Abstraxion ‘Break of Lights’

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Title: Break of Lights
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You have to Abstraxion credit for bravery. The 28-year-old French producer, also known as Harold Boué, has chosen to unveil his debut LP in December, a time of the year in which pretty much every European country from Britain to the Baltic Sea, Greece to Germany, is really rather cold, dreary and damp. If not downright depressing and freezing.

Nevertheless, Break of Lights brings with it an unarguably warm, summery vibe. Perfect timing if you’re enjoying winter sun in the tropics, although rather inappropriate for those trapped in and around the continent for the winter season, the contents are strong enough to make you forget those prevailing winds and uninvitingly dark evenings. Even if it is just for 80-minutes or so. Of course the tracks herein are not all lackadaisical beach bar vibes. The opening triplet is all very much in keeping with the holiday afternoon thing.

White Rain (featuring Chloe), Moon and the finest of this laidback triptych, Every Night I’m Lying (which boasts the vocal talents of a rather sultry and smooth Astrid Engberg) are enough to make you think it’s July again, but then things begin to vary from thereon in. Goodbye for example, nods to Cobblestone Jazz’s whirling synth melodies without the techno, and with added electro funk.

Break of Lights itself is a patient, building ode to delicately detailed electronic pop the likes of which wouldn’t sound a million miles away on a BPitch Control compilation, and We Used To is cinematic, edgy and atmospheric stuff, what with its lengthy, shrill string refrains and mysterious, distorted brass melody. A far cry from your average Bora Bora soundtrack, there’s enough here to keep listeners engaged for the duration, rather than merely lulling them into a bleary eyed, sun-lounger snooze. An immensely enjoyable album, far removed from peak time club fare, best described as a keeper.


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