Okay I confess… I've been having a secret love affair since 2006… When my Wife leaves the house I play my Eleh records LOUD. When she's asleep I listen on my headphones. I've found both listening methods have different effects on me. High volume is more of a physical experience while the use of high quality headphones is a more internal spiritual/ transcendental journey. Anyway this is the first ever CD from this anonymous entity and I've been extremely excited about its arrival. Five minutes into the opening piece 'Heleneleh' and the audio is beginning to have the desired effect on me.
I have somewhat of a fetish for pure sound and pure tone going back to my days as a lab technician playing around with signal generators and oscilloscopes. There is just something about this that really resonates with me. More than any other artist since the likes of Eliane Radigue, Eleh truly captures the beauty of minimal analogue synthesis and gently evolving tones. There is so much drone music around at the moment, it sometimes feels over saturated but I can assure you that 'Location Momentum' stands head and shoulders above most of that stuff in terms of physical and mental power. Eleh strips things back to the source, pure physics, the very essence of sound. Low frequencies are preferable and the beauty lies in the simplicity… It's also really great when the oscillations take on a rhythmical almost percussive sound as heard within 'Circle One: Summer Transience". Anyone not in possession of a turntable has been deprived of Eleh material until now which is why I see this as a release which is as important as any in the artists catalogue. It also has a wonderful balance of the earlier sound along with more recent ideas and developments. So for anyone new to the artist this serves as a valuable introduction.
There has been some online speculation as to the identity of the artist but really who cares, the audio speaks for itself… Let's just hope the Sun newspaper don't ruin it for everyone as they did with Burial.. I can see the headline now "Modular Synth Minimalist Wizard Uncloaked" Extremely highly recommended… Oh and remember: "Volume reveals detail"
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Sound clips for Location Momentum by Eleh: on CD at Norman Records UK. CD, Touch, TO:80, £12.89.
Eleh has been an enigma since the first record under that name was released in 2006. In numbered editions with letterpressed sleeves, usually on Important Records from the U.S.A., these vinyl-only releases were evidently a labour of love and attention. Further recordings have been released on the labels Taiga and Touch, making 11 vinyl editions in all.
Eleh began as long ago as 1999 as an exploration of analog synthesis, emphasising low frequency oscillation and resonant acoustic phenomenae. Eleh highlights the physical presence of sound as it has been inspired by the physical world. There is also something ‘cathedral-like’ and cosmos-inducing in the sound built.
Following the recent 12” release, “Observations and Momentum”, Eleh has chosen to release the first digital recordings on Touch – 'Location Momentum' is a set of five new recordings which will be made openly available on CD.
Tracklisting:
1. HeleneleH
2. Linear to Circular/Vertical Axis
3. Circle One: Summer Transcience
4. Observation Wheel
5. Rotational Change for Windmill
