Geskia - Silent 77

Wire
There an awful lot of instrumental hip hop out there, but a plangent blend of fractured beats and wistful atmospheres elevates Silent 77 above the also-rans, Geskia is a Japanese producer and the title of this, his debut album, refers to the year of the birth.
He's clearly widely listened - citing, amongst the usual triphop and techno suspects, Coil and Neubauten as influences - and he's also managed to digest and synthesise his listening into something personal, rather than merely regurgitate it wholesale. As a result, silent 77 offers moments of genuine beauty, as wordless falsetto vocals intertwine with gently burbling keyboard lines and nestle against demure, soft focus beats. It's playful without being guileless and thoughtful without being overly serious. Only the unbroken uniformity of mood prevents it from being an out and out success.

No Ripcode
Hailing from Japan, Geskia surprises the electronica scene with their debut album Silent 77, released by Flaü. Mixing organic-sounding yet assumed electronica with hip hop and technical breakbeat, Geskia stands among Minotaur Shock, Four Tet, Autechre, cLOUDDEAD and Boards of Canada as one of the leading artists in the alternative electronica genre.
Silent 77 starts off slow: dense hip hop beats, permeated with layers of fuzz and experimental sounds in 2Hour/Seahoses and Were Saw. Sound quality and unique sampling, coupled with a high beat-per-minute, post-IDM fizzle is elegant, and would make the experience almost light headed if it weren’t for the heavy kick downtempo, the one that makes your head want to bob on its own.
The over-programmed feeling doesn’t stop in We Are, 3days Trial, and even though every sound is somehow twisted and modified somehow, the beat always sinks in. It gives the album a track to run on, a certain flow. Passages between songs, the transition from happy to sad composition and simple beats to complex never feels contrived, or on purpose even, it’s just one complete masterpiece.
Sampling ranges from piano and vocals in Second Coming, to strings and metallic clicks in Right Lights. Some of the more organic samples repeat, akin to Minotaur Shock, others are based on algorithms in the vein of Autechre, and still others are painstakingly programmed from scratch like Squarepusher. Fall Fall, twelfth on the album, is a perfect example of beauty while in a very complex context of rhythm and dense programming.
As the album comes to a close with heavy hitters Over The Three Rainbows, and Windowpane Stencil, the message becomes apparent, Silent 77 is an album based upon both ambiance and technical prowess. The different layers in the music, some complex, others less, can appeal to all listeners, and the album is worth several listens to try to grasp all of them. The music flies by, uncaring if you caught all the details. However, not concentrating too hard on the music, and letting it travel into lower levels of consciousness is also notably soothing. It’s perfect for any occasion.
Top-notch post-production, worthy of comparison with 4AD releases, certainly gives an extra advantage to Silent 77. Meticulous placement of frequencies, left right stereo shifts for specific samples and sound tinkering are used frequently and simultaneously, all helped by remarkable post-production. Special attention was given to each and every sample, and tracking those minute fluctuations is rewarding, for many sub-melodies and hidden layers of composition can be plucked.
In Endrole, Silent 77's closing track, flutes play in the distance and the experience is dramatically over. Calm and mellow, while solid and rhythmic, Geskia makes music easy and complex at the same time and is highly recommended to all.

Foxy Digitalis
Debut release by Japanese producer Geskia, “Silent 77” explores silence to a great degree, but spikes it with trance, electronic and hip-hop breakbeats to often stunning effect. This is a gorgeous record that offers time to relax, get up and dance, and then just stand there content. The quiet moments are only satisfied breaths, before the next huge wave of inspiration comes in crashing.
There is some guitar on “Were saw” and “2hour/Seahoses”; ambient drones are the engines behind “Gate Musick” and “1997Ugly/2004IdalCopy.” In “Fall Fall” and “We Are”; the tones and beats evoke jaded cityscapes, rainy nights after the bars close, but also dreamy meditations on higher ground. Piano and a more insistent beat drive the stunning “Over Three Rainbows,” one of the best trance-dance tunes you’ll hear this year. Also check out “Right Lights,” which is in the same vein only slightly less mighty.
“Silent 77” is a glorious slab of holy hip-hop, with beats and drones that will feed the head and the move the body. 8/10

The Silent Ballet
With the current trend in electronic music leaning towards the less cohesive IDM-centred sounds, there have been an influx of bands that have encompassed the ideals behind such a movement without alienating the listener. In the past, artists such as Bonobo and Plaid have managed to appeal to their intended audience with an overtly listener-friendly breed of instrumental niceness. Add into the equation the massively popular compositions of so-called ‘trip-hop’ bands like Massive Attack and Morcheeba (among many others), and we have a veritable mixing bowl of electronic musical styles blending together to create what we have today.

