AMN Reviews: Dronny Darko – Origin (2020; Cryo Chamber)

Despite its curious name, this outfit (a one-man effort of Kievian Oleg Puzan) focuses herein on the sculpted sound side of dark ambient – at least initially. Puzan takes the listener through a journey of intentional strangeness with processed and warped structures, reminiscent of the output of GRM artists. This involves a wide range of elements – crackling, static, bubbling, looping, shimmering landscapes, and watery manipulations. The four tracks of Origin, ranging in duration from 8 to 15 minutes, explore these spaces. The result has the feel of a dystopian nightmare, and would be a fit soundtrack to a science fiction or horror movie.

But as the album progresses, the drones come to the fore, often bassy and heavy in the background as well as long and deep in the foreground. Sweeping lines drift and oscillate through chunks of frequencies. The musique concrète remains, taking a less aggressive but still important role.

Origin will be available on March 31 and comes easily recommended.