Kingbastard - [l o s t a t s e a] EP
[Herb Recordings]

Kingbastard’s style incorporates anything from stripped down acoustic work right through to pure Aphex acid. You just never know what direction he is going to turn to next. His previous release, the “Bastardize EP”, featured, for the most part, solid, rapid-fire IDM, save for a glacial ambient passage which turned out to be a tribute to his departed cat. Trying to second-guess Kingbastard is like trying to guess the numbers for the National Lottery. There is just no point.

“[l o s t a t s e a]” does, however, try to find some semblance of balance between his contrasting styles. The title track is an ominous cinematic piece, choc-full of starlit tones, synthetic wave sounds and downtempo beatwork. “[t h e o c t o b e r l i g h t h o u s e]” soon follows with spooky Theremin sounds and ricocheting beats that seem to increase in intensity with each passing second. Before you know it, the track propels into a series of frenzied, toxic programming, with beats colliding form speaker to speaker.

“[c a v e d w e l l e r]” changes tact, throwing the listener another curveball. An exercise in stasis, this dark ambient piece features frothy waves of sound and tantalizingly sinister synth textures. It is a deeply unsettling, yet beautiful soundscape.

It’s left to “[ l u c t i s o n o u s m a n ]” to wrap things up with its tick-tocking rhythm, lonely piano twinkles and dramatic orchestration, closing what is a superbly varied little release.

Track Listing:

1. [ o v e r b o a r d
2. [ l o s t a t s e a ]
3. [ i n t h e m i d d l e o f n o w h e r e y o u a r e s t i l l s o m e w h e r e ]
4. [ t h e o c t o b e r l i g h t h o u s e ]
5. [ c a v e d w e l l e r ]
6. [ l u c t i s o n o u s m a n ]