The intrinsic universe of Dutch based electronic music producer Conforce is based on faraway soundscapes, complex structures of percussion and an overall cinematic approach to techno.
But to reduce Conforce’s music just to these qualities involves being totally off the scent. In some measure, what this ‘frustrated cosmonaut, time-traveler and aural designer’ brought to the global electronic world, in the past five years, is a perfect and unadulterated sound that can only be reproduced by none other than Boris Bunnik himself.
I’ve been a regular follower of Conforce’s music ever since his Rush Hour debut releases (2007), but ‘Grace’ on Delsin (released in 2010) was one of the tracks that placed me in an interesting condition concerning how techno music should sound. Besides this alias, Boris worked under a wide spectrum of projects, each of them emulating a distinctive sound and music approach. ‘Vernon Felicity’ is his collaboration with Clone Store Only series (a sub-label of Clone) and M>O>S> Recordings, ‘Versalife’ is another project of him, with an album and the trilogy ‘Night Time Activities’ on Clone West Coast Series and a few other EPs. If you’re searching for something even more ambient, experimental/dub techno or some even more subtle aspects of Boris’ music, then ‘Silent Harbour’ is the right place. There is only one album available, released on Echocord in 2013, but in the heat of this moment, listening to ”Kinetic Image”, I assume a new release is not really far from happening. And the list goes on with his Boris Bunnik alter ego (2008), K2vx (2011), Mi-24 (2011) and Hexagon (2011 and 2012).
‘Kinetic Image’ is Boris’ third full-length album as Conforce and it can easily settle in the listener’s thinking box. Aural harmonies meet convoluted beats. Once in a while, it ticks so loud; you pause; then play again. ‘Excess Mortality’ seems like a cold introduction to a dub-ish ambient/techno world, where each sound has its own power to gasp out loud. ‘Spatiotemporal’ is definitely one of my choices from the whole LP, a techno track which sets a contemplative mood, while ‘Temporary Reversals’ pitches the groove to the dance floor, with an overall serious mood. And to a certain extent, the other tracks, such as ‘Semantic Field’, the ambient ‘Scientific Trajectory’, the tense ‘Underwater Settlers’ or the dub ambient ‘Formerly Programmed Decisions’ have more or less the same sound particularities, attitude and approach. Except for ‘Abundance of Selves’, a beautiful acid-ish tune that gives a lot more sense to the general concept and sound sculpture this record wants to emphasize.
On any piece of wax that he touches, Boris Bunnik elegantly shapes a distinct sound, a music story, which can be heard throughout the entire album. Each track from an album is like a small puzzle piece and altogether form a story; the story.
With no further introduction, welcome to the lush universe of Conforce, a unique place where experimental embraces ambient and schizoid IDM meets convince & force. Close your eyes and see the sea that no one else is seeing.
Tracklist:
1. Excess Mortality2. Spatiotemporal
3. Temporary Reversals
4. Semantic Fields
5. Scientific Trajectory
6. Underwater Settlers
7. Formerly Programmed Decisions
8. Abundance Of Selves
9. Optimum Pace
10. Anti-Adaptive State