Buzzin Electronic Music

Snorkel – Glass Darkly (Slowfoot Records)

Released on 28th January 2008

Snorkel’s Glass Darkly album is full of experimentation. A melting pot of jazz improvisation, krautrock and dub electronica. Or as one reviewer put it – “the missing link between Krautrock and Lee Scratch Perry” [Rock a Rolla]

Snorkel are a South London-based collective who were formed 10 years ago by percussionist Frank Byng to “explore and develop strategies for improvisation using flexible line-ups”.

Glass Darkly opens with As The Dust Settles, a dark funky dub tune, complete with throbbing bass and random trombone. It sets the tone for the rest of album. Once past the very accessible opening track the listener is taken into a much deeper experimental place with Lower Slaughter; a syrup-thick, bass heavy, slower grinding track. From here on in, no one gets out alive.

Carpet Flying and The Conversation is a release from the dark and moody, with its lighter jazz experimental overtones, reminiscent of Miles Davis, circa Bitches Brew. After listening to this track I found myself humming the 1970’s prog rock classic Frankenstein by the Edgar Winter Group, though it bears little resemblance.

Miles Davis is tangled up with Scratch Perry, Sonic Youth and The Pop Group. Middle-east and afro-beat influences also come to the fore on I Saw It In The Sky.

The album finishes with This Headphone Mix, with its continuously looped wah sampled guitar, wandering trombone, pounding bassline and upbeat rhythm it sounds like this track would make as good a finale to live shows as it does to closing the album.

A brilliant album full of dark twists and turns. An uncompromising experimental album that sounds like a live jam with seasoned musicians.

Glass Darkly by Snorkel is now available on Slowfoot Records.

Slowfoot Records is a small south London label exploring the boundaries between popular and experimental music, working across genres to create new hybrids.