Martin Martyn - Atomos [Review]
About Martin Martyn
Hideyuki Hashimoto & Yuri Kawai are best friends and accomplished solo artists with a fondness for augmenting their classical training with cultured electronic music production, so a meeting of minds in this Martin Martyn collaborative project was always destined to end well, and as this is the third single from them to end up in the blog, it's fair to say I'm a fan.
The creative process, from what I understand, is a fluid affair, but with Kawai more focussed on laying the ambient foundations with her electronic production and setting the tempos, which range from the barely conscious right through to dance music suitable, often adding her violin in various natural and effected forms for emotional assistance. Whilst Hashimoto is also a producer and sound designer, the project sees him mainly focussing on the piano and providing the emotive backbone with his time-honed minimal playing. They're quite the duo.
Review
Their latest single 'Atomos' signals their desire to keep the project rolling, and interestingly they've called in some outside assistance, enlisting the cello talents of Robin Dupuy to accentuate the project's neoclassical credentials, and he wastes no time in announcing his presence with a succinct refrain that sets a rarefied atmosphere from the off. It's not long though before the electronic elements start jostling for the spotlight though; initially content bubbling in the cello's shadow, they're emboldened by the arrival of a muted four-four house rhythm to secure equal billing, creating an almost percussive synth thread that urges the track forward, whilst some low-frequency bump is provided by the sort of rounded ambient-techno bassline of my dreams. Credits are thin, but Hashimoto has a break from his acoustic piano, and I assume that's him adding the tonal synth sparkle that helps light the track's way. It's a consummate exercise in eschewing ego for synergy and making more with less without sacrificing emotion, not to mention making house music for the hips and the head that will surely meet with approval from the contemporary dance scene and open-minded clubbers.
If this is your cup of ethereal dance music tea then check out Voices from the Lake's II album. And don't forget to check out our other Martin Martyn single picks, 'Carre' and 'X'.
Playlist Companion
Find Martin Martyn in the Ambient House Playlist.
