A Review: Kish's 2016

Release:
Doppelate - Bobo's Garden

Based upon the number of views of the official video on Youtube (1,350 views as of 31^st December), Bobo’s Garden has slipped under the radar in the sphere of electronic music this year. Perhaps this is partly to do with the “non-danceable” nature of the track. However, popularity is not always a sign of quality.
Three motifs are all that are present but a thought out counterpoint orientated structure is really what makes this piece stand out. Melodies give an impression of harmony by nuanced sustain and reverb and the odd synthesised strings here and there encapsulate a melancholic, introspective experience.

Mix:
Bake - The Bubble Nebula (Dimension Series D5 B Side)

Bake has built himself a reputation as an unpredictable selector which is partly what makes him so exciting to listen to. But as mentioned in a recent Facebook post he has been questioning himself during his rise. In an effort seemingly to acknowledge, address and overcome his self-disbelief, he has recorded a mix for “a friend in Mexico.”
It feels more appropriate to call the mix a presentation – it is a deeply reflective and personal exhibition of Bake’s tastes with excursions in world music. An example of artistic freedom, what Bake does here makes for a captivating Sunday afternoon listen.

Event:
Bloc 2016 - Day 2

I am going to write about something different for our recollection of the nights that we at Mantissa have attended this past year – the second day of the final Bloc festival at Butlins Minehead which happened to exhibit the most variety of music of the weekender. The evening started with Magic Mountain High. I caught as much of their set before moving to see Four Tet on the decks for my first time. I was pleasantly surprised when he opened with grime classic Rebound X’s “Rhythm ‘N’ Gash.” As expected he explored different varieties of dance music playing his remix of Eric Prydz’s “Opus” and seminal UK bass tune “Skeng” – it was an entertaining and lively start.

I went to catch Kahn at the pub-like Jak stage which offers a more intimate experience in comparison to the other large stages. His set was fantastic with great flow and cohesion throughout mixing his signature sound dark and twisted dubstep and grime.
After Kahn, it hit 3 am and Vril was playing a live set which was a highlight of the festival. I did not quite expect Vril’s music which is rich in melody and deep bass to be as vibrant and banging as it was. The lighting at that stage (which was hosting a Dystopian takeover) was minimal with only a few golden spotlights lending to a feel which I can only describe as dancing in a black hole.
We caught an hour of Rødhåd afterwards in which he churned out hard four-to-the-floor techno. I was planning on seeing Steffi for the final 2 hours of the night but she fell ill and had to cancel; however Move D covered the 5-6 slot. As this was unexpected he announced before he started that he borrowed a bunch of records from the vinyl stall by the arcade. He then proceeded to play one of the best sets of the festival which in itself is simply amazing. He played a “head down” kind of set with a particular highlight was playing the Bigga Bush remix of Swayzak’s “Illegal.”
Bloc 2016 was thoroughly enjoyable and it is regrettable that it was the final one but I am grateful that I was able to experience such a unique festival.

To read more click on the links below to read some of the Mantissa crew’s take on 2016:

• Jambo
• Tom Allman
• Gavin
• Ben
• Frank
• Max