Out of this transformation have sprung a whole host of acts, some successful, some less so. By having this intense lineage of influences, artists have had to diversify again and again to achieve something that retains some form of structure and intent without sticking to the same old formula employed throughout the years.
Mixing influences from hip-hop to electronica to breakbeat, with a whole host of other nuances thrown in for good measure, Silent77 could so easily have been an incomprehensible car-crash of an album. Good job then, that the composer is skilled enough to have blended together all of these influences with enough care and attention to detail to avoid the common trap of something being either far too diverse (messy) or far too similar to other examples (blatant copy). Within about 30 seconds of opener "2Hour/Seahorses" it becomes clear that there is an amazing amount of both melody and rhythm hidden amongst the glitches and breaks. Whilst in parts, this offering is indeed reminiscent of the pronounced polyphony of the much heralded Program Music I by TSB favourite Kashiwa Daisuke, it strays away from the trademark melody construction employed by Daisuke, instead opting for a far less baffling progression. By beginning with a firm foundation of subtle beats, and often vocal samples, there is not quite as much room for awe-inspiring segued cadences, but the end effect is entirely similar. Towards the middle of the album, tracks like "1977ugly/2004idealcopy" really showcase the depth of emotion inherent in these compositions, flitting from irregular drums and more regular clicks and whirrs to a sublime, almost angelic cantabile, all in the space of four minutes.

Continue through the album however, and things begin to get somewhat darker. By subtly switching the emphasis from the drums which dominated the first half of the album, to the much less comforting synths and noises, Geskia manages to unsettle the listener whilst still retaining a perfect sense of melody and depth. Pieces like "Fall Fall" really highlight the similarities to the aforementioned trip-hop bands by utilising traditional drone elements and chord progressions juxtaposed with the less prominent sampled break-beats.

What Geskia has managed to do is create an incredibly accomplished offering. While using stereotyped aspects from a huge range of genre subsets, ranging from trance to folk, there is never any doubt that the pieces fit together perfectly. What would be more impressive would be to build the divine crescendos littering Silent77 from nothing. To start at the ground and work up. Then again, pleasing a whole range of people, and fans of many different genres is never going to be possible without compromising some of the more complicated compositional techniques from any one genre. As a standout offering straddling a huge range of genres, Silent77 is incredible, and as an album in its own right, it isn’t much less than that either.

Liability
Du Japon musical, certains retiennent avec raison les grands compositeurs classiques (Ryuchi Sakamoto), les chirurgiens du minimalisme (Ryoji Ikeda) ou les bardes pop (Miho Hatori). A chaque genre ses héros, aucune bonne raison donc que l'abstract hip-hop ne déroge à la règle, Geskia semblant bien être devenu la nouvelle tête pensante de ce genre aussi exigeant qu'excitant. Ne se fiant à rien d'autre que son instinct au moment de concrétiser son essai, Geskia n'en reste pas moins influencé par une ribambelle de formations à la renommée incontestable. Notre homme se situerait donc entre les batteries millimétrées de la clique Anticon, avec un fort penchant pour le bidouillage digital prôné par Prefuse 73. Une inspiration rythmique admirablement bien digérée qui ne se contente jamais de resservir une formule usée jusqu'à la corde, trouvant dans ces quelques allusions bien pensées le moyen de trouver un souffle nouveau dans son expérimentation. Une sorte de tremplin d'où tout commence car, une fois ces influences dépassées, le plus dur reste à faire pour ne pas se liquéfier dans des comparaisons qui risquent bien de le desservir à moyen et long terme.
Mission accomplie pour le Japonais qui, comme pour conjurer le sort, ressort une nouvelle palette d'influence pour se dégager de la comparaison première. On retrouve avec un certain plaisir ces claviers vintage désaccordés et ces nappes éthérées qui avaient fait le succès d'une autre formation de taille, les non moins géants Boards Of Canada. Le temps de mettre tout cela en forme étant arrivé, on croise les doigts afin que Geskia n'accouche pas d'un monstre hideux, d'une aberration polymorphe dont les membres ne sauraient tenir ensemble par un trop plein d'associations, à première vue, incongrues. Et c'est bien là que le miracle apparaît, on tombe rapidement à genoux devant ce labyrinthe grandeur nature érigé par le maître de ces lieux. Une épopée mystico-transcendantale qui emprunte à ces mentors la capacité d'entrevoir des paysages fantasmagoriques avec une cohérence inouïe, sans jamais se perdre dans de quelconques travers obscurcissants. Une heure pour observer de près cette coupe longitudinale du cerveau de ce génie des rythmiques autant que des mélodies insondables.
Avec un tel contenu, il ne fait nul doute que ce Silent 77 résistera à l'épreuve du temps, le temps d'en visiter les moindres recoins correspondant déjà à la longévité des disques à la carrure normale. Et une fois le disque terminé, on se demande déjà qui pourrait concurrencer une ¦uvre aussi magistrale de témérité et d'inventivité à chaque fois renouvelée. Pas grand-monde sûrement à la lumière de ces quinze pistes à fleur de peau qui frôle le voyage initiatique même pour les plus aguerris du genre. Entre un besoin d'évocation passionné et une conduite du son intrigante (voire carrément aventureuse), Geskia réalise ce coup de force majeur que l'on n'espérait plus depuis la dégénérescence de Scott Herren ou la rareté dont font preuve les formations typées Anticon-like. Un grand moment de cette année à n'en point douter, et donc à ne rater sous aucun prétexte.y

