Search - Vladislav Delay :: Multila

Multila

Mike Newmark | Tarzana, CA United States | 04/14/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Vladislav Delay trudged through the barren landscapes of glitch during the majority of his career, but on Multila--the first wide-released album under his own name--Delay created a groundbreaking work of atmosphere, texture and mystery. It doesn't have much in common with the output of Chain Reaction and Basic Channel, instead taking on the gauzy ambience and barely-there structures of the Kompakt label. Multila is incredibly self-contained; its delicate waves of melody and washed-out clickety-clackety beats are reminiscent of much of the melodic glitch-techno circa 2000, but Multila's world is so fleshed out that it only takes a few listens to realize that you haven't heard anything quite like it. The 22-minute "Huone" actually takes a cue from Delay's microhouse-oriented work as Luomo, but it's offset by the sublime, nearly beatless "Karha," which screeches that approach to a halt and sets a vagely sinister tone for the album. "Viite" and "Raamat" are both standouts, and when played back-to-back, they sound like two sides of the same song. "Viite"'s cold melodic tones and variety of hazy pops and crackles swirl together into a barely-discernable structure before the elements coalesce into an equally challenging dub-pulse, becoming downright paranoid at its peak. "Raamat" follows a similar path, sweetening the melody while flirting even more with dub on its most skeletal level. Multila is nearly flawless in its design and execution, subtly revealing layer after layer of texture until the sounds fully encompass the listener. It's undoubtedly one of the best, most intriguing glitch albums ever recorded, and each of its seven masterpieces contains a breath of inspiration not commonly found in the genre."

Utterly amazing

starzero | chicago, il | 05/08/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"the world of techno and dance music has splintered wildly since it's brief flirtation with mainstream popularity in the early 90's. while the post-grunge and hip hop backlash tookover american airwaves, europeans (and a few americans) went underground and created some truly amazing music. multila is a prime example. shifting synths and glitching beats swallow you whole over the course of seven tracks--in 72 minutes. when it's all over you feel relaxed and calm, though you may not remember what happened. if you want ambient sounds to fill the space while you work or converse, put this on. if you want something to examine and dissect, put this on. if you want your headphones filled with softly moving sounds that lull you to sleep on a lazy summer afternoon, put this on. if you want rock or hip hop or cookie-cutter pop, why are you even reading reviews of this album? buy it and wash all that other junk away. this album could change your life.



note: listen to this before approaching delay's release 'anima'. they are quite different beasts, and the latter hardly prepares you for the glory of 'multila'."