Naarm’s KiTA goes deep on ‘Ceramic’, twisting ambient textures and electro-acoustic sounds into propulsive, rhythmic soundscapes that pull from dub, bleep techno, breakbeat and house. RIYL Four Tet, Pub, Steve Hauschildt.
From the very beginning of ‘Ceramic’ there’s a sense that KiTA’s music belongs to the chillout rooms of the mid 1990s, the place where shroomy synth sounds danced with dub echoes and the lightest dancefloor patters while exhausted ravers sprawled out around the decks. This era of proggy electronic excess characterizes the 13-minute title track, that drifts through half of its duration without even cracking into a kick drum. When beats do materialize through the haze of beachy guitar twangs and gentle pads, they’re light, thin and airy, never overwhelming the mood KiTA has already established.
‘Hazel’ is more upfront, led by synopated breakbeats and digital growls, but the music still sounds as if it fits between Warp’s ‘Artificial Intelligence’ comp and Pentatonik’s underrated ‘Anthology’. Closing track ‘Palace’ is hazier, a slow-moving, synth-led sprawl of melancholy pads, cosmic guitar and acidic squelches that sounds like Pub remixing Emeralds.