The
ground covered by Simon Pykes in the ten years that
separate his debut release, the Free EP, already
on Skam, to his most recent venture, is truly fascinating.
Born in Swindon where he spent most of his formative
years experimenting with all sorts of electronic devices,
Pykes began recording while in his teen. A chance meeting
with Autechre landed
him a first EP on their then burgeoning label, Skam,
and he later on toured with them, while Ambient Soho’s
label Worm Interface published his debut album, Elastic
Speaker, all this before he turned eighteen. Since,
his work has been released on labels as diverse as Quatermass,
Warp, Musik Aus Strom, Sub Rosa, Headphone or Sprawl.
Although electronic music has been Simon Pykes’s
main mean of expression, he has constantly looked for
unusual angles to approach his work. His most original
and compelling record, Audiotourism:
Vietnam & China, took shape while traveling
in the Far East. Based on two months spent collecting
found sounds in markets, bars, streets and other public
places, the album combined up-to-the-minute technology
with century-old instruments and vocal forms to create
a magnificent and original piece of work.
While his last album, Human,
released two years ago, was still packed with ethnic
references, Pykes investigates with his most recent
record rather different soundscapes. Build around highly
experimental electronic sounds, very much reminiscent
of the work of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop in parts,
Pykes creates a strangely addictive form of cosmic pop
on which he sometimes adds vocals or guitars. Alternating
between sharp funky instrumentals and light-hearted
vocal tracks, Outside In feels at ones familiar
yet totally fresh and new. If his compositions remain
largely complex and intricate, with abundant sonic details
forming wonderfully evocative structures, Pykes also
adopts here more straightforward forms, especially on
tracks such as This Is Your Life and Follow
Your Shadow where he hints at the leftfield electro
of Schneider TM.
Elsewhere, as on the festive Carnival, Pykes
juxtaposes elements of samba, African percussions and
bouncey techno, while he delivers some more delicate
moments on the closing Everything Changes and
Wonderplucks. While the former uses some ethnic
instruments, the latter is infused with jazz references.
More laidback and less cluttered than its predecessor,
this latest Freeform album is however as eclectic and
unpredictable as any of Pykes’s previous records,
and demonstrates once again his incredible capacity
at integrating elements so diverse into credible pieces
and instinctively adapt to any new situation. Once again
here, he produces a truly convincing piece of work.
4.5/5 |