Cyclic Defrost
Silent 77 evinces a devil-may-care attitude that is more a considered artistic strategy than an impulsive, instant gratification in-itself. Geskia leapfrogs from techno, to bleary ambient passages and hip-hop inspired breakbeats in an exciting and perfectly judged performance. “Right Lights” shows a dynamic agility in placing huge plundered lumps of bass and rolling beats into its twitchy insubstantial flow. Its frothing ecstasy elicits a smile, though at the same time its execution and structure remains strident and makes for an experience that dwells on several levels. Shifting gears, “Fall Fall” is a mossy bed of beats that cushion vine-like keys and eerie lights, which highlight some sugary vocal snippets, preserved from cloying sweetness by an undertow of static electricity and warped electronic inflections.
The album is littered with such moments of jewelled inspiration. On occasion this means something or other is found out of place, but it is usually accompanied by several disorders, which has a compensating effect that re-establishes a different sort of order. Besides, despite its being a tapestry of many threads, out of which arises a lovely gripping drama, its generally characterized by clean lines and a consistently appealing simplicity, all residues of a calm focus that often suggests attention and personal investment.
Geskia thus adds a new wrinkle to Flau’s flush face. Where the labels penchant for relaxed atmospheres and fragile harmonics does come in, it does so as a congenial chimera (if anything, more would have been welcome), distracting the album in its stubborn, repetitive attempts to ensnare a naive perfection that, one suspects, would have eventually gotten the better of it.

Textura
Extending the label's identity into new territory, Silent77 merges Flau's customary melodic sweetness and delicacy with a harder-edged instrumental hip-hop sensibility. The template isn't unfamiliar—voice snippets and assorted other samples swim in a densely-compacted swirl of Boards of Canada-flavoured synth melodies and funky breakbeats—but the fifteen-track album debut by Japanese producer Geskia proves satisfying nonetheless. Industrial music, trip-hop, and techno are cited as influences but his head-nod is closer in spirit to the psychedelic boom-bap of Prefuse 73 and Anticon artist Odd Nosdam—though injected with a healthy dose of sweetener. The hour-long album's oft-becalmed moods range from bucolic ("Three Days Trial” where a repeating synth motif suggests a loon's call, and “Over The Three Rainbows”) to dreamy (the hazy entrancement of “Second Comming” and "Global Communication”) and still hazier (no one would bat an eye were “Windowpane Stencil” added to Geogaddi) with occasional beatless interludes interspersed to break up the flow (“Gate Musick”, “Neo Gio”). Dim the lights for the low-level, piano-based sparkle of “1977Ugly/2004IdealCopy” and enjoy.

Norman Records
Oh man I feel like I'm going to burst after just quoffing a pastie, a bag of chips and 2 potato fritters. I best knock out this Geskia review before there's intestines and chip fat all over the office. So this comes to us all the way from Japanese label Flau which seems to be reasonably popular with you guys at the moment. 'Silent 77' is a really well executed, especially considering it's a debut. The beats although are fairly complex have a hip hop groove that reminds me of Funkstorung an Plaid at times. Geskia really injects his soul into the warm electronic sounds with soothing melodies. Occasional there is a little vocal snippet that adds a human element to the mix. I'd say if you like lush sounding electronic a or are a follower of this label then this will be your bag.)

