1000names – Invisible Architect (Project Mooncircle, 2011)

Published December, 2011
by Easterndaze

“It’s a mystery where the music comes from and why it sounds the way it does. We look for the answer in the garden of the invisible architect – and try just to be…“

To make electronic music today is quite simple. Every day new faces appear on the scene, the internet is full of projects, and unfortunately loads of them sound the same. Worshiping the big names, then checking tutorials how to make perfect sounding bass (or bass sounding more like Benga or any other big shot), music makers become lost while chasing technical perfection. In the end, the results are mostly boring and generic, more mindless than smart. The album Invisible Architect by the Bulgarian duo 1000names is fortunately not the case.

1000names (even though now based in Berlin) is the first Bulgarian act which we are reviewing on our page. The “long-term friends and collaborators”, are back in the game for the third time with their latest release. The beatifully designed 2LP Invisible Architect is their plan to make it big.

The final product, loosely based within the post-dubstep/wonky range is slighly different from your average sounding next-door producer. Slowly building-up atmospheres, groovy and hypnotic rhytms, a wide variety of vocal samples and slowly pulsating synthetizers. Beats are pounding, heavy like mountain rocks, sometimes they repeat themselves without any major changes and immediately drag the listener into their sonic universe. It’s very easy to get into that game. Milky Plastic is a slowly evolving track, taking you on a mountain trip, while Pi Day has got that 80’s hypnagogic vibe inside, reminiscent of James Ferraro’s night out in London. Its hard to get bored with the Invisible Architect, as it’s fusing a variety of other musical styles together, sometimes it’s about swing, other times it’s more about space trips.

In Walkin’ Tales we can hear Roland-808, the legendary 80’s drum machine, widely used by contemporary producers these days. Not overused too much here though, you can hear claps and trademark hits of it here and there, and it really fits. Taking the atmosphere of post-dubstep and cutting it with broken beats, warm analogue sounds and wonky aesthetics creates a unique and outstanding sound.

The track mastering is marvelous. Possibly mastered trough some vintage devices, it can fill the room with really thick and deep sounds. More dirty and misty than clean, it proves that you don’t need to be super clean and perfect to create something with soul. Plenty of big producers should learn from these guys how to avoid cliches when using them. The Invisible Architect is catchy stuff.

Props to 1000names to prove that there is still space to express yourself originally using the language accesible to the casual listener. If you like atmospheric, rhytm packed wonky with loads of spacey sounds, do not hesitate and listen. This is how long-term friendships should actually look like.

<a href=“http://projectmooncircle.bandcamp.com/album/invisible-architect” _mce_href=“http://projectmooncircle.bandcamp.com/album/invisible-architect”>Invisible Architect by 1000names</a>