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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Freeform goes from strength to strehngth, 12 Jul 2005
The ground covered by Simon Pykes in the ten years that separate his debut release, the Free EP, already on Skam, to his most recent venture, is truly fascinating. Born in Swindon where he spent most of his formative years experimenting with all sorts of electronic devices, Pykes began recording while in his teen. A chance meeting with Autechre landed him a first EP on their then burgeoning label, Skam, and he later on toured with them, while Ambient Soho's label Worm Interface published his debut album, Elastic Speaker, all this before he turned eighteen. Since, his work has been released on labels as diverse as Quatermass, Warp, Musik Aus Strom, Sub Rosa, Headphone or Sprawl. Although electronic music has been Simon Pykes's main mean of expression, he has constantly looked for unusual angles to approach his work. His most original and compelling record, Audiotourism: Vietnam & China, took shape while traveling in the Far East. Based on two months spent collecting found sounds in markets, bars, streets and other public places, the album combined up-to-the-minute technology with century-old instruments and vocal forms to create a magnificent and original piece of work. While his last album, Human, released two years ago, was still packed with ethnic references, Pykes investigates with his most recent record rather different soundscapes. Build around highly experimental electronic sounds, very much reminiscent of the work of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop in parts, Pykes creates a strangely addictive form of cosmic pop on which he sometimes adds vocals or guitars. Alternating between sharp funky instrumentals and light-hearted vocal tracks, Outside In feels at ones familiar yet totally fresh and new. If his compositions remain largely complex and intricate, with abundant sonic details forming wonderfully evocative structures, Pykes also adopts here more straightforward forms, especially on tracks such as This Is Your Life and Follow Your Shadow where he hints at the leftfield electro of Schneider TM. Elsewhere, as on the festive Carnival, Pykes juxtaposes elements of samba, African percussions and bouncey techno, while he delivers some more delicate moments on the closing Everything Changes and Wonderplucks. While the former uses some ethnic instruments, the latter is infused with jazz references. More laidback and less cluttered than its predecessor, this latest Freeform album is however as eclectic and unpredictable as any of Pykes's previous records, and demonstrates once again his incredible capacity at integrating elements so diverse into credible pieces and instinctively adapt to any new situation. Once again here, he produces a truly convincing piece of work.
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