Tomas Jirku

Vancouver-based techno producer Tomas Jirku’s latest album is on his new label, Rivers of Recordings. Rivers of is about blurring the lines between Jirku’s graphic and sound design; flow is central to Tomas’s music, as is a focus on spontaneous digital music creation. Improvisation and instant gratification seem to be the key elements to this album, but that isn’t to say that this was a magical accident. With diverse influences and sounds, from experimental noises and hip-hop to electro, techno and jazz, Jirku has created two tracks that show an incredible amount of preparation in terms of collecting and editing sound sources. "Soupmask” is the more dance-friendly of the songs, but both tracks also work as electronic listening music. Jirku has managed to cram a lifetime of musical influences and experiences into this 38-minute epic and it shows. The cover art, a mix of computer designed and hand done printing, puts a personal touch on a genre of music that can often seem distant and corporate despite its independent, artist-run nature.