South Africa isn’t an area you would associate with forward-thinking electronic, but with artists like Drift Prism and Suede amalgamating gorgeously inexplicable sounds, we sense a lot more talent emerging from the country in the next years. Jason Sutherland (Drift Prism), is a Cape Town-based artist who seems to take a liking to the resonating, sample-heavy style of chillwave, and his latest self-titled five-track EP clearly confirms the claim, as he sketches his masterful production routines and illustrates a great deal of finesse in each of the tracks. Prior to his debut EP, DP had only one piece to his name, but he’s far from unversed with the chillwave scene, as his sole nine-month old piece, "Greet The Weather", exhibited an exceptional comprehension of the genre itself, and also proved to be the embarking of his mystifying sound. Here, however, we've two cuts from his latest work, the final and concluding pieces: "Escape" and "Ångström". The inaugural effort reflects Jason’s moniker superbly, as segmented vocals, granular percussion, and alien-like synths coalesce into quite an unearthly landscape. The atypical percussive elements strengthen the drums and ride in various patterns alongside the array of psychedelic components, and they give the piece an incomparable characteristic. “Ångström” is the closing piece to the EP, and though there are pitch-shifted laments embedded throughout, the draft given off is more soothing than desolating. With the accompaniment of prominent hat-rolls, too, the head-nods are inevitable. The vocal elements in this piece are crucial as well, as they ride a similar grainy, click-heavy percussive backdrop to “Escape”, and give a startling yet breathtaking subtlety at unexpected sections of the track. Drift Prism’s kaleidoscopic sound is far from generic amongst his peers, and he’s bound to gain the attention he deserves in the days to come off the back of this EP. Listen to the rest of it on his Bandcamp page. [via Oblivious Pop]
Drift Prism