Strategy - Music for Lamping

  by Maarten Schiethart

published: 7 / 5 / 2008

Label: Audio Dregs
Format: CD

intro

Sparkling, but sparse ambience on third album from Strategy, the project of Portland, Oregon-based DJ producer Paul Dickow

Paul Dickow is reported to be one of the busiest men in Portland's thriving electronic music scene now. As Strategy he has released a couple of excellent dance twelve inches (on Orac and Kid606's Shockout) yet unlike most DJ producers who decided to cross borders and start composing, he didn't swap monikers for the release of his, so far two, ambient albums. The first one still featured percussion and now this 'Music for Lamping' on the wonderful, and persevering, Audio Dregs label marks a moveback to bassless, ambient music. Audio Dregs has picked up Strategy's CD, 'Drumsolo's Delight' from Kranky for a later release on LP by the way. Prior to Paul's one-man electric orchestra Strategy, he was a member of Fontanelle and Nudge, making him the DJ Producer who has been in bands just as well. This doesn't, however, show Four years on, Strategy produced one of the krankiest albums on Audio Dregs. 'Music for Lamping' winks at the Brian Eno 'music for' series of course, with its stream of - pardon the pun-glowing atmospheric sounds. 'Music for Lamping' is an utmost tranquil voyage , which, even where there are associations with metal machine echoes, still sounds deeply gentle. As the sounds drain your system from stress, they add lovely streams that brood and breathe. The cyclic and methodical recording of 'Music for Lamping' appears natural, assuming of course that electronic music can be natural. The quality of 'Music for Lampings'as an album is obvious, as is the rich texture of sounds. It's an hour's walk through mysterious grounds and watery places, sparkling yet sparse.

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