coh: retro-2038

COH is the moniker used by Ivan Pavlov from Russia for more than a decade. COH is also the Russian word for "sleep." Yet, do not be deceived -- RETRO-2038 is much more of a deep space than a deep sleep. The second COH release on Editions Mego is a true delight to behold, inviting as it does its exploration of electronic sound in minimalism, futuristic pop and the uncharted territories in-between. Ranging from digital updates of Giorgio Moroder's pulse experiments to menacing, lingering LF tones, with occasionally scattered outbursts of jovial noise and glimpses of tonal interstellar disco, RETRO-2038 precisely engraves each of its components with a melodic line and a rhythmical pattern, often beatless. The album as a whole is a work of profound playfulness, at once whimsical and deeply seductive. It opens a crisp crystalline cosmos of its own, rich with unknown objects dancing through ominous orbital auras and smooth gravitational fields. Like a cyber-organic spacecraft moving through dark matter, RETRO-2038 looks back with a warmth as it heads towards its future with abiding optimism. After all, the future can't wait. Artwork by Tina Frank.

COH 'Bugs Build a House' (eMEGO 172)