Hot on the heels of the Echospace (Rod Modell & Stephen Hitchell) release Silent World, Rod Modell releases Sommer as Deepchord: submerge yourself in 13 electronic compositions segued into a continuous narrative and enriched with organic field recordings.
The difference between Sommer and its predecessors is twofold. Firstly, it’s the track length - frequently Modell’s productions are 10+ minutes sonic excursions. On Sommer¸ all but three productions cut to the chase in 5-6 minutes. The album opener Glow is a tapestry containing strands of white noise and field recordings, accompanied by a firm bass-kick and a hovering organ melody. Cruising Towards Dawn has a melancholic melody, a muted beat structure and evokes images of driving towards a brightly orange-tinged horizon.
The second difference: the field recordings aren’t sourced from urban ambiance but were mostly recorded on a beach near Modell’s home. Wind chimes, circulating air and marine sounds contribute to a more organic sound as opposed to the dark, foreboding intensity of Hash-Bar Loops. As a consequence of the less compressed and breezier, lighter sound, the hazy melody-lines of Beneteau and Gliding radiate a kind of atmospheric warmth, a nice soundtrack for a warm summer evening.
There are two ambient tracks: Aeronautics and the album closing track Wind Farm. Wind Farm is a slowly modulating soundscape comprising of tape noise and field recordings. Aeronautic's foggy melody and deconstructed rhythmic components play a game of submersion and elevation from a sea of ambient sounds.
As ever, Modell’s productions play with the perception of time and place and sound equally good over headphones as in a club. But Sommer diversifies and innovates Modell’s recording output in a positive way: the tracks are more concise and have a lighter more ethereal feel.
8.5/10 - Patrice Knap
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