J. Wlsn - 1993 [Room40 Promo]

Another relatively fresh album put out on the circuit via Australia's ever active Room40-imprint is "1993", the latest album by Jonathan Wilson conceived under his J. Wlsn alias - the next eight tracks and 40 minutes spanning journey crafted throughout an extended period of time spent at home with his family due to the Covid-19 pandemic induced lockdowns in Australia's NSW area. Based upon a foundation of tape loops sourced from a bunch of random 80s Pop cassettes found in wild by his six year old son which also took part in the actual creation of these loops later J. Wlsn creates a deep, somewhat blurred and washed out sonic landscape comprised of wobbly, yet deeply Ambient-leaning FoundSound / Plunderphonics accompanied by crackly decaying vintage piano melodies in the opening piece "All My Friends And Family" whereas the subsequent cut "Brood" indulges in warm, all embracing nocturnal Dark Ambient, "Brief Association" caters a combination of tense, spine-tingling atmospheres and minimalist percussive sequences before the title track "1993" brings forth glacial harmonies falling apart in a well unsettling state of heavy decay. Furthermore "We Should Be Kind, While There Is Still Time" introduces unignorable tape wobble in combination with soft, wafting - and now off-kilter - Ambient pads, "Walking With Stilts" is as calm and tender as any dreamy Piano Ambient tune could ever get whilst "Ring It In" provides minimalist electro-acoustic treatments for chiming bells and the final cut that is "Counting To 10" once again harks back to deep, dronic Dark Ambient x Deep Listening Music for a spine-tingling finale. Most beautiful. Recommended.