AMN Reviews: antxnio graz – LOADING//:fluids (2022; Dragon’s Eye Recordings)

LOADING//:fluids is a beautifully abstract piece of sound art from antxnio graz. Only 15 minutes in length, its three tracks cover a vast sonic and emotional ground in the context of gender theories.

ENTER//: is perhaps the weirdest of the set, exploring drones generated from synths and voice, the latter being almost entirely obscured. Slabs of sound shift and move in a sparse landscape. cadenza liquid initially continues this sparseness, with a repeating and plaintive piano motif over pops and hisses like would be heard when playing an old LP. Slowly the piano becomes more assertive and lower-frequency slows are added to the mix. This fades into the final track, .​.​.until everything is fluid, which incorporates fragments of whispered and spoken vocals with oscillating synths. The mood is peaceful and yet alien.

In the words of graz, “LOADING//:fluids presents a portal to the sonic universe of an imagined ecosystem” in which “technology, nature, and biology have come together in an organic database.” This explains the title’s URL format. But whether viewed in that context or not, this EP is a strangely moving release, one that is conducive to repeated listens. Very well done.