John Talabot: ƒIN - Album Review

John Talabot
ƒIN
Rating: Grrrr

Barcelona house producer John Talabot has stated in interviews that he doesn't understand how people call his debut album ƒIN "tropical" or "sunny," preferring to say his music is shadowy and obscured. I can actually see both sides of the coin. There is a definite undercurrent of Balearic sweep in these tracks, the synths and beats heading ever upward, seeking release. But there are a lot of dark textures lurking in the background as well, giving these house tracks some edge and bite. While this is technically a "house" record, nothing quite fits perfectly in that square. So many difference influences find their way into this tracks, that by album's end, you are left with a familiar, yet oddly uneasy feeling. Nods to Balearic pop, Boards of Canada style IDM, UK bass music, 80s synthpop, all weave and intertwine throughout ƒIN, never jarring and always in sync with the flow of the record. Vocals are sometimes overt, but mostly he employs a variety of samples that consist of either chanting, vowel sounds, burbling, or even a horror movie scream, utilizing them all as just another sonic element in the mix. ƒIN is a wonderful headphones album, where multiple listens are necessary to get the full effect. The most startling aspect to all this is how he keeps everything in control, the builds and releases never seem calculated or unearned, all feeling organic and in the right place.

Lead track "Depak Ine" starts things off on an odd note, a down tempo beat and percussion is bandied about with various nature sounds like birds and crickets, and a ghostly wash of chanted vocals. This melange of sounds morphs into a more upbeat track, adding more forceful drum programming and banks of keyboards.



Talabot finds his muse with two tracks featuring Pional, who adds his smoky vocals to the house rhythms. "Destiny" multi-tracks his vocals into an amazing chorale, volleyed around by a dense mix of several different synth patterns.



He reappears on the intense build and release of final track "So Will Be Now....," his voice echoing all over the track, the bubbling basslines working with the climbing drum programming.



He also uses Barcelona compatriot Ekhi Lopetegi of house rockers Delorean, whose dreamy vocals ride sweetly in the middle of the mass of buzzy, trippy synths on "Journeys."



The remaining tracks are all instrumentals, with various uses of interesting vocal samples. "Missing You" sounds like it takes tribal chanting and spins it through a garbage disposal, the drums getting more liquid as the track moves, with harsh blasts of synths pound around the mix.



"Oro Y Sangre" takes the aforementioned horror movie scream and pairs it against rolling organs and synths, whirring bass lines, and retro drum programming.



What sounds like the penultimate track, the dancefloor heavy beats of "When The Past Was Present," combines de rigueur blasts of male diva vocals along with increasingly rising synth chords that is pure house bliss.



One of the charms of ƒIN is that among all the house beats he takes time to go on detours, with more atmospheric, IDM type material. Like the post-dubstep track "El Oeste," with its broken beats and haunting washes of synths, the skittering percussion and glitchy synths of "H.O.R.S.E.," and even the slight 80s synth-funk of "Estiu," bring a nice range of styles and breadth to the album.



ƒIN is some of the most gorgeously produced house music of the year, and is as effective on the dance floor as it is on headphones. It is a constantly engaging work that is immediate as well as rewarding after multiple listens. Indeed, I have yet to hear many albums that sound just as fresh after 20 listens. ƒIN is a remarkable introduction to this intriguing producer.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.