NAUTILIS - Are You An Axolotl?

Nautilis is Texan musician Skyler McGlothlin and Are You An Axolotl? is his first album. After being noticed on the Leafcutter John remix competition and for his reworking of Coldcut’s Re:volution, it was only a matter of time before McGlothlin was offered to release his own material.
Are You An Axololt? is a very clever and intriguing debut which mixes heavy abstract hip-hop, dirty electro-funk and Boards Of Canada-like dreamy electronica. If this sounds all too unlikely, the result is surprisingly delightful. After a rather down-to-earth inspired moment of classic electronic, reminiscent of Plaid, McGlothlin makes a statement by injecting some hip-hop in his malfunctioning machines. Oh How Schmee Loves DSP is an extremely complex piece of layered electronic, reminiscent of Funkstörung, combined with a vocal performance from Andy Arsenal. Polyphonix Tronix Scapegoat is more straight forward in form. Resolutely hardcore in structure, this hilarious parody of rave hip-hop demonstrates the versatility of McGlothlin’s talent as a sonic manipulator. Further along, he takes his sound to other territories, uncontrollably flirting with jazz (Wednesday Afternoon), easy listening on the Johnny Mathis-esque It’s Lonely In The Streets, or melodic electronica (Ruffion or the beautiful 081301, reminiscent of early Autechre), alternating seamlessly between wild tunes and more subdued moments as he plays on a wide variety of emotions ranging from gratuitous anger to heavenly pleasure. Not taking his art too seriously, he doesn’t shy away from inserting humorous samples and gimmicks, as if the man was trying to retain part of his childhood fantasies to give a meaning to his compositions. Are You An Axolotl? is field with positive energy, constantly surprising by its disconcerting creativity and its innovative approach to the multitude of genres he tackles. Listening to Nautilis is like revisiting all the avenues explored by electronic musicians over the last ten years from a different angle, as McGlothlin gives a fresh twist to his music.
Are You An Axolotl? is unexpectedly consistent all the way through, as Skyler McGlothlin offers his rather complex, if not entirely new, vision, firmly driving his Nautilis project exactly where he wants to. This is without a doubt one of the most interesting records released by Planet Mu, and a very strong debut. If he continues to deliver in the same uncompromising way, McGlothlin is definitely a musician worth keeping an eye on.