Review Summary: Cool, calm, post-hypnotic suggestion.
The concept of spirituality in music has always been just out of my reach. Without sharing my life story, I can say that I’m out of touch with my religion, and have never used music as a medium to reform bonds. It doesn’t help when I’m drawn to music that draws inspiration from deities I’ve never believed in, many of which are from syncretic religions I know nothing of, and the idea of going through a self-imposed sacred cleansing as a result can be baffling.
Churnmilk Peg!! / Hypatian Codex: Compendium Dub, the newest release from prolific Canadian producer Graham Reich (working under two pseudonyms here; more to follow), is tribal-infused ambient house with a hefty spiritual component.
Compendium Dub sees Reich offer an eclectic use of voice samples and effects, all while wandering between his two personalities.
A brief overview: Reverend Desaäd’s beats are hip-hop inspired, with an aggressive, devious edge well-suited to the fire goddesses/deities his tracks are based on. Obversely, T’ Saatsuna represents earthly spirits, imbuing the album with organic, diverse downtempo, reigning in some of Reverend’s zeal (protip: the “earth” tracks are denoted by a vertical bar in the title). Throughout the album, the duelling personas play off of each other smoothly, and each subsequent track bears elemental hints of the former, like passing a baton around a creative headspace.
Compendium Dub is all about the details, and the transitions are often cleverly utilized. For example, “Girra.FireBabalonia” ends with a nightly ambience - a dusk - which is used in a different context in follow-up “Ganga-Bois | Great Wood Honey Loa”, now serving as the backdrop for a mystical forest soiree. Reich has a keen ear for percussion, be it cascading tom-toms on “Girra.FireBabalonia” and “Faunus | The Strangler” (again, passing the baton), dominant, rattling bass drums on “ShënVerbti”, or the fun pairing of hi-hats and claptraps on “Agni”; everything maintains a balance between zen-like meditation and danceable rhythms. It’s euphoric, and tinged with a sort of effortless spirituality one might sense when harmonized with nature: free of restrictions, free of judgement, and cleansed, regardless of past wrongdoings.
Closer “Nantosuelta | Sun-warmed Valley Swelter” embodies this feeling, nulling the preceding three tracks (all Reverend Desaäd's firespawn), offering closure with a spine-tingling finale, purged of all aggression. That said, the oddly placed vocals interfere with what could have been a truly blissful ending, which reveals a misstep: occasionally, Reich convolutes his tracks with one too many elements, interfering with the natural beauty he’s crafted. Sometimes less is indeed more; regardless, these congestions are few and far between, often lending their hand to the communal vibe. When all’s said and done, that’s what
Compendium Dub is in its own special way. Community. It embraces being at peace with oneself via collective rapport, and the sense of being a part of something greater. We’re never really alone in that sense, stumbling through the neon-lit woods, just as satisfied to find inner peace as we are to meet a friendly face with whom to share some respite, no words necessary. It’s a balance of calm self-acceptance and mutual love for visceral dance. I can vibe with that.
