Tonne | Lilium
Klitekture | CD
Paul Farrington's work under the guise Tonne has tended towards an exploration of the fusion of the sonic and the visual. His first solo album 'SoundToy' on BiP-HOp probed the possibilities of screen-based custom-built sound toys, featuring collaborations with Scanner, Hakan Lidbo and si-cut.db. Released to widespread acclaim in 2002 it quickly led to numerous higher profile projects, not least recent work on a Depeche Mode sound toy and the development of Moby Hotel (www.mobyhotel.com) for Mute.
'Lilium' sees the emphasis shift from software processes to pure, jet-propelled sound. Across its ten abstractly titled tracks Farrington balances deep, seductive grooves with a delicate digital effluvium, the by-product of his resolutely on-screen environment.
The effect of the ten tracks is cumulative, with each building on the last - layer upon careful layer in a manner that mimics the carefully constructed and interlocking fixtures of house music. By the fourth track 'Lankongense' the groove has settled, albeit punctuated by a series of frequent and unpredictable slips and cuts - features which critically differentiate 'Lilium' from the main stay of 'clicks and cuts' predictability.
This is echo-soaked digital house, stripped down before being painstakingly rebuilt - a magical and mesmerising process to witness. 'Bulbiferum' spills from the speakers mutating like some rapidly evolving organism, rich and exuberant, but slightly unstable - nonetheless a joy to witness. Closing with the hollowed snaps crackles and pops of 'Luteum' marks a fitting close - a memorable late night ending, that rightly fades only to begin again…
[CM]
