For Ear Sake

Architeq - Gold + Green (2009)
Genres: Glitch, IDM, Jazz, Leftfield

Architeq (Sam Annand) is a Producer/Mixing Engineer from London, UK. His debut album Gold + Green has been sitting in my iTunes library, collecting virtual dust for almost 2 years. I figured now would be a good time to dust off this release, and explain why it's worth a listen. However, many of you will discredit whatever good things I have to say pertaining to this album, due to my digital copy being covered in computer-generated soot. So to plead the album's case, it wasn't forgotten because it lacks in any way shape or form, I just happen to have an iTunes library that's crammed to capacity.

While sifting through an iTunes library I almost never access, the origami shapes (created by Faye Allen) held together with golden strings quickly caught my attraction, and I found myself revisiting an album that fell between the cracks of my negligence. Considering the simplicity of the album title, I prepared myself for an easy listen – I was wrong. Gold + Green is everything but easygoing. The album is best described as, "challenging late-night listening that never lets itself become indulgent." I began to read various reviews of the album as I enjoyed it's complex sounds, and I found myself wanting fresh squeezed music after reading the statement, "Architeq knows how to squeeze that last bit of juice from every key with a rhythmic twist." Before I knew it, I was juicing Gold + Green for all it had to offer.

This is Chopsy's first foray into the world of music videos – a tie-in with music maker Architeq. Conceived as a short film with a simple premise: “What happens to all the old vinyl people used to play? From out of attics, rubbish bins & forgotten shelving? The records are summoned to an old warehouse by a mysterious ‘collector’.”

I'm sure the question, "Why is this release worth listening to?" still remains in the minds of some of you. The answer to that question is, because Gold + Green is a musical melting pot. Architeq created a concoction of warped Jazz, Rocksteady Dub, a dose of Leftfield, topped with jarring Electronic effects. This album is right up your alley if you enjoy Leftfield-Electronic sounds fused with Jazz. For anyone interested in purchasing a physical copy of the release, Discogs has a limited amount in both CD and vinyl format (click here). For anyone looking for digital copies, iTunes is the place to go (click here). Lastly, I've included a sample track below. Cheers!

Architeq - Krakatoa