While I was checking online statistics about downloads and plays of the material we review at thebeats.nl I made an interesting discovery: Polish people like beats, old hiphop and downtempo!
In itself this may be not such an eye-opening fact, but it seems the .pl beat-lovers don’t limit themselves to established artists. They have a tendency to dig a bit deeper and appreciate artists that are not so prominent on the radar. This realisation triggered my memory to pull out an album that was handed to me by longtime friend DJ Proces (of Polish origin, former DJ and producer of Next Item): Noon – Bleak Output.
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Released in 2000 on dDrecords, Bleak Output is a timeless minimalistic downtempo album which focus relies mainly on mood. The 12 tracks are not mixed together, but float into each other. This makes it possible to listen to separate tracks alone while keeping a sense of wholeness when you listen to it from beginning to end.
It’s almost uncanny how Noon manages to make each track unique and yet keeps the overall atmosphere of the release 100% the same. Although the use of similar vocal cuts (of movies? radio-plays? I have no idea actually) throughout the album aids in keeping the vibe, they are merely a small piece of of the artwork. Let’s say they are the screws or nails you’d use to hang a beautiful painting on the wall with.
The drums are, ofcourse, obviously present in most tracks and are nicely sequenced to accompany the melancholic samples and mostly staccato basslines. In all elements it’s clear that it’s sampled material because no effort has been made to cover up the cracks and pops made by old and overused vinyl, and we should be thankful for that.
I could do a track-by-track review of this album but I’m certain my words can’t capture the beauty of this heavily chilled piece of art. I used to think about empty, hollow and uninhabited spaces when I would read the word ‘bleak’, but after this album I found it to represent a place that offers contemplation, introspection and rest.
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