I’m writing as the wax is spinning. Nuel’s new experimental slab, Trance Mutation, has been on heavy rotation since the kind postman delivered it. This intensely emotive album is the product of Manuel Fogliata’s imagination run wild, creating a series of melodic and percussive gems that initially demand your attention and then make all attention redundant. The Seattle based Further Records has been going from strength-to-strength over the past couple of years: Donato Dozzy’s K was easily my favourite record of 2010, and since then we’ve been treated to fantastic live recordings courtesy of Ekoplekz and Conrad Schnitzler (who sadly passed away the day I picked up his Live ’72 doublepack), as well as o1o’s twisted Futurespective EP.
The only link I can see between Further and Nuel is his production partner’s (Dozzy’s) prior appearance. Further’s ideology is worlds away from the sound that Nuel has been pushing on his Aquaplano imprint: relentless deep, dubby techno for dark rooms filled with dark souls. I know, I’ve been one of those souls. To show just how dark, Mike Parker has even released on Aquaplano.
Nuel takes a trip away from his normal production style resulting in a package that is altogether at home on Further. The seven tracks are far from techno, but they are trance-like. Not Goa, Hard, or Vocal; but meditative, hypnotic scapes with heavy emphasis on tabla rhythms and plucked guitar. That’s where the Mutation comes in. Fogliata is responsible for all the instrumentation, overdubbing his live performances with more live performances. A track per day; a week of creativity. Nuel, like Lerosa and Dozzy before him, has once again shown the world that the Italians are untouchable. Be quick, there aren’t many copies, and now there’s one less.
