#ik7

The first thing you notice here is the bass. It wobbles and thrums with enveloping warmth but although the vibe is generally laid back and optimistic, the duo make space for a little shadow using solo strings to counterpoint the light. The title track for instance features a surprisingly poignant violin line above the burbling bass, midtempo hi-hat led beat and an acoustic guitar line that pushes towards the light. “Spring” opens with the sound of rain, a cello enters, playing low against upright bass. As strings swell crescendo to an orchestral overture before morphing organically into railroad drum machine clicking along beneath elastic bass and tensile violin line that strains to contain this outbreak of levity. That these two tracks come in the middle of the album, foreshadowed by the opening “Mockingbirds” shows Kassian in full control of their sequencing and intentional in affect.

Around this central diptych, more conventional club orientated sounds. With its hiccoughing female vocal sample, loping beat and deceptively intricate background “Metro” recalls Vladislav Delay’s microhouse project Luomo. “Joss Bay” follows a similar template, upping both tempo and syncopation, clipping the male vocal sample into wordless syllables to produce a confection that would not have been out of place on one of Kompakt’s series of Total collections. There’s an easy elegance to the choices Kassian make. The electric piano and guitar interplay that adds a jazzy swing to “Aeolian Harp” without falling into fusion-lite cliché, the cello motif accompanying the bird song and sunset synths of  “Limoncello” which closes Channels on a reflective note. Hope rather than regret, a tinge of nostalgia for what’s ahead. The perfect soundtrack for the chilly end to that warmish spring day.