#singulacra

Sophia Loizou Divine Interference (2016)

Sophia Loizou - “Order of Elements”

Sophia Loizou: Singulacra (Kathexis)

Bristol-based producer Sophia Loizou's second album is dense and foggy. What begins as a thoroughly ambient and gloomy affair seems to swiftly dip its toes into nostalgia in a way perhaps best compared to Lee Gamble's Diversions 1994-1996 album for Pan; when beats and elements do come to the fore, it's only just barely, often obscured by a crinkly haze of reverb and effects. It's as if 90s rave nostalgia has been submerged underwater, or experienced from a half-mile down the road. These touchpoints are more frequent than I at first realized; even the opening cut includes sub bass tones that feel like a PA heard 2 floors up in a building while more distinct vocal fragments skitter in tandem.

And yet “Genesis 92: The Awakening” has the rolling bass of a vintage jungle track, while its breaks threaten to bubble up but are continually drowned in surface noise and reverberation. That's probably the most overt nod to those sounds of yore, but Singulacra is infused with them throughout. “Artificial Infinite” has the prolonged pads and piano touches of Bukem's drum and bass, with jaunty breaks minimized but periodically teased under its dreamlike atmospheres. Despite potential comparisons to Lee Gamble or Roly Porter, Loizou's take on abstracting and obfuscating her reference points feels unique. It's a rare case of splitting the difference between serious and fun listening; careful, more attentive listens from electronic music fans will reveal her attention to detail and embrace of the past with almost a bit of a wink, but its overall mood and takeaway stand alone as a serious piece of work. Highly recommended!