Byron Westbrook - Body Consonance

Byron Westbrook - Body Consonance

Verdict: 4/5
Label

Hands In The Dark Records

CATALOG NO

HITD 035

RELEASE DATE

October 13, 2017

Written By

Alexandru Mustață

Published

August 10, 2017

Byron Westbrook is a Brooklyn-based sound-artist who concentrates the aspects of his works on the dynamics of sound. His experiments usually track the relation between the medium, which can be a physical space or the interior psychological one, and the sonic environment.

Body Consonance is Westbrook's second full album, follwing his 2015 acclaimed release, Precipice.

Reaching out beyond the ambient music status, Body Consonance is a five piece record that follows Westbrook's assiduous study of sonic resonances. Working as a more subjective approach than previous works, the album oscillates between drone patterns and heavy percussion elements rooted in tribal music. And in this case, oscillation is merely a word that suggests the array of soundscapes and themes that are constantly filling spaces, along with the mind of the listener.

A chromatic ritualistic behavior can be perceived while in the midst of the record, as the constant melodic shifts take over the space in and around, without becoming intrusive. More like a subconscious dance, although it's not necessarily dancing music. But the way that the rhythm balances with thought creates a constant, some of what you may also experience in krautrock, but at higher speed. The album is constructed as a full body of sound, growing through each of the five tracks without losing the sense of simplicity well anchored by minimalist tones.

Body Consonance will be released on October 13 by the French-English label Hands In The Dark Records.

Tracklist:

1. Dance in Free Fall
2. What We Mean When We Say Body Language
3. Levitation Game
4. Ritual Geometry / Sympathetic Bodies
5. Fireworks Choreography