James Bernard / Matrices (ASIP036)
James Bernard's extensive productions have run the spectrum of electronic music over the past 25+ years. His first outing on ASIP was a delicate modular synth excursion (Atwater, 2019) and his Unreleased Works 1994-1999 (coming to ASIP this Summer, 2021) are a rabbit hole into the Ambient Acid Era.While we wait for this extensive collection to be presented, James has prepared a very special set of music for Bandcamp Friday which doubles down on his more refined, emotive ambient work. Limiting himself to an OP-1 Synthesizer, and his six-string Bass Guitar, whilst conceptually restraining each track to just five elements, each one focuses on a simple motif, accentuated by further looping to create a mixture of complex melodies and immersive, shifting structures.Composing this EP helped James calm in a time of uncertainty across the globe. The final title track ‘Matrices,’ is the culmination of those hard emotions and is meant as a call to empathy.Artwork by Michael Strevens.Buy on BandcampLinks to listen / streamMatrices by James Bernard