On his DFA debut, German experimental techno producer
Edward largely departs from the 4/4 grid he frequents and blurs
the focus towards a more slippery, improvisational vibe. Fans of
his Desert Sky alias, as well as his work reshaping classic tracks
by Harmonia & Eno and Rolf Trostel of Tangerine Dream, will
be quite pleased with Underwater Jams. These two new songs
unfold at their leisure, going off on whizzing, kosmiche-influenced
tangents, all the while guided by the hand drums of percussionist
Geronimo Dehler. On A-side "The Lagoon," the freedom of the
long-form composition allows Edward to go deeper and more
mesmeric, while the restrained stomp of B-side "Mental Dive"
allows for an introspective dance floor moment.
Though he's been releasing music for the past decade,
Edward has always been a bit enigmatic, with a majority of
his discography only available on vinyl. He remains as prolific
as ever - in the last year alone, Edward has toured all over
the world, playing esteemed clubs from Berghain to Fabric,
and splitting bills with artists like Ricardo Villalobos and Oskar
Offermann. His numerous releases on Giegling, Die Orakel, and
White demonstrate his penchant for combining the psychedelic
and the locked-in groove, but it's the sprawling sense of
adventure that makes this release one of the more idiosyncratic
in Edward's catalog.
