Since emerging with a Swayzak cosign a decade ago, Roger 23 has maintained a pretty mellow release schedule, sporadically releasing on labels like Meakusma, Playhouse, and Volt Musik. He appears to be the kind of producer who only releases when he feels like it, less concerned about staying in the charts than simply enjoying the process. It absolutely shows on the three-track Elemental 7, his first effort for the fledgling Poisson Chat Musique label.
At nearly 10 minutes, the title track isn’t in a hurry to get anywhere, sunk into a hazy, sedate swirl of dubbed-out chords. It’s underlined by a pattering electro-inflected rhythm; and while the bass is forceful enough, both are there as guides more than anything else. The rhythm is a bit more pronounced on “No solution.” It’s a similarly gloopy dub-techno workout, but it has more momentum and the chords are more foreboding and spaced out. The comparatively brief “Ambient V” closes the record with choked, vibrating patterns. Short ambient pieces can sometimes seem tacked on, but the track is a concise summary of what makes the record worthwhile, a foggy, slow-motion landscape that seems content just subtly modulating. Like the tracks that precede it, it’s immersive without really trying to be.
Great!