Jlin - Autobiography

Jlin
Autobiography
2018
Spotify

Jlin is one of those artists who come up when you discuss the avante garde of avante garde. Her workin footwork over the past few years has been nothing short of extraordinary. This record however is different from those in major ways. First, it's technically a soundtrack to the DNA based ballet work of choreographer Wayne McGregor. Instead of putting these aggressive dialed up techno beats on the floor here Jlin explores ambient minimalism. She spreads her wings reaching for the likes of Aphex Twin, Arca and others in the experimental space. "Annotation" feels like a nod to Jlin's past; the ferocious drum machine and blistering electronics make mention to the work she did on Black Origami but doesn't feel like a re-hash. In soundtracking a dance production you would expect Jlin to loose some of herself for the sake of the show, but that doesn't seem to happen. If anything this feels like a summation of the work she has previously done, with a look forward to what lies on the horizon. This record is expansive in it's scope, reaching and finding wonderful moments throughout. "Carbon 12" takes you on this worldwide journey picking analogue instruments from across the world and blasting them through this electronic filter that instantly puts them into a dance vibe. Usually Jlin sticks with a theme pretty tightly on her records, but here is is willing to go all over the place with this brand of IDM (yes i cringed when I wrote that) that is far more warm and full bodied than other stuff in a similar space.

The music here is much more expressive often finding sweeping arrangements that any good producer would love to reach. "Anamnesis (Part 1)" takes you down a forested path, complete with ambient animal sounds almost like you are floating down an Amazonian river. yet just behind the surface as is the case with much of Jlin's music, there is something sinister lying in wait. The notes she uses can go from playful and melodic to slightly off and terrifying. That is what is so amazing about her, these places she is able to go without saying a word, it's really incredible. I have yet to view this with the actual dancing, but you can only imagine the wonderful places this could go in artistic hands. "Mutation" finds some of the stranger productions that she has done before with this almost screeching vocal and relentless drum machine. She is going to bombard you whether you like it or not, but then she is also able to step back and make music that needs you to come to it. As you go down the rabbit hole with her you find more and more wonderful things about her music. Truly a great piece of art whether it is tied to a dance project or not. Jlin continues to be one of the brightest electronic producers out there.

8.6 out of 10