Gone are the up-tempo bleeps long associated with Warp and Ninja Tune, instead replaced by ruminations on life, love and loss, set amongst a velvety electronic darkness.
Stefanski takes his sound to places we never could have guessed that it could go, whilst managing to maintain the pristine production style that was prominent in his earlier work.
Raffertie’s talent as a producer has never been in question. Sleep Of Reason has been a long time coming, but these 13 pieces of fractured soul represent a supreme triumph.
Filled with experimental electronic goodness but maintaining a graspable simplicity throughout, ‘Sleep Of Reason’ is a gorgeous and rewarding listen.
Sleep of Reason then is a ponderous rolling through complexly changing scenery, no one drive-through ever seeming the same, more than a roller-coaster ride that promises the same loops each time.
It's an uneven but captivating album that sounds like an artist still looking for his stride and trying to balance between two extremes. He does it better than some of his peers, but he still has a while to go yet.
The man clearly has talent and ideas – best displayed on the skewed ‘Principle Action’ or warped choirs of ‘Back Of The Line’ – so it’s not surprising he gets bored with making one style of music. It’s just a shame he can’t bring them together as a coherent whole.
HIDDEN GEM (3)
Sleep of Reason showcases some seriously off the wall production whilst maintaining a very distinct moody atmosphere throughout. Give this a try if you like IDM/electronic music with a sensual R&B infused twist.
If you just wanna try a sample first, recommend: Build Me Up, Last Train Home, Known
Vinyl scratches, bells and trippy beats support the dark atmosfear to its pop base.
Interesting!
Raffertie delivers a consistent & listenable LP from a genre that is firing on all pistons.