dj birdbath - Memory Empathy (2024)

"Memory Empathy" is a meditation on the past: how it shapes us and how we shape it in turn. Over 12 tracks, New Zealand-based producer DJ Birdbath draws from a varied palette of samples, both real and unreal, conjuring a colourful narrative patchwork. Some tracks are fragmented, with gurgling rhythms built from clipped vocals, like 'Another Day'. Others resemble deconstructed versions of sounds the producer grew up listening to in the UK. Take for example the breakbeat in the euphoric album opener 'Kitsch Memory' or the shoegaze-tinged vocals on 'Flames'.

While a sense of optimism radiates throughout the album — in particular on 'Leftover Igloo', 'Being There' and 'Last Time' — it’s the weird breakages and vaguely organic sounds which add to the complexity of the release and, in turn, make it feel more truthful. The imperfect mimesis is part of the appeal: with repeated listens "Memory Empathy" yields new surprises.