- One Circle is a new project from Italian producers Lorenzo Senni, Vaghe Stelle and A:RA. Some may already know Senni from last year's Editions Mego LP Quantum Jelly, a rather high-minded deconstruction of '90s hard-trance signifiers. Stelle, too, is no newbie. Recent releases for Aisha Devi's Danse Noire imprint and Margot have explored web 2.0 beat constructions reminiscent of NYC's DIS Mag crew. These traits, and several others, converge in Flight To Forever, an intriguing and rather nebulous debut.
The six tracks here often sound like the product of live jams or finessed improvisations, their ideas strong but the execution imperfect. "Please" is panoramic, post-Kuedo synth-hip-hop. It loses a split second at the end of each loop, creating an unnerving stumbling effect that sabotages the mood. "Delta City"'s combination of piston techno pulse and midrange synths recalls Stellar Om Source's Joy One Mile, but where that record frequently achieved psychedelic lift-off, here we flounder on the runway. The title track, meanwhile, begins as a heartfelt synth piece before reconfiguring itself into agile techno. Again, there's an oddly clotted quality, as if there are conflicting hands at the controls.
Whether this is deliberate or not it's difficult to discern. Certainly, these tracks' more unpredictable qualities are often what catch the attention. "Wipeout"'s light-footed electro beat has a certain ragtag charm. There's a hint of footwork in the cross-rhythmic push-pull of "Immersive," but it's a house-of-cards construction, and watching it tremble is part of the fun. Finally, the digi-only "Kadikoi Terrace" drifts and slides through various paranoid spaces before lapsing into sweetness—whether by accident or design, it's not entirely clear.
Tracklist A1 Flight To Forever
A2 Delta City
B1 Please
B2 Wipeout
B3 3D Immersive