Pulshar / ‘Inside’
CD / MP3 / Vinyl
Desolat / Released October 20th 2010
Pablo Bolivar achieved notable acclaim last year for his solo work. Now he’s back, and reunited with both lyricist Aphro and Locodice’s Desolat records for another outing from the Pulshar project.
It’s clear from the outset this is aimed at blissed out basements and sun-drenched beaches, such is the reefer smoke emitting from the disc. And from the most ambient influenced house to the dubbier depths, it’s a pleasing collection of tracks that take the thrust out of techno.
Montparnasse 2AM is perhaps the most aptly titled piece here, as whispered French vocals fleetingly speak the language of love atop a spiraling synth of peaks and troughs. A true two-in-the-morning anthem of shared roll-ups under sleeping office blocks, it won’t take long for your mind’s eye to begin traversing the deserted streets of Paris in fast forward.
Elsewhere there are interesting moments sauntering in the shadow of disco, with the warbling bassline and filtered melody of Da Creator smacking of American main room sounds played in an understated fashion. And, naturally, dubstep isn’t too far away, as excursions like Distant Fire and S.T.A.R.S show.
Perhaps most memorable of all, though, is Above The Wall– ironic, because at just over one minute it’s also the shortest number on here. Less song and more skit, plucked guitars fade in with looped vocals, layering into a smooth, beatless interlude of beautiful imagining, offering a lighter, less heads down moment. Still very much in keeping with the album’s ethic, like everything else on here it’s got one foot in the Caribbean and another on America’s West Coast, while both hands firmly stir the melting pot of international dance music.
