jakob skott: amor fati

Causa Sui drummer Jakob Skøtt returns with his second full-length under his own name. Taking the leap from his debut Doppler's introvert kosmische synthesizer dronescapes, diving into a full-blown mad scientist one-band mode, Jakob straps on a wide array of heavy percussive modes to fuel his vivid utopia of analog synths and drums. It's one man's vision, as crazed and intoxicated as it is soothing and compelling, borrowing as many clues from Afro-beat, Latin grooves and new age ambience as it does from the booming legacy of Krautrock. The proceedings are distanced from both coolness and kitsch, and a refreshing break from any standards. "Mantis in Lace" kicks off the record with a thick, repetitive bass synth riff, on top of two drum kits battling to spontaneously combust. On top of that, a heavy percussive layer of echo-addled synthesizers is working out a path of its own: an opening statement constantly collapsing on itself. "Synthemesc" takes a calmer, yet insisting percussive mode of full bodied Moog-tone carrying the track into a John Carpenter-ish landing. "Araucaria Fire" straps on congas for a more exotic journey into an organ-riddled percussive climax, recollecting Trans Am and Tony Williams Lifetime. Side B lends itself to a more subtle start, with two tracks of electroorgasmic psychedelic bliss, leading the way into the heart of the title-track -- a heavy slice of funk as dense as any 4-piece band could have cooked it up. "Earth of No Horizon" lands the spaceship safely with echoes of Terry Riley or Vangelis. Amor Fati is unique blend of improvisation, as well as carefully structured climaxes and shifts.