Author: Sandi Sadar Šoba
Artist: Sinntetic Liquid
Label: Self-released
Release: 2012
Length: 54:56
Rating: 4.8/5
Let’s not judge at first glance, especially given more than thirty years of history. The brothers Matjaž and Jože Pegam are way more than just members of the Brežice outfit Demolition Group, more than the former standard-bearers of the Gastrbajtrs banner, which won the Slovenian alternative scene of new-wave musical experimentation an important place in the annals of Slovenian sound-making. The Pegam brothers are also a whole lot more than just sons of the same mother and father, because in their creative ideas, thoughts and approaches to music, different takes on the same result of creative rhythmic algebra have been hiding since the very start of their joint work. Jože is the long-haired, silent, man-of-few-words giant who squeezes all his emotions, frustrations, heartaches and cries of rebellion through a mouthpiece into the belly of his brass friend and companion, the saxophone, while Matjaž is well-versed in electronics, oscillators, keyboards and programming languages, and as the more approachable and chattier link in the creative chain, he runs the business side of marketing, presenting and plotting the next steps, both in the home band and in the intimate setting of their home recording studio. The result of this bipolar, colorful palette of differences within the embrace of the same universe is reflected perfectly on the record SinnScapes, which in its own peculiar way breaks the silence and turns gritty urban street myths into accessible fact and truth.
Sinntetic Liquid may really be just one of the projects that have also echoed through Demolition Group records, say in the stage soundtrack of Deep True Love or the high-octane filler of Neovangelij, but this time the intermezzo of electronics and sweetly smoky sax becomes an independent artistic narrative that speaks in its own form. And that form is jazzy-sweet, funkoid dub-tempered, with chillout rhythms that, instead of two-dimensional club smooth-talk, serve up ten steps of perfect musical tantra. Matjaž’s arrangements slither along like psychedelic weaving, and into textures of solid, unobtrusive rhythm Jože, in his own way, drops a conceptualized role for the saxophone, which sounds like nowhere else but in his hands.
The opening track Funkscape is a perfect example of an articulate assault on the ears, mind and body, though since this time we don’t get the full DG lineup, you catch yourself expecting Goran’s vocals and words of sweet suffering from the dark angels of fate. Dizzy Groung leans more electronic. In the shuffling sound of echoing footsteps, a needle dragging across vinyl and crackling static, a slow groove is born that sounds like a lapdance ditty penned by Satan’s own fingers. Dark and psychotically dirty, yet beautiful, hints of nightmares creep in between, and once the doors of Wonderland open, the dance step speeds up and goes militarized into a dubby dance disconnect. I’m no dancer, but with SinnScapes even my body subconsciously started swaying to the stimulating rhythm and music. Among the more mystical moments of listening is without a doubt Circuland, which is like a mantra, and instead of opening the throat chakra, to the keyboard tones of perfectly served chai the heart chakra opens and melts, while the mind shouts “Om”. There’s no shortage of big moments, and among the best of them is the grand finale of the record, Psychotic. Jazz, sax, finger snaps and a countdown of moments of eternity with the ease only masters of downtempo have. Sinntetic Liquid tie the beginning and the end together with style and pedantic care.
I’ve said a lot about this record and practically nothing, because the beauty of perfect mental levitation, accompanied by white noise and juicy color explosions of heartfelt music, is impossible to describe without breaking the laws of gravity, the proportions of perfect beauty, and losing something unspoken but important in the translation into words. Sinnscapes are landscapes of perfect sweet sin that we should get more often. Connoisseurs will be delighted with what they hear, and skeptics will be left without arguments at the first listen. Sinntetic Liquid deserve a standing ovation and endless replays, and this musical incarnation, just like neither DG nor any other we’ve ever heard, never could and never will tarnish the memory of the original flame and the times when young enthusiasts called Gastrbajters walked the earth. In these new times we get only a multitude of explosive offshoots, which in their multiplicity carry the same primal, unspoiled soul. Thanks to the gods of the musical Olympus!
Lineup
Matjaž Pegam – music, arrangements, programming
Jože Pegam – saxophone
Production
Matjaž Pegam
Tracklist
1. Funkscape
2. Dizzy Groung
3. Wonderland
4. Laze
5. Flatline
6. Mad Song
7. Circuland
8. Vibratune
9. Siesta
10. Psychotic