Boomkat
Japanese producer Geskia has fashioned an impressive hour's worth of advanced underground hip hop and post-IDM electronica on this enormously enjoyable release for the Flaü label. The real strength of this music lies in the sophisticated, densely layered beats that keep Silent '77 thumping along with a powerfully constructed elegance. You might compare the high-gloss sheen of these productions to the strongest output of Telefon Tel Aviv, or perhaps Sketchshow's excellent Loophole album from a few years back. You could easily place this among the finest releases on labels like Hefty and Merck, so comprehensively does it integrate forward-thinking beat programming with melodic electronic backdrops, incorporating the near ambient soundscapes of 'Gate Musick' to the addictive electric pianos and drum chaos of 'Over The Three Rainbows'. Anyone craving high quality electronica (in an age when the entire genre seems to have ceased business) should take a listen to Silent '77 - it's a very contemporary take on a sound that seems to have been prematurely written off. Recommended.

Distorsom
O produtor japonês Geskia oferece em Silent 77 uma hora de breakbeats e hip hop alternativo sob a manta de uma electrónica pós-IDM que é uma autêntica obra-prima. A força desta música reside numa sobreposição densa e sofisticada de beats, que evoluem com elegância. O brilho da produção é comparável ao que de melhor apareceu em etiquetas como a Hefty ou a Merck, pelas programações de concepção arrojada e pela integração da melodia. A inspiração de Geskia terá vindo do anoitecer sobre uma pequena cidade, transcrevendo na música o desaparecimento da luz solar, e a energia silenciosa que a visão transmite a um observador à distância. Muitos destes sentimentos complexos na sua interpretação musical são expressados precisamente pela espantosa capacidade de programação evidenciada pelo autor. Silent 77 é uma abordagem extremamente actual à electrónica ultra-elaborada, um tipo de som que parece ter sido rejeitado prematuramente, a avaliar pelas possibilidades aqui contidas.

Otsechka
Silent 77 has a vision to merge breakbeat movements with some ambientesque details of BoC. So far he acts different than others.

Smallfish
Geskia’s earlier album for Flau is a good starting point for you if you fancy a spot of the old crunchy electronica vibes. This has a vintage sound to it that will instantly appeal to you if you like Merck, Expanding or Cactus Island. Crispy rhythmic elements on a downbeat tip sit happily beneath a wonderful selection of tightly arranged and produced musical elements. Mostly warm and melodic there are times when it gets a little funkier, bring to mind Machine Drum perhaps, to add some spice to the proceedings. For the most part though this is all about the sounds and the way they combine in a musical way with samples, synths and processed sounds all coming together in an ear pleasing way. Friendly and warm throughout, this is an album to put on and sit back to, enjoying the variety and its easygoing nature. Cracking.

FiveEight
Many electronic and breakbeat artists fall into the unfortunate territory of overproduction and layered density consequently, the end result may sound static, stagnant, and, perhaps worst of all, unemotional. Considering the abundance of tools available to modern electronic artists, it is easy to imagine getting lost amidst so many bells, whistles, and studio tricks, resulting in the music of it all becoming buried underneath.
Fortunately, such is not the case with Japanese breakbeat artist Geski's debut studio release, Silent 77. In fact, the album teems with such emotion and vivid, poignant detail that it is easy to get lost among the pristine soundscapes and aural imagery of the whole thing. One is reminded of the more introspective work of Aphex Twin or Boards of Canada, and in some strange corners of the songs, the lush, symphonic havens of The Flaming Lips's instrumental works shine through, if fleetingly.
Geskia's music stems from his connection with nature and the environment "Silent 77" then, is his attempt at projecting these feelings in painstakingly rendered detail. In a way, "Silent 77" is Geskia's response to Henry David Thoreau's Walden; a portrait of an instance that is beautiful in its commonality. While Thoreau favored prose in relaying his reflections, Geskia's palette consists of soaring melodies and ambience, brought down to Earth by glitchy, twittering jitters of rhythm and bass.
What it all ends up sounding like is akin to a young boy’s attempt at frantically conveying his first sunrise to his parents. In all his childhood innocence and glee, however, he is unable to adequately express his emotions, and the feeling is lost. Fortunately for us, Geskia had all the means necessary to translate his vision into an aural odyssey, a strolling tour inside a colorful, expressive mind.
Appropriately, the opener, '2Hour/Seahoses' opens with the gentle pacing of the waves of the ocean, immediately bringing to mind the lingering hours of the sun as it sets along the beach. The song maintains a steady, sultry drive among all the glitches, short piano bursts, and cosmic swells. It's a casually intriguing piece of beautifully vivid imagination that sets the stage for the entire album. A strange, modulated keyboard patch, not unlike the caw of a seagull, calls out through the subdued chaos.
'Were-Saw' introduces a small choir of shimmering vocal harmonies over an infectious, pulsating piano line, sprinkled with bits of malfunctioning machines and hesitant drums. The ethereal 'Gate Musick' slows things down a fair bit, an ambient interlude in which the listener can catch his or her breath as the overwhelming imagery of the sea almost becomes too much to emotionally handle.
At times, the album threatens to meander too far into intense introspection, such as on the gorgeous, though overlong, 'Global Communication' yet there is always some sort of embellishment, be it a subdued keyboard line or rhythmic modulation, that jumps into the fray to save the day. The flowing, tricky piano work in '1977Ugly/2004IdealCopy' underlies a breezy, strong beat, making the groove just interesting enough, while in 'Right Lights' various creaks and moans of straining electronics anchor peppery vocal staccatos. The disquieting dissonance of 'Fall, Fall' provides the album's only glimpse at darkness.
The seagulls are heard once more at the beginning of the moving 'Over the Three Rainbows' which could almost pass for an outtake from Eluvium's "Copia" at least until the drum machine kicks in. Finally, the closer, 'Endrole' brings the listener back to Earth, if briefly, before a wobbly melodic line oozes over strained pipes and organ sounds; the sun has finally gone down, and a new day will begin.
Throughout this incredible journey, the density and layers of the recording rarely threaten to confound the listener. Instead, Geskia has created an incredibly moving and dazzling array of sounds and beats that represent his vision of the environment around him, and we are allowed to take a look (and a listen) into his unique perspective. For a debut studio release, "Silent 77" exhibits tremendous strength and comfort of voice, as well as a keen ear for melody and layering. This one's going to be tough to top.

