Proem Standard_Naming_Convention CATMD110

Proem and n5MD team up for their second collaboration for the 'standard naming convention' 7". This 7" is the second in our 7ransparen7 series and shows a new angle to Proem's signature style of experimental electronica. Proem nocks out a glitchy floor stopper that's sure to get you moving in the brain as well as in your feet. As a special bonus the B side has Lackluster pulling out all the stops for a remix of the title track. Truly Wicked! [Learn more about Proem...]

grooves

Straying from it's minidisc only release schedule for a moment, the n5MD label brings us a 7" single featuring a remix from Esa Ruoho's Lackluster moniker on the b-side. Proem opens the A-side with a crunchy sizzling back beat that anchors some heavily reverbed synth. All to quickly this forms a lovely dancefloor number with reversed, crunchy flourishes here and there, but just as things are going so well, the sweetness is soured by a keyboard loop hooked up to a pitch-shifting LFO that feels entirely out of place. The Lackluster remix, on the other hand is a smooth as melted butter: an equally danceable work that pulls the main melodic phrase from Proem's original, adding a few playful Mike Paradinas-style atmospheric touches while keeping the spicy analog warms intact. While Proem misses the mark slightly, Ruoho steps up to fill in the gaps with a solid effort. recycle your ears

Second release for Proem on N5md, the label founded by Gridlock initially in order to release minidiscs only, but which already has a couple of CDs and records in its discography. This time, it is on a nice, transparent 7" that Proem lays his track, offering a new piece on the A side, and a remix by Lackluster on the B one.

Proem, a one man IDM act from the USA, is not a newcomer anymore, which is clearly stated with "Standard naming convention". After a couple of full length CDs, a minidisc on N5md, and the recent "No carrier" 3" CD on Component (here is an artist that seems to like odd formats), this track demonstrates again that Proem is one of the name to count on if you are looking for accessible but well done dreamy and melodic electronic music. His beats are soft and delicate, while the melodies, ethereal and beautiful, are full of reverb and echoes, building a nice ambience while not distracting the listener from the fast but subtle pace set by the beats. Reminding of what some Warp acts would sound like if they were a bit more listener-friendly, this new Proem 7" shows an evolution in this act's sound, getting a bit less ambient and obscure, this track on the first side being a really charming one.

On the other side, the finnish act Lackluster signs a very changing remix, in which the mood of the original track is kept, but the music is run through various hi-fi effects, giving it a slightly heavier and more percussive edge. Still, it stays calm and contained, but the beats and piano lines added by Lackluster give a whole new dimension to the Proem material, and could very well pass for a totally different track.

Proem still has to disappoint me, and he hasn't done so with this 7". It might be short, but it is beautiful, well executed and well thought, which is enough for me to be seduced.