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Quinoline Yellow - Dol-Goy Assist — Indie Workshop Review

Quinoline Yellow is the namesake of up-and-coming electro mastermind Luke Williams, who has teased and tantalized the electronic community with previous EPs and comp tracks on Skam involving keychains and air fresheners. All gimmicks aside, there is certainly an intriguing logic to his sound that immediately appeals to those who appreciate electronic music of the abstract, highly rhythmic, and cerebrally satisfying variety.

Those familiar with the "Skam sound," or at least Boards of Canada, will agree that Quinoline Yellow carries on that tradition and lives up to quality control standards. But while there are far too many weak Boards of Canada sound-alikes out there, Williams references their noir moods using far-off melancholy synths as a base, then piles on layers of distinct and mutating beat cycles. This hallmark of his sound can be jarring, as on the opening track which pairs an aggressive attack of syncopated crunches in the foreground with soothingly airy synth tones floating overhead. Soon you realize that the familiar footing you had is not so predictable, as your ears marvel at each micro-detail perfectly placed within these peculiar and alluring structures. The second track continues along the same territory and works in flashes of vocal samples into the beat palette. The next track is a weird, squashed approximation of Miami Bass, played in a cavernous glow-in-the-dark Lazer Tag maze.

The middle third of the LP mellows out a bit, allowing each track to become more sparse and melancholy, though the complexity of the beats never wanes. The warped synths spliced with hyper-edited breakbeats brought Venetian Snares to mind, particularly Songs About My Cats. Mr. Williams' control and inventiveness with whatever beat-sculpting tools he employs is certainly up there with Mr. Funk or any other break specialist of note. There is one beatless synth aria that slows things down the most before the remaining three tracks come in with full intensity.

I'm not quite sure what situations a DJ would play this in, as it juxtaposes tranquil, sometimes ominous downtempo textures with aggressive original breaks. I guess overall it's more suited for the lounge than the dance floor, but not something that would put you to sleep because the beats are such an invigorating challenge to process. As far as general listening, this would find a welcome home on your shelf alongside Autechre and Aphex Twin as something both familiar and strikingly unique.