Kaman Leung - "Lacrimal"

Kaman Leung - Lacrimal (z5 2007)

Kaman Leung - Lacrimal / z5

I'm not sure how much attention Kaman Leung will be getting in the next few months, but this one's a sleeper to be reckoned with: Though some have suspected that the Swedish-Chinese producer (Hell of a combination, for starters) is really the alias of a dubstep producer incognito, I can assure you that the man is a musical wizard of his own order. In fact, Kaman Leung has been doing his thing for quite some time now. In 1998 he released his first EP on the officially obscure A PMS Plan label, A Paroxysm of Excellence. A consistent flow of output between '98 and 2004 was enough to establish the name, but nowadays Leung hangs out in Norway under his Lacerated imprint and with the assistance of Japanese-based label z5, he's sending this one out to all the low-enders. Here's to you, kids. You're gonna like what you hear.

Lacrimal is actually Kaman Leung's first full-length, so at nine songs, it's a bit modest. A remix of Viktor Vaughn's "Rae Dawn" on a 7" earlier this year was the first for z5, but this is a proper introduction with no two ways around its brilliance. What makes it so good is that Leung is able to capture the vibe of a downtempo trip-hop record while still burning up subwoofers with some sick bass action. In particular, I'm thinking of "Stretchmarks" here. My laptop can't handle it, the subs on my computer can barely handle the middle section, and even a good stereo system struggles not to get eaten up by the deceptive power this track possesses. It's frightening, but the almost cheesy, summer strumming of the guitar notes give it a laid-back feel before the evil alien bass returns. Scary maybe, but scarily good might be a better summation. Back and forth this track goes, and the album isn't entirely unlike it.

The rubberband synth action continues on "100 Year Anniversary" and you can feel this as less a Burial record and more something along the lines of Nightmares on Wax or something like The Orb. Lots and lots of downtempo goodness to soothe the soul, but when the chips are down and it looks like you're going to be fading off into lounge-snoozing territory, Leung is smart enough to burn up your speakers (as he does on "As Hope Fades"). In nine short tracks, his handling of the evil with the calming is the mark of an artist who's been around the block a time or two. Having officially been on the release sheets for nearly a decade now, Kaman Leung is no stranger to doing things right. He had a little help with this release, though much of the recording was produced primarily by him: Mastered by Andreas Tilliander (who's had some releases out on Type helping Mokira and a slew under his own name over at Mille Plateaux) and produced by Golden member Natsuki "Dopement" Rai (who are virtually impossible to find anything about, but we know Japanese minimalist Salmon was another member of the troupe), at least Leung wasn't going it alone.

Beachy guitars set the scene on the title-track, one of the best here. The echoing vibe and transistorized accents bring the den dwelling of the bassline, as the guitar plucks its way back from the ocean to see out the end of the song. It's just that little bit funky, and it takes the edge off of what would otherwise be a deep, dark, bass-driven monster of a track. The beauty is in the clash, and while the edge may be taken off, worry not because your speakers are still getting the proper whipping about they deserve while your ears hum the notes over and over. This is straight del.i.cious, first-rate main course dubstep on abstract electro. Autechre, meet Kode9. He'll be taking you on your blind date this evening.

Electro junkies and hip-hop heads alike, fetch this however you can. Maybe it's hard to find in all the shops and shoppes, respectively, but dig deep and spend your hard-earned money on this record. It plays like a dream and a nightmare; what more could you ask for? Heaven knows where this cat is now, be it Osaka or Stockholm or Oslo or whatever, but wherever he is and whatever he's doing, let this be a desperate plea from one dude digging his songs to keep it up. Sounds pretty pathetic I know, but you'll see what I mean when you hear Lacrimal. Even your speakers, roughed up and tossed around by the stuttering wickedness of "Stillborn," will be begging for more. It may not be PC to say, but secretly, all speakers are "in to that." Thanks to Kaman Leung, the cat's now outta the bag.