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Released on June 29, 2015 via Loopy Records
My introduction to Oliver Peryman, otherwise known as Fis (Forever In Search) was his first release on Tri Angle records. The Preparations EP contained the shotgun blast of pcp headfuckery that was ‘DMT Usher’. One of my favourite tracks of that year it was at a time when I was discovering new (to me) artists and different styles and Fis was a highlight. Preparations was one of several EPs Fis released on Tri Angle and elsewhere.
Now however it is time for his debut album and it continues to excel and push boundaries. Fis, like other emerging artists such as Hanz and Boothroyd, make music that is hard to categorise. Electronic in foundation, but neither techno or ambient. Words like experimental have been used, but I’m not sure that is fitting. Experimental gives the impression of someone throwing things together without having a clear plan or goal. Fis has made an album that he must have worked hard to shape and produce. To slap an experimental tag on it seems derogatory or lazy. I have a deep set hatred of genre tagging or fitting things into neat categories anyway, so I’ll refer to it as music simply and let others give a fuck about what box it fits in.
The fact is The Blue Quicksand is Going Now cuts across styles, genres and boundaries. It contains elements that at various times could be deemed ambient, engaging and affecting. Fis can create music that while being very inviting and absorbing can also be disorientating and claustrophobic. In whole it is a mesmerising piece of music that should be enjoyed in full.
However, the quality of individual tracks means the likes of ‘Happy Alone’, ‘Ak’ and ‘Frost Pocket’ can easily represent the album as stand alone tracks. The latter’s industrial drilled beat makes it one of the highlights and further evidence of the diversity involved on the album. ‘Happy Alone’ is another, with twisted and warped melodies combining with harsh overtones to great effect. Elsewhere, ‘Pedal’ has a twinkling piano running through swells of disjointed rhythms.
Closer ‘Kal’ has an almost euphoric feel to it with massive sounding rhythmic shifts akin to a thunderstorm. I find myself putting this album on repeat and each time discover something new or unheard. A really special release in a year of many remarkable albums, Fis has proved he can maintain his exhilarating sound over a full album. The Blue Quicksand is Going Now is available from June 29th via Loopy Records and exclusive bonus track version via Bleep.
