Minotaur Shock hails from the small North England town of Bristol most known for infamous acts such as Flying Saucer Attack, Massive Attack and Portishead. Unlike the darker tones and moodiness of the afore-mentioned bands, Minotaur Shock’s instrumental music resonates with extreme playfulness. David Edwards, the multi-talented drummer from Bronze Age Fox, is the adventurous creator behind Minotaur Shock. The resulting music of this side project is intriguing -a freshly original electronic sound in which synthesized elements are intermingled with an eclectic array of acoustic instrumentation, developing a richly organic sound. His compositions undulate and swell with this fluid combination. Looking through the swaying kelp of Edward’s music with a high-powered microscope, one can find trace elements of familiarity with the IDM genre (Mum, Manitoba, Four Tet, Boards of Canada). Edwards’ nautical adventure, entitled “Maritime,” is upbeat and danceable, yet nuanced with ambient sounds. “Maritime” is easily digestible, and by far the most playful 4AD release to-date.
The opening track, “Muesli”, is composed of clarinet lines, a wooden xylophone, a shaker and a copious smattering of boomy drums near the finale. The song could happily set sail amidst the film score for an animated European sea tale as directed or envisioned by Pierre Jeunet. “Virgo Bay” begins with an upbeat electronica groove that could easily be heard on the dance floor of an Italian Discotech. Edwards’ entwines his music with counter melodies and well-orchestrated compositions that abruptly drop out, leaving open space to highlight his breathtaking bass lines. It is in these spaces of simplification that individual strengths of instrumentation swim to the surface, revealing complex contributions to the overall sound.
On “Maritime”, David Edwards provides us with a well-rounded collection of amphibious tunes that are easy to enjoy in a multitude of variable situations: ‘being rowed to a party by gondola in Venice, waiting in traffic in your compact car- burning time and fuel in L.A., riding the subway, the tube or the metro in one of those cities that form the setting of comic books. Minotaur Shock is a fun accompaniment to any voyage. |