Shantam Adds Emotional Warmth To IDM Frenzy On EP 'bleep'

Ever offering a colourful frenzy of synth sounds, first as part of the group FOPCHU and over the last years as a solo artist, Shantam loads them on his latest EP 'bleep' which he releases via Noosphere Network.

A fast-moving parade of timbres bounces musical motifs between themselves, sometimes splitting musical sentences mid-way like contrasting pieces of puzzles attaching themselves together to form a ditzy image. Behind them, chopped stiff breaks carry their uniting charged-up energy that is readily reminiscent of IDM's defining artists like Aphex Twin or Squarepusher – without becoming a tribute, pastiche or even emulation of the influential acts, but rather carries Shantam's own identity in the ways he introduces musical glitches, especially evident on 'janky'.

The defining and fresh quality of the 5-track release is the emotional warmth Shantam adds to the mix, whether through the fuzzy sustained chords of 'fcx' or the unexpected presence of string sections on the closer 'twoforty'.

Listen to 'bleep' below and follow Shantam for more information.

Image by Akash Oswal for Magnetic Fields Festival 2022