This one's really grown on me, so I urge anyone who is interested in hearing this to check this dude out, as this is really mind-blowing stuff. I can help if anyone has trouble acquiring.

i slept in these clothes
Geskia is signed to Japanese independent record label Flau; he makes fantastic downtempo/IDM/ambient-ish music fused beautifully with elements taken from trip-hop, glitch, and breakbeat. There’s a lot of similarities to Obfusc, in the sense that the music feels very “organically” created; a delightful blend between downbeat styles found within the IDM scene and more of an abstract style found within electronic-oriented instrumental hip-hop acts a la Flying Lotus as well as trip-hop acts like Portishead, Hooverphonic, and The Atomica Project.
Extremely enjoyable and laid back, this 15 track, one-hour long record is highly recommended. Lush, beautiful trip-hop-like beats combined with a rich, organic texture and brilliant craftsmanship makes this one a solid hit at Clothes HQ. 5/5.

dMute
Si vous demandiez à Geskia pourquoi a-t-il baptisé son premier album Silent77, il vous ferait sûrement part, vaguement ému, de sa fascination pour la puissance évocatrice du silence. Vous auriez peut-être aussi droit à quelques pensées sur sa génération, née au moment où le punk changeait la face de l'Occident. Geskia est un "soixante-dix-septard" qui a grandi avec le trip-hop et Warp. Sa musique transpire autant celle de Prefuse 73 que les expérimentations lyriques dont nombre d'artistes japonais s'en font la spécialité. Ce n'est pourtant pas la poésie du silence que Geskia retient pour présenter son album, mais celle non moins stéréotypée du coucher de soleil. Après tout, libre à chacun de construire ses images. Plutôt que de verser dans la métaphore, concentrons-nous sur ce que nous entendons : du Prefuse 73 avant tout, mais du Prefuse 73 qui préférerait au flow de rappeurs les synthés de Boards of Canada ; des morceaux de voix chantés, égorgés ou robotisés, jetés en pâture à la sacro-sainte déstructuration prônée par tout bidouilleur glitch qui se respecte.
Exception faite des bricolages vocaux parsemant la galette, Geskia ne s'aventure malheureusement guère plus loin que les artistes dont il s'inspire. Il n'hésite même pas à leur emprunter quelques textures bien reconnaissables. L'absence de parti pris rend la chose difficile à appréhender autrement que comme l'ego trip d'un passionné qui a voulu se prouver à lui-même qu'il était capable de faire aussi bien que ses aïeux. Au fond, l'album ne se défend pas si mal que ça, mais la pléthore d'artistes surfant sur la même vague nous oblige sans doute à lui porter un regard sévère, à regretter la pointe d'audace qui lui manque. Silent77 flattera la discographie des collectionneurs en mal d'Anticon ou nostalgiques des débuts de Warp. Pour les autres, il se révèle parfaitement dispensable.