Search - Portable :: Powers of Ten

Powers of Ten is Alan Abrahams' (aka Portable, Bodycode ) first full-length album on his very own Süd Electronic label, after well-received albums on Background Records and ~scape and a 2006 long-player as Bodycode on Ghostly International's affiliated label, Spectral Sound. Powers of Ten is the rich, expansive record that Abrahams has always wanted to make, as he further explores his African heritage and absorbs new influences from Portugal, his current country of residence. This is partly achieved through collaboration -- a thread that runs through the album. On "Arrabida," he works with classical Portuguese guitarist Mario MPEX, on "Shifting Sunlight" with Tor from the brilliant Portuguese guitar duo, Dead Combo, and he is also reunited with long-time collaborator Leo Fernandes, the London-based bass player, on "Kuiper Belt." Abrahams also tries his vocal capabilities on the album, a talent which was demonstrated impressively on the Take Action EP at the start of 2007, also on Süd Electronic. Powers of Ten perfectly illustrates the dualistic nature of Abrahams' work, which can sit comfortably in a home-listening context and also prove just as convincing on the dancefloor. The latter quality is especially evident on opener "Albatross" with its infectious vocal, on the Detroit-influenced Afro-joint "Locate," the more overtly techy "Offline Mondays" and the electrified "Trade Winds." There is a vast range of influences on this record, but surely one of Abrahams' greatest gifts is his ability to assimilate these influences, creating a coherent, never clichéd piece of modern electronic music, inimitably his own.