Simpson /TiVo