UK electronic artist Actress (aka Darren Cunningham) continues his 2017 release streak with a collaborative three-track EP collaboration with the London Contemporary Orchestra. The simply titled Audio Track 5 adds a new layer to the artist's repertoire, and acts as an introduction to a larger release in the works.
Each track in the Audio Track 5 trifecta is fluidly delivered, yet dedicated to the orchestral elements throughout. On the title track, what's seems like a slow build is actually the product of the subtle, underlying instrumentation that's always been there — it simply shines through the more the listener unpacks each round of repetition, the deep resonant low ends of brass and woodwinds thickening in their progression, becoming more present. "Audio Track 5 (-6 Version)" slows it down somewhat, keeping all elements from the original present while winding back the bright synths of the opener and wrapping them in a gossamer haze, percussion abounding.
Third track "(Audio Track 5 [Narrowest Sustain Version])" is an outright deconstruction, the shell of the original vaguely recognizable through the atmospheric static. Sporadic plucks of string or plinks of keys fall away as a distant backbeat rises, still traversing the static, only to fall away itself with the return of plinks and the guttural thumps of percussion. Actress once again uses the art of collage to build, embellish and restrict here, showcasing why his work has always been fascinating.
(Ninja Tune)Each track in the Audio Track 5 trifecta is fluidly delivered, yet dedicated to the orchestral elements throughout. On the title track, what's seems like a slow build is actually the product of the subtle, underlying instrumentation that's always been there — it simply shines through the more the listener unpacks each round of repetition, the deep resonant low ends of brass and woodwinds thickening in their progression, becoming more present. "Audio Track 5 (-6 Version)" slows it down somewhat, keeping all elements from the original present while winding back the bright synths of the opener and wrapping them in a gossamer haze, percussion abounding.
Third track "(Audio Track 5 [Narrowest Sustain Version])" is an outright deconstruction, the shell of the original vaguely recognizable through the atmospheric static. Sporadic plucks of string or plinks of keys fall away as a distant backbeat rises, still traversing the static, only to fall away itself with the return of plinks and the guttural thumps of percussion. Actress once again uses the art of collage to build, embellish and restrict here, showcasing why his work has always been fascinating.
