There’s something stirring in Seattle. Two stunning releases already under their proverbial belt, secondnature have conjured up the magic yet again with the imposing Star in a Circle, a lithe four-tracker from Seattle Techno mainstay Archivist. Rife with expertly crafted synthesis, by turns lush, lean, and vivid, the sense of soaring atmosphere plays perfect counterpoint to the kinetic rhythms of this record. From the syncopated percussion of Weights & Measures to the wonderfully hypnotic and enigmatic vocal loop of the title track, this EP possesses that familiar sense of propulsive weightlessness in spades, lending itself as much to nighttime drives as to vigorous dancefloors.
This is Techno for twilit forests and jagged coastlines, star-specked and febrile. Every year secondnature host an annual event called The Lodge, deep in the mountains of Washington State, packing an enormous amount of sonic power into a ski cabin for a weekend of revelry and meditation. This release deftly communicates the spirit of that occasion, drawing a line of continuity between the ordered urbanity of city life and the sublimity of the natural world. Watch this space because it is becoming increasingly clear that the Pacific Northwest’s contribution to the larger landscape of dance music is as valuable as it is singular.
Buy it here:
https://hardwax.com/78421/archivist/star-in-a-circle/
https://secondnature.bandcamp.com/album/star-in-a-circle