Jacob Newman - Biospherica (2018)

Many often lament the lack of ‘humanism’ in electronic music, citing its often cold sterility and inorganic elements, sounds created by robots for robots. The very nature of ‘electronic’ music means that this is usually an occupational hazard; in other words, you want warmth, go to the tropics. Well, Jacob Newman’s newest recording is here to tell you that you don’t have to travel far to bask in the sunshine, and that electronic music can indeed illuminate the soul in all the right places. Newman’s past work has in fact embraced the human condition with true aplomb, a method he lets spring full force this time around, connecting the fragility of our surrounding ecosphere with our own desire to harness nature, in this case via a devastating arsenal of supple, coaxing keys, and some of the lushest digitalia this side of the fourth world. Tracks such as “Six Legs & Wings”, “Forest Floor, Springtime”, and “Creature Loops” finds Newman teasing our ears in a phantasmagorical sonic diorama, replete with agile, unidentifiable fauna sprinting amidst vivid riots of reds, greens, and yellows. How he manages to bring these electronic sprites & landscapes to life remains a mystery, but for us, the benefactors, such ambiguity works beautifully in our favor.