Immersion, Cubzoa, Thor Harris - Nanocluster, Vol. 2 EP1, EP2 (2024)

Colin Newman remains best-known for his group Wire, who exploded the boundaries of punk in the late–'70s. In the decades since, his music has continued to meld recognizable genres with avant-garde experimentalism.

Newman and Malka Spigel of Minimal Compact have been joined—both personally and as collaborators—since Newman produced the 1985 Minimal Compact album Raging Souls. Minimal Compact backed Newman on his fantastic 1986 album Commercial Suicide and Spigel's 1993 solo release Rosh Ballata, which Newman produced, also launched their collaborative label swim~.

Starting the label led to the duo project Immersion, and the release of two albums of downtempo beats and electronic pulsations. The project paused in the early-'00s, for the couple to participate in the quartet Githead, and for a reunited Wire to regularly tour and record. Immersion returned in 2016 with Analogue Creatures Living on an Island, which combined the use of beats from the project's earlier era with melodies and timbres that recall Newman's other projects. Newman and Spigel then created Nanocluster, a series where Immersion create and develop a set of songs with a collaborator. 2021's Nanocluster Vol. 1 featured Tarwater, Laetitia Sadier from Stereolab, Githead member Scanner (Robin Rimbaud), and Ulrich Schnauss.

For Nanocluster Vol. 2, Newman and Spigel created EPs with former Swans multi-instrumentalist Thor Harris, and Cubzoa (Jack Wolter of Penelope Isles). Drummer Matt Schulz, who toured with the band after a guest appearance on 2018's Sleepless, contributes to both halves.

The EP with Harris kicks off with "As Long As," a post-punk song reminiscent of Wire's 154 and Newman's solo debut A – Z. "Rotations" falls somewhere between the looping instrumentals of Thor & Friends and the subdued explorations on Minimal Compact's abstract LP Lowlands Flight. "In Snow" foregrounds downtempo beats that would fit in Immersion's late-'90s era.

While Penelope Isles incorporate overtly accessible pop elements, these qualities are only hinted at in the Cubzoa tracks. This EP consistently uses vocals, which move the songs toward pop and rock, but not always overtly. Newman's deadpan recitation on "Not About Me" draws again on the early-'80s. Spigel's voice moves to the foreground on "In the Universe," over a backing that recalls Stereolab and Broadcast. The vocal duet "Other Ways" juxtaposes Wolter's contemporary and friendly style against Newman's familiar deadpan, with an instrumental break where Newman's instantly-recognizable guitar timbre emerges. Even as these collaborators pull Immersion in new directions, their great history remains present and unmistakable.

Tracklist:

Immersion, Thor Harris - Nanocluster, Vol. 2 EP1
1.01 - Immersion, Thor Harris - As Long As (4:50)
1.02 - Immersion, Thor Harris - Just Close Your Eyes (3:09)
1.03 - Immersion, Thor Harris - Rotations (4:06)
1.04 - Immersion, Thor Harris - The House Of Thor (2:32)
1.05 - Immersion, Thor Harris - In Snow (4:17)
1.06 - Immersion, Thor Harris - At The Wizard's House (5:46)

Immersion, Cubzoa - Nanocluster, Vol. 2 EP2
1.01 - Immersion, Cubzoa - I'm Barely Here (5:09)
1.02 - Immersion, Cubzoa - In The Universe (3:35)
1.03 - Immersion, Cubzoa - Other Ways (5:15)
1.04 - Immersion, Cubzoa - Not About Me (6:31)
1.05 - Immersion, Cubzoa - Neptune (7:18)